With much of Texas’ history rooted in German culture, Tomball residents and students are working to strengthen ties with their sister city across the globe—Telgte, Germany.
“We have a very strong, almost family-like connection with our sister city,” said Grady Martin, president of the Tomball Sister City Organization. “We make routine visits; they come over here, and we go there.”
In early September, 20 community members and leaders, including Tomball Mayor Gretchen Fagan, made the trip overseas to maintain the bond between the two cities and attend local festivals and events.
The TSCO is a nonprofit group established after the sister city partnership was finalized in 2000. The organization hosts the annual Tomball German Heritage Festival in March and the annual Tomball German Christmas Market in December.
“We [host these festivals] primarily to draw attention to our German heritage,” Martin said. “We don’t want people to forget that Tomball is a Texas German town.”
The group also organizes and finances a student exchange program between Tomball and Telgte, which allows students to spend a year studying abroad. Funds raised from the German festivals each year allow the organization to sponsor high school students who want to participate in the cultural immersion program.
“[Telgte] sends us the cream of the crop—they send us excellent kids,” TSCO Vice President Kit Pfeiffer said. “They become very close with their host families, and those relationships continue after they leave.”
Tomball hosts three German students each year and sends a student from Texas to Telgte about once every two years, Pfeiffer said. A total of 50 German students have visited the city since the program began 15 years ago, including three students who arrived in August. Seven Tomball students have traveled to Telgte.
“The German kids start taking English in fifth grade or earlier, and by the time they come here, they’re very fluent,” Pfeiffer said. “Here, you can’t start taking German until ninth grade.”
Pfeiffer said she hopes more students will be able to participate in the program in the future through summer trips without having to commit to a full school year.
“[Telgte] is open to cultural exchanges as well in the summer,” she said. “If we can find a common ground of some sort, they’re very open to hosting our kids.”
With much of Texas’ history rooted in German culture, Tomball residents and students are working to strengthen ties with their sister city across the globe—Telgte, Germany.
“We have a very strong, almost family-like connection with our sister city,” said Grady Martin, president of the Tomball Sister City Organization. “We make routine visits; they come over here, and we go there.”
In early September, 20 community members and leaders, including Tomball Mayor Gretchen Fagan, made the trip overseas to maintain the bond between the two cities and attend local festivals and events.
The TSCO is a nonprofit group established after the sister city partnership was finalized in 2000. The organization hosts the annual Tomball German Heritage Festival in March and the annual Tomball German Christmas Market in December.
“We [host these festivals] primarily to draw attention to our German heritage,” Martin said. “We don’t want people to forget that Tomball is a Texas German town.”
The group also organizes and finances a student exchange program between Tomball and Telgte, which allows students to spend a year studying abroad. Funds raised from the German festivals each year allow the organization to sponsor high school students who want to participate in the cultural immersion program.
“[Telgte] sends us the cream of the crop—they send us excellent kids,” TSCO Vice President Kit Pfeiffer said. “They become very close with their host families, and those relationships continue after they leave.”
Tomball hosts three German students each year and sends a student from Texas to Telgte about once every two years, Pfeiffer said. A total of 50 German students have visited the city since the program began 15 years ago, including three students who arrived in August. Seven Tomball students have traveled to Telgte.
“The German kids start taking English in fifth grade or earlier, and by the time they come here, they’re very fluent,” Pfeiffer said. “Here, you can’t start taking German until ninth grade.”
Pfeiffer said she hopes more students will be able to participate in the program in the future through summer trips without having to commit to a full school year.
“[Telgte] is open to cultural exchanges as well in the summer,” she said. “If we can find a common ground of some sort, they’re very open to hosting our kids.”
