Meeting the third Tuesday of every month, German Club revels in its culture through fun-filled activities. Some of the events include making gingerbread houses and journeying to Christkindlmarket in Chicago. The club also sold Advent Calendars during lunch to help fund some of their activities.
Smith said, “It is the most authentic German Christmas market I’ve ever seen outside of Germany,” regarding the Christkindlmarket in Chicago. Students visited the market Dec. 15.
Moreover, members of the club wished to partake in German traditions such as celebrating Oktoberfest, making lanterns for St. Martin’s Day and having a Fasching/Karneval (Mardi Gras) party.
For Oktoberfest, club members relay raced one another (with the help of Latin teacher Mr. Dan Tess), the same way waitresses in Munich race during Oktoberfest. Members also celebrated with black forest cherry cupcakes. The ideas are supported by the new advisor Mrs. Linda Smith, who is currently finishing her Master’s Degree in education.
Smith is new to BC this year, but she’s no stranger to anything German. In fact, Smith has lived in Germany. When reminiscing on her time spent there, she said, “I’ve been lucky enough to be in Germany three times for Christmas and it was a magical time.” She values the traditions and respects the culture. She hopes to share her ardent love of Germany with her students and club members.
Furthermore, Smith loves being involved. She was very active in extracurricular activities as a high school student. She said, “…being involved in extracurricular activities was the best part of high school.”
Smith stated that the club can always rely on members for fresh ideas and planning. She appreciates the enthusiasm from the club members, especially Coley Bergren, Allison Retzlaff, and Ceci Risch. Their passion for German is evident as Retzlaff said, “I can hardly wait until we make the gingerbread houses! It’s my favorite thing we do.”
Students who do not take German are invited to participate in the club as well. “It’s nice that I can take French and still be in German Club,” said junior club member Leah Klingaman.