Los Alamos High School Junior Peter Watson and German teacher Anita Boshier. Courtesy/LAPS

LAPS News:

Los Alamos High School Junior Peter Watson has been awarded an all‐expense‐paid summer study trip to Germany.

Watson was selected as a national winner after scoring in the 98th percentile on the Level 4 2018 National German Exam sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG). After qualifying with a high score on the exam, he was then interviewed by a committee comprised of high school teachers and college professors of German.

Watson is one of 44 outstanding German students selected from across the US that will be traveling to Germany this summer. The study trip includes air transportation to Germany from New York, a homestay with a host family, and excursions to places of cultural and historical significance. The students will also get to attend regular classes with their host brother or sister during the day. The study trip, now in its 58th year, is made possible through a grant from the Federal Republic of Germany.

The competition for this award is tough, but since German teacher Anita Boshier started administering the exams in 2006, LAHS has had seven study trip winners. According to Boshier, Watson is very selfmotivated and even started reading a German magazine (Dein Spiegel) regularly to practice the language.

“He really wanted this trip and worked on his German for all the years I have taught him towards that goal,” Boshier said, adding that Watson was “over the moon” when he found out the good news.

Founded in 1926, the AATG represents German teachers at all levels of instruction. The AATG is dedicated to the advancement and improvement of the teaching of language, literature, and culture of the German speaking countries.