The relationship between Fountain Hills and Dierdorf, Germany, grew stronger recently with 16 students and three teachers from the town’s Sister City visiting for 17 days.

This student exchange program rotates annually by subject and, this year, music was the designated subject.

As such, Fountain Hills High School music department head Lynn Truby and her students jumped at the chance to welcome these guests, inviting them to stay in their homes, attend their classes and take a whirlwind tour of the community and state.

With more than two weeks to pack with events, students both visiting and local took in all of the sites. The went on a cruise down Saguaro Lake on the Desert Belle, visited other local schools, had a chat with Mayor Linda Kavanagh while checking out Town Hall, made their way through the River of Time Museum, enjoyed Oktoberfest in Fountain Park and even performed a special concert before parting ways.

Outside of town, students visited the Music Instrument Museum, saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Hale Centre Theatre, drove down Route 66 to visit the Grand Canyon for a few days, dropped by sites like Montezuma’s Castle and managed to squeeze in a few shopping trips here and there.

On top of performing with the Falcons in a local event, the visiting students also traveled with the flock to the 2017 Superstition Showdown, where the Falcons competed in a marching competition with other schools from around the state.

Truby said she would like to thank all of the students and their teachers who visited, as well as everyone locally who helped make this exchange another success.

“I want to thank the host families for opening their homes and all of their hospitality,” Truby said. “Also the Fountain Hills Sister Cities program for all of their support, and of course the school for allowing this exchange to continue, which I think is very important. Just, to everyone involved, thank you.”

Truby said it was especially nice to get to have the German visitors perform with the Falcons at the big performance that capped off the trip. They spent many hours practicing throughout the 17 days, with the Dierdorf crew getting to see what it’s like to play with a marching band.

“It was cool because a lot of the kids played guitar or piano or they were vocalists, which doesn’t really fit with a marching band,” Truby said. “It was fun figuring out how to incorporate all of that. We had a couple join percussion or join the guard, which they seemed to enjoy.”

Truby said the schedule allowed the group to alternate between seeing what school life is like in Fountain Hills and visiting the state the Falcons call home.

“All of our field trips were either history focused or musical experiences,” Truby said. “We made the Grand Canyon trip three days because, in the past, it was clear one day wasn’t enough; you pass so many great things just on the way up there.”

Truby referenced a reptile exhibit in Sedona that the group basically “lucked into,” where the German students got to get some hands-on time with desert wildlife they don’t typically see in their homeland. She said that they were also well aware of Route 66, with the experience of traveling along it being one of the many highlights of their trip. Other highlights included swimming in temperatures the visiting students didn’t think were too cool yet, as well as loading suitcases with candy and Oreos they don’t sell in Dierdorf.

“They were all together throughout the entire trip, constantly getting together at each other’s houses,” Truby said. “They didn’t really break off into groups or anything, and I think that helped everyone feel like one big family…They’re all staying in contact already and I know our kids are really looking forward to visiting Germany next year.”

According to Truby, programs like this are an important part of giving students a better education and worldview. She referenced the turbulent political scene here in the United States, saying that trips like this show that the people of a country are not necessarily what others see represented on the news.

“They have similar things going on in their country, so it’s interesting to see the similarities between us and them,” she added. “There are more similarities than differences, and I think that’s true of cultures all over the world. Governments are different than the people. But the people, I feel, are pretty much the same around the world.

“I think it’s important for the kids to get to meet people from another country and get to know them to realize we are all the same.”