On the sweet and melodious musical notes of the “ChitarrEnsemble”, at the Department of Humanistic Studies of the University of Foggia, the awards ceremony took place on 16 April for the students who distinguished themselves in a written test, to ascertain their knowledge and the skills of the German language and culture, assessed by a Commission made up of teachers external to the University of Foggia. Students from the fifth grades of high schools and technical and professional high schools of the Capitanata who study the German language participated in the competition. The award was sponsored by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Regional School Office of Puglia, the University of Foggia and the V Territorial Area Office of the province of Foggia and by the Italian-German cultural association Grimm of Foggia. Now in its seventh year, the prestigious award was created by professor Bonifacio Saracino, President of the award and husband of the teacher Gabriele Johanna Selder, who passed away prematurely. She is a woman of inestimable culture, she has dedicated her entire life to the diffusion and knowledge of the German language in the schools of Foggia and its province and throughout Puglia. The winner of the first excellence prize was the student Anna Maria Carafa from the 5th LLA class of the “Pestalozzi” high school, who was awarded a scholarship. Great joy and satisfaction was expressed by the German language and culture teacher Prof. Mara Cartelli who, for the third consecutive year, brought one of her students to the honors of the “Pestalozzi” high school, for having achieved this authoritative recognition. Furthermore, Professor Cartelli declared that it is an honor to participate in this event, because she personally met the teacher Gabriele Johanna Selder with whom she spent five years at the “Roncalli” high school in Manfredonia, being able to see not only his professional skills, but also the human ones of simplicity, grace and elegance. The head teacher, Dr. Filomena Mezzanotte, addressed words of praise and admiration for the student who won the prize and for the teacher who was able to motivate and bring success to the deserving student, who was granted an opportunity for growth cultural and educational, with the hope that it can be seen as an incentive for an in-depth study of the German language and culture during the course of one’s studies.
GIANLUCA TOMASONE
