North Gwinnett News

Kirsten Menosky, a German language teacher at Parkview High School, has been honored as Teacher of the Year by the Georgia chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG). The AATG is an organization focused on advancing the teaching of German language, literature, and culture across Georgia.

The award acknowledges educators who have excelled in their role as instructors either through student performance or significant contributions to enhancing German language education within the state.

"Kirsten brings engaging, fun, and rigorous learning opportunities to her students that allow them to build meaningful proficiency in the language," says Dr. Virin Vedder, Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) Director of World Languages and Dual Language Immersion. "She additionally and frequently shares her talents and knowledge with others by leading professional development sessions with colleagues. She is very deserving of this recognition of her hard work, and we are very fortunate to have her on Team GCPS."

Award recipients are selected by the Executive Board and Committees of AATG's Georgia chapter. Eligibility criteria include being a full-time AATG member in good standing for at least two academic years prior to applying. Menosky has taught various levels of German for 12 years at Shiloh High School before joining Parkview High School two years ago.

"It is truly an honor to be recognized as the AATG Georgia German Teacher of the Year. I appreciate my colleagues and students, as well as my own language teachers and professors, who have contributed to the development of my teaching style over the years," Menosky adds. "My most important goal when teaching is to impart intercultural understanding with my students that will transfer to how they interact with people from different cultural backgrounds outside of the classroom. Language is powerful in our everyday lives no matter what language we use."