The Herald-Zeitung

High school and elementary students from across Texas converged on the grounds of Wurstfest Wednesday.

Student Day, hosted by New Braunfels and Canyon high schools, is held once every year, during the day, to allow students a chance to learn and celebrate German culture without the beer.

The majority of those attending were high school students who are studying the German language and are members of their school’s German Club.

However, younger students who are just learning the basics of German culture also attended.

Kindergarteners from Seele Elementary School were gathered in Das Grosse Zelt, or the Big Tent, eager for the music to start so they could dance.

“They’re here to learn the history and culture of New Braunfels and Wurstfest,” said teacher Tawni Cameron. “They learned some German songs, and they’re going to do the Chicken Dance.”

The younger children seemed to be the only ones over-eager to get on the dance floor.

The teenagers held back.

In Wursthalle, where members of the New Braunfels High School Band played the more common polkas, such as “Roll Out the Barrel,” the dance floor remained relatively empty.

“We’re just hear to eat and hear the music,” said Brackenridge High School senior Louis Ranos. “I’m not going to dance.”

But when the opening notes of the Chicken Dance played, both in Das Grosse Zelt and in Wursthalle, cheers erupted and nearly everybody flocked to the dance floor.

Despite all the celebration, it was still a school day, and many students arrived with an assignment.

Some simply had to get out and do three separate dances, such as a polka, the Chicken Dance, and the Bunny Hop, while others had to interview somebody in German.

“We have to do a scavenger hunt,” said Rockport Fulton High School senior Paige Bolting. “We have to ask people what certain things mean.”