Deutsche Schule Metro Detroit Open House

Troy ­ There will be an Open House Celebration for the new German School, Deutsche Schule Metro Detroit on Monday, January 22, 2007 from 6:30pm to 8pm. The Deutsche Schule Metro Detroit will be showcasing its new location at the Niles Center in Troy on 201 W. Square Lake Road (19 Mile Road) just west of Livernois. Christina Griesser, the school's founder, has teamed up with the Troy Public Schools and is thrilled to introduce the new location, which is centrally located and offers the school the opportunity to grow. The school, which was founded in 2006, will be expanding its curriculum and is offering additional classes for the winter semester.

Christina Griesser is very well known within the German-American community. She is President of the German Professional Women's Association and the Director of Events for GA Kids. Christina has been a main event planner throughout the years for many children's and business events, such as the GACC German-American Networking Fair, GA Kids' Saint Martin's Day Parades, GACC Kinderfaschings and many more activities. Being the mother of two small children, Christina saw the need for a high quality and affordable German School for children in the Metropolitan Detroit Area.

Being part of a German School is also not new to Christina. Her mother, Elisabeth Nolte, was both the owner and teacher of the Sonnabendschule Nolte in Warren from 1966 until 1984. Christina still remembers the hard work and dedication her mother put into the school. This hard work paid off greatly, as Nolte's students learned to read, write and speak the German language. Many of her students went on to use their German language skills both in social settings and in their careers. A number of them also moved back to Germany where they currently reside.

Christina still remembers her mother's strong curriculum and her high expectations. However, she also reflects over the fun she had while she was learning German. Her mother used many creative methods to teach her students German. Every year she would direct Christmas plays of her students from all levels and grades. The students looked forward to the Christmas plays, having great fun while learning and strengthening their German language skills.

It is this type of atmosphere and balance Christina would like to achieve at the Deutsche Schule Metro Detroit. Christina is a firm believer that children who enjoy and feel comfortable in their environment are better able to learn. Many parents were able to see this first hand, as Nikolaus visited each classroom for Nikolaustag. The students responded cheerfully, reciting German poems and singing German Christmas songs they had practiced at home and in class.

It goes without saying that a comprehensive curriculum is the cornerstone of the Deutsche Schule Metro Detroit. In order to insure a solid program, Christina made sure she found a professional, which had experience in educating both German-speaking and non-German speaking students. She found this expertise in Regina Weiss, a certified German teacher, who was made the Director of Curriculum for Deutsche Schule Metro Detroit. Regina has had much teaching experience in Europe and in the United States, where she has taught not only children, but executives from major corporations, as well. Regina has been the architect of the DSMD's curriculum, which was developed using German Teaching Guidelines. She is also responsible for the hiring of new teachers, all of which are required to be certified teachers of the German language.

For the winter semester, the Deutsche Schule Metro Detroit will be offering Musikgarten, Kindergarten, and Level 1 & 2 classes. Beginning September 2007, the school is pleased to announce classes for Musikgarten, Kindergarten and Levels I-V. All classes will take place on Monday's at 4:30pm at the new Troy location.

Prices for 2007 are:

*Tuition paid in full at registration is eligible for a 5% discount.

For more information please visit: www.deutscheschulemetro detroit.com

(Certified German teachers who are interested in teaching should contact Christina Griesser at (248) 693-9341 or gnc3333@aol.com).

Shelly Rouse-Freitag