A Milestone: Bilingual Elementary School Opens

The little girls and boys, some carrying large back-to-school gift bags, made it clear that something very special was happening on the Steinmühle campus on Monday: the students of the new bilingual elementary school program were starting school. For Steinmühle, this day marked the achievement of yet another milestone. The high school, boarding school, and bilingual elementary school are now all located on the same campus on Cappeler Steinmühlenweg.
It’s hard to say who was more excited: the students, their parents—or perhaps the teachers? At 2:00 p.m., elementary school students, parents, and family members took their seats in the rows of the auditorium.
It was now time for the team led by Elementary School Program Director Janine Neckenich to take the stage. Meanwhile, Steinmühlenschule Principal Björn Gemmer, Bernd Holly, and Dirk Konnertz, executive director of the school association, mingled with the audience. After a process spanning several years—from the initial idea to its implementation—they could finally sit back and relax, at least for this moment.
“I’d like to say thank you. We wouldn’t be here without you.” Janine Neckenich’s words were directed at them—and first and foremost at Principal Björn Gemmer, who had shouldered the bulk of the work involved in the application process. Now the Steinmühle Bilingual Elementary School could finally get off the ground. A momentous occasion.

Program item organized by 6th-grade classes

To help ease the excitement a bit, the 6th-grade classes performed an excerpt from their fantastic musical from last year, “Kwela Kwela.” This entertainment—by children, for children—helped break the ice a bit, and many were amazed by the vocal power and sense of rhythm displayed by the large group of performers. Older students, who are already well-known at Steinmühle for their musical performances with their instruments, hit all the right notes in every sense during their performance.

After the teaching team—consisting of Janine Neckenich, Hannah Achenbach, Lori Hermann, Nicole Johnson, and Miriam Kaps, had introduced themselves and presented not only their subjects but also their personal areas of focus and goals in a child-friendly manner, Janine Neckenich and her colleague Hannah Achenbach announced the class assignments. They are the homeroom teachers for the two Flex groups and then headed toward the Bremerhaus with their students. There, the first lesson took place right away in the two classrooms, which had been lovingly renovated, refurbished, and equipped over the summer break. “We prepared everything carefully,” Janine Neckenich revealed—and shortly afterward, the parents of Steinmühle’s youngest students were able to see this for themselves with amazement, after spending the interim time enjoying coffee, cake, and conversation. They were also invited to join the Steinmühle Support Association. Chairwoman Jasmine Weidenbach was on hand to answer any questions.

At the end of this exciting afternoon, after taking lots of photos during the event in the forum, there were also photos of the two classes together with their teachers: Look at the camera—try not to blink.

The youngest students at Steinmühle did a great job—they had just completed their first day of school. The entire school is delighted that the Steinmühle community has been enriched by yet another member.