Farewells and Praise at the Summer Festival: “Applause for everyone who achieves the impossible”

The faculty’s summer party, held on the last Thursday before summer break, is a roller coaster of emotions: a sigh of relief that everyone has made it through another year, but also a moment of reflection as teachers leave Steinmühle.

First of all, a big round of applause: The food at this event was once again absolutely delicious! One thing we can say right off the bat as a summary of this school year is this: Whenever the boarding school kitchen on campus provided the meals—it was fantastic!

Under these circumstances, the end of the school year got off to a splendid start. Although there was a touch of sadness as the farewells began. It was time to say goodbye to Johanna Zuschlag, who had helped out as a teacher for half a year and is now heading to Sweden. A heartfelt thank you went to Max Rubrecht, who—according to principals Björn Gemmer and Bernd Holly—“was not only reliable in his subjects of physical education and math, but could also be counted on for any task.” Those present said “Goodbye,” “Thank you very much,” and “Farewell” to Jolanta Hilbert after eight years on the Steinmühle cleaning team.

Charlotte Stroh’s colleagues expressed their hope that this would not be a permanent farewell. She teaches math and Spanish, and Spain will be her home for the next 12 months.

For Günter Eschenbrenner, who was unable to attend the farewell celebration for health reasons, his colleagues had prepared a special farewell ceremony. Led by Daniel Sans, those present sang a song for the Greek and Latin teacher—who also holds a teaching certification in ethics—and recorded it: “Gaudeamus igitur”! It was an original idea and a gesture through which everyone conveyed their best wishes for his recovery.

An exceptionally large number of warm farewell messages, tributes, and gifts were given to a teacher who, after 28 years and three months, is leaving Steinmühle to begin her retirement: Jeannine Walter. This multitalented language specialist—head of the Languages and Arts Department and a teacher of English, French, and Italian—was honored with praise and expressions of respect from the school administration and management, as well as from numerous colleagues: The mother of two, who once completed her teaching internship at Steinmühle with a grade of 1.0, had earned a reputation at Steinmühle as a fighter who always prioritized professionalism. “Respected and feared,” she tackled pedagogically challenging tasks and was regarded as demanding, extremely organized, energetic, and assertive. With a twinkle in their eyes, colleagues recounted Jeannine Walter’s nickname, “Master of the Raster”—everything had to be in a logical and understandable order at all times. Many said they had learned a great deal from Jeannine Walter and ultimately concluded that saying goodbye weighed heavily on their hearts, as today they had to bid farewell to a colleague who was not only capable but also very warm-hearted.

Jeannine Walter expressed her gratitude for the numerous gifts and the “fireworks of ideas that had been set off in her honor.” She said that at the Steinmühle, she had not only learned an incredible amount herself, but had also experienced a tremendous sense of camaraderie among her colleagues. Jeannine Walter: “Many friendships have developed that enrich my life.”

At the end of the evening, school director Dirk Konnertz thanked everyone present for an eventful year: “A round of applause for everyone who achieves the impossible.” Konnertz directed this message to the administrative office, to Till Buurman in his dual role as IT specialist and photographer, to Cornelia Oestreicher-Gold for “pulling off the Abitur,” and to Marcel Kalb, Lisa Ebinger, and Lothar Potthoff for their dedication to sports, particularly girls’ soccer. He also extended his thanks to the boarding school, specifically to Director Thomas Hoffmann for the fruitful collaboration. The final praise of the evening went to the head of lower secondary school, Frank Wemme: “A master of organization.”