Since September 1, 2014, Julia Heins, who holds a degree in social welfare administration, has held the newly created position of Admissions Office Director at the boarding school. Ms. Heins’s primary responsibilities include public relations, marketing, and client acquisition.

“I see Steinmühle as a special place where professionalism and quality go hand in hand with humanity and individuality—I’m really looking forward to my future responsibilities!” Quote from J. Heins

With that in mind—“Here’s to a successful partnership!”

With Lucas Schäfer of RuS Steinmühle, the German lightweight coxless four secured a sensational fourth-place finish at the U-23 World Rowing Championships in Varese, Italy, on the last weekend of July.

After finishing second in the preliminary heat and winning the repechage, Lucas’s boat was initially in sixth place following a slow start, but then overtook the Turkish and Japanese boats and came within seven hundredths of a second of the Italian bronze medalists.

For Lucas Schäfer, pictured here with his rowing partner Christopher Wetekamp (Allemannia von 1866 Hamburg), this World Championship finish is a huge success—one that is currently unmatched in the region’s rowing scene. His coach, Martin Strohmenger (RuS Steinmühle), looks to the future with optimism: “This was another step up the ladder of success, where Lucas was able to show, at least to some extent, what he’s capable of.”

At the 2014 Hessian Road Cycling Championships in Stadtallendorf, our former student Julian Essers dominated the time trial and secured the title of Hessian U23 Time Trial Champion. He completed the 27-km course in less than 35 minutes, achieving an average speed of approximately 46 km/h. Impressive!

The school community congratulates Lucas and Julian on their outstanding achievements and is rooting for them in their upcoming competitions. Stay injury-free and keep your motivation high!

Student Awards on the Last Day of School

As part of a very successful end-of-year celebration, the school honored students who had achieved outstanding and commendable results over the past few months.

Ms. Fries, together with the school principals, Mr. Gemmer and Mr. Holly, led the audience through an entertaining ceremony. And it was amazing to see all the students who had distinguished themselves over the past few months:

Forty-six students successfully participated in the DELF and Cambridge language certification exams; the school had 14 award winners in math competitions; and, as part of the Bundesjugendspiele, secondary school students earned an exceptionally large number of certificates of honor. Among the notable achievements in sports were the victory of our girls’ basketball team in the Hesse state championship and Isabel Weitzel’s victories in the junior hammer throw championships of the Hesse and Southern German associations.

Three things became clear in a heartening way during the celebration:

1. Isabel Weitzel, Lisa Kemena, and Adrian Hamel are students who excel in very different fields. For example , Isabel Weitzel has not only excelled in hammer throw, but has also demonstrated her talent in drama and achieved great success on both the DELF and Cambridge exams. Lisa Kemena has also demonstrated her talent in mathematics and the natural sciences as a participant in the Inventor Lab in Darmstadt and the preparatory program at the University of Marburg, and she earned the B2 diploma on the DELF exam. Adrian Hamel, the school champion in the E-phase math competition, not only made it onto the podium at the Hessian Judo Championships, but has also been an integral part of our jazz ensemble, the StoneMill Houseband, as a pianist for years.

2. The Steinmühle, as an all-day school, does not interfere with students’ hobbies. An exceptionally large number of students are successful in sports clubs or are dedicated to practicing their musical instruments, which has led them to place highly in music competitions, or they are actively involved in cultural or social initiatives.

3. The celebration showed that the students are very willing to acknowledge the achievements of the “winners.” Every time an award was presented, there was sincere and enthusiastic applause from their classmates. It was also fitting that the event’s musical accompaniment was provided in a compelling manner by Nelly Endres (piano), Arthur Laux (piano), Bodam Lee (violin), and the StoneMill Houseband Jazz Ensemble.

Panel Discussion as Part of the 10th-Grade Energy Project

At this year’s Energy Forum, students in the introductory phase explored the currently controversial topic of energy policy.

The energy project concluded on July 18, 2014, with a panel discussion titled “Energy Policy—Does the Energy Transition Have a Direction?”

To kick off the discussion with politicians, the students presented a skit that got right to the heart of the issue.

The following individuals accepted the invitation to participate in the panel discussion: Mr. Peter Stefan (CDU) from the Working Group on Environment and Climate Protection, Mr. Timon Gremmels (SPD) as the energy policy spokesperson for the SPD state parliamentary group, and Dr. Franz Kahle (The Greens), mayor of the city of Marburg.

Spurred by the students’ questions, a lively discussion developed on the panel, during which the parties’ proposed solutions became quite apparent.