Selected Events 2009

5th "Battle of the Books" Kicks Off at Consulate General

Consulate General Leipzig staffer Beate Renker (left) talking to a teacher

May 8, 2009. The "Battle of the Books," based on an American model, is held annually as an English language reading and literature competition, organized by an English teacher from a local high school. Some 60 students taking part in the "Battle of the Books" competition were greeted by Consul for Political and Economic Affairs Edith Backman at the Leipzig Consulate. This year it brought together students from ten schools, some in Leipzig and others from as far away as Kronshagen and Geesthacht in Schleswig-Holstein and Göttingen in Lower Saxony. In speaking to the students, teachers and judges, Consul Backman focused on the work of a Consulate General and its services and the role of reading in the economic and cultural health of any country. On May 10, Consul for Public Affairs James Seward presented awards to the different school teams.