With the support of the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, the UNCG German Program was proud to host the thirteenth annual German Day on UNCG’s campus on March 6, 2013. Dr. Susanne Rinner (Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in German) led the planning of this event, and Dr. Brooke Kreitinger (Lecturer in German) and Dr. Carola Dwyer (Lecturer in German and Faculty in Residence) also provided invaluable support to make the day a huge success. The event was extremely well-attended; accompanied by parents and teachers, over 550 German language students from 22 middle and high schools in North Carolina participated in the many fun competitions and events.

The theme of this year’s German Day, “Deutsch is Handy!”, focused specifically on technology and telecommunication	Middle school and high school students from all over North Carolina came to participate and make new friends during the day’s events

This year’s theme was “Deutsch ist Handy!”, with a special emphasis on technology and telecommunication. “Handy” is not only the German word for “practical” but also a colloquial term for “cell phone.” Students participated in spelling bees, verb conjugation bees, poetry recitations, singing performances, cultural trivia, and an art contest. They especially enjoyed performing skits for their fellow students and singing karaoke to German songs from every genre. The event also included campus tours, chat sessions, and the UNCG German Day version of the “Harlem Shake.” At the end of the day, the winners of each event were honored during a special Awards Ceremony.

Through support from the Kohler Fund, the German Program was able to host a luncheon for the teachers, judges, and chaperones who volunteered their time in order to make this event possible. Dr. Penelope Pynes (Associate Provost for International Programs), Dr. Jerry Pubantz (Dean of the Lloyd International Honors College), and Ms. Laura Pipe (Director of Learning Communities) greeted our guests and highlighted initiatives that contribute to UNCG’s global orientation.

Dr. Penelope Pynes thanks the teachers, parents, judges, and volunteers at the German Day luncheon for their involvement and support	Catching up on the day’s events: Dr. Susanne Rinner and Dr. Jerry Pubantz at the German Day luncheon

German Day is an annual event organized by the North Carolina chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German. It is hosted by a different North Carolina college or university every year. The German Program is particularly pleased that the event returned to our campus where it had its inaugural event in 2001 under the leadership of Dr. Pynes and other faculty of the German Program. Many thanks to our colleagues and friends from across campus and the Triad who served as judges for the competitions: Wendy Burgbacher (Department Chair, US World Languages, Cary Academy), Kayla Cavenaugh (Art History/German Major, UNCG), Carola Dwyer (Lecturer, German Studies, UNCG), Jillian Haeseler (Director of Graduate Program in TESOL and Associate Professor of English, Greensboro College), Janet Harris, Alyssa Howards (Associate Professor, German and Russian Department, Wake Forest University), Corey Johnson (Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, UNCG), Calvin Jones, Christa Jones, Steffen Kaupp (Graduate Teaching Assistant, German Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill/Duke), Molly Knight (Visiting Assistant Professor, German and Russian Department, Wake Forest University), Brooke Kreitinger (Lecturer, German Studies, UNCG), Margit Lanze (German Teacher/Department Leader, World Languages Department, Cary Academy), David Limburg (Professor, German Studies, Guilford College), Andreas Lixl (Professor, German Studies, UNCG), Maggie Majors (Visiting Instructor, Department of German and Russian, Wake Forest University), Marilyn Metzler, Kurt Niedenzu, Olav Rueppell (Associate Professor, Biology Department, UNCG), Elizabeth Schreiber-Byers (Graduate Student, German Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill), Claire Scott (Graduate Student, German Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill/Duke), William Singley (German Major, Guilford College), Gabriele Verhoeven (German Teacher, Wiley International Elementary), Scott Windham (Associate Professor, German Studies, Elon University), and Ulrike Zimmermann.