In July many community members of the city of Vermillion took a trip to the town’s sister city as part of the German American Partnership program.
Ratingen, Germany, officially became the sister city of Vermillion in 1983, but its connection dates back further than that.
Kamden Dibley, a teacher at Vermillion High School, told Siouxland Public Media on Friday that a former professor, Benno Wymar of the University of South Dakota, was from Ratingen and took his students to visit the town.
She added that students from Vermillion and Ratingen usually alternate years to visit each other’s town. However, this year was different because it was the 750th birthday of Ratingen.
The trip consisted of a joint calssical concert, language exchange, classes, and building relationships.
Kevin O’Kelley, newly elected mayor of Vermillion, said Wymar nurtured the relationship between the towns and wanted students to see more of the world than South Dakota and show them that it isn’t the only place to live and that there are different cultures out there.
He said Vermillion’s ties with Ratingen are rooted in cultural relations.
Lenni Bilberg, a coach in Vermillion, said 85 community members went on the trip this year, including students, parents, musicians, and other community members.
O’Kelley added they were all people who wanted to experience the world, meet people, and be immersed in culture.
According to O'Kelley, Dibley, and Bilberg, funding came from various sources such as fundraisers, donations, and partial funding from Vermillion’s city council.
Kamden noted that both mayors of Vermilion and Ratingen gave speeches in each other’s languages.
All three said the program grows students’ confidence, self-awareness, sense of the world, and some of them end up moving to Germany.
