Area Middle and High School Students to Perform, Compete at W&J’s Annual German Day

At least 350 students from more than a dozen middle and high schools in the region—including those from Canon-McMillan—will perform, recite, create and write, all in German, during Washington & Jefferson College’s annual German Day today, Thursday, March 7 in the Olin Fine Arts Center and The  Howard J. Burnett Center’s Yost Auditorium.

“German Day is an academic and artistic competition revolving around the German language and culture,” said Cathy Altmeyer, professor in modern languages at W&J. “Area students prepare for months for this event and perform plays and musical numbers, recite poetry, create art and write essays in German. This is a great community event that shows how important languages are in area schools and how much of a focus the region puts on international programs.”

Hosting German Day is consistent with W&J’s focus on all things international, from its language and literature majors to international business, said Altmeyer, adding that Germany is becoming increasingly important to the United States economy and a growing program at W&J.

“There is also a Culture Bowl competition during which students answer questions in German about German culture, and a poetry recitation competition. This year, the W&J and University of Pittsburgh German Clubs will also have a trivia contest with the students,” Altmeyer said.

Financial support for the event is provided by the Bayer Corporation, and Hogfather's Restaurant, and in-kind support is provided by W&J and the German, Swiss and Austrian embassies. 

Students who scored high on the National German Exam will also be recognized.

Nearly 500 Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia students took this exam in January. Students scoring in the 90th percentile and above are eligible to win a study trip to Germany this coming summer.