Nine American students from Plattsburgh High School in New York State began their three-week exchange program in Germany with a four-day intensive program in Berlin, during which they learned more about the capital city, which was heavily damaged during World War II and divided by the Berlin Wall during the Cold War.
The American students, accompanied by program coordinators Jessica Klimkiewicz and Gabi Rose, will spend two weeks with host families in Germany and attend a German high school in Rastede, Lower Saxony. German students from Rastede had previously spent time in Plattsburgh.
The American students, who are in the 11th and 12th grades at Plattsburgh High School, hope to learn more about the differences between the United States and Germany—from schools, eating habits, and sports programs to music and educational approaches. In Berlin, the students visited the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, and the Holocaust Memorial.

As part of an event in Berlin aimed at promoting more open and democratic communication, three groups of young Germans and Americans came together to learn more about democracy and the role of music in democracy.
The organizations “Jugend Dirigiert,” “Verein Angerscheune e.V.,” and “Forum Demokratie e.V.” jointly organized the event. The Checkpoint Charlie Foundation was one of the sponsors and also participated in the event.

The Gail S. Halvorsen School, named after the “Candy Bomber,” was able to support the Checkpoint Charlie Foundation in the “Candy Bomber Candy Bar” project. This was a chocolate competition held to mark the anniversary of the Berlin Airlift on May 12. The concept of the competition was for students at the GHS and an American partner school in Salt Lake City to create designs for chocolate bars and packaging. The best designs were awarded prizes and were actually produced by a chocolate factory in Utah and distributed at the commemorative events for the Berlin Airlift on both sides of the Atlantic. The creative competition was initiated by Gail’s daughter, Denise Halvorsen. Additional highlights of the Berlin student group’s visit included insights into the American school system through school visits, a tour of the Utah State Capitol, Utah’s impressive natural scenery, and, to conclude the trip, a brief stay in New York City.

More information can be found on the school’s website.

Black International Cinema Berlin 2025 celebrated its 40th edition. Since its inception, this internationally recognized festival has been committed to intercultural dialogue, social justice, and artistic diversity. In 2025, the festival’s theme was “Peace! Now! Always! Please!” International connections, particularly between Europe, Africa, and the U.S., are a defining feature of the festival. Transnational exchange takes center stage, and international connections between Europe, Africa, and the U.S. give the festival a very special character that reflects both historical and contemporary contexts. The festival promotes the visibility of Black, African, and diasporic perspectives, as well as other cultural voices. It sees itself not only as a film series but also as a platform for dialogue, reflection, and understanding. As part of the festival, international films on a wide variety of topics and in a wide variety of formats are presented. Panel discussions, seminars, and performances round out the program.

You can find more information here.

The German Language School Conference held its 44th annual conference on November 16, 2024, in New York City, where GLSC President Renate Ludanyi and Thilo Klingebiel, Executive Director of the World Association of German Schools Abroad (WDA), delivered keynote addresses.

The conference, which was founded in 1978 to connect member schools through a central organization providing information and support, also offered 16 workshops this year for the 85 participants. They came from many states across the United States, from the East Coast to the West Coast, as well as from Canada, Germany, and Austria. Robert Bartz, principal of the John F. Kennedy School in Berlin, was also a guest of honor at the event.

The conference brought German teachers together to discuss best practices, exchange ideas, network, and learn from one another.

The conference was sponsored in part by the Checkpoint Charlie Foundation, the German School of Brooklyn, the German Consulate General in New York, and the Austrian Consulate General.

The conference was sponsored in part by the Checkpoint Charlie Foundation, the German School of Brooklyn, the German Consulate General in New York, and the Austrian Consulate General.

The workshops addressed topics such as new technologies for improving foreign language instruction in elementary schools, the unique challenges of teaching German in kindergarten, and the challenges of assessing students’ varying levels of German proficiency. The GLSC is the only national organization dedicated to the needs of community-based German schools in the United States. The conference serves as an important catalyst for networking and as a source of motivation and inspiration for participants