Welcome to our school: We welcome the “first-graders” at our bilingual elementary school

“Nice to see you all!” With warm words and plenty of music, we welcomed the new students of our bilingual elementary school—along with their parents, grandparents, and relatives—to our school’s lovingly decorated auditorium. It was a big day for the 17 students from diverse international backgrounds! Over the next four years, Janine Küster, Lori Herrmann, and their team will prepare the boys and girls in two languages—English and German—for their secondary school careers, which will ideally lead them to Steinmühle’s rapidly growing International High School program.

The First Stage Performance

The morning’s program consisted of musical performances featuring both instruments and voices. As is tradition, the “older” children at the Steinmühle Bilingual Elementary School gave their younger classmates a warm welcome with songs and poems, and the excitement spread quickly. During Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Eine kleine Nachtmusik,” the audience—which included Principal Björn Gemmer—actively joined in, clapping, patting their hands, and stomping their feet. It was still a bit nerve-wracking for the youngest children on our campus, however, as they were called up to the stage one by one. But their homeroom teachers, Hannah Achenbach and Tobias Leisge, were already there waiting to welcome them. By the time the audience broke into a huge round of applause, the ice had completely melted.

Photos as a keepsake

To commemorate that morning—which will remain a very special day in the lives of each and every student—numerous photos were taken of the “first graders” themselves, their entire class, and their classmates’ performances on stage. Jasmine Weidenbach, the chairperson of the Steinmühle Support Association, even gave each and every one of them a personal gift.

We hope you all have a great time at the Steinmühle!