The ATTG Business Meeting at FLAVA 2018 took place at Doraldo’s, an Italian restaurant near the conference hotel.

The meeting was facilitated by Vice President for Colleges Susan Wansink. After reports on activities this past year (Immersion Weekend, NGE/PAD Interviews,) the present members elected new officers. The new AATG-VA board looks as follows:

• President: Andrea Machesney
• Vice President Colleges: Susan Wansink
• Vice President High Schools: Bettina Hoeninger
• At-large Colleges: Marcel Rotter
• At-large High Schools: Anja Moore
• Secretary: Bettina Staudt
• Treasurer: Karin Woodrum

The members discussed a change to the constitution that would change the elections to an online, all-membership vote. The motion was tabled and will be taken up again at the Business Meeting during the Immersion Weekend on April 6, 2019 at the University of Mary Washington.

A date and topic was set for the 2019 Immersion Weekend: April 6-7, 2019 at the University of Mary Washington. Topic: Project-based Language Learning

The business  concluded with recognizing  AATG-VA members with awards:

The Klett Award for Best Virginia Novice Teacher of German went to Maria Diyakova, German teacher at Hampton Public Schools

Outgoing president Dr. Brett Martz remarked

“German is Maria’s first second language, and she studied in Karlsruhe. Fun fact: She holds a degree in Environmental Science. When she recently started her position at Hampton Public Schools, the German program was fading and the previous teachers had all retired. Her hard work has allowed the program not only to get back on its feet but to thrive. It has doubled in size since her arrival. This year she is teaching at two high schools, but the massive workload has not stopped her from taking time to engage students through the German Club, persuading them to become members of the German Honors Society and to study German in college.”

The Ronald Horwege Award for Outstanding Service to the Profession went to Dr. Marcel Rotter, University of Mary Washington

Dr. Martz said:

“Anyone paying attention for the last decade knows how much time and energy Marcel has put into making the AATG in Virginia a vibrant entity. The arward’s namesake, Ron Horwege, served the state by organizing immersion weekends, and therefore it seems perfectly fitting that the winner of this award is the person directly responsible for keeping this valued tradition alive. … [Marcel] also served as the president of the Virginia AATG from 2012-2016, and Brett is grateful that he patiently continues to answer his questions about the job. During his tenure as president, Marcel moved the infrastructure and responsibilities for the National German exam to the University of Mary Washington, where it still functions today. He is also a regular presence at national conferences, such as ACTFL, and local conferences, such as FLAVA. In short, he is very supportive colleague and continues to do yeoman’s work for the state’s chapter of the AATG. Marcel deserves the award and a hearty congratulations.”