Steinmühle Welcomes the New 5th-Grade Classes

At the orientation ceremony in the Forum for the 5th-grade classes, they rose somewhat hesitantly from their seats when it came time to be assigned to their classes: 5a, 5b, or 5c. However, the principal and teachers know from experience that it won’t take long before Steinmühle’s youngest high school students are moving around as if they’ve been at the Steinmühle campus for ages.

Every seat in the auditorium was taken—and those who couldn’t find a seat stood along the walls. Many of the new fifth-graders brought not only their parents but also their grandparents and siblings with them on their first day of school. To set the mood for this special day, the audience was treated to a special performance: The sixth-grade classes—who, it seemed, had only recently been in the newcomers’ shoes themselves—performed an excerpt from last year’s musical: spirited, rhythmic, and with powerful vocals, accompanied by the musical theater band. Teachers Ulrike Wilmsmeyer, Daniel Sans, and Frank Wemme ensured the professionalism of the performances.

After a brief welcome from principals Björn Gemmer and Bernd Holly and a few remarks from Gisela Opper about swimming lessons, it was time to divide the students into classes. The boys and girls in the hall were very excited to find out which teacher they would have—and, above all, which classmates they would be grouped with. The homeroom teachers—Almut Sersch, Dr. Rainer Nietzke, and Theresa Großer—called the individual students up to the stage before the entire groups headed off to Centrum 5/6 to take their places in their classrooms.

Meanwhile, parents and families enjoyed coffee, pastries, and conversation. Before heading home, the children received their Steinmühlen T-shirts from Jasmine Weidenbach (chairwoman) and Ilona Voigt-Laske, representatives of the Friends of the School Association. Many of the photographer’s pictures will certainly serve as lasting memories of this day for our new fifth graders.