That’s how long the Immanuel German School has been teaching children, young people and adults the German language and culture. On Saturday, May 4th the school held its 44th annual Abschlussfeier in the auditorium of the Lower Moreland High School in Huntingdon Valley, PA. More than 150 students from the age of 4 through middle school and high school as well as our four adult classes took part in the festivities.

Awards for outstanding performance on the National German exam, the Deutsches Sprachdiplom, and participation in the national writing contest of the German Language School Conference (Meine Tür nach Deutschland) as well as monetary prizes and scholarships totaling several thousand dollars were presented.

Rounding out the awards presentations were musical performances by our younger students.

The highlight of the Awards presentations was the awarding of the Gerhard Kalmus Award, consisting of a plaque and a monetary award of $1,500, which was presented by former IGS teacher Prof. Dr. Gerhard Kalmus to Felipe Forero Schwanhäuser.

Learn German or take your German to the next level: The Immanuel German School / Deutsche Sprachschule Philadelphia has been teaching the German language and culture of the German-speaking countries for over forty years. Our students participate in the National German Exam program of the American Association of Teachers of German as well as the Internationale schulische Vergleichsarbeit on both the A1 and A2 levels. Certify your knowledge of German and receive college credit by taking the College Board’s Advanced Placement German Language & Culture Exam. Earn the Deutsches Sprachdiplom (German Language Diploma) and show that your German is good enough to study at a German university.

The Immanuel German School offers classes for children and young people ages 4-18 as well as four levels for adults. We are a PASCH-Schule, are a founding member of the German Language School Conference and work closely with the Zentralstelle für das Auslandsschulwesen. Above all, we firmly believe that Deutsch Lernen macht Spaß (Learning German is fun.) For more information, please visit our home page.

Today we’re proud to announce the relaunch of the Immanuel German School website – a project that’s been in the works for the last 3+ months. We’ve completely rethought the structure of the site to make things easier to find. Continue reading »

What a celebration it was! More than three hundred children, parents, and friends of the Immanuel German School joined together to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the school. A veritable who’s who in the German-American community was on hand as we recognized students for their outstanding achievements, and paid well deserved tribute to our co-founder, Marianne Haug, as well as several teachers who have been active in the school for twenty, thirty, and even forty years.

Highlights

Among the highlights of the morning’s celebration were the words of greeting from Kai Tomzig, Vice Consul for Cultural Affairs of the Consulate General in New York, and the books and certificates he presented our students. Neither Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf nor Bishop Claire Burkat was able to attend, but both sent greetings as did Brita Wagener, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany. Prof. Dr. Gerhard Kalmus, former Immanuel German School Teacher, was on hand from his home in North Carolina to present the Kalmus Award to student Juliane Scholtz. Many additional awards were presented, and there were student performances as well as a brief history of the school’s first forty years. Following the formal program, guests enjoyed a delicious luncheon prepared by the Cannstatter Volksfest-Verein.

When it all began…

It all began forty years ago in the Sunday school rooms of the Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pastor Dr. Hans R. Haug and his wife Marianne (who forty years later is still active in the school) had the vision to found a German school for the children of the church and surrounding community. Twelve years ago, having outgrown the space available in the church, the school relocated to Lower Moreland High School in Huntingdon Valley, PA, barely more than four miles from the church. Now students and teachers enjoy modern classrooms fully equipped with interactive white boards, computers, and access to the Internet. Continue reading »

Photos from the IGS Awards Ceremony

Fasching Celebration at Immanuel German School.

Congratulations to all of our students who took The National German Exam, sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of German! The results are in, and everyone did incredibly well, wir sind SEHR stolz auf euch!!!!

The German-American Committee of Greater New York has elected Robert Radske to be General Chairman of the 2014 Steuben Parade. Bob, as he is known throughout the German-American community in the tri-state area, has served the parade for five years as Co-Chairman of the Floats Committee and as a dedicated and talented photographer of the celebrated event on Fifth Avenue.

“I am looking forward to working with all of you,” said Radske after his election at a Director´s meeting held at Manhattans Liederkranz building, just steps from the parade route on Fifth Avenue.

Second marking period report cards will be distributed on February 12, 2014