Lisa Worthington-Groce aka "Frau W"

Personal:
  I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, but grew up in Greensboro, NC, where I attended Guilford Primary (now the Newcomers' School) and Guilford Middle School.  The first two years of my high school education took place at Rockingham County High School, where my track team often competed against the NW Vikings!

  I am married to Michael Groce and we have two wonderful daughters, Sarah, a 10th-grader at Northwest Guilford High School, and Lauren, our rambunctious 3rd-grader!

Education and Awards/Certificates:  
  I have been interested in other languages & cultures for as long as I remember.  I began learning German during my senior year of high school at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, NC.  Uni Pride...yes, our mascot was the Unicorns!!  I also studied French throughout high school & college and have dabbled in other languages, including Russian (my heritage), Esperanto, and American Sign Language.  It's never too late to begin learning a new language!

I continued my study of German at Davidson College, where I received my Bachelor of Arts with a major in German & minor in French.  During my time there, I studied at the Goethe Institute in Prien am Chiemseeand participated in the Davidson Junior Year Abroad program in Wuerzburg, Germany.  I also received the Bremer German Language Award for excellence in the study of German. 

  After I had completed my undergraduate studies, I received my Master of Arts in Teaching with K-12 German certification from UNC-CH.

K-12 Certification: German (since 2003)
K-12 Certification: French (since 2008)
ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview: Advanced High in German (2002) 
National Board Certification in World Languages (since 2011)

2020 Alpha Delta Kappa Award of Teaching Excellence- North Carolina

2019 ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) National Teacher of the Year Finalist

2019 SCOLT (Southern Conference on Language Teaching) Teacher of the Year

2018 FLANC (Foreign Language Association of North Carolina) Teacher of the Year

2018 AATG (American Association of Teachers of German) 9-12th grade Outstanding German Educator

Governor's Teacher Network (2014-15)

I have also participated in several College Board AP Summer Institutes (2006-Ball State University in IN, 2011-Morehead College in KY, 2016-Davidson College in NC. 2021-online through Woodward Academy in GA) and have served as a Reader/Table Leader for the AP German Exam since 2019.

Teaching Experience: 
German (and French 2008-2011) teacher, Guilford County Schools, 2006-present
* Northwest Guilford High School 
(* Grimsley High School  2006-2008)

German teacher, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, 2003-2006
* Culbreth Middle School
* Smith Middle School
* East Chapel Hill High School

Student-teacher, Wake County Public Schools, 2002-2003
* Ligon Middle School 
* Martin Middle School

Student-teacher, Durham Public Schools, 2002-2003
* Burton Geo-World Elementary School

Professional Organizations & Memberships: 
NCAATG-North Carolina chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German, President (2009-2011)

FLANC-Foreign Language Association of North Carolina (Board Member: Allied Groups Liaison)

SCOLT-Southern Conference on Language Teaching (Board Member: Registrar & SCOLTalk newsletter co-editor)

ACTFL-American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (Member: Professional Learning Committee)

Alpha Delta Kappa-International Society of Women Educators (Corresponding & Recording Secretary)

Interests & Hobbies: 

* Spending time with family
* Traveling
* Cross-stitching 
* Reading 

* Walking & taking leisurely bike rides
* Watching Football (Go Cincinnati Bengals !)
* Speaking German & French! 
* Watching movies & TV (sit-coms, reality shows)

* Visiting amusement partks (riding roller coasters)

* former Odyssey of the Mind volunteer (former parent, coach, & volunteer judge)