Since traveling to Germany is outside the German Club’s budget, LFHS students made the journey to the next best thing: Chicago’s Christkindlmarket. Last Friday, Dec. 8, the German Club enjoyed hot chocolate, giant pretzels, and delicious crepes at the authentic outdoor market.

“This year, we opted for a field trip to the Chicago Christkindlmarket instead of a party at school,” German club founder, senior Alix Anderson said.

German club students went to their first two class periods and then boarded the bus for the hour-long ride to Chicago.  

“We do field trips,” German club sponsor Thomas Gigiano said. “We’ve done field trips to the Milwaukee Museum of German Arts, and we’ve done field trips to German restaurants for German cuisine and now we just did the Christkindlmarket for a German activity.”

Once in Chicago, the students had the liberty to walk around the Chriskindlmarket and neighboring areas for three hours.

“I got hot chocolate,” junior Megan Lawniczak said. “And it came with this cute mug. The whole day was really fun.”

After the three hours the students spent gallivanting arounnd the market, everyone got back on the bus and returned to school, already reminiscing about the day just spent. 

“It was a really unique experience,” junior Katie-May Newman said. “I ate a lot of good food and had a lot of fun.”

The Chriskindlmarket adventure was just a taste of the many activities German Club members get to enjoy.

“I try my best to schedule one or two field trips a year,” Anderson said. “In March, we went up to the Milwaukee Art Museum to observe German art and stopped at Culver’s not once, but twice! An antifreeze leak on the bus made for a second Culver’s pit-stop and plenty of funny stories.” 

The German Club began only in 2021, after being pitched to Mr. Gigiano in the spring of 2020.

“I wanted to have someplace where students could bond and relax over a common interest,” Anderson said. “So, I figured why not start a club?”

Anderson’s idea sprouted into what the German Club is today. Now, the club is filled with celebrations, games, food, and culture.

“We always kick-off the school year with an Oktoberfest celebration,” Anderson said. “You can find a plethora of homemade Oktoberfest food: bratwursts, German potato salad, sauerkraut, pretzels, apple strudel, and more. We play German folk music on a speaker and several rounds of our traditional game of “German” hangman.”

In addition to the major German celebrations, the club meets once a month on Wednesdays, where the students join together for games and bonding.

“The Germans have Spiel Des Jarhes,” Gigiano said. “They’re renowned for their board games and have awards. So, we play a bit of that.”

Along with the games, the German club appreciates German foods and language.

“[The club] is trying to give people a fuller sense of German culture,” Gigiano said.

This culture and meetings, like the field trips, are open for all LFHS students at any point of the year.

“If you are interested in joining the German Club, don’t hesitate!” Anderson said. “Follow us on Instagram at @lfhsgermanclub or join our Schoology group with code PS7G-K625-FXJ3W for reminders and updates about events.”