This October, Fountain Hills will welcome 13 students from Dierdorf, Germany, for an international exchange program between Sister Cities. One senior, 12 juniors and three chaperones will arrive in Arizona on Friday, Oct. 20, and return on Saturday, Nov. 4. This will be the first exchange program since the COVID-19 pandemic, and a group of Fountain Hills students will travel to Dierdorf in 2024.

Dierdorf is a small city of about 6,000 residents in south central Germany. During their visit, the German students will stay with host families of student counterparts, attend local events and tour state attractions like the Grand Canyon, Sedona and Flagstaff.

Sister Cities organizers noticed a common theme of sports involvement in the teens this year. German students will compile a book contrasting sports in the two countries after attending the Arizona State University vs. Washington State college football game on Saturday, Oct. 28.

A visit by dignitaries of the town’s third Sister City, Zamosc, Poland, will overlap the student delegation during the week of Oct. 21. The president of Zamosc, Andrzwj Wnuk, and head of the education department, Agnieszka Kowal, and her husband, will visit. A number of activities are being planned to honor the Polish visitors.

The local Sister Cities Committee has donated more than $40,000 over the last 18 months to support the Ukraine refugee assistance program administered by Zamosc. The funds provided humanitarian aid for desperate Ukrainian families escaping the war in their country and fleeing to nearby Poland.