Steinmühle mourns the loss of Günter Eschenbrenner
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Steinmühle mourns the loss of Günter Eschenbrenner (Jan. 21, 1956 – June 2, 2026).

From 1988 until his retirement in 2022, Günter Eschenbrenner taught Latin and Ethics at Steinmühle.

 

His goal was to give philosophy a prominent place within the Steinmühle. In both Latin and ethics classes, his dedication was particularly appreciated by those students who take pleasure in thinking through complex ideas in depth.

 

As part of the elective curriculum, Günter Eschenbrenner taught calligraphy courses with great success. The work of his students—which is characterized by its aesthetic appeal, precision, and overall harmony—still adorns some of the hallways in our school buildings today.

 

Günter Eschenbrenner’s sense of humor will also be remembered: Whether a sharp, dry remark was meant as a provocation to liven up the discussion or was pure irony, his conversation partners often only realized this when he broke into a reassuring smile.

 

Toward the end of his tenure, Günter Eschenbrenner suffered a severe stroke from which he was never able to fully recover. He passed away on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

 

We would like to express our sincere thanks to him for his work and dedication.

 

Round Square: An Opportunity to Connect with Young People Around the World

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As part of the international Round Square school network, Steinmühle offers its students new and additional opportunities for personal development as well as for education both inside and outside of school. “Round Square promotes intercultural learning and provides our students with great opportunities to engage with young people around the world,” summarizes Theresa Großer, head of the lower secondary school and the international high school program at Steinmühle.

 

What does Round Square stand for?

 

Round Square’s approximately 260 selected member schools worldwide form an international network committed to shared educational goals and values. Round Square sees itself as a pioneer in tolerance, community, and global learning. Member schools in the network are encouraged to incorporate the 6 IDEALS (Internationalism, Democracy, Environmentalism, Adventure, Leadership, Service)—which guide the network’s collective actions—into their school programs. This results in a comprehensive educational program that prepares students for life in a global world.

 

Customized Exchange Opportunities

 

For students at Steinmühle, the network offers excellent opportunities to experience international learning and gain insights into a foreign culture. This takes place in various ways. First, individual exchange opportunities are organized through Round Square for students in grades 8–10. The exchange programs typically last 2 to 10 weeks. The students live locally, some in boarding schools and others with host families. Regardless of where the young people are housed, a Round Square exchange requires full commitment from the participating schools and families, ensuring that a warm welcome and diverse experiences are an integral part of the exchange.

There’s also a wide range of countries to choose from: from Australia to the U.S., from Colombia to Okinawa and Bermuda—the global network welcomes its students on nearly every continent. The costs for the exchanges remain manageable: the only expenses are flights to the destination country, on-site activities, and a placement fee of €500.

 

For students in 8th grade and above

 

Students in 8th grade and above are eligible to participate in a Round Square exchange. It’s important to note that anyone interested must also host an exchange partner—typically for the same length of time that they themselves were able to spend abroad. While Round Square exchanges are generally individual, it is often possible to travel to a school as a small group (2–3 people) at the same time.

 

Information Session on March 24

 

“We are delighted by the keen interest in participating in a Round Square exchange and by our students’ openness to experiencing new countries and cultures,” says Theresa Großer. With about 40 exchange programs, the school year is off to a good start in terms of interest in Round Square exchanges.

 

Those interested can contact Linda Hörner and Theresa Großer by email at Roundsquare.exchange@steinmuehle.net. Information about Round Square is also available on the Parent Cloud.

An information session will be held on March 24 at 7:30 p.m. The application deadline for the following school year is April 30.

 

What else does Round Square offer?

 

In addition to exchange opportunities, Round Square hosts international student conferences and organizes social projects in developing countries. We are also considering participating in these initiatives in the future. Furthermore, membership enriches daily classroom life by facilitating authentic interactions with students abroad through joint online meetings and projects. In addition, the school offers an elective course in which students take care of our guests from abroad, plan excursions, conduct interviews, and much more, all to ensure that every guest has a wonderful time at Steinmühle.

 

Our photos show Matilda, a 11th grader, during her stay in Colombia at the Colegio Anglo Colombiano.

(Theresa Großer/Angela Heinemann)

 

 

 

Punch, singing, and plenty of Christmas spirit

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We received the following report about the 5th-grade Christmas party from Ronja Heckmann, Dr. Claudia Röder, Laura Haller, and Leonie Zapf:

On the afternoon of December 8, the 5th-grade class from Steinmühle gathered with their parents at the Forum to enjoy a cozy celebration of the pre-Christmas season together. For the occasion, the wind ensemble class, led by Andreas Jamin, had rehearsed and performed three songs—everyone was thrilled at what the group was able to do after just seven rehearsals!

 

Choral Music and Piano Music

Afterward, the 5th-grade choir, conducted by Daniel Sans, performed several more songs. “Feliz Navidad” in particular inspired the parents in the audience to sing along and clap along, while Felix Tondorf accompanied the choir on the piano. The audience was then treated to another moving piano piece performed by Greta Bamberger.

 

Learning About Christmas Traditions

As the final item on the program, Class 5c presented “Christmas Around the World” by interviewing children from Romania, Armenia, Spain, and Colombia about the Christmas traditions in their countries.

The rest of the time was spent enjoying the children’s punch that was served, the Christmas treats everyone had brought, and relaxed conversations. While Christmas classics played in the background, children could also make stars and candy “moose” in the craft corner organized by the parents. The festive atmosphere was enhanced by the numerous Santa hats on everyone’s heads and the creative decorations on the tables, which the children had made in advance during art class.

All in all, it was a very pleasant afternoon that ended with “Fröhliche Weihnacht” and “Jingle Bells,” putting everyone in the right mood for the holiday season.

 

“Outstanding Level”: Cambridge Certificates Awarded

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Congratulations to all 12th-grade students who received their Cambridge certificates before the fall break! They completed the preparatory courses in 11th grade with subject teachers Nicole Hohm and Matthäus Otte. Thank you both very much for your dedication. The results achieved were remarkably good. Principal Björn Gemmer: “The level of English at Steinmühle can confidently be described as ‘outstanding’!”

 

7i took fourth-graders on a journey through English history

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“A Short Ride through English History” was the title of the workshop that the fourth-grade class from the Steinmühle Bilingual Elementary School was able to attend at the invitation of Class 7i. It was a four-hour journey through English history, lovingly and energetically prepared by the seventh graders under the guidance of Theresa Großer.

 

A theme at each station

At six stations, the girls and boys learned about English history: The Plague, The Battle of Hastings, Roman Life in Britain, The Industrial Revolution, The Great Fire of London, and The British Empire. Working in small groups, the fourth-graders learned from the seventh-graders at each station what happened back then.

 

At the end, certificates were handed out

The children had a lot of fun learning through the visual descriptions, short texts, and presentations, as well as the short worksheets and fun games. “Everyone had to speak English, which they did exceptionally well,” says Lorraine Herrmann, the assistant principal of the Bilingual Elementary School. “It was a really good example of collaboration across grade levels and certainly an inspiration for the fourth graders in terms of what awaits them in the next Steinmühlen classes.” At the end, all the fourth graders played a game together to test their newly acquired knowledge. The fourth-grade class proudly received their certificates.

 

Personal Expectations for the Tasks

“The idea for the project came about as part of a British History unit, during which the students could choose from a range of topics,” says Theresa Großer, describing the start of the workshop preparations. They developed the content largely on their own, using books and selected online materials. In addition, they conducted occasional independent research, completing the entire project in just three weeks, with two double periods each week. And they wanted to do it really well: The seventh graders repeatedly gave each other feedback so that everyone could further refine their stations.

 

Schedule planned with great dedication

The overall effort was no small feat. The students in class 7i created all the posters, quizzes, and game ideas on their own with great dedication during class and in their free time, full of anticipation and excitement for the workshop. They planned the program for the fourth graders very professionally—complete with station cards and stamps. The idea for a certificate of completion also came from the young organizing team, which designed it themselves.

 

Linguistically proficient

The focus of the day was on English history and the English language. As a result, the seventh-graders conducted the entire workshop in English. None of the participants were deterred by the sometimes difficult terms and topics. “It was an impressive achievement by the elementary school students, who presented themselves excellently and were incredibly engaged, but also by the students in class 7i, who demonstrated real linguistic confidence,” summarized Theresa Großer.

The final feedback session revealed a great deal of enthusiasm and pride—even among the 7i students. This creates the ideal conditions for repeating a workshop like this.

Theresa Großer is the head of the International High School Division at Steinmühle. The workshop for the 4th-grade class was organized by the 7th-grade class (7i).

 

Promoting Global Learning, Developing Character: Steinmühle is a Round Square Candidacy School

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We are delighted that, following an extensive application process, Steinmühle has been accepted as a Candidacy School by Round Square, an international school network. Steinmühle is always interested in finding networks that offer our students new opportunities for personal development and for learning both inside and outside of school, and that promote global and cultural learning. With Round Square, we have now achieved this.

 

What is Round Square all about?

The more than 250 selected member schools form an international network committed to shared educational goals and values as outlined in its mission statement. Round Square sees itself as a pioneer in tolerance, community, and global learning. Schools wishing to join the network are required to incorporate the 6 IDEALS (Internationalism, Democracy, Environmentalism, Adventure, Leadership, Service)—which guide the network’s actions—into their school programs. The result is a comprehensive educational program that prepares students for life in a global world.

 

Customized Exchange Opportunities

Steinmühle has already integrated many educational programs designed to implement the IDEALS, which can now be further refined as part of our Round Square membership. In addition, the network offers our students excellent opportunities to experience international learning. This takes place in various ways. First, individual exchange opportunities for students in grades 8–13 are organized through Round Square. The exchange programs are designed to last 2 to 8 weeks—and in some cases even longer—and generally do not involve significant costs beyond flights to the destination country and on-site activities.

 

Social Projects in Developing Countries

In addition, Round Square hosts international student conferences and organizes social projects in developing countries twice a year. Furthermore, membership can enrich everyday classroom life by facilitating authentic interactions with students abroad through joint online meetings and projects. In Germany, six other schools belong to the network: the Gut Warnberg School, the Klosterschule Roßleben, the Landheim Ammersee, the Birklehof, Schloss Salem, and Louisenlund.

Membership initially begins as a two-year “trial period”—during which time the school will have the opportunity to become fully acquainted with Round Square.

The contact person for Round Square is Theresa Großer (photo), the director of the International High School Division at Steinmühle. She is happy to answer any questions (theresa.grosser@steinmuehle.net).

 

Getting to Know Each Other Is the Focus of the 5th and 6th Grade Christmas Parties

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Parents, siblings, and even grandparents—many people attend the Christmas parties for grades 5 and 6 every year. Traditionally, they take place on the same day and at the same time.
This time, the Christmas celebrations took place on December 9. The 5th-grade classes gathered for their celebration in the Steinmühle Forum, including Class 5i from our International High School program. “Our youngest high school students eagerly awaited the first performance by the wind ensemble and choir,” recalls Dirk Lange, a member of the school administration and one of the homeroom teachers. Amid colorful cookies, Christmas treats, and a variety of drinks, the girls, boys, and their parents used the festive event as an opportunity to get to know their classmates and the other parents. The afternoon centered on this spirit of fellowship.

Hands-on activities ranging from origami to face painting

Jennifer Bernhart shared her impressions of this year’s Christmas party with the 6th-grade teachers. The 6th-grade classes gathered at the Learning Center. The event began at 2:00 p.m. with a musical performance by the wind ensemble in the open learning area. Everyone was invited to sing along to the Christmas carols. This was followed by a cozy get-together with tea, punch, and Christmas cookies, featuring several hands-on activities, including origami (led by classes 6a and 6b), face painting (6b), making Christmas cards (6a), and making friendship bracelets (classes 6c and 6i). — All in all, an enjoyable time for everyone who came!

 
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Do you have questions about the school?

School Administration & Management

Björn Gemmer & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-20

schule@steinmuehle.de

Do you have questions about the boarding school?

Boarding School Administration & Management

Anke Muszynski & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-0

internat@steinmuehle.de

Do you have questions about the school?

School Administration & Management

Björn Gemmer & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-20

schule@steinmuehle.de

Do you have questions about the boarding school?

Boarding School Administration & Management

Anke Muszynski & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-0

internat@steinmuehle.de

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