WHS Student Selected for Trip to Germany

In December of this year, 25 Waukee High School students from Tammy Getting’s German class took the level three National German Exam, and the results are here. Due to his high scores, sophomore Kyler Johnson was selected for the AATG/Pädagogischer Austauschdienst Study Trip Award to Germany. In order to be considered for the trip, Johnson had to score at least in the 90th percentile on the exam and submit a detailed application.  

“Kyler Johnson is an amazing young man who is passionate about German. He is constantly learning and is involved in numerous activities at WHS,” Getting said.

Johnson is impressively already taking German IV, highly advanced for his grade level. He took German I & II at Prairieview and German III & IV at Waukee High School. He loves German and is extremely excited to immerse himself in the culture.

“Exploring the world and another culture first-hand is something I’ve always wanted to do, so I’m so excited for the opportunity to go on this trip,” said Johnson.

Fully funded by the German government, the three-week trip will consist of classes, excursions to places of cultural and historical significance and various learning programs. Johnson will also live with a German host family for the full, cultural experience.

Sophomores Claire Baudler, Emily Pajazetovic and junior Alina Peterson also received honorary recognition for their high performance on the exam.

On Saturday, April 16 all four students were honored at a luncheon at the University of Iowa for their high scores on the exam. Getting is very proud of her students for working so hard and is ecstatic for the amazing opportunity Johnson has been given.

The German program also recently traveled with 18 students to Germany to visit Waukee’s exchange school, Geschwister-Scholl-Gesamtschule. Getting and Timberline teacher Shari Bender lead the trip over spring break that explored Berlin and Dortmund.