Record Number of German Students Visit Arlington Through Sister City Program

A record number of fifth graders from Germany have come to Arlington, Virginia, as part of the county's sister city program. The 50 students and their families, representing the city of Aachen, arrived on October 8 and will stay through October 16. They are being hosted by Arlington families representing 16 public and four private schools. The visit is a quarter-century collaboration sponsored by the Arlington Sister City Association and has been made possible through the coordination of Emily Lyons, who expressed her gratitude to the community for their support. The German families will return the hospitality next spring by welcoming their Arlington counterparts to Aachen.

Key Takeaways:

• A record number of 50 fifth graders from Germany have come to Arlington, Virginia, through the county's sister city program, marking the first time the program has reached its upper limit of 50 students per year.
• The German students and their families are being hosted by Arlington families representing 16 public and four private schools.
• The visit is a quarter-century collaboration sponsored by the Arlington Sister City Association and has been made possible through the coordination of Emily Lyons.
• Many of the German families are fluent in English, and some Arlington youth received rudimentary German-language instruction prior to the start of the exchange to aid in communication.
• The German students will participate in a variety of activities, including a welcome breakfast, a tour of Nats Stadium, and a visit to Yorktown High School for the homecoming football game.
• The Aachen students will also spend time with their host families and participate in a two-week exchange program with a group of Aachen high-school students who are in Arlington as part of another Sister Cities exchange.
• The Aachen students are from the city of Aachen, which is Germany's westernmost and 27th largest city, with a population of around 260,000 residents.

Sources:

• Arlington County (Virginia)
• Article by Scott McCaffrey, published October 15, 2025 at 8:30AM