Deutsch-Amerikanischer Freundeskreis Paderborn – Belleville e.V.

Aus dem Mitteilungsblatt von Belleville Sister Cities Inc. Mai 2013

9. April 201810. Mai 2013 von Wolfgang Stüken

Not only do we have the normal events, we have an election of officers this November and an adult visit from our friends in Paderborn next year. Please consult the Calendar at the end of the newsletter for the dates of the events. We will need all the help our membership can muster to make this year as successful as past ones.

This year our Sister City organization in Paderborn is celebrating their 25th anniversary. We offer our congratulations. Festivities are planned for June 23rd in the Rathaus. We are planning to participate in those activities. I’m sure that any extra cards and letters from our membership would be appreciated.

President Jerry Reilmann

News from Paderborn

Dear Friends in Belleville and Around:
Finally spring has come. We have read the results of the elections in Belle- ville. We congratulate Mayor Eckert on his re-election. We wish all the best to those elected for positions of the city.

Together with Oliver Boraucke of the City’s youth department we have been busy preparing the students who will come to Belleville in summer for their stay. Four boys and eight girls will be in Belleville from July 23 rd thru August 13 th . Sebastian Schulz and Benedikt Otto will be the chaperones. Everybody in the group is looking forward to meeting with the host families and to the program during the stay.

Three girls will come for the three months stay on August 14 th : Hannah Bauer (Belleville West High School) will host Verena Dorniss, Courtnie Weaver (Belleville East) Jenny Hillebrand and Elizabeth Hughes (Belleville East) Anna Fee Wefelmeier.

Our thanks go to everybody involved in these two wonderful youth exchanges. During June/July we expect the return visits of three (as of now) students from Belleville who hosted the three month students in 2012: Nick Arteaga, Elizabeth Hughes and Alexandra Malette.

Throughout the years we could be proud of such return visits of young people.

In February/March Jan Schulze – former exchange student – was in Belleville. Studying to become a teacher, he observed classes at Belleville West for about a month. This has been another of several return visits. Christian Stemberg who was first in Belleville in 2008, and now a law student, came back for five weeks to have an internship at a renowned Belleville law firm.

On the other hand Kate Eckert, daughter of Mayor Eckert and a former exchange student, has been here since August 2012 as an assistant teacher at a school in Bad Lippspringe/Paderborn. She has organized a get-together for the Paderborn students who have been to Belleville. This is a wonderful activity that helps fasten the bonds between our cities and regions. Heiner Sprenkamp, Vice-President of DAFK, ac- tively supports this initiative. Heiner happened to stay in Belleville for a few days starting May 1 st . He had talks with BSC President Jerry Reilmann about future plans.

At the beginning of April Mary Huetsch and Jean Jung from Waterloo were here for family research at the Diocesan Archives of Paderborn; they were successfully supported by our ancestry expert, Dr. Heinz Marxkors.

In June we’ll welcome Marilyn and Judith Schulte (St. Louis, well known with BSC members) who will stay in Paderborn for the 3 rd time to learn more about their ancestors in Westphalia. They’ll be here when we’ll celebrate the 25 th anniversary of DAFK on June 23 rd . Also Nancy Macklin will attend the ceremony at the Rathaus/City Hall of Paderborn. She will present a message from Jerry Reilmann. Together with Kate Eckert and Elizabeth Hughes the three ladies will form the “Belleville delegation”.

Looking forward to our anniversary celebration with wonderful memories of a 25 year relationship with Belleville and the region – best wishes across the Atlantic Ocean

Bernd Broer
President

Dr. Otmar Allendorf
Secretary

Germany to Belleville: Former exchange student returns to become teacher

9. April 201822. März 2013 von Wolfgang Stüken

Im Februar/März waren zwei frühere Teilnehmer des „Sister City Cultural Exchange“ während ihrer Semesterferien in Belleville. Christian Stemberg konnte ein Praktikum in einem Anwaltsbüro abolvieren, Jan Schulze, der Englisch studiert, hat in der High School Belleville West unterrichtet.

Im News Democrat erschien am 22.3.2013 folgender Artikel

BELLEVILLE — When Jan Schulze arrived here as a foreign exchange student in 2007, he never imagined he would be back in a Belleville West High School classroom six years later learning to be a teacher.Schulze’s host family when he came to Belleville from sister city Paderborn, Germany, was Belleville Mayor Mark Eckert’s family. Eckert’s son Luke and Schulze are about the same age and became close friends.A bond soon formed between the families. Schulze has visited the Eckert family for each of the past seven years; the Schulze family hosting members of the Eckert family in Paderborn during their visits.While studying at the University of Paderborn to be a physical education and English teacher, Schulze learned of a requirement in his major to observe an English classroom. Schulze worked with the university and Belleville West to satisfy the requirement in the city he calls his „second home.“The 23-year-old Schulze said he was inspired to be a teacher by his mother, who is a physical education teacher, and by his desire to share his knowledge with others. Despite his love for Belleville, his goal is to teach in his home country.“I would really like to be a professor, maybe at the University of Paderborn,“ Schulze said.Belleville West English teacher Soune Ursani said Schulze has the ability to be a good teacher.“You can be the smartest person in your content area, but if you don’t have the ability to communicate, it doesn’t help,“ Ursani said. „He has the ability to communicate his insight and knowledge.“Schulze observed classes at Belleville West for about a month. Ursani said Schulze’s presence in the classroom was valuable for her students. „It was an eye-opening experience for some students to interact every day with someone who lives in another country,“ Ursani said.Among the things Urasani said her students found most interesting about Germany were the price of gas — which Schulze estimated to be about $11 per gallon — and the very low cost of college. One student told Schulze she would never again complain about the price of gas in America.The experience in Urasni’s classroom was also beneficial to Schulze.“I was impressed with how she (Ursani) handles her students and with how much routine she has already established as a young teacher,“ Schulze said.American teachers have a different relationship with their students than their German counterparts, Schulze said.“In Germany, you always have the feeling that the teachers are above you, and they like to give that impression,“ Schulze said. „Here, the mutual respect is great. Having a nice atmosphere motivates everyone.“Ursani said Shulze has an ability to build a rapport with the students and an impressive work ethic. He might get his work ethic from his father, who was a decathlete on the 1980 West German Olympic team that boycotted the summer games in Moscow.Schulze left Belleville on Thursday to return to Paderborn, but he will be back. Eckert hopes Schulze’s experience will inspire others to participate in student exchange programs and travel abroad.“I encourage students to not exclude this type of opportunity,“ Eckert said. „For our kids, it has been a life-changing experience.“

Aus dem Mitteilungsblatt von Belleville Sister Cities Inc. Februar 2013

9. April 20188. Februar 2013 von Wolfgang Stüken

Grußworte der Präsidenten

President’s Message

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We can look back on a successful, active 2012. The youth exchanges and fundraising events all did great. The Stammtisches were well attended.

On a more somber note, we lost three of our older active members. Karl Mandl, Rich Berkel and Clint „Slick“ Stoeber all passed away last year. They will truly be missed.

While we have a little break in the activity, 2013 is setting up to be a very busy year also. Planning has already begun. The budget was passed at the January Board meeting. And the calendar of activities has been set. The calendar is located toward the end of the newsletter. Please mark YOUR calendar to participate in as many events as you can.

One of my disappointments for 2012 was the attendance at the quarterly Membership meet- ings. So we are going to try something different this year. Instead of the regular business meeting, we will have a very abbreviated one followed by a program.

The February 21st meeting will have a presentation by Diane Walsh from the St. Clair County Genealogical Society. Her topic will be „Pitfalls in Genealogical Research“. I know many of you have done some digging into our family’s history. You have I’m sure that you have run into some roadblocks. How do you proceed? Come to the meeting and get some an- swers to your quandaries.

In addition to the program, Diane asks that if you have some nagging questions to please send them to me to be forwarded to her. She could do some research before the presentation and be more prepared to help you.

Don’t forget to let Hilda Koluch know if you will be attending. We need to give Fischer’s enough time to set up properly for the meeting. In addition, that will put your name in the kitty for one of Hilda’s fantastic attendance prizes.

See you there.

Have a wonderful and prosperous new year.

Jerry

News from Paderborn

Dear Friends in Belleville and Around:
At the time this contribution to the BSC newsletter is written winter has got its grip on Paderborn in the same way as it has in Belleville – it has been cold here for a few weeks and we are having snow.

We remember our Thanksgiving dinner when about 160 members and friends gathered to celebrate this US holiday which is so impor- tant to our friends in Belleville. Jerry Reilmann had sent an address that was well received by the guests.

Now we have been busy preparing two youth exchanges for 2013:

A group of 12 students will come to Belleville in summer for a three- week stay, accompanied by two new chaperones, Sebastian Schulz and Benedikt Otto.

In mid-August three or four students from Paderborn will come for a three months “Sister City Cultural Exchange”.

We are grateful to the hosts who will accept these young people to their homes and to those who will organize the exchanges.

On June 23 rd DAFK will celebrate its 25 th anniversary at the Rathaus of Paderborn.

Our sister city organization establishing a relationship with Belleville was founded on Sep- tember 23 rd , 1988. The late Ellen Rost was the initiator and first president.

During the festive event on June 23 rd we’ll expect the distinguished member of the European Parliament, Elmar Brok, Chairman of its Foreign Committee, to deliver an address. The US Consul General in Düsseldorf, Stephen A. Hubler, has been invited.

We hope to welcome friends and representatives from Belleville on this occasion.

We also hope that more visitors from Belleville will come to Paderborn in 2013.

Best wishes

Bernd Broer
President

Dr. Otmar Allendorf
Secretary

Fotos 2012

9. April 201828. Dezember 2012 von Wolfgang Stüken

Fotos aus dem Jahr 2012…

Schüleraustausch 2012

10.05.2012

Auch in diesem Jahr kann der DAFK in Zusammenarbeit mit Belleville Sister Cities, Inc. einen „Sister City Cultural Exchange“ mit unserer Partnerstadt anbieten. Beworben hatten sich 3 Jungen und 14 Mädchen aus der Klasse 9 der Paderborner Gymnasien. Davon wurden aufgrund der Bewerbungsunterlagen und nach Einzelinterviews 2 Jungen und drei Mädchen ausgewählt.
Vom 17.8 bis 4.11.2012 werden in Belleville/Illinois sein:
von links: Melina Schütte (Gymnasium St. Michael), Maximilian Schlenger (Pelizaeus Gymnasium), Greta Koch (Pelizaeus Gymnasium), Robin Drabon (Pelizaeus Gymnasium), Patricia Dickgreber (Reismann Gymnasium).

Am 10. Mai 2012 fand eine Informationsrunde für den Austausch unter der Leitung von Dr. Otmar Allendorf und Uta Hoischen statt. Hauptthema war die Wahl der Kurse für die High School. Dabei gaben auch die Schüler und Schülerinnen, die im Herbst 2011 für ca 90 Tage an dem Austausch teilgenommen hatten, wertvolle Hinweise für die Kurswahl und den Aufenthalt insgesamt. Sie berichteten auch lebhaft über ihre Erfahrungen mit dem „American way of life“.
Nach der Inforunde gab es ein Gruppenfoto: von links Raphael Vollbach, Helene Trojanski, Maximilian Schlenger, Benedikt Hügemann, Philipp Wältermann, Melina Schütte, Judith Friede, Robin Drabon, Greta Koch, Patricia Dickgreber (nicht dabei vom Austausch 2011: Maren Grüter)

Fotos. O. Allendorf

Dreiwöchiger Jugendaustausch mit Belleville/Illinois (USA)

9. April 201811. Dezember 2012 von Wolfgang Stüken

Der DAFK bietet in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Jugendamt der Stadt Paderborn in den Sommerferien 2013 einen dreiwöchigen Jugendaustausch mit der Partnerstadt Belleville/Illinois (USA) an.

Internationler Jugendaustausch Paderborn – Belleville/ USA

Datum und Zeit

Dienstag, 23.07.2013
Mittwoch, 14.08.2013

Ort

Belleville/ USA

Teilnehmer

Jugendliche im Alter ab 15 Jahren

Max. Teilnehmerzahl: 12

Programm

Im Rahmen des internationalen Jugendaustausches zwischen Paderborn und Belleville/ USA ist für das nächste Jahr ein dreiwöchtiger Austausch in den USA geplant. Neben der Gelegenheit hautnah amerikanisches Familienleben kennenzulernen, stehen u.a. ein Tagesausflug nach St. Louis, der Besuch eines Baseballspiels, eine 2-tägige Kanutour in Missouri und der Besuch des Vergnügungsparks „Six Flags“ auf dem Programm.

Der Jugendaustausch wird in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Jugendamt der Stadt Paderborn durchgeführt.

Die Teilnehmer, die in 2013 nach Belleville fliegen, nehmen ihren amerikanischen Gastgeber in 2014 bei der Begegnung in Paderborn auf.

Veranstalter:

Deutsch-Amerikanischer Freundeskreis Paderborn- Belleville e.V.

Kosten

ca. 1.250,- €

Auskunft und Anmeldung:

Jugendamt, FamilienServiceCenter
Frau Brinkmann, Tel.: 05251 88 1642
s.brinkmann@paderborn
Bewerbungen bis 01.03.2013 Stadt Paderborn
www.paderborn.de/ferienspiele

Kursnummer
13-510700