For the first semester of the 2024-2025 school year, an exchange student from Germany named Amy Duess (11), has spent her time in school at MSHS. She was able to overcome the differences from living in a different country and has been able to leave an impact on other students.
Duess has been able to keep up with her classes even though she had to overcome the learning differences of her other school. “It’s been kind of easy, but also tough, because I’ve never been taught the subjects in English, so it’s a bit harder for me,” Duess said. “In Germany I have 14 subjects per week, and they’re all scattered throughout.”
Pierce Gillard, Duess’s advisor, believes that she has been doing the best she can in her classes. “She’s doing well. She’s keeping up with people and she’s able to show proficiency in a lot of subjects, even in multiple languages. I think a lot of people underestimate the difficulty that is involved in that,” Gillard said, “so that’s a fun thing to see with a student.”
Mack Tehan (11), a friend of Duess’s, believes that Duess has been able to fit in well around the school after only being here for a few months. “She’s fitting in pretty well,” Tehan said. “She’s got great English for being a German exchange student, and she’s so kind that she just fits in great.”
Tehan believes that Duess has left a great impression on some students at MSHS. “She’s really energetic, friendly, funny and she likes to hug a lot which I love about her,” Tehan said. “She’s just so kind to me and treats me with so much warmth, I love being her friend. She’s a great person.”
Gillard has enjoyed the opportunity to get to know Duess. “Advisory has been a fun place to see her build those social relationships and to see that more than I might have if she was just in an academic class,” Gillard said, “but even then, I still get to see her working, like today studying for chemistry and going through all the different things for that class and preparing well.”
Duess has been able to connect with people in our school even though her first language was German. “I think she’s made quick friends and if she wants to, she can blend in really well,” Gillard said, “I think she often gets away with mixing in with everybody else without letting them know necessarily that she’s an exchange student, while being open to sharing who she is, and that’s a fun thing,”
Duess has been able to connect with the people of Manitou Springs. “We talk about it sometimes during lunch, when we all eat together, and it makes me want to cry, because she’s leaving in a couple of weeks,” Tehan said, “she’s not staying here for the full year, she’s leaving right after Christmas. I am genuinely gonna miss her, and I’m gonna have to keep in touch with her.”
