PRESS RELEASE– High school sophomore Aysia Walton, of Conway, S.C., has been awarded an all-expenses-paid summer study trip to Germany by the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG).
Walton was selected as a national winner after scoring in the 90th percentile on the 2017 National German Exam for High School Students. Over 20,000 students participated in the program. After qualifying with a high score on the National German Exam, she submitted responses to several short essay questions in German and in English and was then interviewed by a committee comprised of high school teachers and college professors of German.
“I am extremely honored to have been chosen for this award,” said Walton. “I am really looking forward to experiencing German life and culture and interacting with people whose primary language is German.”
Walton is one of 44 outstanding German students selected from across the United States to receive the award. The study trip includes round-trip air transportation to Germany from New York, a homestay with a host family, and excursions to places of cultural and historical significance. The study trip, now in its 57th year, is made possible through a grant from the Federal Republic of Germany.
“This year’s prize winners are some of the finest students in the country,” said Keith Cothrun, Executive Director of the AATG. “The prize is a great reward for excellence in learning German and the best way to better get to know a fascinating language and culture through firsthand experiences living with a German family and attending school.”
Walton is a student of Marion Grier, German teacher at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, in Greenville, South Carolina, where she plays the tuba in the Governor’s School’s Music Department. Walton had previously attended the Scholars Academy in Conway prior to her acceptance in to the Governor’s School.
Founded in 1926, the AATG represents German teachers at all levels of instruction. The AATG is dedicated to the advancement and improvement of the teaching of language, literature and culture of the German-speaking countries.
