GCPS students honored for German language proficiency

     Sixty Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) students have been recognized for their outstanding proficiency in German language through their participation in the National German Exam (NGE). This exam, administered by the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG), is a nationwide competition that requires students to demonstrate their German language proficiency in real-world scenarios and by accessing authentic German language materials.

     The AATG honors students with Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals, certificates, and a place on the Honor Roll recognition page. Additionally, students can earn scholarships, including the AATG/Pädagogischer Austauschdienst NGE Scholarship for a trip to Germany and the NGE Post-Graduate Scholarship.

     “Proficiency in multiple languages has tremendous value in today’s global economy. It’s a pleasure to spotlight these recipients who demonstrate functional skills that have value across state lines and national borders,’’ says Dr. Virin Vedder, GCPS Director of World Languages and Dual Language Immersion. “We are very proud of the hard work of these students and their dedicated teachers who help make recognitions like this possible.’’

     In addition, Jasmine Shayo, a senior at the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (GSMST), has been named the Georgia AATG German Student of the Year. The Student of the Year Award is presented by the AATG – Georgia Chapter to one high school student who has demonstrated excellence in the study and promotion of German.

     Sarah Richards, a German Teacher at Collins Hill High School, has been recognized as the Georgia AATG Teacher of the Year. The Teacher of the Year Award is presented to a member of the AATG - Georgia Chapter who has distinguished themselves as a teacher of German either through the performance of their students or through exceptional efforts to enhance the teaching of German in the state of Georgia. 

     “Frau Richards is an instructional leader who creates engaging, real-world German learning experiences and strengthens the profession by leading and sharing best practices at the county and state levels, and is very deserving of this recognition,” adds Dr. Vedder.

The following students placed in the AATG NGE:

School	Student Name	Medal
Brookwood High School	Katherine Briggman	Gold
	Evelyn Moore	Gold
	Corbin Munk	Gold
	Hyaan Rahman	Gold
	Christopher Wilson	Gold
	Madison Every	Silver
	Hana Junaid	Silver
	David Lindsay	Silver
	Veer Patel	Silver
	Gabrielle Powell	Silver
	Ian Sessler	Silver
	Anjali Shams	Silver
	Liam Walker	Silver
	Liam Watson	Silver
	Jaslenne Zepeda-Martinez	Silver
Collins Hill High School	Scarlett Crawley	Gold
	Ashley Gaines	Gold
	Rune Jambor	Gold
	Quyen Le	Gold
	Hayden Sosna	Gold
	Grant Cochling	Silver
	Bill Nguyen	Silver
	Sofia Triana-Widick	Silver
GSMST	Arianna Arnold	Gold
	Isha Banerjee	Gold
	Ava Bradford	Gold
	Daniel Clark	Gold
	Gargi Das	Gold
	Aiden De Vera	Gold
	Omoruyi Ehigiegba	Gold
	Aarav Gaudana	Gold
	Haris Jaganjac	Gold
	Louise Lee	Gold
	Andrew Nguyen	Gold
	Aiden Pae	Gold
	Riya Patel	Gold
	Lauren Ramos	Gold
	Sirish Subash	Gold
	Carlos Vera	Gold
	Ruth Aleme	Silver
	Lina Cherneva	Silver
	Surbhi Dudeja	Silver
	Jessica Han	Silver
	Allen Hu	Silver
	Adrienne Huynh	Silver
	Andrea Jerez Morales	Silver
	Asad Khan	Silver
	Yiyang Liu	Silver
	Elliana Mawejje	Silver
	Loc Nguyen	Silver
	Jacklyn Wei	Silver
	Haneul Yang	Silver
North Gwinnett High School	Chloe Mao	Gold
	Hosanna Mooney	Gold
	Walt Trotman	Gold
	Brylee Armentrout	Silver
	Sarah Petrick	Silver
Parkview High School	Annabel Li	Gold
	Nghia Nguyen	Gold
	Lora Cohen	Gold

     The National German Exam (NGE) is administered each year to more than 15,000 high school students of German. The exam, now in its 66th year, provides individual diagnostic feedback, rewards students through an extensive regional and national prize program, and creates a sense of accomplishment. Exam results provide teachers with a means of comparing students in all regions of the country, as well as programmatic data to help inform curricular decisions.