Vancouver, BC – written June 5th, 2024 – Tuesday, at 4:15, the Vancouver Westside German School Students celebrated their year end party with performances, speeches and delicious food & drinks.
Ute did a great job supporting all the teachers, helpers and students in organizing their Year-End Performances.
Ute Steves is the principal of the Vancouver Westside German School.
Deputy Consul Hans Stocker (left) is standing next to Steven Seewald, the President of the Board of the Vancouver Westside German School. At least this year!
This is me standing next to Elizabeth “Biz” Nijdam, the Assistant Professor of Teaching, the Directory of Undergraduate Studies within the Central, Eastern and Northern European Studies (CENES) School at UBC. Biz is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Vancouver Westside German School.
This is me standing with Claudia Liebrecht from the German Canadian Business Association and Steven Seewald from the Alpenplattlers. Steven is also instrumental in setting up the “Dachorganisation”, which brings together charities, churches, associations, chambers and clubs in Western Canada, as well as being the President of the Board of the WVGS and on the Board of the Vancouver Alpen Club.
These three students graduated with their DSD II and received a bonus cheque of $1500 to split between the three of them. Deputy Consul Stocker handed out their certificates. Photo sent in by the VWGS
And here they are, holding their cheque!
Here I am next to Hans Gust, a member of the German Canadian Business Association, as well as the Westcoast International Business Club. Hans Gust is a real estate agent at Royal LePage Westside in Vancouver, British Columbia, who also happens to be on the Board of Directors of the Vancouver Westside German School, as well as a proud “Opa” of some of the performers!
Two students volunteered to help sing a song of peace for Ukraine, some of which was translated into German with the help of Antje Mahintorabi.
These are the youngest children, acting out a play called the “Hummingbird and the Fire” (Das Feuer und der Kolibri) – loosely interpreted: “The cover story takes the reader into the burning forest, where only the little hummingbird knows how to fight the flames and sets an example for everyone with the power of resistance. These are stories from around the world, which captivate readers with their allegorical nature and compelling tone. In these tales, the reader flies with the swallows, feeds both the black and the white wolf, and carries the water jug from which love flows—in perhaps the most beautiful rendition of a Tolstoy fairy tale. The texts speak of the hope for peaceful coexistence and invite readers on an adventurous journey through life.”
This was my favourite performance: “Richtig wichtig ist…” (really important is…) where the students were all able to mention one or two things that were important to them, and then tell the audience some things that were not so important, finishing with “Das ist nicht so wichtig. Richtig?” (that is not so important, right?)
I was very impressed by this performance, as their group was so small, but you could hear them so well. They sang the song: Erst kommt der Montag, und dann der Dienstag…. und nach dem Sonntag geht es von vorne los. They sang this song often enough that it stayed in my memory! This photo was also sent in by the VWGS.
These students also performed a play in which they took turns telling each other that they really didn’t like the person across from them, until some treats got involved and everything changed. It’s a scenario that many of us can relate to from our childhood.
The Senior Students performed a play, which they had filmed and showed us called a „Bärenkönig: Der Wald des Terrors“. I thought they did a great job!
All the children got together and sang a final song, accompanied by Antje.
Steven and I attempted to give a short presentation for the parents while the delicious food and drink were enjoyed by everyone—parents, children, and guests alike. This photo was sent in by the VWGS and my speech has now been posted to Youtube: https://youtu.be/LnZ791e42qE?si=WVlX6wDpfgc0MYlP
Magee Secondary is a gorgeous school, which I was seeing for the first time!
Seems like the theater is almost new, too! What a fantastic backdrop for the students to showcase their German Language abilities.
As an alumni from the Surrey German Language School who worked as an Authorised Supervisor at the Johannes Gutenberg Deutsche Schule for the Preschool in Sydney, Australia and as an assistant, a music teacher and a regular classroom teacher at the Vancouver Westside German School, I was very happy to be invited to the Year End Party this year! Have a great summer and remember – registration is now open!
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