Consul General Powell surrounded by excited students Click to enlarge image

Consul General Powell brings America to Students in Ludwigshafen
May 15, 2008. Consul General Jo Ellen Powell visited the Pestalozzi Hauptschule in Ludwigshafen on May 15th.  75% of the school's 430 students have an immigrant background. The students stem from 30 different countries, including Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Columbia, Morocco, Serbia, Tunisia, and Vietnam.  Director Lothar Blase welcomed the Consul General and gave her an introduction to the school. He explained the school's focus on encouraging and engaging the students and improving their self-esteem.  The Pestalozzi students helped painting and decorating their school and now work on building a cafeteria.  Three students from Iraq, Turkey and Morocco presented the school's initiative on racism and xenophobia to the Consul General and proudly reported that their school is free of racism.

Afterwards, Consul General Powell lead a discussion about America with some 20 students from Turkey, Kosovo, Italy, Greece and Iraq.  She also introduced Ambassador Timken's Windows on America program, which caused great enthusiasm among the students. They got so motivated by the possibility to visit the United States for the first time in their lives that they promised their teachers to work harder on their English from now on.  Photo Gallery

A journalist from the local newspaper Rheinpfalz covered Consul General Powell's visit to the school.  While in Ludwigshafen, Consul General Powell also participated in a press roundtable and paid a visit to Lord Mayor Dr. Eva Lohse.