Anfissa Kaschte (8b) wishes you a Merry Christmas!

We’ve all seen this scene somewhere before, haven’t we? The painting by eighth-grader Anfissa Sophia Kaschte depicts the wintery schoolyard at Steinmühle; the section of the building on the right, with its striking colors, provides definitive confirmation. “At some point, I’d seen a Christmas tree standing there, so I just placed some people next to it who could represent Steinmühle,” recalls the young artist. The painting, a combination of watercolor and colored pencil based on a pencil sketch, was completed in three hours during a class with art teacher Dr. Sabine Kraft. It received its final touches at Anfissa’s home: a little more acrylic paint… and the Steinmühle scene was adorned with snowflakes.

“At the beginning of fifth grade, I really intended to become an artist,” Anfissa recalls of how her love for painting began. As she grew older, that vision faded. Not because the many sketchbooks on the shelf at home no longer appealed to her, but because of the realization that she probably wouldn’t be able to make a living from it in the long run. Now, the eighth-grader says, her career goal is criminal law—and thus the legal profession—while “true crime” podcasts serve as a way to prepare. She listens to them alternately with music, out of interest and “for distraction.” And what does Anfissa do while listening? Paint, of course!