Fountain Hills High School Students Travel to Europe as Part of Student Exchange Program with Sister City Zamość, Poland
During a two-week run from the end of May into June, students from Fountain Hills High School participated in an inspirational and educational trip to Poland. They traveled to several well-known and historical places, with an ultimate destination of our Sister City Zamość Poland.
Their immersion into the culture, history, cuisine, education, and lifestyle of their Polish counterparts represented a spectacular manifestation of one of the basic principles of the Sister Cities movement. They shared friendships and goodwill with an international partner city that transcended direct government involvement, which is a mutually beneficial and foundational pillar identified by Sister Cities founder President Eisenhower, back in 1956.
The Trip Began and Ended In Beloved Zamość...
The students were accompanied by Fountain Hills High School teachers Luke Salzman and Chris Peterson, who are also members of the FH Sister Cities Team. The chaperones this year included Fountain Hills Union High School teacher Olivia Long and District Superintendent Dr. Cain Jagodzinksi and his wife Tamara. Together, they all experienced the best of Zamość.
Fountain Hills High School exchange students, teachers, and chaperones interacted and lived among the local Polish students and educators who had previously visited Fountain Hills last fall. There is nothing like seeing a new country and culture for the first time to open your mind and provide a global perspective. This perspective is one of the truly magical aspects of the Sister Cities program. Who knows what these fortunate students will take away from this experience as citizen diplomats, but we can only hope they change the world for the better.
Everywhere the Students Went, They Sampled Delicious Polish Cuisine, Even Making Some for Themselves...
Fountain Hills Students Got to See a Traditional Polish Dance Festival in Nearby Zwierzyniec ...
Our Fountain Hills Students Then Ventured to Krakow...
Fountain Hills High School exchange students had the chance to explore the ever-popular Krakow, Poland. Krakow is one of the oldest cities in Poland and is known for being one of the leading centers for Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life.
Wawel Royal Castle is part of a fortified architectural complex erected atop a limestone outcrop on the left bank of the Vistula River. The complex consists of numerous buildings of great historical and national importance, including the Wawel Cathedral, where Polish monarchs were crowned and buried. Some of Wawel’s oldest stone buildings can be traced back to 970 CE, in addition to the earliest examples of Romanesque and Gothic architecture in Poland. The current castle was built in the 14th century, and expanded over the next hundreds of years.
Our lucky students then embarked on a unique adventure exploring the nearby salt mine at Wielizcka. It is one of the oldest documented salt-manufacturing sites in Europe. Though salt had been produced from brine springs since Neolithic times, rock salt was first discovered in Wieliczka in the 13th century, when the first shafts were dug, and it was mined continuously from then until 1996.
Auschwitz Was a Must-See for Our Visitors to Poland...
The exchange students experienced first-hand the somber history and the haunting memories of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp of WWII. They learned Auschwitz was the largest of the German Nazi concentration camps and extermination centers. Over 1.1 million men, women, and children lost their lives there.
On a Happier Note, a Trip to Warsaw Cleansed the Hearts and Minds of Our International Travelers...
The student exchange team explored Warsaw in their last few days of this magnificent trip. Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and largest city of Poland. Warsaw is the 6th most-populous city in the European Union. It is a major political, economic and cultural hub, and the country’s seat of government.
With the completion of our students’ travel to Poland, and specifically Zamość, so too ends another wonderful Polish Student Exchange experience. Our participants left Poland with a newfound appreciation of the meaning, the purpose, and the rewards of the Sister Cities program. And they certainly came home with a lifetime of incredible memories and enduring friendships.
The experience also strengthens the bonds between our two communities and reinforces our mutual commitments as Sister Cities, a partnership that has endured since its founding in 2014.
Fountain Hills Sister Cities Proudly Congratulates the Fountain Hills High School Teachers, Participating Students, and Chaperones for Another Successful and Enriching Student Exchange!
Interested in getting involved with our remarkable Student Exchanges that create a lifetime of memories for its participants?
Learn how FHSC (and you!) can participate in Fountain Hills High School’s Student Exchange
Contact our FHSC Student Exchange Coordinator for Volunteer Opportunities
Donate to our Student Exchange Fund so we can help our students with future travel & event costs
