In March, he returned to the city, this time with a contingent of Austrian high school students and chaperones, loosely marking the 25th anniversary of the sister city program that began in 2000.

Reichel, now a teacher himself, said students from both countries can learn a lot about how others live, and find common ground even when opinions differ.

“If we teach kids to be open-minded, you can work together even if you disagree,” Reichel said. “That is what they’re learning here.”

The visit of 25 Austrian students along with five adults is the first such trip since 2018 and comes on the approximate 25th anniversary of the sister city program, started in 2000 by then-Altoona Mayor Tom Martin, according to current Altoona Mayor Matt Pacifico, speaking Friday evening at an outing for the St. Polten students and their host families at Slinky Action Zone.

Altoona Mayor Matt Pacifico (left) presents an award to Edwin Flaschart, a member of the St. Polten Sister City Committee who has been involved with all 25 years of Altoona’s partnership. Courtesy photo

There was a visit of St. Polten students scheduled for 2020 that was canceled due to the pandemic, a cancellation that presaged the deterioration of this area’s Sister City Committee — which Pacifico has been working to rebuild, starting in 2024, the mayor said.

That rebuilding effort began with a personal trip to Germany for Pacifico’s legislative aide Bonnie Delozier, Pacifico said.

Because Delozier was going to be in fairly close proximity to St. Polten, Pacifico asked his St. Polten contacts whether she could make a side visit.

“They rolled out the red carpet for her,” Pacifico said. “It was like she was an international diplomat.”

They put Delozier up in a five-star hotel, provided transportation and meals and featured her in a ceremony at the St. Polten city hall, Pacifico said.

Upon her return, Delozier became chairwoman of Altoona’s Sister City Committee and together, she and Pacifico reconstructed the program, Pacifico said.

The committee conducted a test run last fall with the visit of 18-year-old Austrian Pirmin Rauscher, Pacifico said.

This year, the committee expanded the footprint of the program to include Hollidaysburg, with some St. Polten students assigned to host families in the borough and to classes at Hollidaysburg Area High School — in addition to the other students staying with host families in Altoona and taking classes at Altoona Area High School and Bishop Guilfoyle Academy, Pacifico said.

Life experiences compared

Tara McSwain is one of the Hollidaysburg host mothers, having boarded two Austrian girls: Erza Frangu, 16, and Linna Hermsmeier, 17.

The pair spent lots of time with McSwain’s daughter Presley, 16.

Tara and Garrett McSwain decided to host because they’d previously had a positive experience hosting a German girl through the Hollidaysburg Area High School German Club — and also to help Presley see what other teens experience, Tara McSwain said.

The visitors were amazing kids, McSwain said.

She was impressed by their intelligence and especially by their fluency in English — such that she believes American students should be required to learn a second language.

It was mind-blowing to her when she learned that Linna lives on her own in St. Polten, seven hours away from her parents in Germany, McSwain said.

Linna plays soccer for SKN St. Polten Frauen, a team that is the approximate equivalent of a U.S. Division I college team, she said.

McSwain said she can’t imagine Presley home alone for a week.

Among the striking differences Hermsmeier has encountered here is the practice of switching rooms when switching classes in school, she said.

The teachers rotate into a room where the students stay all day in Austria, she said.

Another difference is the wealth of opportunities for sports and other activities within school, said Hermsmeier, who hopes to become a professional soccer player — and if that doesn’t work out, a doctor.

The most striking difference for Frangu is the openness of strangers here.

Everyone has been “very nice,” said Frangu, who hopes to go into international politics.

The McSwain family’s guests have been “very sweet,” Presley McSwain said.

Living with them for a week has been “a good bonding experience” that she would like to turn into a lifelong connection, said Presley, who hopes to become an emergency physician.

During their time here, the St. Polten students visited the Railroaders Memorial Museum, the Horseshoe Curve, Peoples Natural Gas Field, Baker Mansion and University Park, while individual host families took their guests to places that included New York City, Philadelphia and Baltimore.

Open to experiences

When he came to Altoona 20 years ago as a student, Reichel imagined bringing kids here at some later date, if the opportunity presented itself.

At the time, the Altoona experience was formative on many levels, Reichel said.

He stayed with the Sechrist family, who have since moved to Louisiana, but with whom he has stayed in touch through Facebook, Reichel said.

It was his first time away from his parents, he said.

He discovered then that he made connections quickly with people here, including high school kids who lived near the Sechrists, and with whom he would do things in the evenings, he said.

Six years ago, when he began teaching the kids who came to Altoona this time, he told them, “‘if you behave nicely, I’ll take you on this trip,'” he said.

A sign that the students were taking advantage of the opportunity occurred at a dinner a few days ago at Penn State Altoona, when all the St. Polten kids were chatting with their host families — not one another, Reichel said.

“It shows they are open to experience,” he said. “If you’re an open-minded person, the world is yours.”

The local committee intends to begin planning for a contingent of students from here to visit St. Polten.

Its task is harder than that of St. Polten’s committee, because all the funding for trips to Austria must be raised privately, Pacifico said.

Pacifico hopes to pass on his enthusiasm for the sister city program to the next mayor, given that the term-limited incumbent has less than two years remaining in office.

“It takes somebody to want to champion this,” he said.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.