The joint Christmas celebration attended by students, parents, and the teaching staff is one of the annual highlights at Steinmühle Boarding School. About 150 guests enjoyed a varied and humorous evening in the Forum—exactly the kind of harmonious way to end the year one would hope for.

The evening opened with Chopin’s Étude, Op. 10, No. 3, performed by Jieni Zhang. This was followed by welcoming remarks from boarding school directors Anke Muszynski and Nils Schwandt, as well as from boarding school council members Lukas Kießling and Robert Mahl.

Felix Müller then captivated the audience with his voice and the song “Hört der Engel helle Lieder.” The audience then enjoyed a performance of “The Dancing Reindeer” by the residents of the Hessenhaus. The performance received a round of applause.

Residents of Westfalenhaus and Biohaus had prepared a performance of scenes from Shakespeare: The play “Romeo and Juliet” was impressively presented in a single act that served as both the first and last act. It wasn’t just Romeo’s adversary, Bodo, who surprised the audience.

There was plenty of movement during the dance performance by residents of the Stammhaus, Westfalenhaus, and Hessenhaus. The young people conveyed a good dose of spirit to the audience and captivated the spectators with their dance under black light.

Felix Müller can also do Johnny Cash—he proved that during the next part of the program with his performance of “Ring of Fire.” He was sure to receive a round of applause from the audience.

“Christmas Isn’t Really His Thing…” was the title residents of the main building gave to their performance, which was next on the program. With their sock puppets, they showed that even the biggest Christmas grouch can be won over by the spirit of the season.

Next, Viviana Leege and Laura Cluss performed “Run Run Rudolph” by Chuck Berry, earning a round of applause.

Fairy Tale Hour at the Westfalenhaus: “Cinderella with a Twist” was the title of the performance presented by the residents of the Westfalenhaus as the next item on the program, thus contributing to the “Fairy Tale Hour.”

After that, the focus returned to singing. Katharina Filin performed “Dancing On My Own” by Calum Scott.

To the applause of the audience, several residents of the Mühle invited everyone on a journey through the world of Christmas, before the song “Christmas Everyday” by Simple Plan—sung and performed by Selina Lu, Rachel Gu, Jieni Zhang, Chang Lu, Charles Zha, and Lena Schmeltzer—was presented on stage as the finale.

The evening had once again demonstrated the dedication and skill with which the students at Steinmühle Boarding School can create an evening that appeals to all the senses on a festive occasion like Christmas.

 

On December 17, a special workshop took place over the course of an entire afternoon at the Steinmühle Forum, reports Ulrike Wilmsmeyer from the Music Student Council:
Students in music courses E and Q were introduced to the basics of sound engineering by Walter Hauschild from Abbey Road Studio in Frankfurt. First, there was an extremely interesting introductory presentation on sound engineering, the training program, and a very comprehensive description of the job profile of a sound engineer in the field of popular music. Afterward, the students received a thorough introduction to working with microphones, mixing consoles, and sound effects. Afterward, they were able to work in groups of three using the mixing consoles brought in for the workshop and individually mix a given pop song. The results were listened to and discussed together as a group. It was a successful workshop that everyone thoroughly enjoyed.

Not only in the summer, but also during the cold season, musicians and singers from the Steinmühle gather to showcase their diverse talents in front of an audience at the Forum. Once again, many audience members accepted the invitation to the winter concert and were impressed by the progress the bands, choirs, and ensembles have made.

The 6th-grade wind ensemble, led by Andreas Jamin, opened the evening with the pieces “Key Lime Pie” and “My Heart Will Go On.” Next, the Swing & Sing club, led by Kim Kaletsch (10th grade) and Sarah Werner (9th grade), took the stage. The students in grades 5 and 6 put on a lively dance performance to the songs “Cooler than Me” (Lucky Luke) and “Shotgun” (George Esra). Next up was the jazz ensemble, led by Frank Wemme, which dazzled the audience with fantastic improvisations. They performed “Silent Night” and “We Three Kings.” Next up were the chamber musicians, also conducted by Frank Wemme. They delighted the audience with the piece “The Midnight Sun Will Never Set.”

 

Drums—a new musical genre at the Steinmühle

What a contrast right after that—a new musical genre at Steinmühle: It was the turn of the 10th-grade drum group, led by Kerstin Itzenhäuser! With the sounds of “Beat One” and “Samba Reggae,” things got really loud but incredibly rhythmic. Since the end of summer break, the school has owned the drums thanks to a donation from the booster club, making it possible for students to learn this musical instrument.

Following this impressive performance, the concert band, led by Stephan Reissig, performed the pieces “I’m a Believer” and “Camille”—the latter conducted by Karl Reissig, while Stephan Reissig captivated the audience with his warm tone on the solo trumpet.

The high school choir, with about 100 singers, brought the concert evening to a close. They were accompanied by a compelling band consisting of Olaf Roth on piano, Frank Wemme on bass, Fynn Konnertz on guitar, and Aaron Ruff on drums.

The songs “With or Without You” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” were performed in an impressive manner by 14 tenors! Bennet Meier captivated the audience with his beautiful voice during his solo performance of “Ohne Dich,” originally by the band Rammstein.

The evening, which had been engagingly hosted by 11th-graders Tom Herfert, Fynn Konnertz, and Samuel Ruff, came to a close with the song “Don’t Stop Believin’”—a performance that drew a full house to the Steinmühle and earned the performers enthusiastic applause.

 

Christmas is just around the corner—and it’s unmistakably evident at Steinmühle Boarding School: the residential groups have set up Advent calendars and Christmas trees, and string lights and Christmas decorations are glowing in the schoolyard.

In addition, preparations for the Christmas party are in full swing. It will take place on Saturday, December 15. All the students are already looking forward to enjoying this day together with their families. Once again, the cultural program for the Christmas party promises to make for an atmospheric and exciting evening together.

In addition to the traditional napkin-folding for the Christmas party, Steinmühle Boarding School’s pre-Christmas activities in the coming days will also include a sporting event that is popular with many: a group ice-skating outing in Frankfurt.

 

University and Marburg School Sign Cooperation Agreement

Philipps University of Marburg and the Steinmühle High School and Bilingual Elementary School have signed a cooperation agreement. Principal Björn Gemmer and University President Prof. Dr. Katharina Krause signed the agreement.

“We view the collaboration between our two educational institutions as a cornerstone for further development in our respective fields,” explains Principal Björn Gemmer. The school and the university plan to work even more closely together in the future. The primary focus is on responding to the growing and evolving challenges facing both the school and the university.

The goal of the partnership between the school and the university is the joint advancement and improvement of quality in schools and teacher education. Steinmühle and Philipps University have agreed to a continuous exchange of theoretical, experiential, and practical knowledge for the joint conceptual development of teacher education, particularly in the areas of teaching practicums and school development projects.

The Steinmühle enables the Center for Teacher Education (ZfL) at Philipps University of Marburg to conduct research on learning theory and subject-specific pedagogy in the use of digital media in the classroom as part of the introduction of tablet-based instruction starting in 7th grade. The research findings are shared with the school so that they can be incorporated into the further development of the curriculum. The collaboration also includes professional development for teachers, on the one hand, and internships for student teachers at Philipps University, on the other.

The Center for Teacher Education supports the mentors at Steinmühle during student teaching placements and offers specialized training courses on mentoring. For the duration of the partnership, the Steinmühle Bilingual Elementary School and High School will hold the title “Partner School of Philipps University of Marburg.” The agreement is initially valid for five years.

Caption: Annette Huppert, Executive Director of the Center for Teacher Education at Philipps University (from left), Bernd Holly, principal of Steinmühle School, Björn Gemmer, principal of Steinmühle School, and Prof. Dr. Thomas Nauss, director of the Center for Teacher Education, holding the plaque designating Steinmühle as a partner school of the university.