Five Star Staff leads GAPP exchanges at Horizon

With six GAPP exchanges under his belt and his seventh upcoming, Jason Herrman has built a legacy for German at Horizon High School. Having taught German for 15 years, he began his school's exchange in his first year and has taught every level of German. Jason's dedication and enthusiasm for the exchange has brought him and his students to schools in both Ebern and Mühldorf, Germany. Starting with only five, but now including approximately 175 students who have taken part in the exchange so far, Jason is credited by students and peers for making German a part of the culture at Horizon HS.

Praised by his principal for the "incredible job" Jason does "coordinating these interactions with the school district and our community," Jason's passion for GAPP extends beyond the boundaries of his classroom. Jason is well-known among other GAPP leaders as knowledgeable, creative, and driven as he shares his ideas with others at multiple workshops and conferences. This drive and never-ending energy is noted by his students, one of whom says that "there has never been a moment when he has ceased to put his all into teaching German language and conveying German culture," and that Jason "equally embodies" this care in his work for GAPP. Jason's tireless efforts on behalf of his GAPP program has made waves in both the USA and Germany, including multiple news articles highlighting the life-changing experiences for the German and American students in his program. For "making the exchange a highlight in the life of every student who partakes in it," the committee enthusiastically presented the Goethe-Institut/AATG Outstanding GAPP Coordinator Award of the Year to Jason Herrman at ACTFL, a national convention for world language educators, which took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this past November.

Special thanks to the Horizon High School community for submitting this Five Star Story.

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