SGC 2022. South Forsyth students show off their skills by winning multiple awards, including school of the year for 7 years in a row. They strived to deliver and came home victorious. (Image used with permission from Herr Strecker)
SGC 2022. South Forsyth students show off their skills by winning multiple awards, including school of the year for 7 years in a row. They strived to deliver and came home victorious.
Everyone holds their breath. The noisy, bustling auditorium immediately rushes to a hush as Herr Strecker, one of the two German teachers at South Forsyth High School, goes to announce the State German Convention (SGC)’s School of the Year. The event is the innovation of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG), and this award was one of many awards that SFHS students had the honor of receiving during this year’s memorable convention. On Saturday, March 19th, SFHS German students attended the State German Convention at Kennesaw State University. This highly anticipated event is one of the biggest highlights of every German student’s year. It includes many exciting opportunities for individuals to immerse themselves in the German culture through competitive events, a market, Supertalent, Plaudern, all with an emphasis on having fun.
While getting involved in a foreign language is a requirement for many high school students, SFHS students go beyond the requirements. South’s German program is about more than just checking a box; it is about building a thriving community of diverse individuals who strive to learn and expand themselves as people within the German language and culture. Additionally, the program’s two phenomenal teachers, Frau Legall and Herr Strecker, work tirelessly to ensure that their students have everything they need to succeed, all while having a good time.
The efforts of the German teachers can be seen in the passion of many students who choose to advance their education with higher-level German classes such as AP or IB German. Students also have the opportunity to get involved in the SFHS German Club. This organization is for any language-takers or any students interested in learning more about German culture. It has many events throughout the year, including Oktoberfest, the Christmas Market, Ostereierbaum, and much more.
The State German Convention (SGC) started bright and early at Kennesaw State University. After everyone checked in and got a gift bag, the hosting teachers started the day at the auditorium. To make the crowd comfortable, the hosting German teachers started with a silly interactive dance to the song, “Fliegerlied,” and then introduced the schedule for the day (competition, Plaudern, lunch, Markt, Supertalent, and awards) and how the Resienpass, or passport, works. The Resienpass is a piece of paper that each student received to collect stamps for each German-enriching action they participated in. Plaudern literally means chat in English, but it was an activity room with many different things like games, coloring, and readings, all based off the German culture and language. In addition, it presented an opportunity to meet new people, network, and try some German chocolate as well. Afterward, by turning in their Resienpass, they could earn free prizes at the Markt (market), like German Harry Potter books, candy, and other creative items.
Furthermore, there were many enriching competitions like the spelling bee, vocab bee, poetry declamation, written test, and partner drawing work, which took place in the morning. The poem declamation was a recitation of a chosen poem with proper pronunciation and posture to judges alone. On the other hand, poetry slam is performing an original poem with creativity in front of the entire conference. Then in the early afternoon, the Markt opened up, and later Supertalent began. This is very similar to a talent show with events like poetry slam (original poetry performance), quiz bowl (trivia), and lip-sync (dance). South prioritized learning and making the most of the experience; therefore, they competed—and won—in almost every event during the convention, ranging from the poetry slam to the spelling bee. Moreover, in order to end the day on a high note, the German students and teachers came together for a senior send-off to honor its upcoming graduates for their contribution to the German program and embark on the next journey in their lives.
Check out the gallery below for some pictures taken during the convention!
SGC brings together many high schools and middle schools from all over GA, but SFHS has quite a winning streak. They have won the overall competition for the last 7 years (2016- 2022), and this year was no different! Plus, Katherine Yang, a senior at SFHS and German club president, was awarded the German Student of the Year, which includes a fully paid study trip to Germany. Additionally, Frau Legall won Teacher of the Year. Some more awards SFHS won were 1st place in quiz bowl, 2nd place in lip sync, and student-wise many firsts in spelling, vocab, and partner work too. Students Amelia Pettersson, Shruti Kapoor, and Gina Mondibrown won first place in the Poetry Slam for their originality and humor as well, with Jocelyn Somerson placing third for her charming poem too. All in all, South Forsyth German students left SGC as champions once again.
Ultimately, the success of the State German Convention is the result of an excellent German program. The program is a cultivation of hard work, dedication, and love from the teachers and students. Both Frau Legall and Herr Strecker work tirelessly to make sure their kids are not only excelling in German and at SGC but also having fun doing it. The emphasis they place on the Spaß (fun) aspect of SGC and learning as a whole is why SFHS returns from this beloved convention victorious, year after year. In fact, this year’s Teacher of the Year was Frau Legall!
Tisha Kaur is a senior at South, and she is more than excited to take on her fourth (and sadly final) year at The Bird Feed as the Science and Technology editor. She absolutely loves writing and reading pretty much all genres, and is looking forward to making new memories with new and old staff members. When she’s not writing for the paper, you can catch her painting, going on runs, or exploring new food spots with friends and family. She especially enjoys traveling and is always interested in learning about new cultures! In the future, she plans to continue writing at her college’s newspaper while diving into her section’s content as a computer science major. She loves meeting new people, so feel free to reach out!
