The German Program, with the support of the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, hosted the 15th annual German Day on Wednesday, March 18, 2015. Over 500 German students from 22 schools in North Carolina participated in the many fun competitions and events. German Day’s most popular event was karaoke to German songs from every music genre, with Skits a close second. Students also spelled those awfully long German words, conjugated verbs, recited poetry, sang, created art, and answered culture questions related to this year’s theme: Wir sind Helden – We are heroes! which covered centuries of German culture from medieval knights to modern day soccer players. The students and faculty of UNCG organized the all-day event that also included campus tours, chat sessions, and a Jeopardy game. We were particularly pleased to host a group of German high school students whose exchange program with Northwestern High School in Guilford County celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. At the end of the day, the Awards Ceremony convinced us that heroes come in all forms, but, most importantly, they are brave and practice their German in order to support the transatlantic friendship between the United States and Germany.
Support provided by UNCG’s Kohler Fund and the NC chapter of the AATG allowed us to host a luncheon for teachers, judges, and chaperones who volunteered their time in order to make this event possible. Dr. Penelope Pynes, Associate Provost for International Programs, and Dr. Amy Williamsen, Professor of Hispanic Studies and Head, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, greeted our guests and highlighted initiatives that contribute to UNCG’s global orientation. The German Program is pleased that the event returned to our campus where, 15 years ago, Dr. Pynes and other German faculty hosted the event for the first time.
Many thanks to our colleagues and friends from across campus and the Triad who served as judges for the competitions: Tina Boyer (Wake Forest University), Benjamin Davis (UNCG), Scott Denham (Davidson College), Carola Dietkus (UNCG), Astrid End, Susanne Gomoluch (UNCG), Gisela Hood, Alyssa Howards (Wake Forest University) Corey Johnson (UNCG), Molly Knight (Wake Forest University), Andrea Kofler (UNCG), Brooke Kreitinger (UNCG), Patrick Lang, Grant McAllister (Wake Forest University), Marilyn Metzler, Carolin Roberts, Olav Rueppel (UNCG), Tom Skinner, Tin Wegel (UNC-Chapel Hill), Scott Windham (Elon University), Emma Woelk, and Ulrike Zimmermann. Vielen Dank!
