Selected Events 2007

English-language debate competition at Burgstädt Gymnasium

June 21, 2007
Consul General Mark Scheland was the featured speaker for 10th and 11th grade students of English at the college preparatory secondary school (Gymnasium) in Burgstädt, Saxony. The school was celebrating graduation day, and students from several grades conducted special projects to conclude the year, including an English-language debate competition. Encouraged by their teachers to pepper the Consul General with questions in English, the students displayed impressive background knowledge and interest in diverse issues facing American and European societies, including gun control, national security, political party structures and electoral processes. Visiting American high school student Emily Coda also replied to questions from her contemporaries. The daily newspaper "Freie Presse Chemnitz" on June 22 reported on the Consul General’s visit, with numerous quotes from the students who appreciated the background they gained on “why Americans think the way they do.”