On Friday, December 6, Chamblee High School’s AP German class along with the German Honor Society worked together to bring a fun day for Chamblee High. The students traveled from class to class, singing German Christmas carols and passing out chocolates to celebrate Saint Nicholas Day: a popular holiday throughout parts of Europe. This was described by Nicholas Jovanovic (‘27), one of the leaders of Chamblee’s German Honor Society, also referred to as German Club.
He said, “[Our club] offers volunteering opportunities like St. Nicholas Day, for which we’re going to be going caroling and handing out candy.”
This school year has marked a new beginning for Chamblee’s German Honor Society. The club has three leaders: Jovanovic, Grace Huang (‘27), and Samantha Yarbrough (‘27). Although, German Club can trace its origins back to 2017, this year marked a new era for the club.
Jovanovic said, “[The club] has been off and on. Last year, it wasn’t really defined. This wasn’t like an actual club. It was like a meeting place. So this year, we’re just starting fresh. It’s a new club, technically.”
This new start occurred for several reasons. Huang explained how the opportunity came up.
She said, “[Samantha, Nicholas, and I] are all together in AP German class, and we’re all very interested in learning about German culture and becoming more proficient in the German language. We’ve spent a lot of time with our German teacher, Dr O. She talked about this opportunity with us, and we were interested in helping her out.”
Aditionally, students wanted to be better prepared for the German trip this summer, which will take students around different parts of Germany.
Jovanovic said, “We’re just really passionate about German and we’re going to Germany this summer with Dr. O on her trip. We just wanted to engage with German culture more.”
The club started around October and has had several meetings so far. Currently, there are around 12-15 members in the club; German Club provides students with an opportunity to learn more about German culture.
“It’s just to learn more about German culture and connect through different activities including food and games. We also do volunteering opportunities… We’re also going to have more volunteering opportunities next semester with the middle school,” said Jovanovic.
Some members enjoy the integration of a social aspect into the cultural attributes of German Club.
Yarbrough said, “[At our meetings], we usually just play German games, talk and hang out, and also eat food.”
To some students, German Club seems like a fun new opportunity for the students at Chamblee High.
Huang said, “I think it’s a lot of fun. I really like having the opportunity to learn more about and discuss German culture with my friends.”
