Ord Talk

Occasionally things happen in Ord that just make you shake your head and wonder “What were they thinking?” or “What difference will it make 100 years from now?” The case of Anna Wichterich is one of those things.

For those of you who don’t know Anna, she is the Foreign Exchange from Celle Germany who is currently taking classes at Ord High School. When she arrived here last fall she was put into the senior class but was placed into 10^th grade English, a misplacement on the part of the administration that will come to play a greater role in their reasons for not allowing Anna to graduate with the class she has spent the last year with. Following are interviews with Anna, Katie O’Brien and school superintendent Max Kroeger. There is also the transcript from the School Board meeting where Anna plead her case before the board.

Where do you come from in Germany and how long have you been in Ord?

Ana: I am from Celle Germany and have been here since August 2^nd.

How do you find the classes here in comparison to your school in Germany?

American Schools are easier than the ones at home.

I’ve been told that you speak more than one language, what other languages do you speak?

I speak four languages. I have had Latin since 5^th grade and Greek since ninth grade.

Do you speak French?

No.

German of course and English.

English? I’ve learned it since 7^th grade.

You do quite well.

Ya, it gets better!

In general, has Ord been a pleasant place to be?

I can’t complain about it, its nice but the school is, yes I feel good. I found some friends I’d say so. But the school situation is sad. My English teacher didn’t recognize in two days that she had an exchange student in class, and then came and said

“I’m supposed to have an exchange student”

“I’m an exchange student.”

“Oh! Your’re the exchange student!”

“Yes!”

Its kind of sad. Then other students in my senior class when Katie O’Brien handed out the paper, oh we have an exchange student and that’s kind of sad.

What problems are you having getting the school to allow you to graduate with your class?

They say that I have English 10 instead of English 12 and that if I had taken English 12 they would have allowed me. But now recently they have changed it that I don’t meet their requirements at all. Yes its true I don’t have speech, but they don’t offer it in Germany, Personal Finance and Computer applications. That’s something we don’t have in Germany that’s something we are learning along the way. I know how to access my computer, I know how to work with Word, how to speak in front of an audience. Its something we have to learn on our own for all the other classes to be good in them. That’s just part of the classes.

You don’t have those as specific classes, but you have to learn those skills?

We just learn it by the way.

Why do you think the administration is reluctant to let you receive the credit you are due?

I don’t know, I have several guesses but I don’t know if they are true. Maybe he doesn’t want to have…graduation is pretty big for Americans, I know that. Parts of Germany we don’t have recognition for our graduation, so I know it’s a pretty big thing. And maybe he (Mr. Hagge) doesn’t want anybody else to interrupt this thing, I don’t know. Maybe he doesn’t want….its his graduation and I’m just a German exchange student…I don’t know.

In the other way, I am a good student, I don’t want a diploma. I didn’t cause any trouble in this place like breaking rules or something so I don’t know why not. The other exchange students are allowed to…Ravenna allows us to. There is another German exchange student there and I talked to her. What is your school doing for you, what is your principal doing for you? She had problems with her host family and then she was out of the program. Her principal had to render assistance. OK, that’s completely different from my principal. So I was just like I don’t know such behavior from my principal. So they allow her to on the first day asked her what colors she wanted for graduation and so on. It was not a problem. I asked her if she could graduate and she was like “Of Course!”

Where does she go to school?

Ravenna.

If you are not allowed to go across the stage with your classmates, what effect will this have on your opinion of Ord and its school system and what will you tell your friends when you get back to Germany?

My friends, I call them or I write them, I email them sometimes and they know whats going on here and they just said or is it a big thing? No you’ re not allowed, why not? Whats going on and so on… and I tell them from friends and so on I’m also telling them my principal doesn’t want to allow me to and he doesn’t give a reason just that I don’t meet the requirements and they are laughing about me because they know that schools in America are easier than schools in Germany. Other students ask me why do you think German schools are more difficult than American schools. I answer them do you have 15 subjects in one year for 12 years? They look at me like I’m speaking I don’t know what and you have 15 classes a year? And I said Ya! And they are looking at me like Wow! They couldn’t even imagine it. So, I don’t know, I like it here in Ord, its small I know its completely different than Germany…my American experience but my school principal, no, he didn’t do anything to get my experience from America any better, he just made it more complicated. Frustrating Ya.

Don’t feel bad, there are others in the same boat.

I know, I was happy when Katie O’Brien sent the paper out then I could say Yes, I found a friend who really cares about me.

That is my next question…

I understand there is a petition circulating the Senior class that will be given to th school board. To your knowledge did all the seniors sign it?

That’s right, she printed it off and talked to me about it. The title…just a minute I have it…The Ord High School senior class would like Anna Wichterich to walk across the stage with us as we graduate. We understand that she might not receive a diploma, but we’d like to share this special day with our fellow senior classmate.

Then everybody put their name on it and signed it.

Did all the seniors sign?

Except for one, two, three, four, five, six. Except for six.

Why do you think they didn’t sign?

Katie just told me that they had problems with their parents that they were… that they might get in trouble with their parents. One was a lawyers kid, another was a teachers kid and I can understand they don’t want to sign it because their parents could get in trouble too. I don’t think that they don’t want me to walk across the stage I think they just don’t want to sign something.

I’m sorry, this is not the way America was supposed to be.

I understand from your host family that you are a straight A student…

I have A+ in Calculus, I just got my test back 100%. A or A+ in Calculus, A+ in Band, A or maybe now B+ because my last test wasn’t that good but I can retake it in Govt. but more or less an A too. Physiology is a B+ now too but its going to be better too.

What message would you like to send the school board and Administration in regards to their refusal to allow you to graduate with your class?

What I would say to them if they won’t allow me to graduate?

Right.

I don’t think I would say anything because I would be really, really disappointed. I would ask them why if they can give me a really good reason I can understand, a reason with sense behind it, reasonable. I would say, Ok I didn’t see it from this side, I understand your point. But if they just say “No”, I would ask them Why?

Interview with Katie O’Brien

Why are you circulating a petition for Anna to graduate?

Because she is part of our class and we would like her to be able to partake in our ceremony.

Do you think the administration will honor your petition?

I am not sure but its worth a try.

Are you planning to attend the school board meeting tomorrow night and present your petition?

No, I have other plans that I have to do.

Why do you think the administration is against letting Anna graduate with her class?

She didn’t take the senior English with us because she wasn’t given the opportunity to, they wouldn’t let her. And other than that I think she has the classes she needs to graduate.

She speaks what, four different languages?

Yes.

Have you spoken to Mr. Hagge and asked him the reasons for his actions?

No, she had already spoken to him and I didn’t feel the need to.

What do you think should be done and why?

I think she should be able to walk across like maybe before we get ours and just receive a certificate that says thank you for being a part of the senior class or for being part of Ord High or some kind of recognition that she went to our school with us.

Anything else you would like to add?

No, that’s it.

Interview with Mr. Hagge.

Mr. Hagge was not available for an interview and so one was conducted with Mr. Kroeger.

Interview with Max Kroeger, Superintendent,

Ord Public Schools

What is the reason Anna can’t walk across the stage or…

Because our policy says they have to complete the requirements for graduation.

OK, what is she lacking?

About everything. I mean she has, she’s really, between a sophomore and a junior. So… she wasn’t close.

OK. Is there any reason she couldn’t get a certificate of completion or anything like that?

We don’t…just because we don’t do that. We’ve had kids graduate before but they’ve met the requirements. Its just a fact that she’s not that far along.