Gernsheim is a small, picturesque town in the middle of Germany at one of the largest rivers in Europe, the Rhine. It takes an 1/2 hour ride (30 miles) to Frankfurt/Main and Frankfurt Int'l Airport. There are many opportunities for day trips: Dive into Europeans 2000-year-old history and visit the Roman Fort Saalburg, enjoy stunning cities like Mannheim, Heidelberg and Frankfurt, take a boat tour on the Rhine, which is lined up with old castles, and learn about Germany's most famous Nibelungen Saga, explore the original Frankenstein Castle, and, if you want to, embrace the French culture in Strasbourg. Gymnasium Gernsheim is 154 years old. We are about 1100 students and 80 teachers. Our music department is very talented and offers concerts in summer and winter time for the public. The science department offers courses for young kids with stunning experiments and opportunities to explore our fascinating nature. Within the language department, our students have to learn English, they need to choose either French or Latin, and they can learn Spanish. Additionally, we have a vibrant exchange program with partner schools in the France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Great Britain, and China. We'd like support our students in intercultural learning and in understanding the need of acceptance of cultural differences to maintain peace within Europe and worldwide. Additionally, our students are able to enjoy the beauty of our planet by visiting different countries. Since all of our students have started learning English at the age of 8, many of them would love to take part in an US exchange at the age of 15 -17. That's why we are looking for a US partner school and an Australian or Canadian partner school. The families of our students are very caring and would love to host your kids. In return, we hope to visit your school and enjoy the time with you. For the host families, it can be a valuable experience to rediscover their country through the eyes of a stranger. And sometimes, strangers become friends. There are students here who visit each other regularly after having taken part in the exchange programs. So, we hope to hear from you soon.