Exchange programs help bridge cultural divides

When the final school bell rang this year, students rushed out the doors at Lind-Ritzville High School to begin their summer adventure. But three students at the local school were just ending the experience of a lifetime.

Huang Vu, Giulia Ardizzone and Anneke Wiedmann all concluded their year as exchange students and left the school saying good-bye to friends and preparing to return home. Vu and Wiedmann are from separate cities in Germany, while Ardizzone traveled to Ritzville from Italy.

While the three students had different routes that led them to Ritzville, the immediate reaction of learn...