GREENSBORO -- Nineteen students from Germany are spending the next couple of weeks in the Piedmont Triad furthering their education.  

This year, Northwest High School in Greensboro celebrates its 20-year cooperation with the German American Partnership Program.  
 
The Rasecke family, one of 18 host families, is excited to welcome the newest member of their family, 15-year-old Christina Kugelmann, an exchange student from Germany.  

"We not only thought it would be a really fun experience, but my husband and I both have relatives in Germany and we've been to Germany before to visit them, so we thought it would be really cool to bring the culture home to our house as well," said host parent Danielle Rasecke.   

GAPP started in Greensboro 20 years ago.  

"At that time we were really technology advanced,” said GAPP Founder Gisela Hood. “I was sitting in the classroom at Northwest, and I was connected through the television to the other schools where they took German and that really intrigued them." 

The program is continuing to grow. This year there's 19 students and 18 host families. However, it's never been easy raising money to make it happen.  

"They had several cake sales and different things that they were selling in school, little handy crafts, because it is a big expenditure,” said Hood.  

Now, it's become a community effort. 

"I pulled my resources together to see what I could do to help out with the school system, and in doing so, I got a huge out pour of donations,” said host parent Eric Rasecke.  

Everything from local businesses, churches, restaurants, to the Greensboro Police Department. 
         
"My motivation to take part in this exchange program was to improve my language skills because I love this language and to have the chance to experience this American lifestyle and the families because they treat you like you were their own child,” said Kugelmann.   

"The German students take education very seriously, so they're taking time out from their school to be able to participate in this,” said Eric Rasecke. “To indicate to the colleges their dedication to learning and sacrificing for their education." 
 
It's not without a little fun.  

"I'm very looking forward to the trip in Old Salem," said Kugelmann.   

The students will held to Washington, D.C. on March 26 for a few days before returning to Germany.  

Hood said the plan is for Guilford County School students to study abroad next year in Germany.