Successfully passed the Entrepreneur's License exam - Steinmühle

Successfully passed the Entrepreneur’s License exam

Contests & Awards, News, Politics, Business & Responsibility

During the 2018–19 school year, five E-Phase students at Steinmühle took advantage of the new opportunity to earn their Entrepreneur’s License. They have now received their certificates. Aline and Chantal Harder, Fynn Konnertz, Jonas Neirich, and Moses Walther rose to the challenge—pictured here with their teacher Erno Menzel and Principal Bernd Holly.

The Entrepreneur’s License is based on a program offered by the e-learning provider bit media in collaboration with the student learning platform LONA Education. The exam is administered by the Academy for Business and Logistics.

Knowledge was acquired in the following areas and successfully demonstrated through three corresponding exams:

Basic Economics
Basic Economics
Basic Business Management / The Business Plan
The students received the Entrepreneur’s Skills Certificate (ESC) Module C.

The Entrepreneur’s License is taught in several modules, each of which concludes with a certification exam. It is an internationally recognized business certification.

27. August 2019

Building a Community: The Field Trips Organized by Steinmühle Boarding School

Class Trips, Field Trips, and School Outings, Life at Boarding School, News

The Steinmühle boarding school community got off to a great start in the new 2019/2020 school year: The first week of school went well, and now it’s finally time for the house trips.

The first boarding school weekend of the school year is traditionally dedicated to building community and fostering teamwork within the house groups. It’s simply a matter of stepping off campus on purpose to get to know the new residential community better in a small group setting. Each residential team finds a suitable location for its students to participate in activities together that help transform a group of people—some of whom are still strangers to one another—into a cohesive residential community. During this weekend, academic pressure is deliberately set aside, with the focus instead on the joy of being together.

And so, last weekend, the six separate residential groups set out on short trips to various destinations across Germany.

A Wild Roller-Coaster Ride with the Biohaus at Europa-Park in Rust

The Biohaus organized an adventure-filled weekend at Europa-Park in Rust for the boarding school’s youngest students. On the border with France, the residential group camped right outside the park’s gates with a view of the various attractions. The students were already looking forward to the weekend on the day they arrived, enjoying a barbecue with a panoramic view of the park. On Saturday, the big day finally arrived: With perfect weather, they made the most of the roller coasters and shows, and in the evening, they wrapped up their action-packed day with a relaxing meal at a restaurant.

Ladies in Schöningen: Hessenhaus Takes a Stroll Through the City Galerie

The residential group, now under new educational leadership, settled in comfortably in Schöningen, on the border with Saxony-Anhalt. The newly formed Hessenhaus is once again an all-girls residential group this school year. What could have been better than a weekend of shopping at the City Galerie in Wolfsburg, followed by pizza and a movie to round off the weekend together?

Culture and Leisure: Mühle Enjoys Heidelberg’s Rich Cultural Heritage

The residents of the Mühle first enjoyed the beautiful view from Heidelberg Castle of the sunny Neckar Valley before strolling together through the streets of the Old Town and shopping to their hearts’ content. And to make sure the boys from the Mühle were thoroughly exhausted after such a weekend, they headed back to the Miramar swimming pool on Sunday. Every slide fan got their fill here: the Hurricane Loop and the Typhoon Slide gave the Mühle boys one last serious adrenaline rush before they headed back to the boarding school grounds.

The Steinmühle’s roller-coaster ride continues: Its flagship location at Phantasialand

The main group had a blast at Phantasialand near Cologne in perfect weather and threw themselves into the thrilling rides. After all the thrills and excitement of the day, the group relaxed at the campground at Rhine kilometer 681. Barbecuing right on the picturesque banks of the Rhine, students and teachers alike were able to enjoy the weekend as the sun set.

Ammersee and Andechs Abbey for the Westfalenhaus

When boarding schools support and cooperate with one another, something wonderful can happen: Landheim Schondorf gave the nearly 30 students and teachers from Westfalenhaus the opportunity to stay overnight free of charge in the beautiful facilities of the Upper Bavarian boarding school. As a result, the soon-to-be high school graduates from Steinmühle were able to spend a lovely weekend on Lake Ammersee and enjoy a cozy dinner and drinks in the evenings at Andechs Abbey.

Team-Building on a Raft at the Bremerhaus

The Bremerhaus, a brand-new residential group under new educational leadership, came together for the raft-building project at the Vingst outdoor natural swimming pool in Cologne. While the group had fought fiercely during the day to build the best—and above all, the most stable—raft, by evening all rivalries were forgotten: And so, during a cozy barbecue at the Germania Rowing Club’s facility in Düsseldorf, they laughed late into the night over the most spectacular (water) stories in the best Rhineland tradition.

27. August 2019

A Milestone: Bilingual Elementary School Opens

Bilingual Elementary School, News

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.

16. August 2019

Steinmühle Boarding School: A Gentle Start in a New Environment

Life at Boarding School, News, Uncategorized

“We’re both named Nils. But…you’ll figure it out.” With a wink, boarding school director Nils Schwandt welcomes a new boarding student on Sunday afternoon. The teenager grins mischievously, now knowing that Nils Schwandt and his colleague Nils Zeller are the house directors of the main dormitory. He’ll be moving into his room there shortly. It will be his home for the school year, which begins the next day. The other new arrivals are doing the same: getting their bearings in their new living and learning environment. They come from Munich, Jena, but also from South Korea and China. The Steinmühle boarding school currently has 79 children and teenagers and is thus continuing to expand. Exactly one year ago, the Biohaus on the Steinmühle campus was inaugurated as an additional residence for boarding students.

Additional Housing: The Bremerhaus

Recently, the Bremerhaus has also become housing for boarding school students. The group of unaccompanied minor refugees in this building was disbanded at the end of the school year; three of the refugees continue to live in the boarding school and are now preparing for their Abitur exams. “An example of successful integration,” says Francine Olschewski. The dorm director—like “Nils & Nils”—is a long-standing member of the teaching staff. “Some staff members are new to the faculty,” she says, adding, “We’ve restructured.”

A New Chapter in Life

Boarding school director Anke Muszynski fulfills the final individual requests of the new arrivals. Something is still missing here; something else needs to be taken care of there. For this dedicated and energetic educator, who dashes back and forth attentively, “service” is more than just a word.

In a few words, without any long-winded speeches, Anke Muszynski introduces the teaching staff to the new students and their parents. Some students are accompanied by their grandparents as well. It’s quite a big step for these young people to send their loved ones home alone shortly afterward. The atmosphere in the dining hall, with coffee, cake, and fruit, is relaxed and not at all wistful. Parents strike up conversations with other parents at the round tables. A new chapter in life is beginning—for everyone! So everyone is a little excited, “including us,” says Francine Olschewski. But she also knows: “Later, that is, tonight, everything will be just as usual.”

Getting to Know Each Other

The next morning is “business as usual.” That’s when classes begin, with students heading to the renovated main building or the newly constructed atrium. The upcoming weekend will be all about the so-called “ house trips.” The individual residential groups will go on outings to get to know each other better.

The main campus, for example—the group centered around “Nils & Nils”—is heading to Cologne. As part of this trip, they’ll also visit Phantasialand. But there won’t be any boredom later on at the Steinmühlen campus either. A wide variety of sports activities and the natural surroundings offer entertainment and learning in a comfortable atmosphere.

15. August 2019