Contests & Awards-Archiv

“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

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

Successes of Our “MINTis” at Science Olympiads

Contests & Awards, News, STEM, Talent Development

In 12th grade, Clara Steiner and Fabian Sotonica participated in various science competitions, including the Chemistry, Biology, and Physics Olympiads.

Both tackled the very challenging problems of the Physics Olympiad and made an immediate impression. They qualified for Round 2. Unfortunately, Clara was unable to take the exam for Round 2.
Fabian also competed in the Biology and Chemistry Olympiads, though he narrowly missed advancing to the second round in biology. Things went very well in chemistry; he aced the first round and performed so well in the second round that he was rewarded with a book voucher.

The two were accompanied by their supervising teachers, Antje Seel, Dr. Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf, and Dr. Patrick Szabo. The results give cause for optimism for next year’s competition, as both students will likely have significantly expanded their knowledge by then.

26. January 2024

“We’re Going to Berlin”: Class 6a Takes First Place in Nationwide Class Competition

Class Trips, Field Trips, and School Outings, Contests & Awards, News, Steinmühle on the Road, STEM

Right in the middle of the Christmas break, we received some fantastic news: René Schulenberg’s Class 6a won first place in the “Class Competition” category of “Math in Advent” among all 6th-grade classes! The “Schulenbergies” achieved the best results in their grade level across all federal states in the digital math Advent challenge.

Principal Björn Gemmer was among the very first to offer his congratulations and gushed, “That’s fantastic!”

This victory is truly fantastic for the sixth graders, as it also means that the entire class has been invited to the awards ceremony on January 26 in Berlin. A major math event will take place at the Max Kade Auditorium at Freie Universität Berlin, featuring an awards ceremony for all winners, music, games, and entertainment. There will be plenty to discover at a math fair. A total of 1,000 people are expected to attend.

“Mathe im Advent” is a digital Advent calendar and math competition for students in grades 4 through 9, organized by the nonprofit Mathe im Leben GmbH.

(A report on the trip will follow!)

26. January 2024

The second plus-MINT Math Camp at the Steinmühle produced the best Bolyai team in all of Hesse

Contests & Awards, News, STEM, Talent Development

For the second time, Steinmühle hosted the plus-MINT Math Camp as part of the plus-MINT talent development program, organized and led this year by Maximilian Moll. In January, 22 students gathered for four days and had an exciting time participating in a varied math program that included several field trips.

Young math enthusiasts from grades 10 and 11 arrived at the Steinmühlen campus from all corners of the country: Participants from Birklehof High School, Louisenlund, St. Afra Saxon State High School, and Pforta State School—they all worked on math problems and puzzles together with students from Steinmühle High School.

Geometry on a Sphere

On Monday, the group arrived and was welcomed in the boarding school’s tea room with drinks and snacks. Afterward, they headed to the Lahnberge hills in Marburg to participate in the workshop “Geometry, Topology, and Spherical Triangles” with Prof. Dr. Oliver Goertsches from Department 12 (Mathematics and Computer Science). Topics covered included the geometry of the sphere, dihedra, and the derivation of the area of a spherical triangle.

The next morning, the students were set to compete in the Bolyai Competition. In this multiple-choice math competition, team performance is what counts. Talea Wagner, Zora Herrmann, Alfred Sontag, and Alexa Lehmann achieved an outstanding result. They took first place out of 134 teams in Hesse! This high-performing group also took first place nationwide, tied on points with the team from the Landesgymnasium für Hochbegabte in Schwäbisch Gmünd. Unfortunately, the quartet missed out on advancing to the final round in Budapest in the tiebreaker. Still, it was a fantastic performance by the four of them that day!

Calculating Logarithms in Your Head

The team competition was followed by a workshop with Dr. Karl-Heinz Muth: “Math Tricks to Help in Everyday Life—From the Calendar to the pH Value.” The students gained many fascinating insights into mathematical relationships. For example, they calculated logarithms in their heads and learned how to determine the day of the week of a given birth date mentally.

The day’s mathematics program concluded with a workshop led by Prof. Dr. István Heckenberger titled “Games, Logic, Mathematics.” Topics included a Hungarian board game with a brief introduction to logic in mathematics.

It wasn’t just the daytime program at the +MINT Math Camp that was sports-oriented: The evening wrapped up at the Steinmühle with an exercise session.

Field Trip to the Mathematikum

On Wednesday, the group took a trip to Gießen and visited the Mathematikum. The doors of the popular hands-on museum opened exclusively for the “MINTIs” during renovation week.

The group had actually planned to go on a math scavenger hunt in Marburg’s old town afterward. However, the heavy snowfall that set in put a stop to those plans.

The math camp ultimately wrapped up with a special dinner in the cafeteria, featuring a three-course meal by candlelight.

To sum up the entire event, Steinmühle noted a very positive overall atmosphere, engaging presentations, and successful cross-school networking.

The participants quickly realized among themselves: We can count on you!

25. January 2024

Great performance by our soccer players: Boys’ Competition Group III wins the city soccer championship

Contests & Awards, News, Sports & Health

On October 4, a team made up of students from the Steinmühlen classes of 2010 and 2011 competed in the Marburg city soccer tournament. Steinmühlen teacher Tim Elmshäuser reports:

The team played in a group with the city schools: Elisabethschule, Philippinum, and Martin Luther School. In the first game, they faced the MLS. Although our boys dominated the match, the ball just wouldn’t go in the net. So the game ended in a scoreless 0–0 draw. In the second game, our team put on a strong performance against the Philippinum and won 3–0. In the final match, they needed a victory by a margin of two goals to move ahead of MLS, which was tied on points. With a commanding performance and a 4–0 win, our boys defeated the Elisabethschule and secured a well-deserved first-place finish.

So the next round—the district finals—is coming up in March, where our team will once again try to prove itself. We’re already keeping our fingers crossed for them!

Players: Jaden Vogel, Philian Merle, Lars Dittrich, Len Hülsbeck, Ben Templer, Thiemo Mimisch, Jonah Isenberg, Felix Martens, Felix Bork, Arthur Böning, Ben Borawski, Paul Sondergeld, Jonas Tierisch, Julius Brückmann, and Fabian Preis.

11. October 2023

Happy, proud, and relieved: Marc Weber qualifies for the 2024 Olympics

Contests & Awards, News, Rowing, Sports & Health

By finishing second in the B final of the World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Steinmühlen rowers Marc Weber and his partner Jonas Gelsen secured their spot in the men’s double sculls at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. This success also means the duo will not have to relocate to the sculling team’s central training base in northern Germany—a move the German Rowing Association (DRV) would have deemed necessary had they failed to qualify. So there’s relief on all sides: about their performance given the strong international field at the World Championships, about the trip to Paris to compete under the Olympic rings, and, of course, about the fact that our rower will continue to train with us. Dear Marc, we’re thrilled and wish you and your rowing partner continued success. Give it your all!

10. October 2023

Cambridge Certificates for 30 students

Contests & Awards, Languages & International Affairs, News

Thirty students earned their Cambridge certificates this summer at Steinmühle High School. “Five of them even achieved Level C1, even though the goal was only B2,” says Principal Björn Gemmer happily. All participants attended the recent certificate ceremony, including their supervising teachers, Nicole Hohm and Matthäus Otte. The following students passed the exams (listed alphabetically): Annabell Bork, Katharina Lena Bradler, Ella Augustine Carroll, Vivien Leonie Ettrich, Julia Fischer, Constantin Franz, Florentine Maya Sophie Havemann, Henning Oskar Hepting, Yewon Jeong, Josefina Justus, Silas Benito Krüger, Jannik Malte Kurras, Felix Christoph May, Arvid Paul Andreas Mayer, Sienna Katharina Jasmin Mayer, Jakob Severin Merle, Emilia Sophie Metz, Selim Erdem Özcan, Tamim Rezek, Anna Franziska Rumpel, Laura Salavati, Emma Sophie Schnabel, Arwen Aimée Seifart, Lillian Cara Camille Seiler, Nina Jolanda Simmer, Juliane Fiona Miriam Spies, Alicia Spitzhüttl, Robin Philipp Tatje, Jan Simon Vollmer, Melina Wagner. In June, when they received their certificates, the graduates were still in 11th grade and are now, accordingly, in 12th grade.

9. October 2023

“Then I’ll know if this is my thing—or not”

Contests & Awards, News, Politics, Business & Responsibility

Julius Henkel, a 11th grader, completed the district’s internship week

Figuring out what career you want to pursue later in life isn’t that easy. Many upper-level students at Steinmühle know this, too. Julius Henkel, a 11th-grader in Dr. Claudia Röder’s class, has found an opportunity he can wholeheartedly recommend: participating in the Marburg-Biedenkopf district’s internship week.

During the summer break, the district, in collaboration with the startup stafftastic, offered the internship week for the first time. The concept is simple: spend five days getting to know five different professions at five different companies. There is no cost to the students.

“The whole process was pretty straightforward,” Julius recalls. “On the website www.praktikumswoche.de/marburg-biedenkopf, you can quickly get an overview of the available opportunities. You register on the site with your name, age, grade, and school, and specify the time period during which you’d like to complete your internship days. If you have a general idea of what topics interest you and where you’d like to spend a day, you can indicate that. The internship team then selects companies that match your preferences.”

Julius had set aside the third week of summer vacation for his internships. In the end, he even spent seven days visiting seven different companies. The 11th-grader proved to be flexible. His choices included skilled trades, an insurance company, a law firm, and the employment agency. “It was all interesting in its own way,” the student reports, “but I quickly realized what was more my thing and what wasn’t.” He said the amount of screen work at the law firm wasn’t really his thing when he imagined having to do that for the rest of his life. He gained valuable insights at the insurance company and now understands how important the fine print is in contracts.

“For him, it’ll probably come down to some kind of manual work,” the student summarized. Paving a new street, manufacturing materials for the automotive industry—“I’m the type who likes to see what I’ve created with my own eyes.” Sure, the tone on a construction site is rougher than in an office. But he’s confident he can handle it.

Finding the Right Career Path

For companies, the internship week offers an opportunity to get to know motivated young people with minimal organizational effort and to make a positive impression on them. The one-day internships can be structured independently, allowing companies, for example, to use their own training workshops and integrate the students into their daily work routines.

Partners in the district’s internship week include the Marburg Employment Agency, the Kassel-Marburg and Lahn-Dill Chambers of Industry and Commerce, the Marburg and Biedenkopf District Craftsmen’s Associations, the State School Authority, the University City of Marburg, and the “SchuleWirtschaft Mittelhessen” initiative. According to Nancy Bartholomes, head of the Youth Support Department at the Marburg-Biedenkopf District, plans are underway to continue offering the internship week.

For Julius Henkel, who received a certificate of participation for his week-long internship, there’s no doubt that the time was well spent. During his placement at the Employment Agency, he learned firsthand: “An alarmingly high percentage of young people end up there after graduating from high school and don’t know what to do next.”

7. October 2023