President Santora's Incoming Welcome Address:
Greetings, Colleagues,
I am pleased to be writing to you today as the interim president of the MD/DC Metro Chapter of the AATG. Many of you know me; perhaps an equal number do not. I strongly believe that membership in our professional organization, the AATG, is important for every German teacher. With the exception of one year, I have been a member of the AATG since 1971. I got involved in chapter level leadership in 1988 when I was elected treasurer of the chapter. I served as treasurer for a total of ten years under the presidencies of Dr. Maureen Helinski, Dr. Mohamed Esa, and Deborah Mifflin. Three years ago I was elected to serve as vice president under the presidency of Dr. Claudia Bornholdt and I am now completing her term. For the entire twenty-six year period I have served on the chapter board.
My experience as a German teacher is varied: I was employed by Anne Arundel County Public Schools from 1971 until my retirement in 2007; I have been an adjunct at Anne Arundel Community College since 2004; and for the last three years I have been a TA at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. From 1991-2007 I coordinated a very successful GAPP exchange between Chesapeake High School (AA County) and the Kepler Gymnasium Freiburg. I served as a chaperone in 2011 and 2012 for the AATG Preisträger (NGE Award Winners) who were sent to the Melanchthon Gymnasium in Nürnberg. I have been privileged to work as an AP German Reader seven times since 2006, and most recently I served on the writing team for the 2105 National German Exam.
Like many of you, I had to wear many hats during my career to keep the German program alive. There were times when I was required to teach ESOL, US History, Piano, or 9th Grade English in addition to all levels of German. I served as Chair of the World Languages Department and took on other responsibilities to make myself critical to the mission of the school. I can honestly understand the struggles of those of you trying to “do it all” to keep your program vital and growing.
What do I hope for my (albeit brief) tenure as your president? Looking back on my own career, I see how important it was to have a mentor. My own mentor was Dr. Maureen Helinski. She cajoled, convinced, and directed so many steps in my career that I would not have had the courage to take without her influence. As a result, I would like each of you to consider either being a mentor or working with a mentor. Secondly, I would like to focus on collaboration. Several years ago we attempted to form cluster groups of high schools and colleges. Some of those flourish still today; others have faded away. I don’t have the answer or some grand plan as to how to bring about this collaboration, but I am eager for your suggestions. “Together” is an important word in my vocabulary.
Wishing you a summer of rest and renewal,
Shirley Santora
Greetings, Colleagues,
I am pleased to be writing to you today as the interim president of the MD/DC Metro Chapter of the AATG. Many of you know me; perhaps an equal number do not. I strongly believe that membership in our professional organization, the AATG, is important for every German teacher. With the exception of one year, I have been a member of the AATG since 1971. I got involved in chapter level leadership in 1988 when I was elected treasurer of the chapter. I served as treasurer for a total of ten years under the presidencies of Dr. Maureen Helinski, Dr. Mohamed Esa, and Deborah Mifflin. Three years ago I was elected to serve as vice president under the presidency of Dr. Claudia Bornholdt and I am now completing her term. For the entire twenty-six year period I have served on the chapter board.
My experience as a German teacher is varied: I was employed by Anne Arundel County Public Schools from 1971 until my retirement in 2007; I have been an adjunct at Anne Arundel Community College since 2004; and for the last three years I have been a TA at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. From 1991-2007 I coordinated a very successful GAPP exchange between Chesapeake High School (AA County) and the Kepler Gymnasium Freiburg. I served as a chaperone in 2011 and 2012 for the AATG Preisträger (NGE Award Winners) who were sent to the Melanchthon Gymnasium in Nürnberg. I have been privileged to work as an AP German Reader seven times since 2006, and most recently I served on the writing team for the 2105 National German Exam.
Like many of you, I had to wear many hats during my career to keep the German program alive. There were times when I was required to teach ESOL, US History, Piano, or 9th Grade English in addition to all levels of German. I served as Chair of the World Languages Department and took on other responsibilities to make myself critical to the mission of the school. I can honestly understand the struggles of those of you trying to “do it all” to keep your program vital and growing.
What do I hope for my (albeit brief) tenure as your president? Looking back on my own career, I see how important it was to have a mentor. My own mentor was Dr. Maureen Helinski. She cajoled, convinced, and directed so many steps in my career that I would not have had the courage to take without her influence. As a result, I would like each of you to consider either being a mentor or working with a mentor. Secondly, I would like to focus on collaboration. Several years ago we attempted to form cluster groups of high schools and colleges. Some of those flourish still today; others have faded away. I don’t have the answer or some grand plan as to how to bring about this collaboration, but I am eager for your suggestions. “Together” is an important word in my vocabulary.
Wishing you a summer of rest and renewal,
Shirley Santora
AATG Chapter Presidents’ Luncheon in San Antonio
The AATG hosts a luncheon for Chapter Presidents annually during the ACTFL Convention in Novemeber. Based on the success of our 2014 Chapter Project German Means Green, AATG Executive Director Keith Cothrun invited our president Shirley Santora to address the group during lunch to encourage other chapters to plan projects. Armed with a Powerpoint slideshow depicting the immersion day schedule and activities, Santora focused on: the timeline for planning an event, the pacing of the actual day, the need to foresee and remedy possible snafus. She was also able to thank those from other chapters who sent her materials. Following the talk there were requests for game materials and video links, which were e-mailed to those who asked.
- Shirley Santora, President, 2014-15
From the President's Desk, January 2019
Hello Members and Friends!
Welcome to the Website of our AATG Maryland-DC Metro Chapter. As Chapter President 2018-2019, I'd like you to know that I'm member- and student-centric, so I'm interested in learning about what's going on in your schools as well as the wants and needs of you and your students. We on the Board aim to serve you and to promote the teaching and learning of German in our Chapter and beyond as best we can. I look forward to hearing from you to learn of what you are doing in your classrooms, so I can share it with other members via the newsletter. As we know, we can all learn something new and innovative from each other when we share our ideas.
Prosit Neujahr! Auf ein erfolgreiches 2019.
Sincerely,
Marian Graham
The AATG hosts a luncheon for Chapter Presidents annually during the ACTFL Convention in Novemeber. Based on the success of our 2014 Chapter Project German Means Green, AATG Executive Director Keith Cothrun invited our president Shirley Santora to address the group during lunch to encourage other chapters to plan projects. Armed with a Powerpoint slideshow depicting the immersion day schedule and activities, Santora focused on: the timeline for planning an event, the pacing of the actual day, the need to foresee and remedy possible snafus. She was also able to thank those from other chapters who sent her materials. Following the talk there were requests for game materials and video links, which were e-mailed to those who asked.
- Shirley Santora, President, 2014-15
From the President's Desk, January 2019
Hello Members and Friends!
Welcome to the Website of our AATG Maryland-DC Metro Chapter. As Chapter President 2018-2019, I'd like you to know that I'm member- and student-centric, so I'm interested in learning about what's going on in your schools as well as the wants and needs of you and your students. We on the Board aim to serve you and to promote the teaching and learning of German in our Chapter and beyond as best we can. I look forward to hearing from you to learn of what you are doing in your classrooms, so I can share it with other members via the newsletter. As we know, we can all learn something new and innovative from each other when we share our ideas.
Prosit Neujahr! Auf ein erfolgreiches 2019.
Sincerely,
Marian Graham
