Grosvenor In View Magazine 2025

54

EDUCATIONAL VISITS

Educational Visits German Exchange Trip to Lippstadt, Germany 31 August – 6 September 2024

From 31 August to 6 September 2024, 24 excited pupils from Years 11, 13 and 14 set off on an unforgettable adventure to Lippstadt, Germany, the first exchange visit since the Covid-19 pandemic. Accompanied by Frau Dorman, Frau Elwood and Herr Smith, we were warmly welcomed by staff and students from the Evangelisches Gymnasium, who looked after us with incredible kindness and hospitality.

One of our first group outings was to Dortmund, where we toured the colossal Borussia Dortmund football stadium - a dream come true for any football fan - followed by some time exploring the city’s shops and soaking up the atmosphere. A real highlight for many of us was experiencing everyday school life in Germany.

Evanglisches Gymnasium

Arriving in Dortmund

At first, it felt strange walking into school with no uniform, and even stranger staying in the same classroom while different teachers came to us! The Evangelisches Gymnasium is smaller than Grosvenor and the school didn’t offer extra-curricular clubs like sports or music, which took some getting used to. The school day started at a very early 7.50am but ended by 1:00pm, leaving us with free afternoons to explore or relax. We even had the opportunity to try subjects not taught at home, like astronomy. Almost everyone cycled to school, and best of all, there was barely any homework! Throughout the week, we took part in plenty of fun activities. One evening, the school hosted a barbecue, and later in the week we visited a local Further Education College (Hochschule).

After a bleary-eyed departure from Belfast and an early morning flight from Dublin, we arrived in Lippstadt on Saturday afternoon. Despite the tiredness and initial nerves about speaking German, we were quickly made to feel at home by our host families. The weekend gave us time to bond with them, and by Monday morning, many of us felt like we’d known our exchange partners for years.

Borussia Dortmund Stadium

GROSVENOR IN VIEW > 2024/25