Features

WiR! Awards 2023

by Magdalena Knodt
86th Airlift Wing Host Nation Office
October 13, 2023
U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Otis Jones, 86th Airlift Wing commander, State Undersecretary Nicole Steingass, second from right, Rheinland-Pfalz Ministry of the Interior and for Sports, and John Constance, right, WiR! program coordinator congratulate “WiR! program” school award winners at Kaiserslautern City Hall, Oct. 6. Photos by Roberto Saldanha da Costa

State Undersecretary Nicole Steingass from the Rheinland-Pfalz Ministry of the Interior and for Sports presented this year’s “WiR! Program” certificates during a ceremony at Kaiserslautern City Hall, Oct. 6.

The “WiR! program” is a state initiative to promote and maintain German-American relations in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz and has a partnership with the German-American Community Office in Kaiserslautern.

One part of the program is the “WiR! School” and “WiR! Kindergarten” partnerships between German schools and kindergartens and Department of Defense Education Activity schools within the Kaiserslautern Military Community in an effort to strengthen local German-American friendship between youngsters. Awards to schools and kindergartens have been presented since 2019 with an award ceremony held every year.

U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Otis Jones, 86th Airlift Wing commander, gives remarks congratulating the schools and kindergartens on their German-American projects promoting friendships during a “WiR! Program” ceremony at Kaiserslautern City Hall, Oct. 6. The “WiR! program” is a state initiative to promote and maintain German-American relations in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz and a partnership with the German-American Community Office in Kaiserslautern.

Schools and kindergartens receive an award after fulfilling prerequisites, including two joint German-American projects. The Burg Gymnasium, for example, cares for the Kindergraves at the Kaiserslautern cemetery.

U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Otis Jones, 86th Airlift Wing commander, gave remarks congratulating the winners on their projects promoting German-American friendship.

“What these schools are doing is bringing German-American relations to the grassroots level, down to the individual,” Jones said.

Nataki Jones, 86th Airlift Wing key spouse, right, poses for a photo with the “WiR! Kindergarten” award winners at Kaiserslautern City Hall, Oct 6. “WiR! School” and “WiR! Kindergarten” partnerships between German schools and kindergartens and DODEA schools within the Kaiserslautern Military Community aim at strengthening local German-American friendships.

The following schools and kindergartens were awarded this year:

  • Reichswald-Gymnasium Ramstein-Miesenbach and Ramstein Middle School
  • Burg Gymnasium Kaiserslautern and Kaiserslautern High School
  • Realschule Plus and Fachoberschule Birkenfeld, Kindergarten Ruschberg and Baumholder Middle and High Schools
  • St. Willibrord Gymnasium Bitburg, St. Matthias Gymnasium Bitburg, Genossenschaftliches Gymnasium Speicher and Spangdahlem High School
  • Kindergarten Dansenberg, Kindergarten Mölschbach, Kindergarten Hohenecken
Teachers from the ”WiR! Program” present their completion certificates after a ceremony for fulfilling a joint German-American project at Kaiserslautern City Hall in Kaiserslautern, Oct. 6. State Undersecretary Nicole Steingass from the Rheinland-Pfalz Ministry of the Interior and for Sports presented this year’s certificates during a ceremony.
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