On February 21st, 2025 twenty Glenbard East students won trophies in demonstrating their mastery of the German language against other high school students all around the Chicagoland area at UIC. The competition was broken up into three main categories: the skit, the city guide, and poetry.
Any student taking a German class was allowed to participate in this competition. Jackson Howenstine said, “This gives students a fun and exciting experience in Chicago where they can […] practice German and interact with other kids in nearby regions.”
Remy Cassim, a sophomore who competed, said, “I think it’s a great opportunity for anyone, as biased as that might be. I think it gives a great introduction to the German program and the German Club as a whole.”
One series of competitions was to create an original skit based around Wicked poking fun at Germany’s history and bringing lighthearted humor to the audience. The group together won a first-place trophy for Glenbard East.
The first competition entry brought by freshmen Abigail Gronwal and Isabella Anetsberger was on a City Guide of Munich. It consisted of two characters, an American girl and a German Girl. The German girl showed the American girl around the German city of Munich.
They saw sights such as the ‘English Garden’, ‘Marienplatz’, ‘BMW Museum’, and ‘Theresienwiese’ (OktoberFest Site) The skit highlighted Bavarian culture and dialect. The pair together brought Glenbard East a first-place trophy.
Next up was the poetry competitor Kinga Kotarba (senior), and she recited a fantasy poem titled “Erlkonig”. It depicts a child assailed by a supernatural being, the Erlking, a king of the fairies. It was originally written by Goethe. She performed and won second place for Glenbard East.
One of the two German teachers who took Glenbard East students to UIC was Mr. Jackson Howenstine. Regarding the meaning of the event, Howenstine said, “My favorite part was to see kids have a good time in the city and experience things outside of the classroom and see them learn they are really a part of a community with the German language”.
Howenstine stated, “The purpose of the event is to give students a fun and exciting experience in Chicago where they can spend time together for a couple of months prior to putting together a product, and they can practice German while interacting with other kids in nearby regions.” He added, “It was definitely fulfilled in this year’s event.”
Howenstine added, “The large amount of work and effort of Molly LeMark, the other German teacher. She had spent personal time with students competing and did her best to make the event successful.”
Remy Cassim stated, “I think as nervous as I was, I enjoyed being there as much as I did in the previous year.”
Another fellow competitor was Patel Paczesniak, a senior who had a leading role within the Skit Competition. He said, “I really liked my role within the Skit, it was a stressful role yet still fun.” “The whole group had really good chemistry.” He summarized that he was satisfied with the results of their skit.
He said, “I hadn’t attended many German Club events before, but I was very enthusiastic about this competition.” In addition, “The Glenbard East German Program is not just a program; it’s a community too.”
Other schools that competed included New Trier, Oswego East, McHenry, Lake Zurich, Carl Sandburg, Maine South, James B. Conant, Prairie Ridge, and Oak Park River Forest. The Glenbard East German Department has taken part in the UIC German Studies Competition for many years.
