Helix High School Alumni
Official Site
Once a Scottie ... Always a Scottie
INTERNATIONAL HIGHLANDERS
Beginning in 1960, Helix families, clubs, and community organizations hosted students from around the world. There is no “official” record kept but researching through Flings and Tartans we’ve done our best to rediscover them.
The American Field Service (AFS) club first appears in the 1961 Tartan with this Mission Statement:
“There are two main purposes of the American Field Service Club. One is to promote international understandings and good will through the exchange of students. The other is to gain a greater knowledge of language, customs, and culture of countries throughout the world.”
The club raised money to finance the students' stay in the USA.
The following list is just the beginning of our research. We’ve included the names of Helix students who participated in exchange programs when we found them. These were often short term over-the-summer visits.
If you have information, additions, corrections, or are still in contact with our foreign exchange students, please contact us! We’d love to add updated pictures and memories. Please submit information to helixalumni@yahoo.com
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
1961
Dietmar Schudlich- Hanover, Germany
Host family: Larry Woodward
*Dietmar was sponsored by many of the clubs on campus.
Helix Students traveling abroad:
Vicki Ritter
Gay Toman
1962
Bjorn Sata- Vaga, Norway
Host family: E.B. Neil
Catherine Masakwe- Nairobi,Kenya (passed)
Host family: John Stroessler
1963
Hanne Jensen- Copenhagen, Denmark
Host family: Beckie Davidson
Helix Students traveling abroad:
Sharon Traversi
Joe Kinsella
Karen Moe
Evelyn Fairburn
Ginger Fitzsimmons
1964
Molly Tan- Malaya
Host family: Sandy Birch
Carlos Gonzales- Spain
Host family: Hotts
1965
Aladin Mohammed Wahba
Host family: Steve Anderson
Helix Student traveling abroad:
Ellen D’Amico- Turkey
1966
Inger Lageby- Sweden
Host family: Cathy Edgar
Helix Student traveling abroad:
Greg Mellon- Holland
1967
Elaine Webster- Barbados
Host family: Margaret Perry
Babett Freiberger- Germany
Host family: Becky Perry
1968
Sibylle Oehler- Switzerland
Host family: Debbie Reyburn ?
Albert Kerschbaum- Austria
Herdis “Heddy” Tryggvason- Iceland
Helix students traveling abroad:
Merideth Perry- Holland
Mark Morini- Chile
1969
Joelle Gaultier- France
Chris Sund- Germany
1970
Enrico Georgio- Ethiopia
Host family: Rev & Mrs. Wayne Eurich
Margaret Shattoc- New Zealand
Host family: Sue Leeds
Gunhild Espelage- Germany
Host family: Jill Kuykendall
Helix students traveling abroad: University of Guadalajara:
Anna Tyler
Carol Allred
Chris Hall
Rick Souza
Robert Edgar
1971
Carmen Carpanedo- Brazil
Host family: Sue Kost
George Brittain- Panama
Michelle Jeffrey- France
Kamiar Simantoz- Iran
Helix student traveling abroad:
Frances Thunberg- Miraflores, Peru (and she's still in close contact with them after 50 years!)
1972
The" Operation Amigo" program was launched in November, sponsored by the newspaper and school district. Twenty-four teenagers from Leon, Mexico were the guests of Helix students for 2 weeks. Activities included trips to the zoo and Mt. Palomar, watching the Mother Goose Parade, and Disneyland! (No AFS were listed in the Tartan or Fling)
1973
Helga Kober- Austria
Host family: Mr &Mrs Ehlers
Alex Penninch- Belgium
Host family: Sharon and Cynthia Katan
Corinne Kaplan- France
Host family: Dorothy Duke
1974
Klas Astrand- Sweden
Consuelo Gabela- Ecuador
Claudia Hahn- Germany
Eva Isendor- Sweden
Babs Schroeter- Germany
R. Tozzi- Brazil
Helix student traveling abroad:
Kristal Smith- Turkey
1975
Paul Wegner- Koblenz, Germany
Soso Joubeh Masjed- Solaman, Iran
Carlos Lisboa- Angola, Africa
Helix students traveling abroad:
Debbie Schmidt- W Germany
Kolleen Kent- Panama
Leslie Bixel- USA
Teri Janson- Holland
Kathy Cunningham- Spain
1976
Chusri Valaisathien- Bangkok, Thailand
Host family: Suzanne Muse
Dawn Jordon- Barbados
Host family: Debby Abernathie
Neldo Sepulveda- Santiago, Chile
Host family: Betty Medeires
Sergio Prado- Sau Paulo, Brazil
Host family: Mark Catlin
1977
Marie Larsen- Gothenburg, Sweden
Alberto Gonzalez- Mexico City, Mexico
Inge Strubing- Asuncion, Paraguay
Anders Bohm- Malmo, Sweden
Myran Spiero- Nacka, Sweden
Louisa Ayivorh- Kumasi, Ghana
1978
Armondo Rigel- Acapulco, Mexico
Ina Colberg- Flensburg, W Germany
Host family: Steve Whitcomb
Hector Barria- Panama City, Panama
Host family: Jeff Joliff
Jose Ribeiro- Brazil
Helix students traveling abroad:
John Kinsella- Orance Free State, S Africa
Jack Newberry- Sundsvall, Sweden
1979
Alessandra Orecchioni- Ancona, Italy
Host family: Petersons
Maja Raznatovich- Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Hosts: Joneses
1980
Edie Max Ettlebruck- Luxenburg
Hosts: Laurie Kicklighter
Martti Wallasvaara- Turku, Finland
Hosts: Mr and Mrs Walton
Helen Marcastrom- Uppsalla, Sweden
Hosts: Linda and Jeff Nye
Joao “John” Leite- Lisbon, Portugal
Hosts: Craig Cargile
Helix Student traveling abroad:
Jenny Bock- Vienna, Austria
1981
Peter Diry- Vienna, Austria
Hosts: Bauer family
Osman Onder Balci- Ankara, Turkey
Hosts: Trent family
Xavier Catelas - Tures, France
Hosts: Mr and Mrs Walton
Pedro Lopez- Asunceon, Paraguay
Hosts: Durett family
1982
Katja Bender- Germany
Host family: Liane Lindsey
Sonia Lenk- Quito, Ecuador
Hosts: Mucha family
Torben Hyldgaard- Denmark- he is currently deep sea fishing in the Northern Atlantic
Hosts: Jay Igney
Jens Jensen- Denmark
Hosts: Martin family
Amr Ebrahim- Cairo, Egypt
Hosts: Swaney family (They did not have students at Helix)
Rainer Colberg- Germany
Hosts: Witcomb family
Shigiki Murde- Japan
Hosts: Fitz Kuchuck
Tiziana Lombardo- Gurin, Italy
Hosts: Bras family
Alex Ramel- France
Hosts: Norris family
Olli Kariniemi- Helsinki, Finland
Hosts: Martin family
1984
Anne Cramer- Hanover, Germany
The Cramer family was here on a teacher exchange. Mr. Cramer taught at SDSU for a year.
1985
NO INFORMATION FOUND IN TARTAN OR FLINGS
1986
Ursula Von Niederhausen- Switzerland
Klaus Schrod- West Germany
Paul Gazzard- Mt. Gambier, Australia
Anu Voltti- Finland
Ayako Nozawa- Nagoya, Japan
Hiroyuki Maeda- Nagasaki, Japan
Silene Boehner- Sao Paulo, Brazil
Vesa Pehola- Finland
Davide Cefariello- West Germany
Spanish teacher, Maria Heimple, along with 2 ESL aides represented Helix in Japan at our sister school OTA First Senior High School in an exchange program.
Teacher, Myrra Lee, and Helix alum, Jon Pettis and Amy Gillingham, received iinvitations fro People to People, a non-profit organization , to visit China.
The International Club is led by Mr Bomparadre, the new Exchange Teacher from Argentina. He exchanged places with Helix Spanish teacher Michael Petrivelli.
1988
1989
Tim During- Berman, Germany
Thomas Goller- Cologne, Germany
Thorsten Mueller- Hamburg, Germany
Host: Don Bonney, teacher
Tatiana Rosenzweig, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Host: Rubin Family
1990
Raul Ordonez- Madrid, Spain
Host Bredenson family
Andres Melgar- Madrid, Spain
Host- Neve family
1991
Stephanie Delevaux- Switzerland
Mike Goller- Cologne, Germany
Lorena Laranja- Brazil
Beatriz Ospina- Colombia
Ginette Rodriguez- Mexico
Frederike Schaefer- Germany
Mio Ouo-Japan
1992
Ilana Alto
Edward Bicalho
Tamara Corales
Frank Groller-Cplogne, Germany
Jesper Hussfelt- Sweden
Host Brandon Greene
Sau Wong
Jae Yang
Helix student traveling abroad:
Heather Hays- Bolivia
1993
Ayumi Kato- Japan
Andrea Mello- Brazil
Peter Cikatricis- Slovakia
Host family- Greene Family
Martin Fredrikson- Stockholm, Sweden
Florian Jargstrof- Germany
Peder Rand- Solo, Germany
Linda Sjoblom- Stockholm, Sweden
Six nuns from Mexico and Venezuela arrived to take ELS classes. They said they like Helix because they are being disciplined with daily homework, and are being taught by good teachers (Fling 11/17/1999)
30 students from Melbourne, Australia visited for 10 days in April and were hosted by Helix families.
Belinda Smith was one of the 30 Australian students participating in an exchange. program at Helix. The program was mainly a fundraiser for the ASB.