Blythewood High partners with German high school
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| Dr. Arthur Turfa and Dagmar Freitag |
This past summer, Blythewood High School and the Märkisches Gymnasium Iserlohn (MGI), located in Iserlohn, Germany, officially became transatlantic partners.
Dr. Arthur Turfa, an English and German teacher at Blythewood High, left Columbia’s 100 degree heat on June 21 and landed the next day in Berlin in weather about 40 degrees cooler. The next several days were spent at the school (a Gymnasium prepares students for university-level studies) and in the Sauerland region, of which Iserlohn is the largest city. His colleagues Bernd Kruse and Dr. Viola Herzig-Danielson, who visited Blythweood High in April, were excellent hosts and made possible many contacts with members of school's faculty and staff.
A week later in Berlin, Dr. Turfa met with Dagmar Freitag, who represents Iserlohn in the German Bundestag (Parliament). With the Blythewood-Iserlohn connection in place, her desire to find American partner schools for all the secondary schools in her district is now complete.
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A portion of Märkisches Gymnasium Iserlohn
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When Dr. Turfa returned to South Carolina, he briefed Blythewood High Principal Keith Price, who was eager to formalize the relationship. The first German visitors are anticipated in October 2012; the first Bengals to travel to Iserlohn are projected to leave in April 2013.
Germany is South Carolina’s largest international trading partner.
Posted September 9, 2011
For more information contact triley@richland2.org or iabdussaboor@richland2.org