WNHS German Honor Society

The German Honor Society is a national education fraternity sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of German. Its purpose is to recognize high scholastic achievement in the study of German, and to promote interest in the study of high school German. Its official name, Delta Epsilon Phi, comes from the key letters of its name in German, Deutsche Ehrenverbindung. Its colors are the colors of the German flag: Black, red and gold. Its sponsor is German teacher, Frau Hawley-Widmar. Membership in the organization is achieved by meeting the national criteria. Students must have completed at least 3 semesters of German with an average of 4.6 or better (on a 4.0 scale). Grade point average in all courses must be B or better. The student must be taking German in the semester s/he is inducted, and must attend the initiation ceremony in March. Our annual fund-raiser is selling chocolate “Countdown to Christmas” calendars. Profits enable the group to pay for certificates, pins, flowers and food for new members, and honor cords in the club colors for seniors to wear at Graduation. Members plan Oktoberfest for all students of German in fall, and Fasching/Karneval in winter. Funds provide food like hot pretzels, and prizes for the craziest costumes. This year all students taking German received a “Nikolausschmaus”, a special surprise treat on December 6th. German Honor Society promotes the annual “Award of Excellence” contest. Wheaton North had a winner who received an all-expenses-paid trip to and month-long stay in Germany, while another won a two week stay at the International Language Villages (at the German village, of course!) in Minnesota. We also compete for the Delta Epsilon Phi scholarships, which send students to Germany for several weeks in summer to improve their language skills and immerse themselves in the culture.