Woodlands Academy hosts delegation from Austrian sister school

LAKE FOREST – An ongoing exchange program between Sacred Heart sister schools Woodlands Academy in Lake Forest and Gymnasium Sacré Coeur Wien in Vienna, Austria, has generated many invaluable academic and cultural experiences. These include the lasting friendships that students and teachers alike have made.

Woodlands Academy, an all-girls college-preparatory high school, welcomed 12 Austrian students and their two teacher/chaperones on March 7 for a two-week visit to its Lake Forest campus. This has been an annual event since 2008, except for a three-year hiatus because of the pandemic.

In Austria, a “gymnasium” is a university-preparatory secondary school, generally focusing on liberal arts and humanities. The visiting Sacré Coeur Wien delegation included two boys from the co-ed Viennese school. Despite some differences between the schools in the two countries, the Austrian students assimilated quickly into their Woodlands Academy routine. Some of them credit the built-in Sacred Heart connection.

Austrian and Woodlands students agree the connection means there is comfort and security in knowing all are members of the same family. The students feel connected and valued and they describe an automatic bond and a feeling of being “at home” with one another. Caring and being cared for are profound Sacred Heart values.

The Viennese students attended classes with their Woodlands student hosts during their two-week visit. They stayed in the school’s dormitory during the first week of their visit and then in the homes of student hosts during the second week. Their classroom activities at Woodlands included sharing aspects of Austrian life, such as the country’s history, landmarks, arts and culture, and Gymnasium Sacré Coeur Wien traditions.

The Viennese delegation also experienced Chicago and Milwaukee area attractions including a walking tour of the Chicago Loop with stops at The Bean and Maggie Daley Park, visits to Chicago’s Art Institute and Museum of Contemporary Art, a tour and lunch in downtown Lake Forest and dinner and a Bucks basketball game in Milwaukee.

Just before their March 21 departure, Woodlands’ Austrian guests taught the entire student body some basic steps of the Viennese Waltz during an all-school assembly in the gym.

“Woodlands Academy is committed to international Sacred Heart exchange,” Christine Schmidt, associate head of school for Student Life and director of the Center for Global Studies, said in a news release. “The network of Sacred Heart schools believes that global education awakens students and the larger community to the responsibility of participating actively in the human family worldwide.”

This year’s exchange began in the fall when 12 Woodlands students traveled to the sister school in Vienna for a fun, educational and culturally enriching 10-day experience. During their time there, they learned how Austrian teenagers live, study and spend their free time. Students who participate create friendships that continue long after returning to their home countries.

The exchange continues next school year when a delegation of Woodlands students will spend two weeks at Gymnasium Sacré Coeur Wien in the fall, followed by a visit to Lake Forest by Austrian school students in March 2026.