Opening on June 13, 2017

One of the Steinmühle’s small but delightful events is now the early-summer event “Art and Nature in the Greenhouse.” For this occasion, the greenhouse and the small garden are spruced up, the students’ artwork is arranged among the plants, Ms. Vielhaben explains the artistic concept, Mr. Wemme, along with Tom Herfert and Samuel Ruff, ensures the music sounds great, and Mr. Wagler, with his WU, prepares an edible buffet featuring some truly surprising drinks. For participants, there’s plenty to see and marvel at, great music to listen to, and extraordinary food to enjoy. Usually, all of this takes place in perfect early summer weather—and this year was no exception.

Ms. Vielhaben offered some helpful tips regarding the artistic portion of the event:

Class 5a is making gargoyles

The students in Class 5a drew inspiration from so-called gargoyles—the water-spouting figures found on the facades of Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals—to create the fantastical guardians of the school garden. They sit atop the garden’s stakes.

Climate Art 8c

This intuitive imagination changes around the ages of 13 and 14, giving way to a perspective that is more closely aligned with the external, realistic world.

The provocative posters and the “Thinker” sculpture made from civilization’s waste are part of a project by the 8c class at the Climate Art Schools. The students devised their own projects to use art to raise awareness about climate change and our responsibility for the future of the world.

Model-Building “Towers” Inspired by Nature 8b

The architectural models created by Class 8b under the guidance of Ms. Kraft draw inspiration from natural forms for towers of all kinds. Among others, the exhibition features models such as Rapunzel’s Tower, which incorporates natural forms, and Sauron’s Tower from *The Lord of the Rings*.

Once again, this small opening reception in the countryside was an opportunity to thank everyone at the Steinmühle for their wonderful collaboration. Ms. Ramos, as the “special guest,” was able to see for herself that the greenhouse project had been in good hands during her absence.

With two performances, the 5th-grade students delighted an audience that was thoroughly entertained and rewarded them with generous applause.

The plot: Karl von Radau, lord of Eulenstein Castle, summons the spirits at the witching hour. Ghosts from near and far have come to haunt Eulenstein once again after a long absence. The little witch demonstrates her noise machine for the first time, and Fritz Rabatz gets an earful because of it. But since the genie is celebrating a special occasion, everything ends up in the best ghost party spirit.

The young singers and actors were supported by the musical band under the direction of Mr. Wemme and the students from Sound & Light under the direction of Sam Kempkes.

The team has qualified for the Hesse finals for the third time in a row

After the Steinmühle soccer team had already confidently prevailed in the city and district tournaments in WK II, they now had to clear the final hurdle before the state finals. Due to the reorganization of regions in Hesse, our team faced strong opponents from the districts of Gießen and Vogelsberg. Against tough opponents, our team demonstrated ball control and tactical skill, followed the instructions of their coach, M. Neirich, and thus secured comfortable victories.

It was already clear in the very first game that the team from Gesamtschule Gießen Ost, with its 3-0 victory over the Dietrich Bonhoeffer School from Lich, was among the strongest opponents in the tournament.

In our team’s first game against Gesamtschule Schlitzerland (IGS Schlitzerland is a comprehensive school encompassing various school types in the Vogelsberg and Fulda districts), our team quickly fell behind after conceding a long-range shot that wasn’t unstoppable. However, the team didn’t let that rattle them and quickly returned to their usual high-pressure passing game. A spectacular attacking move then led to the well-deserved equalizer. Their dominant style of play consequently resulted in a 2–1 lead before halftime. Even though the team from Lich was able to tie the score at 2–2 due to a lapse in concentration following a set piece, our team remained unfazed. Their mental strength and strong will to win led to further compelling offensive plays, and in the end, they celebrated a well-deserved 3–2 victory.

Our soccer team also came out on top in their second game against the Gesamtschule from Lich, winning 3–2. In this match, the Steinmühlen team took an early lead and dominated the game for long stretches. A series of well-executed passing plays, combined with a strong drive toward the goal, led to a penalty kick that gave them a 3–1 lead at one point. Even though the team from Lich managed to score a goal to narrow the gap, our team held on to secure the well-deserved victory.

As expected, the final match for the regional championship came down to a showdown against Gesamtschule Gießen Ost. In this game, the Steinmühlen soccer players displayed great confidence and excellent ball control and passing from the very start. Nevertheless, with a bit of luck, the Giessen team could have taken the lead in the second minute of the game. By pressuring the opponent early on and playing an aggressive, attacking style, the team gradually gained control of the game and soon took the lead, which they extended to 2–0 before halftime. In the second half, our team allowed the opponent almost no dangerous chances and won this decisive match in a well-deserved victory.

In the end, the players were able to celebrate a commanding victory in the regional tournament. The core of the team will thus be competing in the state finals in Grünberg for the third time in a row.

This year’s “Bands on Stage” featured a highly varied program. The 5th- and 6th-grade band club, the 6th-grade wind ensemble, the jazz ensemble, and the StoneMill House Band performed great music in a wide range of styles and provided top-notch entertainment. The saxophone ensemble from the Marburg Music School also made its first-ever appearance as a guest. In addition, young soloists such as Tom Herfert & Fynn Konnertz (with Dirk Konnertz) and Sonja Mecke & Arthur Laux enchanted the stage and audience with cover versions, as did Talea Funk, Evelyn Damer, Chiara Weber, Loyan Balthasar, and Finn Kempkes with their Hamilton musical project. Werner Eismann, Sam Kempkes, and their team provided top-notch sound and lighting.