Our German exchange programme with the Maria Ward Schule in Würzburg has been running successfully for the last number of years and offers our students an exciting opportunity to improve their German language skills while attending school and living with a German family for the period of a week.
The students gain firsthand experience in German language and culture which in turn develops their language fluency and intercultural communication skills on their return. While visiting Würzburg the girls engage in a diverse range of experiences, from attending classes at MWS to exploring local landmarks and traditions. This transformative and immersive programme not only enhances language proficiency but also deepens their knowledge and understanding of the cultural, social, and physical aspects of Germany.
We look forward to continuing the exchange in the future and developing our strong Mary Ward values with Würzburg.
Below you will find an article written by one of our TY exchange students, Sophie Byrne on her experience. Viel Spaß noch!
Hi, my name is Sophie Byrne and I got the incredible opportunity to partake in the German-student exchange. Myself and four other students from Loreto Bray were matched with five students from the Mary Ward School in Wurzburg, Germany.
Last October, I travelled to Germany to attend school there for one week. My host family were very welcoming and I was able to settle in quite quickly. They were also able to help me when I wasn’t able to understand something or if I made a hiccup which was super helpful! It goes the same for everyone in school, all the teachers and students showed a great amount of hospitality and also let us participate in class.
Throughout the week we were able to finish school early to go on different cultural trips with our exchange group. On one of the days, we visited ‘Die Residenz’ which was a beautiful palace with gorgeous gardens, similar to Powerscourt House. It was by far my favourite place that we got to visit over the course of the entire exchange.
Overall, I had an amazing time in Germany! My grammar majorly improved and I was able to pick up some common phrases which are useful for my upcoming L.C orals and for my classwork as a whole! I would definitely recommend the exchange to any student studying German as it greatly helped me with my knowledge and understanding of both German culture and language learning as a whole.