Students celebrate German culture

Some wore plastic versions of traditional alpine hats. Others danced around a maypole while a man in lederhosen played an accordion.

Still others took part in German-edition spelling and geography bees, and a culture trivia contest.

Though their numbers aren't what they used to be, about 450 students who study German in Long Island middle schools and high schools gathered Saturday for the 23rd annual Sprachfest in Smithtown.

The event is organized by the Long Island chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German.

Samantha Specht, who teaches German at Smithtown East High School and organized the event, lamented that the celebration drew almost twice as many in the '90s.

School district budget cuts have slashed German-language programs in recent years, she said.

That's a shame, "especially because the German economy is the strongest in Europe," Specht said. "There's a lot of companies coming to the U.S."

Lauren Russo, 17, a senior at the Waldorf School of Garden City, was in an Accompsett Middle School classroom Saturday, part of a geography bee.

Russo, who has studied German since first grade, said she spent last summer in Reutlingen, in southwest Germany.

"It's such a rich culture. There are all these beautiful landscapes, old palaces and old buildings," she said.

In the final round of the competition, she stood nervously at the front of the class.

"In welchen Landern liegen Graz und Salzburg? [In what country are Graz and Salzburg?]" asked Helena Lipska, who teaches German at Hicksville High School.

"Osterreich," Russo said, using the German word for Austria.

"Richtig [right]," Lipska said.

Patrick Dolan, 15, a sophomore at Garden City High School, had his own moment in the spotlight, reading a poem in German aloud. Afterward, he said he's interested in learning more about the culture that produced the likes of Einstein, Beethoven and Bach.

"It's had such an influence on the West," he said.