German

Term 3 Review

Poetry and United Nations... What do those two things have in common, you may be asking. The answer is that both of them featured heavily in the German department over the last few months. Our Junior students took part in the annual German Poetry competition and our Senior students attended the Model UN conference in German. Please read below an account of both events. 

Model UN

On Friday 19th June, three year 11 German students (Pauline A, Chais G and Julia T) along with Frau Barker participated in a Model United Nations General Assembly, run entirely in the German language. The topic was ‘Ocean Conservation’ and our school was given the country of Japan to represent. In the weeks leading up to the conference, students did a lot of research on Japan’s history and views surrounding ocean conservation, and wrote a position statement outlining Japan’s views on ocean conservation, which they then translated into German. Japan was a particularly tricky country to represent, because their history of whaling is not popular! 

The assembly took place in the city and the aim was to hear every country’s position statement and then vote on a new UN Resolution addressing ocean conservation. Participants were able to take part in an ‘Unmoderated Caucus’ as well, in which they were free to move around the room to discuss potential amendments with other countries and seek supporters and allies for their proposed amendments. It was interesting to meet other students from schools in Melbourne who also study German. 

All in all it was an engaging and enjoyable day, in which the students learned a lot and the experience helped them practice speaking and listening in German. 

German Poetry Competition

On the 6th of August, Patterson River Secondary College hosted the Association of German Teachers Victoria (AGTV) German Poetry Competition Regional Finals for the Southeast Region. A number of Patterson River Secondary College students from Years 7 to 9 participated in the event and showcased their German language skills. Students recited poems individually in front of judges, competing against Hillcrest Christian College and Mentone Grammar with some extremely close results. A big congratulations to Louella F for coming third place in the Year 8 German as a second language category and for Wilson M for coming first place in the Open category for students with a German-speaking background.   

We also had five Year 7 students enter the AGTV Group Poetry Competition. They produced a wonderful performance, showcasing their creativity and enthusiasm. They were awarded an ‘Honourable Mention’ for their impressive efforts, receiving a pizza lunch prize from the AGTV. Congratulations to Asri J, Felicity T, Jamie J-M, Kelsey L-M, and Lily I on their achievements. 

This competition provided an excellent opportunity for all participants to deepen their appreciation for German literature while improving their speaking skills. We are incredibly proud of our students’ achievements and look forward to seeing what they will accomplish next! Well done to our talented poets!