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

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.