COUNTY LIFE
European teens experiencing lots of ‘firsts’ during exchange student year in Texas
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Both Mia Back and Kaya Feldthaus wanted to experience something different in their young lives, and they are finding an exchange year in Texas is full of firsts and a whole different culture than their European roots.
These two 16-year-olds are living west of Bowie with their host parents Michelle and Randy Hanson and their family in a country setting. They are attending Bowie High School in the eleventh grade.
Mia is from Erlach, Germany, and her parents are Daniela and Christian, plus one little brother age 14. At home, she is in eleventh grade and the school she attends has 12 grades. There are other schools that have different grade compositions.
Kaya hails from Tisvilde, Denmark. Her parents are Thomas and Christian and she has a 19-year-old big brother. At home, she attends a 0-9 grade school, and she graduated this past summer. She explains there is a grade 10 you can attend or you can take a “chill year” before going to university, where the classifications are first, second and third grade.
The young ladies arrived for their year in Texas as the school year opened. Neither one had ever really considered taking part in an exchange. Mia saw it on YouTube and thought it was “cool, something so different than my life in Germany.”
Read the full feature in your weekend Bowie News.
The 22nd annual July Jam returns on July 27 to the Bowie Community Center West Hall, 413 Pelham Street in Bowie.
There will be a “chickin’ pickin’ fiddling fun time” as guests will be entertained by amazing fiddling tunes and enjoying a chicken meal with delicious homemade jams because it wouldn’t be July Jam without it.
Tickets are just $15 with the event starting at 6 p.m. The funds raised help provide awards for the Championship Fiddler Competition during Chicken and Bread Days Heritage Festival on Oct. 5.
This attracts talented musicians from all over to visit downtown Bowie to test their fiddling skills on stage in the Bowie Fire Hall on Oct. 5.
Along with the live fiddling entertainment, come hungry and be ready to outbid your neighbors at the silent auction or just stop by for a great meal, fellowship and soak in the air conditioning.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
The Nocona City Council met this past week making plans for budget and tax rate hearings.
Councilors received a brief update on the 2024-25 budget preparations. City Secretary Revell Hardison said the final proposal is almost complete and they now await the arrival of the no-new revenue tax rate that will be reviewed by the council after it is calculated by the tax collector.
The proposal includes a tax rate increase of about 3% similar to last year and there will be a small increase in water and sewer rates, but Hardison said the final crunch on those will come after the tax rate projections arrive.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
-
NEWS2 years ago2 hurt, 1 jailed after shooting incident north of Nocona
-
NEWS8 months agoSuspect indicted, jailed in Tia Hutson murder
-
NEWS1 year agoSO investigating possible murder/suicide
-
NEWS2 years agoWreck takes the life of BHS teen, 16
-
NEWS12 months agoMurder unsolved – 1 year later Tia Hutson’s family angry, frustrated with no arrest
-
NEWS1 year ago
Sheriff’s office called out to infant’s death
-
NEWS1 year agoBowie Police face three-hour standoff after possible domestic fight
-
NEWS2 years ago
Driver stopped by a man running into the street, robbed at knifepoint