During 2018-19, the German Embassy in Washington continued its longstanding tradition of involvement with the Embassy Adoption Program (EAP), a cooperative endeavor of the DC Public Schools and Washington Performing Arts. Since its founding in 1974 by Fulbright Scholarship recipient Susan Deerin, EAP has expanded to include over 100 embassies. Having received accolades including the U.S. Department of Education Award for Outstanding International Education Program, EAP is considered a paragon in educating for global competence.
Over the past year partnering with Ms. Octavia Wolf’s 5th grade class at West Education Campus in Columbia Heights, volunteer teachers drawn from the German diplomatic families presented aspects of culture, traditions and life of their home country. We are grateful to Maren Sanio, Eda Graf und Kerstin Mahnicke for taking the time to develop lesson plans on topics including German Christmas traditions and the importance of avoiding plastic for environmental protection.
This year’s EAP engagement with West Education Campus also included excursions, for example to the German Christmas Village in Baltimore and a visit to the German International School Washington. On June 6, at a festive ceremony at the German-American Heritage Museum capping off the school year, the students presented what they had learned about cultural similarities and differences between Germany and the United States. From the students’ enthusiasm it was clear that a new generation of young Americans is excited to take part in the German-U.S. relationship.
By Melanie Knaetsch & Jacob Comenetz, German Embassy
