Food with a German flair recently made its way to a Southland high school cafeteria.
Shepard High School hosted on a weekend night its annual “A Little Bit of Germany” event – a fundraiser for its German student exchange program.
“This is our big fundraiser for our German exchange program,” said Jennifer Fischer, a Shepard’s German teacher. “It is a huge German fest in our school cafeteria with German food and the German band, Paloma, to raise money to pay for our trips to Chicago when the German students are here.”
For three decades, students have lived together, toured the other’s nation, attended sporting and cultural events, sampled cuisine and built lasting friendships through a student exchange program with the Palos Heights school and Johann-Wolfgang-von-Goethe-Gymnasium in Germany, school officials said.
In June, 15 local students plan to travel to Goethe Gymnasium Germersheim in Germersheim, Germany.
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At the school festival in Palos Heights, attendees enjoyed German food like bratwurst, sauerkraut, and German potato salad, while Paloma performed German folkloric songs.
“The students are expected to work and help at the event,” Fischer said. “The money raised is used to give all the families money towards their flights. Money is disbursed based on the number of hours they help. Families are asked to fill out a log sheet with their hours.”
Tickets costs $10 per adult and $5 per child under the age12.
Last year, with 500 tickets sold, Shepard students raised $5,300 towards their trip. The same amount of tickets sold quickly again this year, according to Fischer.
“It’s really great to see how many people show up,” said Tristian McCann, 16, of Crestwood.
Skye-Lynn Tujdowski, 15, of Alsip, said: “A Little Bit of Germany is a great experience to learn about different cultures. It’s a fun experience overall, and the music is so much fun.”
Kelly White is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.