Advertisement The students said activities — such as preparing for their upcoming Oktoberfest event — enhances what they learn in class with their teacher, Rita Murphy.
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William Stolz,14, plays Little Red Ridding Hood in the Lincoln Middle School German Club's rendering of the German Fairy Tale in the school's upcoming Oktoberfest celebration.
PETER THOMSON photo |
“German Club gets students more involved with field trips. And we learn the German language through games and things like that,” said Malcolm Ragan.
“And we enjoy making and eating German food.”
Ragan, who serves as president of the club, added that the learning is done in a fun and relaxed way, which makes it much easier to learn.
Most recently, the club has been preparing for the fifth annual Lincoln Middle Oktoberfest, which will take place Oct. 24.
The students will be serving food and performing Little Red Riding Hood in German, singing German songs and performing other German pieces, Murphy said.
The event includes authentic German food that is made by volunteers including the students’ families and others, and features music from George Schiltz along with an appearance by La Crosse’s Oktoberfest Royal Family and Grenadiers.
While the event is designed to raise funds for a field trip to Chicago later this year, the students said being able to learn German through skits, songs and poems is more fun than regular classroom work.
“It’s a cool way for kids to come together after school and expand their German speaking,” Irene Kelly said. “We make food and learn about the German culture to help us learn the language rather than just reading and studying notes.”
Vasko Niamov said preparing for the school’s Oktoberfest gave students a chance to learn more about the roots of the festival.
“We learned that it started out as a wedding for the king’s daughter. And the royal family invited everyone from Germany to the celebration,” Niamov said. “That was rare because usually the celebrations were just for members of royalty, but this time they let all the peasants come, too.”
During a recent club meeting, members helped make pretzels and used some pretzels to make necklaces for the event, Murphy said.
Kelly said the food at the event will include bratwurst, sauerkraut, German potato salad, egg noodles, rolls and several popular German desserts.
