Rotary Youth Exchange Student and the Rotary Club of Madison West Middleton
By Ed Fink
The Rotary Club of Madison West Middleton has a long history with Rotary Youth Exchange,
having hosted students from across the globe. This year is no exception. The club’s current inbound Youth Exchange Student is Magnus Spengel from Planegg, Germany, a community he describes as “15 minutes outside of Munich.” Besides inbound high school scholars, the local club has sponsored yearly outbound exchanges. Rotary chapters in more than 40 nations, on six continents, participate in the Rotary Youth Exchange program. Recently, Magnus addressed local Rotarians, giving members a glimpse of his life in Germany and now in the United States.
The Spengel Family consists of dad Andreas, mom Meike, older sister Nicola and younger brother Christian. It would be safe to say, the Spengel Family is enthusiastic about Rotary Youth Exchange. As a youngster, Andreas’ father was a Rotary Youth Exchange Student in New Mexico. Not too long ago, Nicola was hosted by a Brazilian Club. The Spengels are currently hosting an American from Houston, Texas, and in previous school years, a girl from Phoenix, Arizona and another from Brazil. Mother Meike is the Rotarian, and a member of the Rotary Club of Gauting-Wurntal.
Presently, Magnus is being hosted by Madison West Middleton Rotarian Deb Dieter and her husband Ward. Magnus is enrolled at Vel Phillips Memorial High School. Students typically attend high school in the district of their host family. So, in the past, the club’s inbound students have attended Middleton, Memorial, West and Edgewood High Schools, depending upon the residence of their host parents.
Magnus explained the public school system in Germany. After four years of primary school, a decision is made on one of three academic paths, i.e. Hauptschule, Realschule or Gymnasium, the latter being the most rigorous. Magnus is enrolled in Gymnasium. When he returns to Germany, at the end of the current academic year, Magnus will have two more years in Gymnasium before moving on to a university. At home, Magnus has studied physics, chemistry, biology and several languages, including English, Latin and Spanish. Magnus is quite comfortable communicating in English, and found his previous study of Spanish handy when visiting with an exchange student from Argentina. Of the two languages, Magnus feels more comfortable in English than Spanish. At Memorial, Magnus is studying computer science, economics, English 3, drawing, algebra honors and weight lifting. At the university level, Magnus plans to study business and economics
Growing up in Planegg, Magnus enjoyed sports, but noted German schools don’t sponsor teams like here. His club sport in Germany is field hockey, which he has played since age three. When Magnus arrived at Memorial, he thought he would try out for soccer, but the teams had been chosen prior to his arrival. So, he opted to try out for football. At first, coaches tried him at linebacker, but quickly switched him to kicking, where he seemed to thrive. He loves the school spirit, pep rallies, his team and Friday nights under the lights. Magnus expressed appreciation for his host family, the Dieters, who attended all his games. It was his own personal fan club.
Asked if he could recall any of his football statistics, Magnus said he made 17 of 18 extra points on varsity and four touchbacks. Before moving up from the junior varsity, Magnus kicked 5 of 5 extra points and even punted once. He proudly displayed his varsity letter. at a recent Rotary meeting. Asked how many field goals he kicked, Magnus smiled, exhibiting a bit of Spartan swagger, and replied: “We scored touchdowns!”
Apart from school, Magnus has enjoyed attending Badger and Packer games, and the cheering
crowds. He was surprised at what a big deal Halloween is here in the States. He looks forward to observing deer hunting season.
For Wisconsin high school students wishing to become Rotary Youth Exchange participants, they are eligible if between 15.5-18.5 years of age (as of August 1st of the year of departure) and have a GPA of 2.75 or rank in the top 50% of their class.
To learn more about becoming a Rotary Youth Exchange Student, hosting a foreign student or becoming a Rotarian, contact www.rotarysecretary2700@gmail.com.