Paul Blass, an exchange student from Germany, is flanked by his American host parents Jason and Laura Paxson, of Hanoverton, in the couple’s living room. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)

HANOVERTON — Paul Blass admits that his American host family is pretty doggone special, as he talks about his experience as an United Local student athlete.

Teachers Jason and Laura Paxson decided to open their home to German exchange students back in 2022, after suffering from an empty nest.

The couple has three adult sons.

Jason, who teaches mathematics, computer science and geography at neighboring Carrollton school district, said that he had replied to a host family request email. What particularly interested Paxson was that the program sought to place a German scholarship student with the couple.

His wife Laura teaches at Columbiana County’s Robert Bycroft School

Being the couple themselves were employed in education, Jason sought a male student who shared similar values.

To prepare, the Paxsons learned a bit of German as they wanted to assure that they could communicate with their guest.

Blass is here through the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX), which is an immersive exchange program jointly offered by the American and German governments.

“CBYX’s three components offer opportunities to study and/or work abroad for high school students, recent high school graduates with a vocational interest and young professionals,” the U.S. Department of State explains at its website, exchanges.state.gov.

The high school and young professional components are reciprocal, meaning just as Germans come into America, Americans go into Germany.

No previous language experience is required to be in the CBYX program.

Typically American families host around 300 German participants annually, Paxson added.

Each of the exchange students arrive in August before the scheduled start of the school year.

United Local High School always looks to serve as host school for 11th grade in an effort not to skew the GPAs for graduation rank during the senior year but still allow students to receive the American student culture experience, attending extracurriculars and proms, Blass explained.

In Germany, schools don’t have a cultural aspect like in America.

He said that he is enjoying the change of pace: “School here is way easier, as schools are strictly for learning.”

Blass chose to play American football and run track for the Golden Eagles in an effort to get integrated quickly.

Over the last weekend of February, he and his 4×400 relay team qualified for Ohio Association Track and Cross Country Coaches (OATCCC) Indoor Division 4 state track meet.

United Local does create its challenges, the family acknowledges. The family lives on Whinnery Road, which is approximately five miles from the school and just at the beginning of the bus route.

So Blass either has to wake up early and ride the bus an hour before arriving at the school or try to catch a ride to school or athletic practice with a friend.

He continues to be perplexed why he cannot walk to school, cutting through farmers’ fields like they would do in Germany.

However, other than the transportation hurdle, the Paxsons have been “top tier” host parents, trying to fulfill as many as the items on his American bucket list as possible.

Blass has a goal of visiting as many National Parks while here in America, and they try to make that a reality.

So far, he and his host parents have visited ones in North Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia.

Well versed in American English before arrival, Blass continues to study that along with completing the other requirements of maintaining his scholarship, taking U.S. Government, American history as well as studying Spanish, Latin and German, His scholarship also requires 25 hours of community service, which he completes at a food pantry in Salineville.

He receives no credit in Germany for any of the completed required classes here in America, he said.

Blass intends to do two more years of high school in Germany, graduate and attend a public university in Germany, where there is no cost.

The Paxsons still keep in touch with their exchange students after they return home. In addition to videochatting with them every couple weeks on the weekends, they make their annual trip overseas to meet their incoming exchange student and visit with the previous ones.

For information on becoming a host family, visit exchange.state.gov.