After traveling to Lynnwood’s sister city in South Korea last fall, Lynnwood High School students were invited Monday night to share their experiences during the Lynnwood City Council’s business meeting.

Last September, 11 junior and senior students traveled to Damyang, South Korea for seven days. During the trip, students split their time between Damyang and the country’s capital, Seoul.

The student exchange program is a partnership between the City of Lynnwood Sister City Program, Lynnwood High School and the Lynnwood Sister Cities Association. Lynnwood High School previously hosted a contingent of 18 Damyang High School students, a principal and four education officials, who visited during the 2018-19 school year.

While visiting Damyang, the students stayed with host families — many of whom were families of Korean students who previously visited Lynnwood — and attended classes at Damyang High School. The trip was a reunion for students who kept in contact with their exchange students after they returned to Korea.

During the latter part of the trip, students stayed in a hotel in Seoul and spent a few days touring the city before returning to Lynnwood. This was the first student exchange trip Edmonds School District students have taken through this partnership with the Lynnwood Sister City Program.

At Monday’s meeting, students who visited South Korea gave a presentation with photos about what they learned and saw on their trip. Lynnwood senior Philip An said he was interested in experiencing high school in another country. While in Damyang, An said he noticed that many of the students are more committed to studying than American students.

As a Korean-American, An said the trip was also a way for him to explore his culture. During the trip, An spent time with family members who live in South Korea, and they helped him learn more about his heritage.

“Growing up, (ethnic students) are told to assimilate into American culture,” he said. “That way our lives are as easy as possible.”

In the past, An said he has struggled with his Korean-American identity. After spending time with Korean students and members of his family, he has more pride in his heritage, he said.

“Going to (Damyang) high school and being…with Korean students my age who I can relate to really helped me embrace how much I can love my culture rather than just trying to assimilate,” he said.

Lynnwood High School Principal Mike Piper — who chaperoned the trip — said it was a powerful experience for the students and that he hopes to continue the exchange program in the future. While in Korea, Piper said he and the Damyang High School principal spoke about inviting Korean students to visit Lynnwood again and possibly extending the duration of exchange students’ stay. However, he said other factors like funding, staffing and finding a good time to arrange the visit would have to be considered.

“It’s a pretty large project to try to figure out,” he said. “Knowing that we do have a relationship now and a commitment to move forward was an important thing to happen on this trip.”

Also during the meeting, the council hosted the Lynnwood Police Department’s annual awards ceremony as a recognition for hard work throughout the year. Presenting the awards was Chief Tom Davis, who was joined by the department’s Little Chief Luca Keogh.

Award winner for 2020 include:

• Officer of the Year, Officer George Bucholtz
• Rookie of the Year, Officer Tanner Hedlund
• Custody Officer of the Year, Officer Corey Williams
• Clerk of the Year, Anna Ananko
• Supervisor of the Year, Sgt. Chris Breault
• Staff Person of the Year, Chaplain Dale Schlack
• Chief’s Award, Cmdr. Wes Deppa

This year, the department also issued three additional awards to officers who exemplified the department’s core values — professionalism, vigilance and community. Recipients of the awards included:

• Professionalism Award, Officer Lance Lindgren
• Vigilance Award, (presented to an undercover officer whose name is being kept anonymous)
• Community Award, Officer Justin Gann

Cmdr. Sean Doty was also recognized with an award for 25 years of service with the Lynnwood Police Department.

Also during the meeting, the council unanimously voted to appoint Steven Sterner to the city’s salary commission.

–Story and photos by Cody Sexton