German ambassador visits Downingtown schools

DOWNINGTOWN – German Ambassador Peter Ammon and Congressman Jim Gerlach engaged students while touring the Downingtown S.T.E.M. Academy on Monday.

The stop at the STEM Academy was part of Ammon’s overall visit to Chester County and the surrounding area. Ammon was also part of a round-table discussion in the afternoon with the owners of German-owned companies located in the area, such as Siemens Medical Solutions.

“German businesses are big investors here in America and they create numerous jobs, in particular in Pennsylvania” said Ammon. “When you talk to investors and ask what kind of help they want, they say they need more people who have qualifications in STEM – sciences, mathematics, engineering. This seems to be the greatest bottleneck when you think about investing somewhere. It’s not subsidies, it’s not energy, it’s not government help. It’s the ability of qualified labor that seems to be in short supply worldwide. This school seems to be very outstanding in that way. I found that (the students) seem to be enthusiastic about technologies. They’re very advanced.”

The meet and greet event at the STEM Academy also included students and faculty from the German program. Students presented him with a gift, prior to German Language Department Head Jessica Staub leading a tour of the school.

Ammon said that the school’s International Baccalaureateprogram was another attractive aspect of the school, fostering an international awareness in the student body.

“They know the world, they know that they have to cooperate with their peers around the world,” said Ammon. “Globalization means that companies will no longer be American companies, they will be global companies. These young people would just be ideal to playing a role in those companies.”

Gerlach is a co-founder and current co-chairman of the bipartisan House German-American Caucus, which strives to build a closer relationship with the European nation to encourage additional investment in America.

In addition to providing a platform for educating German-based companies about the benefits of investing in our workforce in southeastern Pennsylvania, the German-American Caucus can help open German markets to American-made products.

It was through Gerlach’s work in the caucus that he was able to connect with Ammon, the German ambassador to the United States who is based in Washington, D.C., and later arranged the visit with him.

“I am pleased to welcome Ambassador Ammon to Downingtown (to learn) more about the innovative approach teachers and administrators have embraced to provide a world-class education,” said Gerlach. “This is an extraordinary opportunity for students to utilize their foreign language skills and gain a better understanding of German culture while interacting with Ambassador Ammon.”

The Downingtown Area School District has maintained a connection to Germany via an exchange program with German teachers and students for 20 years, as part of the German-American Partnership Program.

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