Per Kipke, from Bonn, Germany, is attending school at David Thompson Secondary as part of the international student program in British Columbia.
Prior to coming to the Columbia Valley, Kipke had been studying English in school.
“I’ve had four years of experience with English,” he said, and feels that his English is continuing to improve while attending school in the Valley.
While he finds that his school in Germany was bigger than David Thompson Secondary, his Valley school’s hallway lockers have proven to be a bit of a notable change.
“There were no lockers,” said Kipke of his school in Germany. “And there was really no use for them. Everyone just carried their stuff around from class to class.”
Kipke is enjoying the Valley community, expressing how “nice” the residents are.
“There’s a lot of snow in the winter,” Kipke said. “In Bonn we may get 2cm of snow.”
All of the snow in the winter meant more opportunities for Kipke to ski, which he thoroughly enjoyed, he said.
Kipke is still a bit baffled by the Valley’s wildlife, however.
“Here there are animals everywhere,” he said. “Even on the street!”
Rocky Mountain School District No. 6 offers an International Student Program that has been in operation since 1987. Since its start, the program offered in the communities of Golden, Invermere and Kimberley has hosted full-time and short-term students from throughout Europe, Latin America, Asia, the United States and Australia.
For more information about the program, visit http://www.sd6.bc.ca/international.php