The German American School Association (GASA) has opened in Santa Barbara. Founded by Heike Schirmer, a German native married to an American with two children who they raise bilingual.

Several children sit together working on German language lessons. (Courtesy photo)
New German language school in Santa Barbara is called Sprachwerstatt, which translates to ‘language workshop.’ (Courtesy photo)

Prior to its establishment in Santa Barbara in January, the closest German school was in Ventura, Schirmer said.

Garnering interest and support from the German-speaking community in Santa Barbara, Heike recruited six German and Austrian teachers to lead four classes.

Heike’s husband Sean O’Brien, a professional educator, serves as an instructional coach for the teachers. O’Brien introduced Generative AI as a tool for the teachers creating a custom GPT to enhance teaching methodologies and support project-based learning.

To attract students to the school, which is held on Saturday mornings, Heike said the focus is on project-based, hands-on learning, aiming to avoid traditional frontal speech methods.

To emphasize this approach, they named their school Sprachwerkstatt, which translates to “language workshop.” The name reflects the school’s commitment to creating a dynamic and engaging learning environment where students actively participate and explore the German language and culture, Schirmer explained.

While, most Sprachwerkstatt students have a German-speaking background from one or both parents, or grandparents, the school’s philosophy is that a child’s interest in learning the language is more important than whether they have German heritage or no, Schirmer said.

The Saturday morning German Language School has about 50 students ranging in age from 18 months to 13 years. Students are divided into four groups, based on their age and proficiency level to accommodate the diverse range of learners.

“We are thrilled to see the enthusiastic response from the Santa Barbara community,” said Claudia Waas, who helped Heike get Sprachwerkstatt started. “Our vision was to create a welcoming and inclusive space where students of all backgrounds can come together to learn and appreciate the German language and culture.”

The Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara hosts the German School. It also accommodates the Knox School and the Starr King Parent-Child Workshop, whose rooms Sprachwerkstatt uses.

Sprachwerkstatt also collaborates with Art from Scrap, which allows the school to buy creative reuse materials for various projects at a great discount.

Registration for Sprachwerkstatt is open until July 31. For more about classes and enrollment, visit https://germanschool4kids.org/santa-barbara-schule/, or contact SantaBarbara@gasaschool.org.