2011 Chapter Reports Midwest Region - American Association of ...

031 Nebraska
“Märchenwelt,” the theme of the 2011 Nebraska Association of Students of German
(NASG) Convention, brought about 300 students from schools all over Nebraska to
Platteview Junior/Senior High School in Platteview, Nebraska on March 26. Students
participated in non‐competitive sessions as well as competitions. The 2012 NASG
convention will be held on April 28, 2012 at Westside Middle School in Omaha. The
theme will be “Schokolade und Schlösser,” which will allow for plenty of creativity in
designing the sessions and activities.
On April 30, NATG held its spring workshop in conjunction with an awards tea that
celebrated the successes of Nebraska high achieving students on the AATG national
exams. At the spring workshop, Nebraska teachers gained ideas on how to implement a
GAPP program in their schools from NATG members Kellye Deane (Gretna High
School) and Pat Branson (Bellevue East High School) in a presentation entitled “Bridge
the GAPP with the German‐American Partnership Program.”
Arthur Beckman continues to serve as the NATG Testing Chairperson. 380
Nebraska students took the exam; 52 of these students scored in the 70th percentile or
higher. Their efforts were recognized at the Awards Tea, which followed NATG’s spring
workshop. The students’ teachers, family members, and school administrators were in
attendance.
NATG members Pam Hoover and Anna Jamrog served on a nominating committee
to nominate candidates for the offices of President‐Elect and Secretary/Treasurer. After
a vote by NATG members, Michael Bendorf was selected as President‐Elect, and he
took office in January 2012. Ginger Starks‐Yoble was re‐elected Secretary/Treasurer.
On October 14, three NATG members: Megan Van Alstine (graduate assistant,
University of Nebraska‐Lincoln,) Wendy Langer (Millard West High School, Omaha) and
Ginger Starks‐Yoble (Westside Middle School) shared student‐centered approaches to
teaching some tricky grammar topics. Participants walked away having met new
colleagues and with several fresh tips for their teaching toolboxes.
On October 15 at the annual Nebraska International Languages Association
Conference, held this year at Creighton University in Omaha, four of the sixteen
sessions were specifically for German teachers and presented by NATG members: Pat
Branson presented “Web 2.0 Examples for YOUR German Classroom,” Ginger Starks‐
Yoble presented “German Cultures and Communities of Berlin,” Pam Hoover presented
“Multiple Intelligences for the German Classroom,” and Diane Wulf and Wendy Brennan
presented “Echte Literatur im Deutschunterricht: Es kann Spaß machen!” Also at the
NILA conference, NATG members Pat Branson, Wendy Brennan, Volker Langeheine,
and Diane Wulf received STAR (Study, Travel, Achievement, and Recognition) awards,
while Ginger Starks‐Yoble received NILA’s Young Educator Award, and Gerda Bailey of
Gerda’s German Bakery in Omaha was honored with NILA’s Pro Lingua Award in
recognition of her decades of support to students and teachers of German in Nebraska.
In November, several NATG members travelled to Denver for the annual ACTFL
conference, where Wendy Brennan presented part of a presentation titled “Kunst im
Unterricht.” Pam Hoover was honored with the ISE Language Matters Award, while