German Honor Society hosted an Oktoberfest celebration to share German culture with spartans and introduce the German Department.

Oktoberfest is an annual celebration held in Munich, Germany. It originally started as a celebration of the crown prince of Bavaria’s marriage and the festival has turned into a 16 day excursion involving plenty of beer and food.

“Oktoberfest takes place in Bavaria, which is ultimately the Texas of Germany,” explained German teacher Daniel Noble. “I think all Germans identify with Oktoberfest. It’s something that’s internationally recognizable on the same level as Volkswagen or Schnitzel or Angela Merkel.”

By hosting this event, the German Department wanted to introduce themselves and get people excited for upcoming events. It was an opportunity for the German Honor Society to meet prospective members and give people an opportunity to re-enroll.

“We’re hoping German is open to everyone even if you’re not in the German classes but maybe you have a side interest in Germany. Oktoberfest will help entertain that,” said Noble.

The event also had a professor from Georgetown to share the German Program at Georgetown and answer any questions about studying German in college.

“We wanted to encourage people that German doesn’t stop in high school and give our students motivation, on a collegiate level, to continue studying German,” stated Noble. “This is an area of study that grows in importance as Germany’s position in the world grows in importance.”

Through the Oktoberfest festivities students were exposed to German culture as they participated in photo booths, ate German candy, and conversed with professionals in German studies. 

“We had a lot of games, food, and drinks and the turnout was better than we expected, people seemed to really enjoy it,” said junior Mackenzie Alber, who is a German Honor Society officer.