Foreign exchange student to return home to Switzerland

HURLEY — The Hurley High School had a Swiss presence during the 2015-’16 school year, as the Hurley school and community played host to Rotary Youth Exchange student Kylie Raymund, of Horgen, Switzerland.

Raymund, 17, arrived in Hurley in mid-August 2015, and will be leaving to return to her home in Switzerland on Monday. Horgen is small community south of Zurich on the shores of the Lake of Zurich.

The Ironwood-Hurley Rotary Club sponsored Raymund’s year-long exchange, and she was hosted by Monica Kutz, of Hurley, and Amy and Ken Wyka, of Montreal. Raymund was active in school activities in the Hurley High School, participating in volleyball, basketball and soccer, as well as serving as a summer youth counselor for the Iron County UW-Extension Youth Camp.

Raymund gave her farewell program to the Ironowod-Hurley Rotary Club last week at the club’s weekly meeting at the Elk and Hound in Ironwood, thanking the Rotary Club for what she called “the experience of a lifetime.”

As part of the meeting, she presented Youth Exchange Officer Tony Pollack with her Switzerland Rotary Club’s banner, and received an Ironwood club banner in return, which she’ll present to her Rotary Club in Horgen upon her return to Switzerland. She also received a certificate of completion for her exchange year from the Rotary Club.

Despite coming from within sight of the Swiss Alps, Raymund was surprised by the amount of snow and the length of the winter here on the Gogebic Range, and said she was going to miss everything about Hurley, “except for the snow.” She said she’s going to return to Hurley, perhaps as early as next Christmas, to visit with friends.

Raymund’s 15-year-old sister, Thyra, will be leaving in August for her own Rotary Exchange year in Ontario, Canada, across the river from Detroit. “I’m jealous of her,” Kylie said last week. “I want to do this again.”

While here in the United States, Raymund’s host families and friends took her on some remarkable experiences, including going to a Wisconsin Badger football game in Madison, a visit to the Mall of America in Minneapolis, a Red Wings hockey game in Detroit, a visit to Colorado and other trips. She also went to Hawaii for 10 days on a Rotary-sponsored tour. She enjoyed ATV riding and snowmobile riding, and has developed a particular fondness for deep-fried cheese sticks.

She made many close friends in the Hurley School, both among the students, faculty and staff. In May, she received a surprise visit from her mother, Beatrice, who came for the graduation ceremony at the Hurley School.

The Ironwood-Hurley Rotary Club offers sponsorships for year-long exchanges to 45 nations throughout the world. Hurley and Ironwood high school students who would more like information can email the Ironwood-Hurley Rotary Club at ironwoodrye@gmail.com.