A cozy get-together, but also a time to say goodbye: The faculty’s annual summer party is a roller coaster of emotions

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The stress is melting away; after a long school year, summer vacation is just around the corner. The evening sun bathes the schoolyard in a warm, atmospheric light. The smell of the barbecue fills the air, and glasses clink. For the Steinmühle School Association, the annual summer festival on the last Thursday before summer vacation is a top priority.

To ensure that all colleagues can enjoy a wonderful evening, no expense or effort is spared, and a feast is served. Saying goodbye to colleagues is the only downside to this festive evening. “It would be even better without them,” you hear here and there. But everyone knows full well that part of this celebration is also recognizing the contributions of the employees who, for various reasons, will soon no longer be part of the Steinmühlen team.

Many former teachers are here tonight. Every year, quite a few of them take the opportunity to spend a few hours with the colleagues they worked with during their school days. Tonight, many of them are also here for Bernd Holly, who is retiring. The farewell ceremonies for the principal have been taking place at the Loop since early July, and he admits in his usual laid-back manner, “I’m done.”

Among the other colleagues leaving Steinmühle is Bella Gnodte. She will be working at blista in the future. “A creative, dedicated, and well-liked colleague”—Steinmühle regrets her departure. Victoria Kaster will also be teaching at a different elementary school in the future, which her colleagues find very unfortunate. Janine Küster, the principal of the Steinmühle Bilingual Elementary School, highlights Victoria Kaster’s “warm, loving nature” and describes her as someone “who took on every challenge.” “You were a true pillar of our elementary school,” adds Dr. Rainer Nietzke on behalf of the works council. “It’s really hard to see you go.”

Mathematics and physics teacher Julia Bernzen, née Riemenschneider, is moving to Hamburg in the far north for family reasons. She joined Steinmühle as a student teacher in the spring of 2016 and was offered a permanent contract. “You were always there whenever help was needed,” her colleagues recall of the popular teacher, who was equally well-regarded in conversations with parents, students, and her team. Julia Bernzen served as head of the mathematics department for some time and taught the subject at both the bilingual elementary school and the upper secondary level. Her colleagues concluded: “It was always a pleasure to work with you.”

After these tributes, a musical interlude seemed like the perfect choice. Ulrike Wilmsmeyer, Frank Wemme, Kristina Sokoli, Daniel Sans, and Anna Prokop sang a farewell canon.

Next up was Eberhard Wieth, a math and computer science teacher. Like Bernd Holly, he, too, is leaving Steinmühle to retire. Among other things, Principal Björn Gemmer highlighted his dedication to the StoneApp, which Eberhard Wieth had initiated as a “student package” in his computer science classes. Characteristic descriptions of the departing teacher included terms like “the cheerful bear,” but there were also memories of how it all began for Eberhard Wieth at Steinmühle. “I was your mentor,” recalled Constanze Oestreicher-Gold, head of the upper school, with a smile.

 

Actor David Bennent celebrated with the Steinmühle

Between speeches, performances, and a buffet prepared by the boarding school kitchen, school director Dirk Konnertz welcomed a very special guest: David Bennent. The professional actor, who rose to fame for his role in the film “The Tin Drum,” was at Steinmühle for the second time as an instructor for a workshop led by Ines Vielhaben and celebrated with the Steinmühle faculty.

Once again, there was music afterward. Kristina Sokoli, Anna Prokop, Daniel Sans, and Frank Wemme used their voices and instruments to express their appreciation for their departing colleagues and musically conveyed the message, “We will miss you.” As a new member of the school administration, Tobias Karlein then passed the baton back to Bernd Holly: “Over the past six months, you’ve been a role model to me in every way, and we’ve almost become friends.”

The outgoing principal admitted, “It’s difficult when you’re constantly getting standing ovations.” Saying goodbye had not been easy for him. Tenor Felix Müller, a Steinmühle high school graduate this summer and future student at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, began singing “Time to Say Goodbye.” The fact that Steinmühle not only wins awards for achievements in the natural sciences, math competitions, athletic successes, or reading skills, but also produces graduates who gain admission to a leading university for music, theater, and the visual arts, demonstrates once again just how well-rounded the school is.

Traditional Summer Concert to Mark the Start of the Last Week of School

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Every school year, the Steinmühle Summer Festival marks the start of the final week of classes before summer break with a musical celebration. Singers and musicians from various grade levels once again chose a beautiful summer day this year for their joint performance. Audience members from across the school community filled the entire auditorium and showed their appreciation for the performances with enthusiastic applause. Performers included the 5th-grade wind ensemble under the direction of Stephan Reissig, the 6th-grade wind ensemble under the direction of Andreas Jamin, Nina Marko on piano, the 6th-grade choir conducted by Anna Prokop and Daniel Sans, the 8th- and 9th-grade elective course (WU) “Musical” directed by Daniel Sans, and the Concert Band & Life conducted by Stephan Reissig. The Sound & Light elective class, led by Matthäus Otte and his team, ensured that everything ran smoothly from a technical standpoint.

Every school year, the Steinmühle Summer Festival marks the start of the final week of classes before summer break with a musical celebration. Singers and musicians from various grade levels once again chose a beautiful summer day this year for their joint performance. Audience members from across the school community filled the entire auditorium and showed their appreciation for the performances with enthusiastic applause. Performers included the 5th-grade wind ensemble under the direction of Stephan Reissig, the 6th-grade wind ensemble under the direction of Andreas Jamin, Nina Marko on piano, the 6th-grade choir conducted by Anna Prokop and Daniel Sans, the 8th- and 9th-grade elective course (WU) “Musical” directed by Daniel Sans, and the Concert Band & Life conducted by Stephan Reissig. The Sound & Light elective class, led by Matthäus Otte and his team, ensured that everything ran smoothly from a technical standpoint.

Fundamentals of Theatrical Storytelling: Students Read with Actor David Bennent

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“There’s more than one way to deliver a text. And that’s exactly what I tried to show the young people.” Actor David Bennent, known for his leading role in the film *The Tin Drum*, visited Steinmühle for the second time this semester. This time, a text by playwright Heiner Müller—specifically the play *Herakles 2 or the Hydra*—presented a challenge for the young people, “and it was exciting to see how they handled it,” Bennent reported. Of course, the actor explained, how well the engagement with texts goes always depends on interest. At first, the focus was on the basics of theatrical storytelling. There were exercises and an introduction to the approach, centered on the question of what language actually means. “Incidentally, it worked even for those who had said they couldn’t read a text like that,” the professional said, delighted by their shared successes.

“I really enjoy being in Marburg at the Steinmühle,” David Bennent said at the end of the two-day project, which was led by Ines Vielhaben. The actor lives in Berlin and is currently filming a crime drama in Switzerland.

Upcycling—a matter of survival for future generations

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For some time now, the Spanish teachers at Steinmühle—Victoria Perez, Laura Cubillas, Mar Montenegro, and María Ramos—have been exploring the topic of upcycling to introduce students to this field. The question at hand was how to create new objects using existing resources. “In our view, this will be a matter of survival for future generations,” María Ramos explains in this context. The teachers are now giving the school community a glimpse into the students’ activities through photos from the workshop. Using items that at first glance seemed more like “trash,” the students have created all sorts of treasures, demonstrating great creativity through their imagination and skill. “Truly amazing achievements,” praise the teachers, who were delighted by the participants’ thoughtful, self-reflective approach and also by how satisfied the students themselves were with their own efforts in the end. The activities took place at the end of the school year as part of the Society, Ecology, and Communication (GÖK) project days.

Abitur 2023: Time flies when you’re having fun

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2023 High School Graduation Ceremonies: First Use of the Renovated Gymnasium

A proud graduating class is leaving Steinmühle: proud of having the highest Abitur score in the school’s history, proud of their sense of community, proud of their classmate who has just received a “fresh” acceptance to the Mozarteum in Salzburg, proud of a classmate’s Social Award for so much volunteer work that one wonders when she even had time for school. The graduates can also be proud that they were the first class in a long time to celebrate the evening on their own grounds—namely, in the renovated gym. But this graduating class has a very special bond with Principal Bernd Holly. Both they and he are leaving Steinmühle for good. The young people are heading out into the world, while Bernd Holly is retiring. Such is the passage of time.

What is time? Björn Gemmer, the remaining member of the school’s former co-principal team, made this the topic of his speech at the high school graduation ceremony. To the surprise and delight of the audience, he began his speech with the first verse and the chorus of Udo Jürgens’ 44-year-old song “1000 Jahre sind ein Tag” (1,000 Years Are a Day), ultimately noting how well such an old song—in terms of its message—still fits into today’s world, but also to the graduates’ school careers.

The principal praised his colleagues for sparking the students’ curiosity as early as the lower and middle grades about a wide variety of topics—many of which, across different subjects, often centered on the theme of time, whether it was the time project in 6th grade or, later on, the classification of historical periods in history or art classes.

According to philosophical theories, the secret to one’s individual perception of time lies in the answer to the question of how fulfilling a period of time is—and the answer as to why those nine years had simply flown by so quickly was quickly found: “Because they were so fulfilling.”

As part of the morning program—which included speeches by students Paul Martin and Linda Hübl, interspersed with musical performances—certificates were handed out following the tutorials, accompanied by brief remarks from the tutors, and awards were presented. What a celebration!

Of course, these results—and the individual achievements that each person defined for themselves—had to be celebrated. On this hot summer day, the evening was celebrated as airily as possible in the renovated gym: doors open for a light breeze, the buffet set up outside in the pavilion—with a delicious selection of food that left everyone in awe. What a fantastic kitchen team—the boarding school staff! The relaxed program, which included the graduates’ tributes to all the tutors, provided opportunities for breaks in between—for conversations at tables and in small groups around the grounds—and for taking a deep breath, especially when some of the speeches and the appreciation expressed in them truly touched the heart.

It is virtually impossible to give all the speakers, those presenting awards, and the honorees the attention they deserve in a single article. However, it’s safe to say that the graduation ceremony took place in a fitting setting. This marked a successful first attempt at holding this important day in the renovated sports hall instead of in a tent or an expensively rented venue. School Director Dirk Konnertz said, “We are planning a suitable usage concept for this hall that will also make other events possible.”

Friends of the School Association Donates a Garden Shed to the Elementary School and Sponsors Figurines

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The Steinmühle Bilingual Elementary School is a place where not only students thrive personally and academically. Various plants also thrive on the adjacent school garden. You can practically watch various types of vegetables grow: tomatoes, carrots, pumpkins, and more are tended and cared for by the respective fourth-grade class.

The boys and girls enjoy working outdoors. Equipped with the appropriate gardening tools, they sow, plant, hoe, and water as needed—all under the guidance of teacher Lisa Forchheim. Along the way, they learn that vegetables don’t grow in the supermarket and that it takes a lot of work and patience before they can be harvested.

 

Partnership with the GemüseAckerdemie

These activities are capped off by a collaboration with the GemüseAckerdemie in Berlin. Over the course of three sessions, the group will discuss where our food comes from together with so-called “Acker-Coaches.”

This educational segment is part of the field of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), to which Steinmühle is increasingly dedicating its efforts. “The Friends of Steinmühle are very happy to support these activities,” explains Chairwoman Jasmine Weidenbach. To ensure the children are well-equipped for their outdoor activities, can safely store their gardening tools, and have them quickly at hand next time, the Friends of Steinmühle donated a garden shed to them. For the key handover, members of the Friends’ board posed for a photo with the children. The elementary school students expressed their gratitude with a thank-you card they designed together. As one might expect, the card was not only signed by all the participants but also featured a carrot design to match the theme.

 

More figures for the entryway

Throughout the school year, the Friends of Steinmühle Association regularly supports additional projects; due to their sheer number, only a few can be highlighted here. For example, the association also contributed to the sculptures at the entrance to the Steinmühle campus, which symbolize the school’s colorful and diverse community. Here, too, the Friends took a group photo to commemorate the occasion, which also features a very special guest at Steinmühle: actor David Bennent, the lead actor in the classic film *The Tin Drum*, who was supporting a project at Steinmühle for the second time this year.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone whose dedication consistently makes our school life something truly special!

 

Very positive response to Spanish Day

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To make up for the canceled Spanish exchange program, Spanish teachers Mar Montenegro, Laura Cubillas, and María Ramos celebrated a Spanish Day with the students in classes 9a, 9b, and 9c who are learning Spanish. As part of the event, the group went on a scavenger hunt in Spanish through the Marburg Art Museum.

During this event, the students were to learn from a Colombian art historian about Colombia’s regional art and its development over the past few centuries, and to engage directly with the museum’s artworks that had particularly caught their attention that day. At the end of the field trip, the group had a picnic in the old botanical garden.
María Ramos summed up the day on a positive note: “The students’ feedback was so positive that we are considering making this field trip a regular part of the department’s curriculum.”

An evening of hard work and lots of fun—Steinmühle is participating in the 24th Marburg Night Marathon

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Students, teachers, boarding school staff, and even four alumni—with twelve relay teams and one half-marathon finisher, a total of 49 runners competed for Steinmühle. This made Steinmühle the largest group of runners at the 24th Marburg Night Marathon. But once again this year, organizers Patric Hahn and Björn Gemmer weren’t focused on setting records—neither in terms of the number of participants nor in terms of finishing times. The relay teams were a diverse mix, and the focus was on camaraderie. Waiting for one another at the relay handoffs or in the university stadium, cheering each other on, and “pushing each other to the limit” were defining moments of this wonderful shared experience among the various groups within the school and boarding school community. Principal Björn Gemmer reports: “We first entered Steinmühle relay teams in 2014. So, after the two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, this year marked Steinmühle’s eighth participation. I was particularly pleased to meet many former Steinmühle students at the starting line and in the university stadium who had organized their participation on their own. Some of them told me that they have such fond memories of the event from their time at Steinmühle that they now run in it every year. It seems we’ve started something worthwhile.”

 
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Do you have questions about the school?

School Administration & Management

Björn Gemmer & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-20

schule@steinmuehle.de

Do you have questions about the boarding school?

Boarding School Administration & Management

Anke Muszynski & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-0

internat@steinmuehle.de

Do you have questions about the school?

School Administration & Management

Björn Gemmer & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-20

schule@steinmuehle.de

Do you have questions about the boarding school?

Boarding School Administration & Management

Anke Muszynski & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-0

internat@steinmuehle.de

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