Bildungsstandards für die fortgeführte Fremdsprache (Englisch

Bildungsstandards für die fortgeführte Fremdsprache (Englisch / Französisch) für die Allgemeine Hochschulreife
McDaniel reflects German culture for a day
Pawel Lubkowski is one of nearly 900 middle and high school students who attended the 11th
annual German-American Day at McDaniel College. Students came from 28 area schools to
participate in the ethnic holiday commemorating the achievements of German Americans. The
holiday has been formally observed in the U.S. since 1987.
Workshops were offered throughout the day on topics ranging from “Make Your Own Gingerbread
Hearts” to “God, Human Suffering, and the Holocaust.”
Evan Bruitt, a student from South River High School, attended “Germany: 15 Years After Unification.”
“I love history,” Bruitt said. “Today I learned why it was so hard to bring East and West Germany
back together. Their culture was so different.”
South River High Junior Ann Natishan said her favorite part of the day was the concert by Uwe
Kind. Kind, who developed a way to teach conversational German through catchy tunes, led a
concert in Big Baker that had the standing-room-only crowd singing, clapping, and marching to
the beat.
This is Mary Upman‟s 11th year participating in German-American Day at the College. As a
teacher at North Carroll High School, she chaperoned students. Now, as Adjunct Foreign Languages
Lecturer at the College, she teaches “The Art of Cheese Making With Samples to
Taste.”
While Upman loves teaching and tasting Emmental cheese, her biggest joy comes when visiting
high school students decide to apply to McDaniel College.
“Some of the students I brought when I was a teacher at North Carroll came here to college,”
Upman said with a proud smile.
According to the 2000 census, more than 24 million Americans – 15 percent of the American
population – consider themselves German American. Nearly 940,000 of them live in Maryland.
Rubin Sztajer is one of them. Sztajer survived the Holocaust, but his parents, a brother,
and two younger sisters did not. After World War II, Sztajer came to America without family, a
job, or an education.
“I see people going around angry and I say „Remember the past, but don‟t live it,”‟ Sztajer told a
hushed crowd in Little Baker.
Against all odds, Sztajer thrived in America, married, and raised two children. He now has seven
grandchildren. Sztajer‟s lessons were not lost on young ears.
“I‟m so grateful I chose to come to this country, this land of prosperity,” Sztajer said. “The opportunities
all of you have here – there is nothing in the world you cannot achieve if you really
want it.”
German-American Day at McDaniel College is led by Associate Professor Mohamed Esa and
is sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages, the Embassies of Germany, Austria,
Switzerland, Liechtenstein, the American Association of Teachers of German, the Goethe Institut
in Washington, D.C., and the McDaniel College Admissions Office and Bookstore.
source: ”Why Study German.‛ In: www2.mcdaniel.edu/german/gad
URL: http://www.mcdaniel.edu/3629.htm [08.02.2012]
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