About the IFC
Since the school year 2003/2004, two International Fellowship Classes (IFC) in grade 10 have been part of our school’s offerings. In the International Classes, about 8 young people from different countries of the world learn and live together with about 16 of our students.
This project offers students the opportunity to deal directly with other cultures, worldviews, and ideas and thus to expand their own intercultural competence. Lessons are held in English in all subjects except German and foreign languages.
Most of the foreign young people come from our partner schools and partner cities. We are hosting and have hosted young people from the following countries: Argentina, Hungary, Spain, Finland, Swaziland, Bulgaria, Colombia, USA, Thailand, Italy, Estonia, Turkey, Vietnam, Brazil, Latvia, Romania, Lithuania, Tanzania, China, Philippines, Ghana, Russia, Poland, New Zealand, Japan, France, and Ecuador.
During their stay in Germany, the foreign students live in families of our students who agree to welcome them into their homes and hearts for the duration of one school year or half a school year.
Learning together
IFC students are taught in English in all subjects except German and foreign languages. The curriculum corresponds to that of the other 10-graders, so that an intensive preparation for the senior classes is guaranteed for the German students. To stimulate and deepen learning with and from other cultures in this unique context, an intercultural curriculum has been developed in recent years, which is constantly being further developed.
Living together
The IFC project thrives on the fact that families are willing to accept international students for half a school year or a whole school year. This makes hospitality an essential part of the project. On the one hand, the host families welcome a young person from another country in their homes, get to know them intensively and show them the peculiarities of German families. On the other hand, they experience first-hand what it is like to live together with a new international family member from a foreign culture and a different mentality.
Experiencing together
In addition to joint learning, living together is also a top priority at the IFC. In the first week of school, our Welcome Party traditionally takes place. All those involved in the project (pupils, host parents, guest siblings, friends, and teachers) celebrate a glittering party on one of Marbach’s hills “Galgen” with an international self-prepared food buffet.
Another highlight at the beginning of the school year is the one-week study trip to Berlin. In addition to cultural and historical activities, cooking together and getting to know each other in a self-catering house are on the program.
At the 4-day Marbach Christmas Market, the IFC students have their own hut. Parents, students, and teachers work hand in hand to earn money for the class fund with a vegetarian rice pan and other Christmas specialties.
If possible, other extracurricular events are also part of the project. Depending on the occasions and the school year, participation in excursions, visits to concerts, opera or cinema, regional basketball, or handball and/or football matches will be also included in our program.
A worthy end to the school year is the IFC concert, where it is clearly noticeable how much the young people from different countries of the world grow together in 11 months. Depending on their talent, all IFC attendees contribute to the entertainment of all concertgoers. Singing, dancing, acting, making music, moderating, laughing, and crying are all part of the program.