Krista Winzer-Lee
Coordinator
Work experience:
2000-2006
Heavily involved with the logistics of The Friendship Connection program, helping to create the pairings between American and German students, actively involved with school visits in both the United States and Germany, coordinating flight arrangements with the airlines and chaperoning large groups of American students to Germany in the summers.
2004-2005
Taught Spanish at Marion Franklin High School in Columbus, Ohio. In that year, arranged for an exchange between Ohio schools and a high school in Madrid, Spain.
2005-2006
Taught German at Copley High School near Akron, Ohio.
2006-2008
In preparation for my father’s anticipated retirement, chose to devote the next two years to working full-time as the Assistant Coordinator of The Friendship Connection exchange program.
2008 – present
Assumed the full responsibility of The Friendship Connection as the Program Coordinator.
2020 – present
Created a “new branch” of The Friendship Connection called “VFC,” for Virtual Friendship Connection, during the COVID pandemic years, which is still offered currently.
Education:
1999
Graduated with honors from Hudson High School, Ohio
1999-2000
Spent an academic year studying in Germany at the Ignatz-Koelger Gymnasium in Landsberg, Germany. Attended a two month long intensive German grammar course at The Goethe Institute in Munich, Germany.
2000-2004
Attended Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Majored in German, Spanish and Education. Graduated “magna cum laude.”
2002
Attended La Universidad de Alcala de Henares in Alcala, Spain. Took a 2 month intensive Spanish grammar and business course.
2002-2004
Attended John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. Education courses and received teaching licensure.
Roland Winzer
Founder
Work experience:
1963-1966
Taught social studies and introduced German in the Western Reserve School System in Wakeman, Ohio.
1966-1993
Taught social studies and German in the Hudson Public School system, Hudson, Ohio.
1970
Introduced German into the Hudson High School curriculum.
1972
Coached Hudson High School’s varsity soccer team since 1966. In 1972 began taking soccer teams to Germany with the prerequisite of a minimum of one year of German.
1981
Started The Friendship Connection, Inc.
1987
Introduced German into the Hudson Middle School curriculum.
1993
Retired from teaching. By this time an additional German teacher was required for the Middle School and over 200 students were studying German in the Hudson Public School System.
1993-2008
Continued to coordinate The Friendship Connection, Inc. until turning the program over to his daughter, Krista Winzer-Lee.
Service within professional organizations:
1985-1990
Served as an executive board member for Ohio’s chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG), including 2 years as Ohio Chapter President. In addition, made presentations at ACTFL and AATG conferences over the years; often topics related to “creativity” and “motivational techniques” in the classroom.
Awards & citations:
1983
Finalist for the Ohio Teacher of the Year Award sponsored by the Ohio Dept of Education.
1985
One of the first recipients of Hudson Public Schools’ Distinguished Teacher Award.
1989
Acknowledged by Helene Zimmer-Lowe, national Executive Director of the AATG, for efforts as the President of the Ohio Chapter of AATG.