Lena Storath, Southampton Rotary Youth Exchange Student from Germany, was officially welcomed to the community by Mayor Luke and Town Council on Monday, December 9th.
The Mayor presented her with a certificate that expresses the town’s appreciation to Rotary for fostering international goodwill and cultural understanding through the Youth Exchange program.
Storath, who comes from the municipality of Eching (near Munich) in Bavaria, Germany, is 17 and is now attending Saugeen District Senior School (SDSS) in grade 12 during her time in Canada.
She explains that the school system is very different from the one in Germany with a different grading system and number of subjects.
“In Germany, our system is different. For instance, I go to an Academic School where subjects like math are important and I take 16 subjects through the year.”
“This is my first time in North America,” says Storath. “My older sister went to Belgium on an exchange through Rotary and ever since then, I’ve wanted to do the same. It’s an amazing opportunity to travel and meet so many people.”
Storath will be be hosted by three local families during her stay in Saugeen Shores. While in Canada, exchange students enjoy the hospitality of their host families who often ensure that they get to visit and see sites of interest.
