German Department

Abenteuer mit Freunden!

Ms McQuillan, Head of German

This has been an exciting year in German at BSGD! In September, Year 8 and 9 German students could tell us about the wonderful time that they had had in Cologne on our trip there in the summer holidays. Years 11-13 enjoyed a weekend away at Patterdale in February, practising their speaking skills through drama, singing, films and examination practice. Several Year 10 Girls took part in the German Exchange and had a very rewarding experience. Well done to all the Girls who guessed Ms McQuillan’s World Book Day costume – she was, of course, a stepsister from the Brothers’ Grimm tale ‘Aschenputtel’, which is a little more gruesome than the Cinderella story that we might have grown up with! Finally, Year 7 recently took part in a selection of post-exam activities themed around German and Austrian culture. They made stained-glass style decorations in the shape of Cologne Cathedral, solved tricky language puzzles, crafted animals from Cologne Zoo, and sang German songs. The German Department is now on Twitter @BSGDGermanDept.

“In April, a group of Bolton School girls and boys travelled by plane and train to Bonn to meet our German exchange partners. At first we felt extremely nervous as we were nearing the train station but after meeting our partners we all calmed down and went our separate ways to settle in at our temporary homes. On the first day we all were in separate places on trips with the school but in the afternoon we met at a nearby park to play football and get to know each other. Over the rest of the week, we went climbing, went to Cologne, experienced school with our partners and also spent the day in Bonn together. It was so much fun to find out what their day to day life is like and funny to see that they were just like us even though they speak a different language. My favourite part about the trip was trying lots of different German foods. I have made friends for life and I recommend the trip to anyone who is interested.” Yasmin Rose, Year 10