The history of the Deutsche Sprachschule, Inc., begins in the fall of 1934 when members of Newark’s Emanuel Methodist Church recognized that unless German instruction were available, the language and customs of the country of their ancestors would soon be lost to the younger generation. Home to one of New Jersey's largest German-American communities, Newark had always enjoyed a strong tradition of German culture centered around the church, sports and social clubs, singing societies and, of course, the inevitable beer garden. Strong though it had been, Newark's German community lost much of its vitality when the United States entered World War I, and in the postwar years the decline in interest in the German language was all too apparent. It was to counteract this trend that the Emanuel Methodist Church agreed to establish a Sunday School that would provide instruction in the German language. Gottfried Schwing was the founder and first president.
Classes began in January 1935 with 15 students. By the fall, interest was so widespread that enrollment had climbed to 80 and both teachers and teaching materials were urgently needed. Private contributions sustained the effort until January 1936 when the Deutsche-Amerikanische Verband von Newark und Umgebung (The German-American Association of Newark and Vicinity), led by Dr. Francis Just, provided for expenses, the first chapter in what would prove to be a long history of support for the school by New Jersey's German-American community.
Gottfried Schwing, the school's founder, was succeeded on October 3, 1936, by his brother, Emanuel Schwing. An average of 94 children attended classes, taught by three volunteer instructors, among them Emanuel Schaller, another of the school's founders. The Emanuel Methodist Church continued to supply classrooms without charge; the Verband fur das Deutschtum in Ausland (Association for German Culture in Foreign Countries) contributed the textbooks.
The winter of 1937 marked the school's worst pre-war financial crisis. After much soul-searching, a parents' conference reluctantly decided that a modest tuition would have to be assessed if the school were to survive. On March 3, 1938, the school was essentially reorganized: Thereafter, a newly-formed association of parents and friends under the presidency of Emil Schuh assumed responsibility for the management of the school. Annual membership dues were charged. Children attended the school on the strength of their parents' membership in the association. A school board was established to guide development of the curriculum. Emanuel Schwing assumed the newly-created position of school principal.
Under the leadership of Schuh and Emanuel Schwing, the Deutsche Sprachschule von Newark und Umgebung (German Language School of Newark and Vicinity), as it was now called, expanded rapidly, with students not only from Newark but Irvington and surrounding towns as well. Average weekly attendance reached 130 by 1939 and 180 in the fall of 1940. Mrs. Rosa Schuerle, a native of Germany, organized the school's first kindergarten as an experiment. Opened on January 14, 1939, with 12 children ages three to six, the kindergarten was an immediate success with over a score of youngsters enrolled by the following year.
So rapid was the school's growth that on January 24, 1939, it moved into new quarters at Montgomery Hall, Irvington. For many years a center of German-American social activity, Montgomery Hall provided much needed classroom space as well as meeting rooms for the Parents' Association. The school's sixth year also saw the organization by Schwing of two adult classes (Die Abendklasse) that met on different evenings in members' homes. For the first time, instruction in German literature and advanced grammar was available.
The clouds of war that spread across Europe as the Thirties drew to a sad close presented the Deutsche Sprachschule with a cruel dilemma. Enrollment had never been higher, the teaching staff was experienced, the Parents' Association enthusiastic, yet many Americans had come to regard all German activity with suspicion. The final blow fell on December 11, 1941, when the Axis Powers declared war on the United States. Three days later, on December 14, the school held its traditional Weihnachtsfeier at Montgomery Hall. After the last song had been sung, Principal Schwing stepped forward with the inevitable announcement: The Deutsche Sprachschule must close, he declared, to begin its work again when conditions were appropriate.
It was to be almost nine years before Montgomery Hall would once again resound to the voices of youngsters studying the German language. Prompted in large measure by a wave of post-World War II German emigrants, many of whom settled in Irvington, Newark and Union, members of the old school board began meeting in the spring of 1950 in hopes of reviving the school. Under the determined leadershipof Wilhelm Zeh, president, Emanuel Schwing, principal, Dr. Just, Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Schuerle, Robert Brueckner, Eugene Graber and others, the school reopened on September 15, 1951, with an enrollment of over 100. Montgomery Hall was again the site of classes, school board and parents meetings.
Because of the growing number of students, however, the hall quickly proved itself inadequate for instructional purposes. Negotiations between Mrs. Schuerle and her pastor, Msgr. Eugene R. Gallagher of Irvington’s Saint Paul the Apostle Church soon bore fruit: In the fall of 1952, the school moved to its third location, the sunny, modern classrooms, kindergarten and auditorium of Saint Paul the Apostle School. The Irvington building would remain the Deutsche Sprachschule's home for the next 25 years. During that period Msgr. Gallagher worked closely with the school and its officers in a spirit of cooperation and friendship, a valuable relationship acknowledged when he was named an honorary member.
On August 14, 1952, the school was officially incorporated as a non-profit association whose objectives were "to engage in, assist and contribute to the education of students interested in the German language and culture." On April 17, 1956, the corporation changed its name from Deutsche Sprachschule Newark, N.J. und Umgebung to Deutsche Sprachschule, Inc., acknowledgment that its students now came from throughout northern and central New Jersey.
June 1953 saw the election of Robert Brueckner as the school's fourth president. Gradually, enrollment began to increase and the school's financial base widen. Renewed support for the school came from the Federal Republic of Germany in the form of the latest textbooks. The German Literary Society Foundation, located in New York, was another steady supporter.
Succeeding Brueckner as school president in June 1959 was Heinz Stoecker, whose wife, Clara, had taught classes in the late Thirties. President Stoecker, active in other aspects of local German-American culture, saw to it that the school involved itself as well. Led by Brueckner and Hubert Leyendecker, the Deutsche Sprachschule marched proudly in New York City's first Steuben Day Parade, held in 1958, and has appeared every year since then.
In 1958 Hans J. Ludscheidt of Vailsburg, an engineer by profession, became a member of the school's board of directors. Eight years had passed since the school reopened its doors. Its goal, carefully planned and executed, was to re-establish the credibility of the German language and culture. For the most part these efforts had succeeded, yet the school, at least from an academic viewpoint, was unremarkable. Ludscheidt recognized immediately that academic standards needed to be improved. When he became president in 1961, his first priority was to convert the school into an educational institution with the highest credentials.
For Ludscheidt, who was to serve as president for 11 years and chairman of the school board for another 11 years after that, achieving his goal was not an easy task. The school lacked funds, skilled teachers, educational aides and the influence of an efficient school board. Undaunted, Ludscheidt gathered about him a group of parents and co-workers who shared his vision. Under their guidance, a revision of the constitution and by-laws was accomplished and quickly followed by the establishment of a working board of officers and trustees. In addition, a school board was appointed to assure that administrative operations ran smoothly. A finance committee put the school's fund-raising activities on a firm footing for the first time. Within the space of a several years the Deutsche Sprachschule was able to hire accredited instructors for each grade level. New books and modern teaching aids were soon made available for regular classroom use. Enrollment reached 200 in 1962 and 240 by 1964. It was during Ludscheidt’s tenure that the school adopted as its motto the Latin phrase, “Vita Sine Literis Mors Est,” or “Life without Learning is Death.”
Reforms instituted by Ludscheidt and his associates quickly proved their worth. In 1966 the school's fifth, sixth and seventh grade students achieved an average score of 98.7% on examinations given by the Modern Language Association. That year Herman Chevalier, president of the New Jersey chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German, began a post-graduate class in German literature, grammar and history to prepare students for College Board examinations. Hans Ludscheidt was the driving force behind these changes. Recognizing that good public relations were the key to growth, he and his wife, Ingrid, tirelessly solicited the assistance of many German-American organizations. In addition, he wrote numerous articles, lectured extensively and used whatever means available to attract the public's attention. By the mid-1960s the Deutsche Sprachschule was acknowledged as one of the nation's best German-language Saturday schools. Enrollment rose to 290 students -- an all-time high -- during the 1968-70 school years, with many on the waiting list. Sixteen teachers taught 12 classes with the help of improved teaching materials. In 1971, 30 minutes were added to the traditional two-hour session. To encourage talented students, a special homogeneous class was created. Two adult classes met weekly at the Deutscher Club.
Ludscheidt traded his chair as president for chairman of the school board in 1972. In his new capacity, Ludscheidt planned new curricula, revised staff manuals, reorganized registration procedures and set up teaching guidelines. In addition, he was instrumental in introducing A.A.T.G. tests to the school, making singing an integral part of the student program and, in 1980, obtaining authorization for the school to administer advanced college placement tests. Ludscheidt's achievements included not only his acknowledged leading role in the expansion of the Deutsche Sprachschule. Treasurer of the German Heritage Festival for 15 years, he was chairman of the Peter Muehlenberg Unit of the Steuben Society of New Jersey, served the Steuben Parade Committee of New Jersey as treasurer, vice president and president for 25 years, and was treasurer of the German Language School Conference, a group he was instrumental in founding. In the fall of 1984, Ludscheidt was recognized for his extraordinary accomplishments by being named honorary president of the Deutsche Sprachschule.
Ludscheidt's successor as president was Albrecht Maier, elected to the first of six terms in 1972. On September 8, 1974, the school participated in the first of what would become an annual event, the German Heritage Festival at the Garden State Arts Center. After a quarter of a century in Irvington, the school moved to Union's Connecticut Farms School in 1976 and a year later to Franklin School, also in Union.
Maier's presidency saw a gradual reduction in school enrollment as German immigration to the United States slackened. Encouraged by the example set by the Deutsche Sprachschule, German-language Saturday schools were established innorthern and central Jersey, and their success attracted students who otherwise would have made the long journey to Union. Smaller class sizes, however, meant no lessening of academic standards or the high quality of instruction offered. In 1974, the school began to administer a standardized test prepared and graded by the American Association of Teachers of German [AATG]. The Advanced Placement Test in German became available for 10th Graders. During the 1970s the school offered a kindergarten, 10 full grades and advanced German study groups that emphasized reading, writing, grammar and literature. Three homogenous classes for native speakers were also introduced. AATG test scores, an impartial measure of the school's effectiveness, have ranked far above the national average since the tests were first offered.
Roland Maas, who had served with President Maier as treasurer and been a member for many years, became the school's president in 1978. He was followed in 1981 by Karl Fiedler. In October 1983 the school joined Delta Epsilon Phi, the national honor society for high school students of German. As the Samstagschule Kapitel Gamma chapter, the school was now authorized to bestow official recognition upon students who had demonstrated "high scholastic attainment." It was during Fiedler's term that the school celebrated its 50th anniversary with a gala Jubilaeumsfest on November 10, 1984. Fiedler was succeeded as president in 1985 by Heiner F. Paetzoldt.
President from 1987 to 1995, Alan A. Siegel served at the helm during a period of transition: Students from German-speaking homes declined in numbers, replaced by a diverse body of students whose parents would echo the words of a commendation received from then-Governor Thomas H. Kean in 1987 when he offered his best wishes to the graduating class. “Studying a foreign language is a worthwhile form of personal enrichment that requires dedication and a passion for learning,” wrote Kean. “I commend you for your perseverance and for your efforts to achieve a well-rounded education.” Fifteen-year-old Lynda Cevallos, a member of the 1990 graduating class, was typical of the new breed of student. Of Ecuadorian descent, Miss Cevallos scored a 93 on the AATG test, higher than many students who came from German backgrounds. The student body today is a diverse one, united only in a desire to further its education in the German language. A newsletter established in 1987, now called the Schulnachrichten, serves to inform parents, students and members of the Sprachschule's activities. The school played host to the first Northeast Regional Conference of the German Language School Conference on October 10, 1992.
Siegel was succeeded as president in 1995 by Mrs. Julie Schlotterbeck and by Mrs. Anke Tracey in 1996. Mrs. Marjorie E. Crawford, president since 1998, has led the school during a period of extraordinary growth. In 2000 the school installed its first computers, paving the way to today’s fully-equipped computer lab. In 2002 the school moved to its fifth home, Winfield School in Winfield Park. A year later the school’s first website was up and running, soon to prove itself a vital link between school members and the administration. As of January 2007 enrollment stood at 105, the largest since the late 1980s. Fund-raising efforts by Trustees Anneliese Schran and Albrecht Maier during the period 2000-2007 brought in total contributions of nearly $100,000.
Presidents of the Deutsche Sprachschule, Inc.
| 1934 - 1936 |
Gottfried Schwing |
| 1936 - 1938 |
Emanuel Schwing |
| 1938 - 1940 |
Emil Schuh |
| 1940 - 1953 |
Wilhelm Zeh |
| 1953 - 1959 |
Robert Brueckner |
| 1959 - 1961 |
Heinz Stoecker |
| 1961 - 1972 |
Hans J. Ludscheidt |
| 1972 - 1978 |
Albrecht Maier |
| 1978 - 1981 |
Roland Maas |
| 1981 - 1985 |
Karl Fiedler |
| 1985 - 1987 |
Heiner F. Paetzold |
| 1987 - 1995 |
Alan A. Siegel |
| 1995 - 1996 |
Julie Schlotterbeck |
| 1996 - 1998 |
Anke Tracey |
| 1998 - Present |
Marjorie E. Crawford |