MADISON – Margaret ‘Peggy’ Boynton has been named winner of the Dr. Barbara Fischer Award, which commends exceptional professionals who enhance German language programs in Alabama.

Boynton teaches German at James Clemens High School and serves as Content Lead for the World Language Department.

The Alabama Germany Partnership presents this annual education award in tribute to the late Dr. Karin ‘Barbara’ Anne-Luise Fischer.

The partnership promotes collaboration and develops relationships between businesses and individuals with ties to Alabama and Germany. The partnership also works to increase business opportunities and foster cultural exchange. (alabamagermany.org)

Currently, Boynton serves as President of Alabama Association of Teachers of German chapter. She was named a 2013 Fund for Teachers Fellow and German Embassy Teacher of Excellence Award 2010.

Boynton earned a bachelor’s degree in German and minors in Latin and Japanese at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. She received a master’s degree in Germanic languages and literature from the University of Cincinnati.

Since 2012, she has taught at James Clemens. Previously, Boynton taught German at Grissom High School in Huntsville; Latin at Newtown High School in Connecticut; German and Latin at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Ind.; and German at Anderson High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In addition, Boynton worked as adjunct instructor of German at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. She was a teaching assistant for German at the University of Cincinnati.

To promote a cultural understanding of language, Boynton often serves as group leader to for student trips. She has led student entourages to German cities, London, Paris, Rome, Salzburg, Vienna and across Austria.

She was the 2011 recipient of Goethe Institut’s opening for two-week workshop in Germany with the theme “Freiburg to Hamburg.” She worked as a student teacher at Baumholder High School in Germany and was an exchange student at Philips-Universitat in Marburg, Germany.

To underscore the importance of language study, Dr. Brian Clayton, Principal at James Clemens, cited an article from billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban: “I personally think there’s going to be a greater demand in 10 years for liberal arts majors than there are for programming majors and maybe even engineering … Experts in philosophy or foreign languages will ultimately command the most interest from employers in the next decade.”