Embassy Adoption Program Introduces Students to Foreign Cultures by Carolyn Chapman Helene Eichhorn fondly remembers running into a girl who excitedly talked about her plans to study German in high school. Eichhorn had instilled a continuing interest in Germany in this girl when she was a sixth-grader with the Washington, D.C., public school system and Eichhorn and a group of volunteers from the German Embassy visited her class regularly, teaching the students a bit about the German language and discussing the countryís history and culture with them. The visits were part of a program called the Embassy Adoption Program, which uses embassy representatives to introduce Washington students to the geography, government and culture of other nations. "We try to give them an idea about the German culture and how German kids their age live. I have a feeling that this is an age when children start to become interested in other countries," said Eichhorn, wife of Christoph Eichhorn, the deputy head of the Political Department at the German Embassy. "At an age when they are open to this, this program creates an interest in other countries, and in a city like Washington this is possible. When I was a schoolgirl in the countryside, I didnít have an opportunity like this." Eichhorn said that hearing this sixth-grader say she was interested in studying the German language was the highlight of Eichhornís four years with the Embassy Adoption Program and deepened her belief in the strength of the 30-year-old program. The Embassy Adoption Program was developed in 1974 by Susan Deerin for sixth-grade students in the nationís capital. This year there are 40 embassies and schools and 1,200 students participating, but to date more than 30,000 students and 98 embassies have taken part in the program, which originally began as an enrichment program to keep middle-class children in the school system. "I had the idea that embassies were an untapped resource and that I might be able to develop a program with their cooperation," said Deerin. In 1981, funding for the enrichment grant ended but the D.C. school system nevertheless wanted to expand the program. Deerin then approached the Washington Performing Arts Society (WPAS), which was eager to get involved. "The WPAS has given students the opportunity to learn more about the world without having to leave Washington," Deerin said at the annual diplomatic tea party in January that traditionally kicks off the program, which was held at the Swiss ambassadorís residence this year. Under the Embassy Adoption Program, schools and embassies are normally assigned to one another, although requests can be made and first choices are taken into account. It is preferred that schools are assigned to a new embassy every few years to broaden their exposure to different countries. Sometimes, however, schools and embassies fit each other so well that they are matched together for many years in a row. "We are concentrating on the Spanish language," said Linda Johnson, a librarian at Burrville Elementary School who has participated in the program for 18 years. Burrville will be partnered with the Mexican Embassy this year and has been partnered with Mexico, Spain, Canada and Switzerland in the past. The program "gives the children such a wonderful perspective on the world and makes them feel so special because they get a world view from an early age," said Johnson. "They understand that everyone is alike, but that cultures are very different." From January to May, students learn about their adopted country through periodic visits with embassy representatives and teacher lessons. Students also work on projects related to their adopted countries throughout the year, often learning the language, culture, geography, arts and history. In May, they visit their embassy, meeting with the ambassador and having lunch together. Embassy visits are the highlight of the program for most teachers and students, said Eileen Plumb, an ESL teacher at John Eaton Elementary School who has been involved with the program for five years. During the embassy visits, students usually put on a performance, demonstrating something that they have learned about their adopted county. "When we go to the schools and see how much they already know about your country, itís overwhelming," said Anna Gibbs, cultural affairs officer at the Canadian Embassy. "When they come here and do their presentation about Canada Ö it brings tears to your eyes." For example, the students in Johnsonís class performed Don Quixote at the Spanish Embassy last year, and one year they sang the Swiss anthem at the Swiss Embassy. The children in Plumbís class produced a show about the Pied Piper at the German Embassy and performed skits about Belgian life at the Belgian Embassy, with scenes showing Belgians opposing the euro and inventing the french fry. "We did France one year and we went and planted trees at the embassy on D-Day, and at the Belgian ambassadorís residence we had a gourmet meal," recalled Plumb. "The kids all like this program a lot and the teachers all want to be a part of it." There was some concern, however, that exposing students from primarily disadvantaged neighborhoods to the wealth that embassies often exude might not ultimately benefit the students, but Deerin strongly dismisses the notion. "Itís wonderful for them. It inspires them to do things that they didnít know were possible," she said. "It shows them to work hard and go to school." The success of the Embassy Adoption Program has also recently inspired changes in other areas of the school system, Deerin said, noting that an international studies program was created at Woodrow Wilson High School. Lesson plans between the embassies and schools are individually designed, with some embassies taking their participation to the next level by offering the students scholarships. The German Embassy, for instance, offered five scholarships to the Concordia Language Villages in Minnesota last year, and the embassy will probably offer five more this year, noted Eichhorn, who was given the "Outstanding Embassy Representative" award at this yearís tea party. Another highlight of the Embassy Adoption Program is the mini-United Nations Assembly, in which students participate in a trip to the U.N. headquarters in New York. Each year, a new topic is assigned and three representatives and one ambassador are chosen from each class. Those students gather to discuss their topics and form resolutions, "just like the real U.N. does," said Johnson. Creating a dialogue among students, teachers and embassy participants and giving students a broader world view at an early age is the entire point of the programóand that dialogue is often the most influential part of the program. Gibbs of the Canadian Embassy, for example, said she will always remember the student who said of her country, "I hear that they treat people of all colors very nice in Canada." The program helps the children feel special, added Deerin, because teachers tell them they are entering foreign soil when they step into these embassies and that they are now the ambassadors to their city and country. "Most students donít have that many things to be proud of," said Deerin, "and this gives them something to be very proud of." Carolyn Chapman is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.