Learning German became much more than classroom work this year at Victor J. Andrew High School after a group of students earned national recognition for their achievements.
Eleven students recently landed on the National German Exam Level 1 Honor Roll, an accomplishment that reflected months of studying, practicing and building confidence in a new language.
Twenty-seven Andrew students took part in the exam, which measures reading and listening comprehension skills for students studying German across the country.
Freshman Declan Hurley earned a gold medal for outstanding performance, while sophomore Dominic Russo received a silver medal. Freshmen Savannah Aardsma, Elliot Radtke and Tyler Pluhar each captured bronze medals. Six additional students earned achievement awards.
Inside the classroom, students spent the year learning vocabulary, practicing conversations and working through the challenges that come with understanding another language. Teachers said the recognition showed how much growth students made in a relatively short amount of time.
German teacher Erika Lupacchino said the students embraced the challenge and continued pushing themselves throughout the year.
“These students’ achievements reflect months of study, classroom engagement, and a developing command of the German language,” Lupacchino said. “These scores highlight both individual effort and the strength of our program overall, as students continue building confidence and communication skills in German. We can’t wait to see how much these students will accomplish over the next few years in the German program.”
The National German Exam, administered by the American Association of Teachers of German, has been given to students nationwide for 65 years. More than 15,000 schools participate in the program, which recognizes student achievement through regional and national awards.
Teachers at Andrew said the honors were especially meaningful because many students are still early in their language-learning journey. The recognition gave students a chance to see their hard work pay off while encouraging them to continue exploring language and culture beyond the classroom.