Natalie Bricker, co-president of German Club and senior

What is German Club?

(German Club) is a social club where people hang out and eat and then we learn about German culture through games and activities. There are no prerequisites. You don’t even have to take German to be in German club; you just have to be interested. Everyone’s welcome.

How has the German exchange program affected German Club?

(The exchange students) were only here for three weeks, but everyone was really welcoming and I think that it was a great opportunity for people to learn about other cultures. So many things (the exchange students) learned from being in America are things you wouldn’t even think that are different, and I think interacting with people from around the world really helps people in the club learn new things.

What are some skills that students can get out of the club?

I think just talking to other people, learning how to organize things. As an executive member, organizing things is really important as well as being able to communicate with many other people. Also, just an openness to learn.

What is your favorite memory in German Club?

My favorite memory is probably the scavenger hunts we do. We go up Main Street, and even though it’s really embarrassing, it’s fun to be outside. It’s your first taste of German Club and I think it’s the best for new members. 

Josie Adams, co-president of German Club and senior

What are some activities the German Club holds?

The first activity that we always hold is the scavenger hunt outside of the school. One of our most popular events is our last one we did, which is the just-dance. This year we did a pumpkin painting and werewolf game with the German exchange students that we had. Another one I can think of is the Gummy Bear Olympics that we also do.

What are some challenges of running German Club?

I think a challenge that I’ve seen a lot is not having enough time for planning and also just coordination of all (executive) board members. Also, finding a time that works for everybody. (For example), on Mondays, the band kids don’t have band; Tuesdays, speech and debate (have meetings). 

What are some skills that students can get out of the club?

I think, just for the basis of German Club, getting to experience and get a little taste of different cultures is very important to people in their everyday lives. I know that people can get absorbed into this very “American” culture and being able to actually see what other people do for fun, and do things that we don’t normally do is very enjoyable. 

Laura King, German Club sponsor and German teacher 

How long have you been the sponsor for German Club, and what do you like most about it?

I’ve been the sponsor for German Club since I first came here (to CHS) in 2008. There are two things I love most about it. Number one, I really love that my exec board creates all of the activities and decides what they want to do. I really have a great exec board. I love seeing all of these ideas that they have, and when they bounce them off of me I can make a couple of critiques or suggestions, but they’re the ones who do all the work. I also love that we let anyone be in German Club. You don’t have to be in a German class; if you’re interested in the culture of any German speaking country, you can join this group.

What is the most memorable event German Club has hosted throughout your time as a sponsor?

The most memorable event for me is–we don’t do this anymore–the soccer tournament we did with French Club and Spanish Club. We had all the different language clubs and were like, “Hey! We’re going to do a 3-on-3 soccer tournament.” We really had a lot of fun and we had a trophy for it. So we did that for about three years, but some of the other clubs weren’t as strong into sports. That was always really fun and I enjoyed it because I also played soccer in high school. 

Do you have any upcoming that you’re looking forward to or preparing for?

Our next event actually is on Tuesday Nov. 18. (The students) are doing this whole Jeopardy-type event. They have all of these questions made (as well as) the Jeopardy board. It’s got a lot of random trivia. They did it for the very first time last year. I think the German Club is also planning on going to the Christkindlmarkt. Second semester, in February, German Club and German classes go to the German state competition and conference. Students in Germany can compete in academic and cultural competitions, but students in German Club who are not can go to all these sessions and learn about lots of different cultures and languages and things like that. 

How was the experience with German exchange students like for the club?

So (the exchange program) is through our “GAPP exchange,” German American Partnership Program. It is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and also the German government. So we’ve had an exchange through GAPP and I think this is our fourth exchange with a school just outside Frankfort, Germany. It was pretty awesome. We had 16 German students and two other English teachers come here and live with 16 other Carmel students, go to their classes (and) see (the Carmel students) everyday life. We made sure to have the German students come to German classes and they did presentations on different themes. We also did a German Club event with them. We painted a bunch of pumpkins and we had the Charlie Brown movie, but we had it in German on the background. We also played this German game called ‘Werewolf’ which is a lot like Mafia.