The club’s restructuring is complete, sporting successes abound, and the new boat dock is finally here. So the Steinmühle Rowing Club had plenty of reasons to celebrate together. Many were invited, and almost everyone came: the rowers, the other club members, and the rowers’ friends—including Cappel’s mayor, Heinz Wahlers. All in all, it was a successful event that will surely find its place in the annual calendars for years to come!
At this year’s Federal Youth Games at Georg-Gassmann Stadium, the Sports Department’s new “Sports Festival” concept was on full display. All students in the lower and middle grades were not only able to compete in running, jumping, and throwing events, but they also had access to a supporting program that offered opportunities to engage in playful activities with all kinds of balls.
The hot temperatures pushed the students to their limits during the sprint and endurance events. Nevertheless, there were outstanding results in the sprint finals.
In the second part of the sports festival, the individual grade levels competed to determine the class champions in dodgeball (5th grade), soccer (6th grade), basketball (8th grade), and beach volleyball (9th grade). The matches were very close and exciting.
While the sports festival was taking place at Georg-Gassmann Stadium, the 7th-grade classes competed in a rowing event at the boathouse to determine this year’s class champion. The students had to complete a triathlon consisting of the Two-Bridges Sprint in a quadruple scull, the rowing ergometer competition, and a relay race around the boathouse.
Our youngest players play for even younger ones
Another great musical by the 5th graders! In *Circus Furioso*, the 5th graders got to show off everything they can do, and they did it with great enthusiasm: They sang, played music, performed magic tricks, juggled, and, on top of that, had to keep some truly dangerous animals under control.
The 5th-grade choir devoted itself wholeheartedly to the choral and solo parts—some of which were written for two voices—in the many songs. The music classes enchantingly performed the story of a circus where little goes right and a lot goes wrong: The magician forgets his spells, the bear refuses to perform, the tiger has vanished completely, and the monkeys are completely uncontrollable… and the ringmaster has to handle all of this on the fly, together with the clown. The young artists also presented—in collaboration with the two physical education teachers—all sorts of acrobatic and magical acts, including various juggling routines.
The 5th-grade wind instrument class also had the opportunity to showcase their ensemble.
The 5th-grade students received support from musicians in the StoneMill House Band and the wind ensemble, the 8th/9th-grade Sound & Light course at WU, and Ms. Niedziella’s makeup team.
The audience was thrilled, and there was plenty of spontaneous applause throughout the performance. The youngest audience members—the Cappeler kindergarteners from “Teich”—were completely enchanted.
… with five (!) relay teams at the Marburg Night Marathon. World Cup quarterfinal or not—for our runners, there was no doubt on July 4, 2014: “Of course we’re running in the Night Marathon; soccer can wait.” With five relay teams, our school set a record for the number of participants. Each runner had to cover between 10 and 11 km, and fortunately, everyone “finished” the race. Principal Gemmer and Managing Director Konnertz set a good example.
… and is heading to the World Rowing Championships in Italy
It doesn’t get any better than this: At the German U-23 Rowing Championships on June 28, 2014, in Brandenburg, Lucas Schäfer won two German championship titles. As a result, the Steinmühlen high school graduate has earned a spot on the German national team and will compete at the U23 World Championships in Varese, Italy, at the end of July.
Together with his rowing teammates from the RC ‘Alemannia’ Hamburg rowing club and the RV ‘Neptun’ Konstanz rowing club, Lucas rowed to first place for RuS Steinmühle late Saturday morning in the U23 lightweight coxless four. The team left the Berlin four—initially feared as a strong competitor—behind by nearly 12 seconds over the 2,000-meter distance, securing a clear victory.
Just under five hours later, it was once again an all-or-nothing race in the lightweight eight. This time, our Lucas was even the stroke—and the boat was the first to cross the finish line as well.
Photos: Oliver Quickert, rudern.de, German Rowing Association
Mr. Finance and his DS Group had already provided a glimpse into their current production during the cultural evening last November. Everyone was eagerly anticipating what the group would present under the title “Sitzfleisch” at the DS evening on July 3 was simply spectacular.
“Sitzfleisch” wasn’t just about sitting and staying seated, but also about meat—and sometimes even sausage. In their theatrical collage on this theme, the students demonstrated what dramatic play can achieve: witty and original ideas, well-thought-out choreography, effective use of lighting and sound technology, scenes that reveal unusual perspectives and provoke both laughter and reflection, and actors who clearly take joy in performing because they know their lines well and have their roles “down pat.”
And they could rap, too.
The WU Theater (an elective course for 8th and 9th graders) performed the play“Räuber: Schiller for Us.”
The author transposes the story of Schiller’s band of robbers to the present day and turns the members of Schiller’s original gang—centered around the Moor brothers—into female robbers.
The story centers on the family conflict between the sisters Charlotte and Franziska Moor: Charlotte has been missing for some time; she lives with a group of women in squats and is involved in criminal activities. Franziska takes care of their aging father, but feels neglected by him and struggles with her jealousy toward her sister.
The WU Group put on a lively, energetic performance that highlighted the various venues in a very creative way.
Class 7a demonstrated what can happen when a TV show turns into a “battle” over what to watch. Through their skits , the class took us on a journey through prime time, offering a portrayal of various TV shows that was part ironic, part humorous.
Class 7b ‘s topic was Everyday Life, Differently. Right from the start, the group made it clear that coping with our perfectly normal everyday lives sometimes presents us with seemingly insurmountable challenges. From bullies on the subway, a police stop accompanied by violent vomiting, a kidnapping from an ice cream shop, and the diagnosis of dangerous ossodontitis—along with many other typical situations from (partly) real life—we, the audience, witnessed an everyday madness taken to its logical conclusion.
With her contribution “Stranded” , Class 7c wrapped up the presentation with a fireworks display of ideas. Here, too, everyday life spiraled out of control, but with nonstop gags: A plane crash with a drunk pilot and a smooth-talking kebab vendor on board, dangerous secret agents, frustrated boarding school girls, bickering “cinnamon bitches,” and a fairy godmother who, in the end, used her magic wand to make everything turn out happily after all.
In April, a group of students, accompanied by Ms. Ramos-Iglesias and Ms. Montenegro-Auque, visited Granada, and their experience there was almost entirely positive. It was wonderful that we were then able to welcome our Spanish friends to our school in June. Of course, we did our very best to return the warm welcome we received in Granada, and we feel that we were quite successful in doing so.
This year, 10 Hungarian students once again took part in a three-week course on the German language and culture at our school. The scholarship recipients had previously participated in a nationwide competition and were selected based on their strong performance in German class.
During their stay, they not only got to know school life at Steinmühle, but also went on several field trips, for example to Frankfurt, Kassel, and the Rhine.
The continued implementation of this nationwide popular program run by the Pedagogical Exchange Service is only possible if schools and host families remain highly committed to fostering international exchanges. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone involved.
A visitor from Maine-et-Loire
It’s not just about group exchanges; we also regularly host individual students. For the past few weeks, we’ve had Thérèse Conchin and Marie Cazaux visiting us. They’re both 16 years old, already speak German quite well, and come from the Maine-et-Loire department (49). They’re really enjoying their time with us and have quickly made friends.
This year’s high school graduation ceremony took place in an unusual setting: the university cafeteria. But it wasn’t just the venue that was unusual; there were also a number of other notable features: The dual graduating class achieved remarkable results, with four students earning the top grade of 1.0, and the class’s overall average grade was also impressive. The entertaining ceremony, which was marked by a consistently cheerful and friendly atmosphere, featured musical performances, speeches, and award presentations. In their speeches, the teachers looked back with praise and appreciation on their time with this graduating class. Representatives of the parents and students emphasized that choosing Steinmühle had been an extraordinarily important and fortunate decision.
Do you have questions about the school?
School Administration & Management
Björn Gemmer & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-20
Do you have questions about the boarding school?
Boarding School Administration & Management
Anke Muszynski & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-0
Do you have questions about the school?
School Administration & Management
Björn Gemmer & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-20
Do you have questions about the boarding school?
Boarding School Administration & Management
Anke Muszynski & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-0
