Middle School Student Excels In German

By Tanjua Damon

Newtown Middle School seventh grade student Charles Maier has been taking German lessons since he was 5 years old. He mother Helga, who grew up in Germany, initially signed him up, but Charles has continued taking a three-hour class every Saturday during the school year.

Recently Charles took the Standard American Association of Teacher of German National High School Examination, Level 2 at the German School of Connecticut. He ranked in the 65th percentile range with a score of 81 correct answers out of 100. About 172 students took the test. Charles is now ranked in the 73rd in the state.

Charles travels to Weston on Saturday to participate in the foreign language class. He also takes Spanish at the middle school. He enjoys the celebrations that the German School of Connecticut participates in such as the Steuben Parade, which is a German American holiday with a parade in New York City. He likes to perform at the school’s Christmas party; and in the spring the school performs a traditional German play.

Charles enjoys learning the German language. The test covered grammar, comprehending directions, and translation. He says that he continues with learning German because it opens many opportunities for him.

“Because I am a German citizen, I’d be able to go to college in Germany. I also might have to do civil service for the military,” Charles said. “It greatly increased my chances of going to a good college.”

Charles is humble about the accomplishments of his recent test results.

“I just attribute it to the fact that I’ve taken German for awhile and I’ve had good teachers,” he said. “It’s also just a helpful thing to know other languages.”

The German School of Connecticut was established in 1978. It provides German classes to children in preschool through twelfth grade. For more information call 203-792-2795 or visit the website at www.germanschoolct.org.