In cooperation with the national association the Minnesota Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German (MN-AATG) offers a variety of services to members:
Membership and Information
Jana Velo, jana@isemn.org
Testing and Awards. In Minnesota approximately 1,000 high school students participate each year in the Testing and Awards Program. Minnesota is thus consistently one of the two or three largest participating chapters in the program. Students who achieve above the 90th percentile on the standardized written test are invited to oral testing for final evaluation. In addition to the prizes awarded from the national offices, the Minnesota chapter adds a wide variety of prizes of its own. Minnesota has for many years been able to award at least one study-trip to Germany each summer. All high school teachers should receive information on the testing program each year from the national offices of AATG. Membership and Information
Jana Velo, jana@isemn.org
Minnesota Testing Chair
Suzanne Wagner
Information on the AATG Testing and Awards Program (On the AATG site)
Deutschfest. The Minnesota chapter sponsors a Deutsches Sprachfest for high school students. Over 2,000 students from all parts of Minnesota gather to exhibit their talents in German language/culture related projects. Projects range from computer programs through photography, skits, posters and song. A large number of awards are given for excellent achievement at the daylong festival.
Mark Thamert, mthamert@csbsju.edu
Saint John's University and the College of Saint Benedict
phone 320-363-3520 mornings
Professional Meetings. The Minnesota chapter of AATG sponsors two professional meetings each year. The October meeting is held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Minnesota chapter of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and the other AAT's in Minnesota, thus providing a greatly expanded conference with a wide variety of presentations and the opportunity to "compare notes" with teachers in other languages. The size of the fall meeting also allows for a large exhibition hall featuring textbook publishers and language service organizations.
The spring meeting involves only MN/AATG and presentations are oriented exclusively to questions of German language and culture.
Notices of meetings and registration forms are posted on the home page of this website at the time that registration opens for each meeting.
High School Student Exchange. Minnesota AATG has a long standing relationship with the school system of the German state, Baden-Württemberg. Students from all Minnesota high schools are eligible to participate in the family to family exchange. Applicants are paired according to interests and background and families in Minnesota and Baden-Württemberg are brought into contact. In the fall the partner from Germany arrives in Minnesota, lives with the partner family and attends school with the Minnesota "brother/sister". In the spring Minnesota students return the visit to partner families in Germany and attend school there. For students from both sides of the exchange, a variety of cultural excursions are arranged. The Exchange program has a web page at: http://www.mnbwexchange.org/
George Reimer, 5333 Humboldt Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55419 (612) 824-2518 greimer494@aol.com
Home Pages of MN/AATG Members:
If you would like your homepage listed here, please let us know
mthamert@csbsju.edu
Mark Thamert
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
Collegeville, MN 56321
tel: (320) 363-3520
Please send comments and suggestions to: mthamert@csbsju.edu
