European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 28, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday May 28, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 9 education education Roundup 4 students overseas get business awards Wiesbaden West Germany four High school students have been awarded the euro Pean business education association Merit award for the 1989-90 school year. Melissa Aguon of Frankfurt High school Jackie Wagner of Bonn High Jeff Einhorn of Bamberg High and Kimberly Farmer of Kaiserslautern High were cited for Superior achieve ment in business education. The students received plaques and $50 certificates. Top educators honoured at Eca pts convention Willinger West Germany the european Congress of american parents teachers and Stu dents has announced its annual award winners. Pam Wilson of Schwabish Hall elementary school was named Eca pts educator of the year. Mannheim elementary school s David Witte was honoured As administrator of the year. The unit of the year award went to the Oslo nor Way school Pat. Mary Schwanke of Schwabish Hall Elemen tary was chosen Volunteer of the year. Recipients were honoured May 17 at the 32nd annual Eca pts convention in Willinger. Geography Bee contestant did an extremely Good Job by Janet Howells Tierney Washington Bureau Washington he was on a Roll answering seven in a Row. Then with Only three other competitors left it happened. I choked and came in fourth said Chris Duncan of Alconbury High school in England. The eighth grader was a finalist in the National geography Bee held thursday in Washington. The Winner was an 11 year old girl from Penn Sylvania. To Seal his Fate Duncan failed to identify the soviet province of Georgia. Chris knew the answer said Mike Keegan his social studies teacher. He answered too Chris Duncan however Keegan pointed out he did an extremely Good Job especially when you consider 3 million peo ple started out with this cameras hordes of National press and the presence of jeopardy Host Alex Trebek As Moderator contributed to the pressure on the participants Keegan said and probably was a Factor in Duncan s mistake. But the 14-year-old shrugs that off. He said the Media did t affect his performance. I was kind of nervous but i was t shaking and quaking Duncan said. The teen s Laid Back attitude served him Well during most of the Competition. Of the 57 competitors Only 10 remained after the first Day. Duncan answered eight of nine questions correctly the first Day and then zipped through three tie Breakers. They asked what two Rivers form the Shatt Al Arab and what City the Alamo was in Duncan said. Give up the answers Are the Tigris and euphrates and san Antonio Texas Duncan got quite a chuckle out of another contestant who could t identify a picture of Buckingham Palace. Early the second Day As a finalist Duncan missed a question on population growth. But he got the next seven right and by then six other finalists had missed two questions and been eliminated. Duncan the son of Francis and Martha Duncan received a free train ticket for his family the next time they Are stateside and $500 from the National geographic society which sponsored the event. He also earned $100 from the department of defense dependents schools. Tyronica White Lashonda Newton Hazel Hughes Hiawatha Harris teen club promotes racial awareness All year Long by Joseph Owen Stuttgart Bureau Ramseck West Germany re member Black history month that Blip on the cultural radar screen in the Ever so Short month of february at Stutt Gart High school it lasts All year. The school s 2-year-old Black Heri Tage club sponsors seasonal events to heighten the student body s awareness of Black heritage and meets All through the year to heighten its own. A visitor at a club meeting might con clude that despite the club s name racial distinctions mean Little to the members. Some members Are White. So is club adviser Hazel Hughes although her Hus band is Black. The club president is Black but her name is Tyronica White. Our motives Aren t to raise Money to go to Spain or anything like that. Our motives Are just to prove that we re Good people club member Nilee Williams said. The rest of the student body saw the results of that upbeat attitude on feb. 5, when the club organized a musical pro Gram in the school gymnasium to kick off Black history month. The club also our motives Aren t to raise Money to go to Spain or anything like that. Our motives Are just to prove that we re Good Nilee Williams staged a similar event at the nearby elementary school. The club s founding in january 1989 followed a series of unpleasant incidents Williams said. A Black student brought a gun to a school dance two years ago and later someone circulated a flier at the school offering niggers for some students feared All Black students were suffering because of the actions of a minority. It just seems in this school especially All the kids were lumped together Mem Ber Hiawatha Harris said. Club treasurer Lashonda Newton said racial stereotypes still linger at the school. Most people feel like the Black kids should be dumb including the kids them selves she said. Harris said some Black students accuse smarter Blacks of trying to act like Whites. Williams and Newton said some teach ers seem to push White students to Excel while encouraging Blacks to be satisfied with mediocre achievement. That s news to school principal Helen Ducey. I have not seen that As far As the staff goes. We have an exceptionally Good staff she said adding that no students have approached her to complain about any of the 70 faculty members making distinctions on racial grounds. She also cited an absence of racial ten Sion noting the abundance of interracial friendships and dating among the school s 830 students. The behaviour of crowds in the schoolyard after dismissal seems to confirm her assertions. I think at Stuttgart High school we have a positive open environment. They re neat kids every single one of them Ducey said. She also said the Black heritage club is becoming a Posi Tive Force in the school. Whatever bad impressions might have existed two years ago founding a club seemed to be one Way to counter them and studying Black culture seemed just As rewarding As studying French culture in the French club. White thinks the club s activities especially the february performances have influenced other students positively. It shocked me to see. Some White kids talk about How Good the music was she said. Club member James White a ninth grader said some of his classmates have laughed at him because he s in the club. But a random sampling of non member students yielded nothing but Praise. I be seen no students having problems with it. They think it s a Good idea senior Renee Mcclennan said. It gave the students something to join something to go for said senior Malisa Blanco 17. If anything for the students who Are not inv loved it makes them look up to the students who Are involved. It s a Good thing. I m glad they made it
