German Camp

March 1-3, 1996


What is German Camp?

German Camp is a way for students to be immersed in German for an entire weekend and have nearly the same experience, as if they had been in Germany for the weekend. Students arrive on a Friday at the Camp, situated in the beautiful San Bernadino mountains, in Big Bear, CA, and from the moment they get off the bus, they are expected to communicate only in German. Students stay till Sunday noon and speak exclusively German for two full days. 120 students and approximately 15 teachers from all over Southern California come together for the weekend to speak and learn more German. The Theme of this year's camp was "Middle Ages," as you will see as you read on.


Activities at the Camp

What do the students do for the full two days? A better question is what don't they do! On Friday afternoon, students compete in a JEOPARDY tournament, which tests their knowlegde about German geography, culture and politics. Students always eat meals together and that too is naturally done "auf Deutsch." Friday evening is an evening of games and merriment, all of which demand the students' skills in German.



On Saturday morning students may choose three hour-long activities called "Runden" which are of interest to them. These activities are varied and many, ranging from dancing to board games to singing to crafts to a preparation hour for the German AP test. In the afternoon, students are treated to "Kaffe und Kuchen," (coffee and delicious cakes) all of which is accompanied by the performances by various students, who perform on the piano and other instruments. The late afternoon brings the final round of the JEOPARDY tournament, but Saturday evening is always the crowning event of the camp. Each year a theme is picked for the camp, and this year's theme was "The Middle Ages." Students had to bring medival costumes from home and dress up for the "Schlossfest" (castle festival). Students participated in jousting contests with each other (paper spears, not to worry!) and even saw a live demonstration of medival weopons and how they were used over a thousand years ago. The evening ended with dancing to more modern music of a more head-splitting kind. On Sunday morning is "Das Gericht" (court). Every time a student was caught speaking English, they received a "punishment ticket." Students with the most punishment tickets on Sunday morning were brought in front of the whole group to do some embarassing act, such as acting as if one were a dog, crawling around on all fours and begging someone to be his master, in German, of course. Judgement was swift and final. It was a million laughs and all in good fun. Students also received awards and prizes for having spoken the most German.


One Student's Experience

Tarah Greenwood

German Camp was a wonderful experience that I think everyone taking German should have. German Camp enabled me to use the German I learned in real life. At camp we spent a whole weekend speaking nothing but German. Some of the most enjoyable activities we did were the fun games played in German and the dance on the last night. At camp you get to meet many different people from schools all over Southern California. I think German Camp really helped me understand and speak the German language much better. When I went back to my German class at school, my grades were better on my tests and I understand much more. German Camp was an experience I'll remember for a long time!




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