A group of 16 rising seniors and recent graduates traveled to Goslar, Germany this summer with German teacher Kristen Harter and High School English teacher Chuck Kelly. Founded in 1978, the Shaker-Goslar Exchange is the oldest partnership between an American and a German school.

"It was truly an incredible experience that taught me more about the language, culture, and lifestyle than I could have ever learned in a classroom setting," says rising senior Ellie Shafron.

The students experienced typical German school at Goslar's Ratsgymnasium and attended the school's graduation ceremony in the Kaiserpfaltz, the Imperial Palace of Goslar, portions of which are one thousand years old. The group also traveled by the German rapid transit systems, the U-bahn and S-bahn, to Berlin, where they had to navigate to their hotel without the translation help of the teachers. The visit to Berlin included bicycle and Segway tours, a trip to the famed East Side Gallery, a section of the Berlin Wall which now serves as the world's longest open-air gallery and a memorial for freedom. The students spent their final days in Munich. "This exchange was life changing and every student who has been on it is so lucky to have had the opportunity," Ellie says.