Following a three-year pause due to the pandemic, the AAPS’ annual field trip to the Christkindlmarkt in Chicago was resumed Friday, offering 225 students studying German at Huron and Pioneer high schools and Slauson and Tappan middle schools a first-hand taste of German culture.
Students left in five busses for Chicago, which they explored from about 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. before returning to Ann Arbor.
“The city government of Chicago organizes a German Christmas Market in the plaza in front of Chicago’s City Hall,” said Huron German teacher Andy Smith. “Students got the chance to learn about German vendors and the various crafts they offer there … The students really enjoyed it. It was a very authentic recreation of what an outdoor German Christmas market looks like.”
He said it felt good to resume the trip—the first since 2019.
AAPS World Language Coordinator Marci Harris agreed that the field trip is a great tradition.
“The best part is hearing how excited the high school students are to see their middle school teachers,” she said. “It’s the connection and the relationships that are so special about this day!”
She and Smith were joined on the trip by German teachers Elizabeth Tyburski (Slauson); Danielle Capitan (Tappan); Robert Lederer (Pioneer); and Anna Craigmile (Pioneer).
Students paid for their own trip, and several generous parents covered the cost for students who couldn’t afford it, Smith said.
Be the first to comment