Round Rock ISD students achieved remarkable success at the Texas State German Contest on March 1 at Texas State University. There, they competed against top students from across the state in various German language learning competitions.
Cedar Ridge High School’s German I-AP teacher, Leslie Decker, said the Texas German Contest system is an important part of keeping German programs alive in the state.
“Students are so proud of themselves when they win something in a foreign language, it keeps them interested,” she said. “I’ve had students come up to me years after graduation to tell me that they still remember their poem, their skit, or their research paper topic.”
Cedar Ridge, Grisham Middle School, and Westwood High School students demonstrated outstanding performance in individual and group events, earning multiple awards and recognitions. Sweepstakes are awarded to schools receiving the highest number of points. Points are earned for each event where a student places 1st—10th.
Cedar Ridge High School students secured a sixth-place Sweepstakes award for small programs and a $250 prize for the German Club, thanks to Madison Lynn’s promotional video submission.
Group Events
Skit 2 (3rd place):
Madison Lynn, Emily Graham, Sheree Brooks, Nate Pearcy, Paige Demuth, Blake Guajardo, Anna Salachyonok, Elijah Hoyt, Spencer Crawford, Landon Owen
Pass Auf – Varsity (6th place):
Logan Lynn, Isabel Campbell, Viviane Hoschek
Puppet Show – Upper (6th place):
Manpreet Ravulapati, Rishi Rathod, Daemon Bearden, Suhas Madireddy
Skit 1 (6th place):
Matthew Nygren, Matteo Borra, Lea Mikeska, Ryan Williams, Logan Robertson, Kacey Acosta, Ben Littlestar, Elijah Hoyt, Spencer Crawford, Travis Crispin, Sheree Brooks0
Individual Events
Listening Comprehension 1 (4th place):
Matteo Borra
Prose Memory 2 (4th place):
Anna Salachyonok
Culture 4 (5th place):
Logan Lynn
Prose Memory 1 (5th place):
Viviane Hoschek
Pair Discussion 3 (6th place):
Manpreet Ravulapati, Isabel Campbell
Spelling 1 (6th place):
Matteo Borra
Culture 1 (7th place):
Viviane Hoschek
Extemporaneous Speaking 3 (7th place):
Isabel Campbell
Duet Acting – Lower (8th place):
Sheree Brooks, Matthew Nygren
Grammar 1 (10th place):
Matteo Borra
Grisham Middle School set a record by finishing third in the small school category, its highest placement ever. It was the only middle school competing, highlighting the students’ exceptional talent.
Group Events
Classical Ensemble (2nd place):
Bobby Deng, Ivana Hsu, Mark May
Polka Band (4th place):
Avi Arun, Bennett Sullivan, Matteo Davila, Antonio Garcia, Nolan Riviera, Morgan Darling, Anthony Kurtz, Joshua Hana, Ouki Tani
Duet Acting (2nd place):
Josephine Wang, Isabel Wen
German-Texas Heritage Research Paper (4th place, $50 prize):
Ivan Hsu, Isabel Wen
Non-Traditional Gingerbread House Design (Top 10):
Bennett Sullivan, Clay Steinheider, Antonio Garcia, Bobby Deng
Traditional Gingerbread House Design (4th place):
Catherine Nelson, Lucy May, Greta Bellington, Angelica Xu
Individual Events
Morgan Darling:
1st place in Sight Reading, 2nd place in Spelling
Matteo Davila:
1st place in Reading Comprehension, 5th place in Spelling
Aadit Goel:
1st place in Listening Comprehension, 2nd place in Sight Reading, 3rd place in Vocabulary, 5th place in Digital Logo Design
Ivana Hsu:
3rd place in Reading Comprehension, 5th place in Directed Dialogue
Clay Steinheider:
2nd place in Grammar, Top 10 in Timed Writing
Westwood High School earned third place in the Sweepstakes for large German programs, with students excelling in various categories.
Group Events
Pass Auf Varsity (2nd place):
Kritanko Chakraborty, Abhiram Donepudi, Maalolan Parthasarathi, Ellah Daniel, Sam Miller, Breelyn Tarno
Video Show (1st place):
Aleks Tremmel, Bidita Majumdar, Kritanko Chakraborty, Leila Tavasoli, Mason Jacob, Matti Schaelicke
Folk Dance (8th place):
Maya Bassett, Ellah Daniel, O’Viya Dinesh, Sofia Granados, Gabriel Oliveira, Jillian Riethmiller, Dylan Scales, Leila Tavasoli, Emily Zhang
Research Paper (9th place):
Eva Malik, Geet Nijahawan
Pair Discussion (3rd place):
Sofia Granados, Amrita Josyula
Individual Events
Ellah Daniel:
1st place in Poetry Memory, 1st place in Vocal Solo, 2nd place in Sight Reading
Lena Boas:
3rd place in Extemporaneous Speaking, 2nd place in Oral Presentation, 2nd place in Advantaged Speaker Test
Daniel Carruyo:
3rd place in Sight Reading, 4th place in Spelling, 4th place in Culture, 2nd place in Contemporary Music
Abhiram Donepudi:
1st place in Grammar, 1st place in Spelling, 2nd place in Pass Auf Varsity
Breelyn Tarno:
1st place in Timed Writing, 3rd place in Reading, 5th place in Directed Dialogue, 2nd place in Pass Auf Varsity
The district’s K-12 World Languages Coordinator, Marie-Christine Douglass, said she’s incredibly proud of our German Students for their combined achievements at the Texas State German Contest.
“Competing against over 600 students from 36 schools, they showcased their dedication and talent on a grand stage,” said Douglass. “These successes are a testament to the hard work of our students and the dedication of our amazing German teachers at Round Rock ISD.”
Round Rock ISD is incredibly proud of its students’ dedication and excellence at the state level. Their hard work and achievements reflect the strength of the district’s German language programs.
Herzlichen Glückwunsch!