Enthusiastic About the Mountains: Steinmühle Boarding School's Ski Trip Is Growing in Popularity - Steinmühle

Enthusiastic About the Mountains: Steinmühle Boarding School’s Ski Trip Is Growing in Popularity

Zell am See was the destination for 14 boarding school students in grades 6 through 13 who had signed up for a group ski trip. This was the fourth time the Steinmühle Boarding School had hit the slopes, and Zell am See was a first for them. The description of the accommodations—“a youth hostel right on the lake and just a few minutes from the Schmittenhöhe ski area”—had sounded promising. Suffice it to say, it lived up to expectations!

Accompanied by boarding school teachers Patric Hahn and Nils Schwandt, the group set off for their destination in two Steinmühle buses on the last day of February.

It takes a few hours to get from central Germany to the Pinzgau region in Austria. So they had a döner for dinner, but then it was time to check into their rooms—and soon it was lights out for the Steinmühlen students.

Let’s Go Skiing in the Sun Together

The next morning, a Friday, after breakfast at the youth hostel, the plan was to rent skis and pick up our ski passes. Then we took the AreitXPress gondola up to the Schmittenhöhe ski area. — What’s everyone’s skill level on the slopes? Who goes in which group? To figure that out and assign everyone to a group, we all took a test run together. In sunny weather, the Steinmühlen team hit the slopes.

Of course, exercising in the fresh air soon made everyone hungry. And despite being warned about the steep prices, the students ordered a midday snack. The delicious meal turned out to be a really expensive surprise for many, so that by the second day of skiing, most of them decided to take advantage of the free packed lunch offer after all.

Back at the hostel, dinner and group games were on the agenda later that evening. Favorites included “Lügenmäxchen” and the good old game “Mensch ärgere dich nicht.” Everyone also realized that they had a lot to share with one another!

Waltz or drive in reverse

The next day, Saturday, the group encountered mixed weather. The plan for the day was to head to the neighboring Kaprun glacier ski area. There, they tried their first jumps in the snow park. Other students were given special tasks by Patric: waltzing on skis, skiing backward—or a lesson in carving, true to the motto: “Skiing is all about turning.”

In the afternoon, the weather became very stormy, and the Kitzsteinhorn ski resort was closed before the end of its regular daily operating hours. — This was a unique experience for some participants, who had never before seen this measure become necessary. On Saturday evening, games were once again on the agenda.

The weather can change quickly in the mountains—and so, the next day, Sunday, the blue sky was shining again! We headed back to the Kaprun glacier ski area, and at the end of the day on the slopes, the group enjoyed a little “après-ski” in the sun. The evening was once again spent playing games in the common room—not a trace of boredom!

Everyone wanted to stay a little longer

The young people were so taken with the slopes in the glacier area that they were back there again on Monday morning. Unfortunately, they then had to return the rented equipment and get changed—it was time to head back to Marburg.

The ski trip to Austria was a complete success: rustic accommodations, good and hearty food, snow, and great weather. There was only one reason why everyone was sad when it came to an end: the students from the Steinmühle boarding school would have loved to stay one more day.

So the motto for the trip ended up being “With a little room to grow.” That applied to the game “Lügenmäxchen,” it applied to skiing—and it certainly applied to the length of our stay as well.

25. March 2024

Akaash Bhagwat Wins State Championship in Physics

Contests & Awards, News, STEM, Talent Development

Huge joy for the team of advisors—Dr. Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf, Sven Freibert—and the entire Steinmühle community: Last weekend, 12-year-old Akaash Bhagwat, a student in our International High School Program, won first place in physics at the state-level “Schüler experimentieren” competition held at the University of Kassel! Akaash took an in-depth look at how to combine environmental protection and cost savings when it comes to batteries. He analyzed over a hundred used batteries and discovered that they still contain a considerable amount of residual energy. This inspired him to make a large portion of that residual energy usable again using a voltage converter. Among other things, he modified a 4.5V flashlight—which is normally powered by three 1.5V batteries—so that it can now run on a single used battery.

Several factors led the jury to award first place to our 6i student: the high social relevance of the project, the comprehensive and systematic analysis, and the visually appealing and informative presentation of the results. The experts were so impressed by Akaash’s work that, in addition to the prize money, they awarded him the Special Prize for Energy Efficiency and the Environment as well as the Special Prize for Resource Efficiency. Our photos show the student at his desk and at the award ceremony alongside state competition director Eva Kretzer. The older students will compete this Thursday in the state “Jugend forscht” competition, which will take place at Merck in Darmstadt. We’re keeping our fingers crossed and will later summarize the projects of all participants in a comprehensive report.

“Jugend forscht” and “Schüler experimentieren” Hesse State Competition 2024
Awards Ceremony March 16, 2024 Ing.-Schule, University of Kassel
Photo: Andreas Fischer
andreasfischerkassel@gmx.de
Tel. 0172 56 37 017
Tiessenstrasse 5
34134 Kassel

21. March 2024

“Youth Research”/”Students Experiment”: Steinmühle Dominated the Regional Competition

Contests & Awards, News, STEM, Talent Development

Steinmühle was the only high school in Marburg to take first place in the regional “Jugend forscht” competition—and it did so four times. It also won two second-place finishes, as well as special awards and a mentor award.

Used batteries—too good to throw away? With this research project, Akaash Bhagwat, a 6th-grade student at the Steinmühle International High School, won first place in the physics category in the “Students Experiment” subcategory, as well as a day-long field trip with a guided tour at Feig Electronics in Weilburg.

Natural UV filters—an alternative? Anna-Lena Griesler (8th grade), Maya Fischer, and Justus Pöschl (both 7th grade) explored this question in their chemistry class and, as the best interdisciplinary project, also won the regional competition in the same category.

On March 15–16, both teams will head to the University of Kassel for the state competition.

“The Muffin of the Future—0% Egg, 100% Vegan” was the title of the project by Lotta Funk, Lotti Jarosch, and Evin Kaya from 6th grade, for which the trio won second place in the “Working World” category.

Plus-MINT boarding school students took first place
Water Analysis 2.0: Development of an Autonomous, Low-Cost Boat for Determining Water Quality— this is the title of the project by students at the plus-MINT Boarding School Steinmühle: Luis Gerloni, Fabian Sotonica, and Clara Steiner (12th grade). With their work, the young researchers took first place in the field of space and earth sciences. This project was developed in collaboration with Dr. Christoph Reudenbach from the Department of Geography at Philipps University of Marburg.

Plastic wrap made from crab shells—is that possible? Leonard Berger, Quentin Herwig (both 11th grade), and Clara Steiner (12th grade) focused on chitosan films, since chitosan is a waste product and its production therefore does not require any farmland. With their project on this topic, the three students won first place in the “Working World” category and were delighted to receive the additional special prize: a day at the magical Makerspace Gießen.

On March 20 and 21, these teams will compete in the state round of the “Jugend Forscht” competition at Merck in Darmstadt.

“Nettles and More—Natural Insulation Materials for Heat and Sound ” was the name of the project for which Toshiro Beato del Rosal (9th grade), Leontin Schmidt (10th grade), and Paul Fischer (9th grade) won second place in the Technology category and also received the special prize for renewable raw materials.

All of Steinmühle’s projects were led—depending on their subject focus—by Steinmühle’s STEM advisory team, consisting of Dr. Sven Freibert, Jonathan Gröb, Antje Seel, Dr. Patrick Szabo, and Dr. Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf, who supervised no fewer than five projects.

The competition, which proved so successful for Steinmühle, was ultimately capped off with a special award for particularly dedicated project supervisors: Dr. Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf, who is responsible at Steinmühle for coordinating the STEM subjects—mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, and technology—as well as for supporting gifted students in these fields—will travel to Lemgo for a three-day networking event, which will include visits to InnovationsSPIN and Lernfabrik 4.0.

14. March 2024

100 Days at the Bilingual Elementary School: That calls for a celebration!

Bilingual Elementary School, Events & Celebrations, News

It’s just part of the routine and is marked in the calendar in big, bright red: the celebration for Flex Classes A and B at our bilingual elementary school after 100 school days! On that date—last Wednesday—as a change of pace from regular classes, there were brain teasers of all sizes, games of skill, writing and physical activities—all taking place in the classrooms and on the schoolyard. For this event, the elementary school teachers had come up with many great stations, which the students completed following a checklist. The lively morning celebration ended with everyone sharing a large cake. A detailed report on the celebration for our youngest students will be featured in the next issue of SteinmühlenMagazin.

13. March 2024

Isabella Kuhl (5a) Succeeds at the Math Olympiad

Contests & Awards, News, STEM

With a spectacular performance, Isabella Kuhl from Class 5a won third prize in the second round of the Math Olympiad. Math teacher Maximilian Moll shared this wonderful news. Steinmühle extends its congratulations!

About the event: The Mathematics Olympiad is an annual nationwide competition for all math enthusiasts in grades 3 through 13 and is sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Stifterverband. It has a tradition dating back to the 1961–62 school year and attracts over 200,000 participating students each year.

The Math Olympiad offers all interested students the opportunity to demonstrate and further develop their exceptional abilities in mathematics. The competition, which is organized by age group, features challenging problems starting in 3rd grade and requires logical thinking, the ability to see patterns, and a creative approach to mathematical methods. Participation in the competition often inspires students to engage with mathematics far beyond the scope of their classroom instruction.

11. March 2024

Liam, Yunus, Daniel, and Jonathan impressed at the Informatik-Biber competition

Contests & Awards, News, STEM

Steinmühle once again achieved great success in the “Informatik-Biber” competition. Computer science teacher Nicole Scholtes (left) presented certificates to (from left) Liam Randau, Yunus Götz, Daniel Carle, and Jonathan Kirschning. The Informatik-Biber is Germany’s largest student competition in the field of computer science. Students in grades 3 through 13 are eligible to participate. Since 2007, the Informatik-Biber has been promoting digital thinking in Germany through real-world, everyday tasks. In the process, participants discover the fascination and relevance of computer science methods. At the Informatik-Biber, even young students encounter the versatility of computer science in a playful and natural way. The Informatik-Biber has been in existence since 2006. In the most recent competition, 401,737 students participated. Students in 7th grade and above complete 15 tasks in 40 minutes. The Informatik-Biber takes place once a year in November and lasts for two school weeks. Our illustration shows a sample task from the competition. Computer science teacher Steffen Ullwer is missing from our photo.

11. March 2024

geva Test: Where Your Career Journey Might Lead

News, Politics, Business & Responsibility

To achieve the most personalized results possible in career guidance for students, Steinmühle takes a variety of approaches. The so-called geva test is one of them. Before making their final selections for advanced courses, this year’s 11th-grade class had another opportunity to assess their own skills and interests, which might even bring them a step closer to making their own career decisions. To do this, they had to work through a test booklet, with time limits set for each individual task. The results revealed whether a student was better suited for the sciences or the humanities, but they also identified specific career paths and held some surprises in store for individual students.

Once the results are analyzed, the geva test essentially provides students with answers to the following questions:

What are my greatest interests, key skills, and achievements?
Where is there potential, and where are the starting points for my personal development?
Am I assessing my performance accurately? In which areas do I overestimate myself, and in which do I underestimate myself?
How do I stand out from my peers with a similar educational background?
Which degree programs or vocational training programs are the best fit?
What career development opportunities are available?

“Our partnership with the geva Institute is an important part of our career guidance efforts,” explained Dr. Claudia Röder, who is responsible for academic and career guidance at Steinmühle and coordinates the school’s internships.

11. March 2024

A Hub for People: Advanced Political Science Class Visits the Locomotive Shed

News, Politics, Business & Responsibility, Steinmühle on the Road

Starting a startup—wouldn’t that be something? But how do you turn an idea into a business, and how do you go about it? Together with their teacher, Dr. Claudia Röder, the advanced political science class visited the Marburg Lokschuppen. It is recognized beyond the district as Marburg’s startup hub.

The group meets with Gunter Schneider, the owner of the Lokschuppen, at Innocou, the café and culinary hub of the renovated complex, which has been saved from decay. The café is called the Coworking & Startup Hub; it is intended to provide ample space for diversity and creativity and to be a place of enjoyment and culture—as the owner is quoted as saying in the press.

Gunter Schneider sums up the idea behind the entire project in one sentence: “What was once a hub for locomotives is now becoming a hub for people.” This is also the motto of the startup center, which features numerous workspaces: The “hot seats” serve as workspaces for workers passing through; the “dedicated seats” are for short-term use of up to two weeks; and the “cubes.” The latter are small offices for up to 8 people. In addition, there are also “real offices,” Schneider explains. Larger companies use these for longer-term work.

After the guided tour, Gunter Schneider answers questions from the Steinmühlen students. He also talks about his own company, Schneider Maschinenbau in Fronhausen, which has about 500 employees and branches on several continents. The company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and developers of machinery and system solutions for the eyewear, precision, and ultra-precision optics industries.

Working Together and Helping One Another

During the discussion with the students, the host cannot avoid the topic of politics and makes a few critical remarks regarding industrial transformation. Startups could drive this transformation and, for example, develop systems to reduce CO₂ emissions.

To drive this development forward, Lokschuppen supports startups in refining their ideas, guides them as they grow, and connects them with various industries. According to Schneider, startups generally thrive on collaboration and mutual support.

Unfortunately, according to the owner, there are too few young people with their own fresh ideas: “To continue achieving economic growth, Germany simply needs new ideas from new people.” In his view, policymakers should provide a platform for startups: “The startup ecosystem must be supported”—also to become less dependent on other countries. Overall, Germany invests too little in education; education must be further digitized. According to Gunter Schneider, the key skills needed to found a startup are a solid high school education, a college degree, and a passion for the chosen field.

The visit to the locomotive shed ended with a short presentation by the host on the topic of patent law—which the Political Science class found very interesting.

11. March 2024

Rehearsing Together, Performing Together: Joint Performances by the Steinmühle Concert Band and the Army Band

Art, Music & Theater, Collaborations & Partnerships, News

A chamber concert by the Kassel Army Band is of exceptional musical quality. It’s no wonder, then, that the Steinmühlenforum was well attended for the benefit concert on February 20, and that the members of the Steinmühlen Concert Band, together with their conductor Stephan Reissig, took the opportunity to hold a joint workshop.

Talent and practice, practice, practice—these are the secrets to success for instrumentalists, and perhaps the most important ones. Inspiration, role models, and tips provide additional motivation. And even if you’re not quite at the same skill level, you can always learn something from the pros.

That was exactly the plan of the Steinmühlen concert band, which had already held its workshop with the musical guests from Kassel the day before.

Right at the start of the concert, our students showcased what they had learned in two pieces performed together. They were sure to receive applause from the audience in the packed forum. Naturally, Steinmühlen concert band director Stephan Reissig and Senior Master Sergeant Andreas Alschinger, who each conducted their respective musicians, were also delighted with the successful performances.

A Journey Through Musical Eras

The rest of the evening was a journey through various musical eras, performed by the Chamber Orchestra of the Army Music Corps under the overall direction of Staff Sergeant Christian Schmidt. First, the musicians delved into the 1920s and presented Erwin Schulhoff’s *Divertissement*. The dissonances in the piece were not always in line with what our ears—accustomed to harmony—are used to hearing in everyday life, but the performances aptly reflected the music of Schulhoff, who, as a contemporary of Arnold Schoenberg, was one of the most internationally successful composers of the 1920s.

“The Show Must Go On,” they said afterward, and the audience found themselves enjoying music by the iconic British band Queen, performed by the clarinet ensemble. The program continued with a variety of pieces, including works by Elton John and Charles Koechlin’s Sonatine Modale, Op. 155, performed by the flute and clarinet duo, before the brass ensemble took the stage. Here, too, the audience was treated to a mix: the program included “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay, “Lullaby” by Christoph Moschberger, and “Pirates of the Caribbean” by Klaus Badelt, arranged by Adrian Wagner. Solo artists regularly perform in the chamber music concerts of the Kassel Army Band. The concert program also included the trombone solo “Csardas” by Vittorio Monti, performed by Master Sergeant Sebastian Stricker.

An extremely varied evening came to a close, during which the audience—composed of music fans from the Steinmühlen community and members of the hosting Rotary Club of Marburg—was treated to an acoustic journey through the music of various decades. Principal Björn Gemmer thanked host Sergeant First Class Mareike Zaretzke and all the performers for this delightful experience. The fact that the event also supported a good cause—namely, donating the remaining proceeds to the Parents’ Initiative for Children with Leukemia and Cancer as well as to the Steinmühle Friends Association—made the evening all the more special.

11. March 2024