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Report from the Washington AATG Chapter
by AATG
Report from Washington State
By Alysha Holmquist, WA-AATG President
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The Washington State chapter of AATG, in this ever-changing teaching environment, has continued to adapt with online zoom events and meetings. The chapter traditionally meets every September for a general meeting and professional development. While the last two years’ meetings have occurred over Zoom, meetings usually take place high in the Cascade Mountains at the Berghaus in Hyak. Some teachers come early Friday night for friendly Beisammensein (and libations!) and enjoy a tasty breakfast together. Professional development for the whole group takes place after the general meeting, and then break-out professional development for elementary and secondary teachers after a hearty lunch. In September 2020 we had great virtual presentations by Susanne Rinner (Goethe/ SPARK), Gabi Mais-Minkler (ZfA), and Ben Fisher (Bothell HS). Alysha Holmquist (Enumclaw HS) presented virtually in 2021. They’re really looking forward to being together again in September 2022!
By Jennifer McArthur, Staff Writer
Speaking of Herr Ben Fisher of Bothell High School, he won the German Embassy Teacher of Excellence Award in 2021! He began teaching both German and Spanish at Bothell High School in 2019 after the great Lynne Kalstadt retired. He had big shoes to fill and certainly lived up to it! Focusing on teaching using Comprehensible Input, he also was recently interviewed by the podcast Preaching to Acquire about supporting LGBTQ+ students in the classroom. Way to go, Ben! For more about language teaching from Ben, check out his website: mrfishersays.com
Another esteemed honor given in Washington State recently was the AATG Friend of German Award. This distinction recognizes leadership in advocacy for German language and education by someone outside the teaching profession. The award was given in 2020 to Western Washington native Chris Barnes, who attended the AATG-WA spring immersion overnight camp each year in Lederhosen with his accordion and jovial personality. Even after he retired and moved away from Western Washington, Chris would drive to the camp each spring to wake up students with his Ziehharmonika. We’re hoping he can join us at German language camp again next year after our pandemic break.
In 2019, West Valley High School in Yakima became an AATG Center of Excellence before the retirement of their amazing teacher Rick Beck, who began the German program in his district and taught there for 29 years. Rick also won the very first AATG Outstanding GAPP Coordinator Award in 2020. The program was taken over by Deborah Abbo, who came to WA with 14 years of teaching experience from Colorado.
AATG-WA Hyak Meeting Virtual Hyak 2020
Rick Beck was AATG-WA treasurer for many years before passing that baton to colleague Kathy Lockwood, who teaches at Cascade High School in Everett. Her student, Onima, was recently selected as a juror for the upcoming Berlin & Beyond Film Festival in San Francisco and was given an all-expenses-paid trip, complete with a film workshop and walking the red carpet before presenting the Youth 4 German Cinema Awards. Kudos to Kathy for providing her students the opportunity to participate in this exclusive experience!
Susanne Rinner was principal of the German Language School in Seattle for three years, and also a visiting associate professor at The Ray Wolpow Institute For the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Crimes Against Humanity at Western Washington University (WWU) for two years. WWU is home to a stellar German program which was awarded the AATG Center of Excellence distinction in 2013. Susanne is currently the program director for the Goethe Institute's SPARK program. For more information, please visit at their website: http://sparkforgerman.org/
Each Fall, a local AATG-WA school hosts the German Student Convention, which invites WA German programs to come together for German games, food, prizes, and break-out classes. In December 2020 the great German musician Eddi Hüneke, previously of the Wise Guys, gave an interactive online performance for German students featuring his new songs, along with some favorite Weihnachtslieder. The song lyrics were sent out in advance of the concert, and students could participate in polls and Q&A online with Eddi. It was so cool!
In 2021, the German Student Convention was again online, but this time 19 schools participated in the Washington State German Day. After a day of visiting the Goethe Institute’s Wanderbus and enjoying gifts of GI color-changing pencils and Gummibärchen, students were invited to compete against other programs in a Kahoot-facilitated by Goethe Institut NY. Congratulations to the student team at Enumclaw High School, who won the Kahoot and a pizza party!
AATG-WA is looking forward to coming together again in-person as we continue to meet online to share ideas. Currently, schools have been invited to participate in a state-wide März Musik Manie bracket created by Kathy Lockwood (Cascade HS), Tobias Gruenthal (Bishop Blanchet HS) and Alysha Holmquist (Enumclaw HS). Teachers are collaborating on teaching the songs, as well as comparing their student’s choices. They’re looking forward to seeing which song each school chooses as the 2022 Sieger.
Leadership of AATG-WA will soon be passing from Alysha Holmquist (Enumclaw HS) to Andrea Seidl, who came to Washington from Massachusetts and is currently AATG-WA Vice President. Karen Jennings of Washington State University has stepped into the Membership Chair position. Susanne Rinner recently took over as Clock Hour Chair, and Chris Knopf of the Seattle German Language School is Testing Chair. Kathy Lockwood is treasurer. Kara Bezanson of Bellingham High School continues as secretary, as well as Awards Chair Shannon Dubenion-Smith of Western Washington University. The members of the Washington State Chapter of the AATG are looking forward to growing together in future years as they continue to promote the learning and teaching of the German language through student-centered activities, informed professional development, and creative collaboration.
Enumclaw High School Winners of the WA State German Day Wanderbus Kahoot (Dec 2021)
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