News and Updates
NEW:
Changes and updates for 2025
Arrival at Kingwood High School
Lunch options
Teacher-to-teacher tips
Tips for Pair Discussion
Houstonfest Scholarships
Scholarships at State
NEW:
Houstonfest history
Contest
promo video #1 (students from one school tell why they
love contest)
Contest promo
video #2 (one student tells why she loves contest)
Contest promo
video #3
(hilarious 2024 State-winning submission from our own Klein Oak High School!)
State promo video contest
Photo gallery
Daily log of changes to
State-qualifier list
Important Dates
on a rolling basis but no later than Wed., Apr. 30, 2025 for payment
during the 2024-2025 school year: submit
Gail Cope Teacher Grant applications.
Mon. Jan. 13, 2025, 4:00 p.m.: Application for
transportation grants from the Houston Saengerbund opens (IF THEY ARE OFFERED AT
ALL; if so, teachers will be sent a
link to a Google Form).
Tue., Jan. 21, 2025, 11:59
p.m.: Houstonfest registration
spreadsheet due for regular price of $12/student (payment does not have
to be mailed until 1/27).
Mon., Jan. 27, 2025, 11:59
p.m.: Houstonfest registration spreadsheet
due
for late price of $15/student. Deadline to postmark Houstonfest payment.
Sat., Feb. 1, 2025, 9:00 a.m.: Submission of entries in the 7 virtual Houstonfest events due (get link to
Google Form from your teacher).
Tue., Feb. 4, 2025, 11:59 p.m.: Remote
judging of the 7 virtual Houstonfest events ends.
Wed., Feb. 5, 2025, 10:00 p.m.: Houstonfest changes (adds,
drops, substitutions) due. After this point, no more changes will be allowed.
Sat., Feb. 8, 2025:
Houstonfest,
Kingwood High School, Houston.
Fri., Feb. 14, 2025, 11:59 p.m.: State
online registration due for "early bird" price of $12/student (payment does not
have to be mailed until 2/19).
Wed., Feb. 19, 2025, 11:59 p.m.: State
online registration due
for
regular price of
$15/student. Deadline to postmark your State payment.
Sat., Feb. 22, 2025, 9:00 a.m.: Submission of entries in the 7 virtual State events due (get
the link to a
Google Form from your teacher). Also,
Mary El-Beheri Memorial Scholarship and Sandra Dieckman GTHS Memorial
Scholarship
applications due (to submit the application, get the link to a Google
Form from your teacher).
Mon., Feb. 24, 2025, 8:00 p.m.:
Entries in
State promotional video
contest
due to State director.
Tue., Feb. 25, 2025, 11:59 p.m.: Remote
judging of the 7 virtual State events ends.
Sat., Mar. 1, 2025:
Texas State German Contest, Texas State
University, San Marcos.
Sat., Mar. 8, 2025, 11:59 p.m.: Houstonfest Scholarship applications due.
Sun., Mar. 16, 2025: Gail Cope
State Scholarship applications due.
|
Sweepstakes and
Other Awards
Besides the awards given in the various contests, we award a
number of comprehensive prizes.
Sweepstakes: Schools receive sweepstakes points for each
event in which they place in the top 10 (see table below). Schools are
classified as "Large Schools" or "Small Schools" based on how many students are
enrolled in German classes at the school. For 2024, schools with
85 or more students in German classes were in the Large category (that was 9
of our 18 registered schools) and schools
with 84 or fewer students in German classes were in the Small category (that was
9 of our 18 registered schools). The
cut-off point is subject to change every year, and the decision is made at the
State level considering the size of all German programs entering all three
regional contests. In 2025, trophies will be awarded
to the top 5 schools in the Large School division and the top 5 schools in the
Small School division.
The Klein aber fein
trophy goes to the school with the highest ratio of
sweepstakes points to number of students entered among those schools entering
between 5 and 15 students.
Money prizes of $100 go to the "rookie school" with the highest number of sweepstakes
points and to the "rookie teacher" whose school earns the highest
number of sweepstakes points. A "rookie school" is defined as a school
that has not entered Houstonfest in the previous five years, and a "rookie teacher"
is defined as a teacher who has never entered students in Houstonfest before the
current year.
Houstonfest uses the same system of awarding
sweepstakes points that is used at the Texas State German Contest. The sweepstakes system was thoroughly revised
beginning with the 2012 contests, with minor tweaks since then. Sweepstakes points are
awarded for first through tenth place in each event, which means that even
students who place tenth are contributing sweepstakes points to their school's
cause. The table below shows how sweepstakes points are awarded.
|
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
5th |
6th |
7th |
8th |
9th |
10th |
Folk Dance (Team), Varsity Pass auf!, Skit Levels 3-4 |
30 |
27 |
24 |
21 |
18 |
16 |
14 |
12 |
10 |
8 |
Duet Acting,
Puppet Show, Skit Levels 1-2, Video Show |
20 |
18 |
16 |
14 |
12 |
10 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
Contemporary Music, Directed Dialogue, Extemporaneous Speaking,
Folk Dance (Einzeltanz), Oral Presentation, Pair Discussion, Novice Pass auf!,
Polka
Band, Timed Writing |
14 |
12 |
10 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
Advantaged Speaker Test, Classical Ensemble, Club Album,
Culture, Grammar,
Photo
Essay, Poetry Memory, Prose Memory, Research Paper, Scavenger Hunt,
Vocal Solo |
12 |
10 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
Crafts, Digital Logo Design, Doll Costume,
Gingerbread House, Listening Comprehension,
Needlework, Original Models, Photography, Poetry Reading,
Poster Design, Prose Reading,
Reading Comprehension, Sight Reading,
Shirt
Design, Spelling, Vocabulary |
10 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
When is the next Houstonfest?
Saturday,
February 8, 2025 Where
is Houstonfest?
Kingwood High School
2701 Kingwood Dr.
Kingwood, TX 77339
(new location in 2025!)
Link to Texas State German Contest
Texas
State German Contest on Facebook
Texas
State German Contest 40th Anniversary Facebook Group |