A A T G Building Bridges for Future Partnerships

December

2002

DC/NOVA

Info-Deutsch

Janette Patterson, President • 10228 Leslie Street. • Silver Spring, MD 20902 • ( (301) 681-4803 • E-mail:janettepat@juno.com

Liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen,

Jetzt haben wir den Herbst erfolgreich hinter uns gebracht und schauen wieder den Feiertagen entgegen! Ich möchte allen, die mir im Laufe dieses Jahres mit dem Planen und der Durchführung unserer verschiedenen Veranstaltungen so fleissig geholfen haben, herzlichst für die tolle Hilfe danken. Ich habe unsere Sekretärin, Mary Upman, gebeten, die Leistungen des Jahres 2002 für uns zusammenzufassen. Sie hat folgenden Bericht verfasst.

Ich wünsche Ihnen frohe Ferientage und einen guten Rutsch ins Neue Jahr!

Sincerely yours,

Janette Patterson, Chapter President

AATG Maryland/DC/NOVA - Chapter Activities in 2002

The chapter began its agenda for 2002 on February 9 and 10 with an excellent two-day TPRS workshop at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Fifty-eight participants heard Julie Baird explain the instructional method known as "Total Physical Response Storytelling." They also took part in group activities that were designed to help them learn how to use this method in their classrooms. The workshop was organized by Haley Crittenden, Maureen Helinski, Deborah McGee Mifflin, and Shirley Santora. Other Board members who attended the workshop were Hal Boland, Sally Cranston, Mohamed Esa, Carolyn Ostermann-Healey, Mary Upman and Sarah Zaniello.

On March 16 the high school students who were in competition for an AATG/PAD exchange trip were served a luncheon and interviewed at the home of our testing chair, Dorothy Louks. Assisting Dorothy in conducting these interviews were Dan Desmond, Marcia Hackett, and Carolyn Ostermann-Healey.

The chapter's annual awards ceremony for the high-scoring students in the AATG testing program was held on May 10 in the Adlersaal of Zion Lutheran Church in Baltimore. Nearly 400 people attended this well-organized event. Thanks to the generosity of the German Embassy, the Swiss Embassy and the Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes, our chapter received a variety of prizes for the honorees. The chapter's officers were especially grateful to receive a generous donation of $ 5,000. from the German Society of Maryland that was used to give cash awards to the honorees. Dr. James Schaub and Mr. Michael J. Nieberding represented the German Society of Maryland at this event.

On October 15 Mohamed Esa, German professor at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland, hosted the eighth annual German-American Day program. High school and middle school students from twenty-one schools listened to the keynote speakers, attended workshops on a wide range of topics, and enjoyed an outstanding German meal.

This year's Goethe Immersion Weekend was held on October 25-26 at the Goethe-Institut InterNationes in Washington, D.C. The topic of the workshop was "Die Musik der Wise Guys im Deutschunterricht." For more details about this successful weekend, see the article on the next page of this issue of Info-Deutsch.

Future Chapter Activities

Spring, 2003

February 22 One-day workshop on "Using Kinder- und Jugendliteratur in the German Classroom."

featuring Dr. Anne Green

The Mattin Center 160

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore

A registration flyer is enclosed with this newsletter

March 24 MOGS Sprachfest at Towson University

A day of challenging competitions organized by Rick Jones of Fallston High School for middle and high school students of German. Registration will be handled online. See the M.O.G.S. website for information and registration forms:

http://www.MdOrgGermanStudents.homestead.com/mogs.html

For further information and/or to volunteer to serve as a judge at this event, please contact Rick Jones (rickjpj@aol.com)

April 10 - 13 NECTFL Conference in Washington, DC

Our chapter's focus group dealing with the topic: "Building Partnerships among High School and College Instructors" will present a session at this conference.

Main Presenter: Deborah McGee Mifflin

Co-Presenters: Maureen Helinski and Carolyn Ostermann-Healey

For further information, please contact Deborah McGee Mifflin at mifflind@jhu.edu

April 25-27 German Immersion Weekend for High School Students

Harford Glen, Harford County, Maryland

For information, contact Rick Jones (rickjpj@aol.com)

May 9 Awards Ceremony for High School Students

Adlersaal, Zion Church, Baltimore

For information, please contact Dort Louks (dlouks@teacher.com)

Take the Initiative! Get Involved!

Successful German Immersion Weekend held on October 25-26

The Maryland/DC/NOVA chapter of the AATG held its annual German Immersion Weekend on October 25-26 at the Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes Washington DC. The workshop was conducted by Mohamed Esa of McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. Mohamed has developed an impressive number of didactic worksheets that enable teachers to utilize the songs of the popular German a cappella group, The Wise Guys, in their instructional programs. Mohamed led the participating teachers in a variety of lively activities that included the use of some of his didactic materials as well as the development of additional worksheets to accompany previously undidacticized songs composed by The Wise Guys. The participants worked in small groups to develop these materials and then presented them to the entire group with the aid of an overhead projector and transparencies.

The high point of the weekend was the appearance of The Wise Guys who came to Washington as the final stop in a six-city tour that had included Toronto, Montreal, and New York. The Wise Guys performed a cappella without microphones. Clemens came to the workshop the next morning and explained that he especially enjoys singing without a microphone because he can hear his colleagues and enjoy the total experience better.

Add two photos of The Wise Guys here

Another highlight of the weekend was the awards luncheon on Saturday, October 26, at Mehak Restaurant across from the Goethe-Institut. Five individuals were recognized and thanked at this luncheon for their long and dedicated service to the teaching and study of the German language and culture.

Dorothy Louks - In recognition of her twenty years of foreign language teaching (German and Spanish) at Glenelg High School and now at Westminster High School and her steady, devoted service to this chapter in her important role as the Testing Chair.

Shirley Santora - In appreciation for her very successful German program at Chesapeake High School and her years of participation in the work of this chapter, including her three terms of service as chapter treasurer.

Maria and Richard Skowronek - In recognition of their major contribution to developing appreciation for German culture by preserving and presenting the many colorful Trachten (regional costumes) and folk dances, songs, history and traditions of various regions of Germany. The Skowroneks have performed free of charge at many schools, colleges, churches, and festivals throughout our area for many years.

Mary Upman - In appreciation for her success in adding German to the curriculum at North Carroll High School in Hampstead, Maryland, her energetic teaching at McDaniel College, and her three terms of service as chapter secretary.

Most sincere thanks to all who were responsible for bringing this outstanding event to our chapter: Mohamed Esa, Janette Patterson, Eleonore Sylla, and Frank Wagner. Very special thanks to the Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes Washington for very generous financial support of the Immersion Weekend.

Maureen Helinski

Board of Directors

Officers President Janette Patterson, Washington Waldorf School Vice-President Hans-Alfred Schneider, University of Maryland College Park Secretary Mary Upman, McDaniel College Treasurer Shirley Santora, Chesapeake High School Testing Chair Dorothy Louks, Westminster High School

OTHER BOARD MEMBERS: Hal Boland, Heritage High School Jimmie Brown, Fallston Middle School Sally Cranston, Woodrow Wilson High School Haley Crittenden, Herndon High School Mohamed Esa, McDaniel College Marcia Hackett, Liberty High School Maureen Helinski, Anne Arundel Community College Ulrich Levi-Goerlich, Jefferson Junior High School Richard Jones, Fallston High School Deborah McGee Mifflin, Johns Hopkins University Janice Mitchell, Gallaudet University Carolyn Ostermann-Healey, Robinson Secondary School Peter Pfeiffer, Georgetown University John Williams, Herndon Middle/High School Sarah Zaniello, Lake Braddock Secondary School

A A T G Building Bridges for Future Partnerships

December 2002

DC/NOVA

Info-Deutsch

Mary Upman, Chapter Secretary

590 Sunshine Way

Westminster, MD 21157