At the start of the new school year this August, the annual house trips took place once again, providing the entire boarding school community with wonderful weekends. The boarding school’s four houses traveled to various corners of the state, with the Hessenhaus even venturing beyond the state’s borders.

This year, the Hessenhaus headed to Maastricht in the Netherlands. There, the students, together with the teaching staff, were able to enjoy the first weekend of the school year in a small house belonging to the local Nature Friends group. After arriving, everyone first refueled with a hearty barbecue buffet and rounded out the evening with games and conversation. On Saturday, a rafting trip was on the agenda. The Dutch waters were kind to the brave water enthusiasts, “in some parts we even had to work together to fight against the wind,” says Helena Goelden, director of the Hessenhaus. After a few hours, they had completed the 14-kilometer journey; exhausted yet proud, everyone celebrated a fellow resident’s birthday. They wrapped up Sunday with a city tour and a bit of shopping, then returned to the Steinmühle full of new impressions and ready to tackle the coming school year.

This year, the group headed to the nearby Rhön region. “After a rainy day of travel, we were rewarded with sunshine on Saturday at the summit of the Wasserkuppe, Hesse’s highest mountain. We watched the takeoffs and landings at Germany’s legendary and oldest glider airfield and toured the old radar tower with its interesting and fascinating history dating back to the Cold War era.
A short hike, a visit to a summer toboggan run, and a quick trip to the city of Fulda with its Baroque past rounded out the second day. “On Sunday, we hiked to the legendary Milseburg and its ruins on another high peak of the Rhön, and then began our journey home to the boarding school,” says Marco Lüddecke, house director at Die Mühle, describing the trip.

The main group drove to Movie Park in Bottrop-Kirchhellen, where they stayed at a cozy campground near the park. After they had pitched their tents and fired up the grill, a rain shower forced them to turn in early, so everyone had to retreat to their tents, feeling rather downcast.

On Saturday at Movie Park, it turned out that the rides are themed. It all started with a nerve-wracking 3D dinosaur expedition in search of Dr. Carter. Actually, the caregivers and residents from the main facility had intended to find the Star Trek crew, but they had gone to the wrong entrance. So the space crew’s rescue mission would have to wait. After a downpour on the wooden roller coaster, the group decided to skip the whitewater ride, but they didn’t let the weather dampen their spirits. A few rides on the Freefall Tower for the very brave, as well as a quick ride through Van Helsing’s realm, made the time fly by. The day wrapped up with a ride on the “Wilde Maus.”

The guys from the main branch wrapped up the day at a pizzeria in Gladbeck that managed to feed the hungry crowd on the fly, even without a reservation. Exhausted from adrenaline rushes and stuffed with cheese and dough, they all fell into their sleeping bags.

“All in all, it was a wonderful trip. There was a good mix of group activities and smaller groups that formed on their own. Even the changeable weather didn’t slow us down on the rides,” sums up Lucia Jorno, director of the main facility.

Much like the main campus, the Westfalenhaus also went on a camping trip, the highlight of which was a visit to an amusement park. The students’ destination was Rust in the Black Forest, where they set up their tents on Friday. During a group barbecue, the “Silverstar”—one of Europapark’s biggest attractions—was already visible in the background, getting the adrenaline-hungry crowd excited for their upcoming visit to the park.

On Saturday, the group headed to the park at 9:00 a.m., after fueling up on scrambled eggs and bread. Just in time for the gates to open, the sun came out and made everyone’s day even better. After exploring the park’s various attractions to the fullest in small groups, everyone met up in the evening at the local restaurant—which, like the entire campground, has a Wild West theme—and enjoyed delicious hamburgers. A special highlight was the stage show presented in the saloon, which offered a variety of entertainment ranging from country music to a knife-throwing act and a sing-along.

Exhausted yet happy, everyone collapsed into their tents and soon fell asleep. The next morning, everyone worked together to take down the large group tents and set off back to Steinmühle.

The new students have quickly made friends in all four houses and have been well integrated into the community. Everyone is already really looking forward to the upcoming house trips!