Former foreign exchange student reminisces about experience in Hillsboro
Lead Summary
By
Caitlin Forsha-crforsha@gmail.com
Nearly two decades after she attended Hillsboro High School, a German foreign exchange student recently returned to Highland County to spend the weekend with her “host family.”
John and Kathy Levo, who were the “host parents” for Yvonne Puck of Germany during the 1997-98 school year, welcomed Puck, her boyfriend Karol and her son Maximilian for two days at the end of August. The German travelers were also planning to meet the Levos’ son, David, in New York City for dinner before heading home.
Puck moved from Dahme, Germany to attend Hillsboro High School as a junior, while her “host sister” – the Levos’ daughter, Jennifer – was a senior.
Puck said that she loved attending school in Hillsboro, which she said was much more interesting than her classes in Germany.
“School in the US was so much better than my German school,” Puck said. “I liked that I could choose some of the classes I was interested in besides the normal math, social studies and science-type classes. Hillsboro had things like choir, drama and broadcasting, and I liked the extra activities.
“My son is 16. His school day is done at noon, and then he comes home and is bored.”
During her year at HHS, Puck said her favorite classes included chemistry with Mr. Wallen and French with Mrs. Cornett.
“Mrs. Cornett asked me to take the French I scholarship test they gave in May, and I placed in third in the state,” Puck said. “While I had taken French in Germany, I didn't learn anything there. I did well because of Mrs. Cornett.”
While at HHS, Puck was a member of the Lady Indians soccer team, for which Kathy Levo was assistant coach and Jennifer Levo played.
“I understood the game, as we also play it in Germany,” Puck said.
Puck also ran track for Hillsboro and volunteered to help raise money and decorate the high school gym for prom.
“My mother and grandfather arrived in the US just after everything was torn down from the prom,” Puck said. “I wished they could have seen how the class transformed the gym. It was really something.”
Another aspect of the high school Puck enjoyed was "Spirit Week,” where students dressed in a certain theme each day of the school week.
For her senior year of high school, Puck used her confidence gained from her experience in Hillsboro to succeed in the German school systems.
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“In Germany, Yvonne had the same teachers each year,” Kathy Levo said. “They just taught the appropriate science or math for that grade that next year. They formed their opinions, and if they were negative, you had no chance to change them. You can be a teacher as long as you want, whether you do a good or bad job.”
Puck said that when she returned to school in Germany, one of her teachers called her “stupid.”
“I knew after my experience in Hillsboro that was not true,” Puck said. “I got up and walked out, and I went to another school.”
Due to a pregnancy, Puck finished her education at night school, which she preferred to the harsh teachers in the regular school system.
“In night school, I think both the teachers and students are there because they really want to learn,” Puck said.
After completing high school, Puck trained to become an insurance clerk before studying law.
“Just in the last several years, I gave up that nice salary and took government assistance so I could take law classes and the exams,” Puck said.
Puck is now employed as a judge in Kiel, Germany. She credits her experience in Hillsboro with giving her the confidence to succeed.
“I gained a lot of confidence in myself,” Puck said. “The small town of Dahme was no longer enough for me. The whole experience, all the people I spent time with – my host family, my teachers, my coaches and classmates – made an impact.”
This is Puck’s fifth trip to the USA and third time visiting Hillsboro.
“The first time I brought my son, my sister and my niece,” Puck said. “The second time, my sister and I came, and this time I brought my son and my boyfriend.”
Since her son visited Hillsboro when he was much younger, Puck said that she was looking forward to seeing the changes in Hillsboro and exploring the area with him.
“My son remembers some of the first visit, but he is much older now, so it is different,” Puck said. “This is my boyfriend’s first visit to the US. I was looking forward to introducing my son and boyfriend to the area where I lived and seeing the changes and development in Hillsboro.”
While in southern Ohio, Puck and her boyfriend and son visited Amish country and Serpent Mound; the murals in Portsmouth; and the outlet mall in Jeffersonville, where Puck’s boyfriend and son purchased Nike shoes. They also attended church at Hillsboro First United Methodist Church.
There is one location where Puck wanted to visit during her trip – the former Hillsboro High School on Main Street.
“I loved that pretty building,” Puck said.
As Kiel is the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of nearly 250,000 people, it is much larger than Hillsboro. However, Puck said that Hillsboro offers some advantages that her German city does not.
“Kiel is much denser in population and has public transportation, but here you have bigger stores like Walmart and Kroger,” Puck said. “We just have little stores. You have nice sports things like the YMCA, stadium, softball and football fields.”
Puck, whom Levo said knew from a young age that she wanted to come to the USA, said that more students should take advantage of the foreign exchange program. She also encouraged any Highland County residents considering hosting a foreign exchange student to “definitely do” it, but to keep in mind that there will be challenges.
“Remember, it will not always be smooth,” Puck said. “Just like with your own child, there are good and bad days. Some students get homesick. Communications with home are much easier today than they were in ’97-98, but I also use that to keep in touch with my host family and classmates from HHS.”
John and Kathy Levo, who were the “host parents” for Yvonne Puck of Germany during the 1997-98 school year, welcomed Puck, her boyfriend Karol and her son Maximilian for two days at the end of August. The German travelers were also planning to meet the Levos’ son, David, in New York City for dinner before heading home.
Puck moved from Dahme, Germany to attend Hillsboro High School as a junior, while her “host sister” – the Levos’ daughter, Jennifer – was a senior.
Puck said that she loved attending school in Hillsboro, which she said was much more interesting than her classes in Germany.
“School in the US was so much better than my German school,” Puck said. “I liked that I could choose some of the classes I was interested in besides the normal math, social studies and science-type classes. Hillsboro had things like choir, drama and broadcasting, and I liked the extra activities.
“My son is 16. His school day is done at noon, and then he comes home and is bored.”
During her year at HHS, Puck said her favorite classes included chemistry with Mr. Wallen and French with Mrs. Cornett.
“Mrs. Cornett asked me to take the French I scholarship test they gave in May, and I placed in third in the state,” Puck said. “While I had taken French in Germany, I didn't learn anything there. I did well because of Mrs. Cornett.”
While at HHS, Puck was a member of the Lady Indians soccer team, for which Kathy Levo was assistant coach and Jennifer Levo played.
“I understood the game, as we also play it in Germany,” Puck said.
Puck also ran track for Hillsboro and volunteered to help raise money and decorate the high school gym for prom.
“My mother and grandfather arrived in the US just after everything was torn down from the prom,” Puck said. “I wished they could have seen how the class transformed the gym. It was really something.”
Another aspect of the high school Puck enjoyed was "Spirit Week,” where students dressed in a certain theme each day of the school week.
For her senior year of high school, Puck used her confidence gained from her experience in Hillsboro to succeed in the German school systems.
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“In Germany, Yvonne had the same teachers each year,” Kathy Levo said. “They just taught the appropriate science or math for that grade that next year. They formed their opinions, and if they were negative, you had no chance to change them. You can be a teacher as long as you want, whether you do a good or bad job.”
Puck said that when she returned to school in Germany, one of her teachers called her “stupid.”
“I knew after my experience in Hillsboro that was not true,” Puck said. “I got up and walked out, and I went to another school.”
Due to a pregnancy, Puck finished her education at night school, which she preferred to the harsh teachers in the regular school system.
“In night school, I think both the teachers and students are there because they really want to learn,” Puck said.
After completing high school, Puck trained to become an insurance clerk before studying law.
“Just in the last several years, I gave up that nice salary and took government assistance so I could take law classes and the exams,” Puck said.
Puck is now employed as a judge in Kiel, Germany. She credits her experience in Hillsboro with giving her the confidence to succeed.
“I gained a lot of confidence in myself,” Puck said. “The small town of Dahme was no longer enough for me. The whole experience, all the people I spent time with – my host family, my teachers, my coaches and classmates – made an impact.”
This is Puck’s fifth trip to the USA and third time visiting Hillsboro.
“The first time I brought my son, my sister and my niece,” Puck said. “The second time, my sister and I came, and this time I brought my son and my boyfriend.”
Since her son visited Hillsboro when he was much younger, Puck said that she was looking forward to seeing the changes in Hillsboro and exploring the area with him.
“My son remembers some of the first visit, but he is much older now, so it is different,” Puck said. “This is my boyfriend’s first visit to the US. I was looking forward to introducing my son and boyfriend to the area where I lived and seeing the changes and development in Hillsboro.”
While in southern Ohio, Puck and her boyfriend and son visited Amish country and Serpent Mound; the murals in Portsmouth; and the outlet mall in Jeffersonville, where Puck’s boyfriend and son purchased Nike shoes. They also attended church at Hillsboro First United Methodist Church.
There is one location where Puck wanted to visit during her trip – the former Hillsboro High School on Main Street.
“I loved that pretty building,” Puck said.
As Kiel is the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of nearly 250,000 people, it is much larger than Hillsboro. However, Puck said that Hillsboro offers some advantages that her German city does not.
“Kiel is much denser in population and has public transportation, but here you have bigger stores like Walmart and Kroger,” Puck said. “We just have little stores. You have nice sports things like the YMCA, stadium, softball and football fields.”
Puck, whom Levo said knew from a young age that she wanted to come to the USA, said that more students should take advantage of the foreign exchange program. She also encouraged any Highland County residents considering hosting a foreign exchange student to “definitely do” it, but to keep in mind that there will be challenges.
“Remember, it will not always be smooth,” Puck said. “Just like with your own child, there are good and bad days. Some students get homesick. Communications with home are much easier today than they were in ’97-98, but I also use that to keep in touch with my host family and classmates from HHS.”