GERMAN
Initiated in 1987, the Governor's German Immersion Academy is a three-week summer program of complete immersion in German for advanced Virginia high school students. Students come ready for the next few weeks unaware that arrival at the Academy is similar to entering a foreign country, but with one difference - Englisch ist hier verboten! Ich verspreche. However, their Germanic tour doesn't officially begin until after the students have taken an oath to speak only German during their three week stay. Patterned after a German "Gymnasium," students attend a variety of morning classes not typical of their American high schools. Afternoons find the students continuing to develop fluency through various hands-on activities. Structured sporting events show students that speaking German extends far beyond the classroom. Alles ist auf Deutsch, whether in their rooms, in class, at play, or at meals. Exciting evening and other special programs add to the opportunities to use German. Students finish their academy experience full of renewed enthusiasm for speaking German.
Why should students learn German? Learning German opens doors. Because English is a Germanic language, the study of German makes English easier and can improve your scores on SATs. German ancestry in the U.S. is strong: one out of every five Americans is of German descent. More Germans travel per capita than any other nationals. German can open doors to great job and travel opportunities as one of the three major European languages. Germany is the leading economic power in Europe and one of the world's main trade partners for the U.S. and Canada. German is one of the official languages of the European community and an international language in technology, chemistry, medicine, music, philosophy, and art.
