The Evolution of Social Values: Ethics Classes Interviewed Prof. Hanno Sauer

, ,

What defines moral action? How do our social values evolve? Are freedom and personal fulfillment still guaranteed in a changing world? With these and many other questions in mind, the 13th-grade ethics and religion classes at Steinmühle engaged in a fascinating dialogue with Prof. Hanno Sauer, a professor of philosophy at Utrecht University and author of the highly acclaimed book *Moral: The Invention of Good and Evil*.

Prof. Sauer took the time to address all of the students’ questions and clearly demonstrated how philosophy finds answers to pressing social issues. Using humorous examples and vivid imagery, he encouraged the students to think more deeply and made abstract concepts tangible.

 

Are our achievements at risk?

After a brief introduction to his book, which examines the development of morality from the Stone Age to the present day, he turned his attention to current social debates. There was a particularly intense discussion of how concepts and discourses surrounding “wokeness” have emerged and what challenges they pose in a modern, diverse society. Prof. Sauer emphasized that our society has already made considerable progress: skin color, gender, or sexual orientation should no longer influence career opportunities or social participation. However, he also raised the critical question of whether right-wing populist movements could jeopardize these achievements. Despite potential challenges, he remained optimistic that fundamental moral progress cannot simply be reversed.

 

A Vision of a Hopeful Future

In closing, Prof. Sauer outlined a hopeful vision for the future: a world grounded in universal moral values and traditions. This outlook elicited a palpable sigh of relief from the audience, and the participants went about their day with new ideas and inspiration.

We are already looking forward to welcoming Prof. Hanno Sauer back to Steinmühle soon, especially following the publication of his new book, *Klasse*, in which he examines social class differences from philosophical and economic perspectives. With words of praise for our school and reminiscences of his own time as a student in Marburg, we brought this enriching morning to a close in the warm early spring sunshine. Dr. Stefanie Stork

Hanne Wolf works as a psychologist at Steinmühle

, ,

A listening ear, a tip, a perspective: Hanne Wolf, a licensed psychologist, joined the staff at Steinmühle this fall. Her advice and assistance are particularly sought after at the points of contact between students, teachers, parents, and the educational team. “I’m here for all of them, but first and foremost, I want to be a point of contact for the students,” explains the psychological psychotherapist and mother of three.

Hanne Wolf’s counseling is provided on a voluntary basis. Anyone who seeks a conversation with her does so of their own free will. If there’s a problem at school or boarding school, her tips, advice, or mediation can be helpful. An outside, neutral perspective, an assessment—and often a problem that seemed insurmountable just moments before is quickly resolved.

 

Confidentiality and Discretion

The psychologist not only has an office on the Steinmühlen campus but is also part of a group practice in Marburg. She has a wide range of experience, whether dealing with eating disorders, depression, or school- or family-related problems. Hanne Wolf is bound by confidentiality. If a minor student comes to see her, the initial consultation takes place without parental consent and remains confidential—unless otherwise requested and discussed.

Hanne Wolf does not provide psychotherapy at the Steinmühle. The time frame is not designed for that. However, visiting her office in the boarding school building is a good place to discuss a problem, find a solution, or consider next steps.

Sessions with Hanne Wolf last 45 minutes each and can be scheduled via the StoneApp. This is arranged through the teacher.

 

In the future, school social work should serve as a complement

Steinmühle is also considering hiring a school social worker. This area is intended to complement the psychologist’s work in the near future. Among other things, it involves direct and preventive conflict support—for example, during class—as well as direct and preventive conflict mediation. This can refer to conflicts between students, but also to those between students and teachers. It also involves providing strategies for de-escalating deadlocked disputes, as well as counseling students facing difficult life situations. These situations may include frustration with school, bullying, conflicts, as well as problems at home, personal issues, or questions regarding sexuality.

Tolga Tokcan Wins the “Günther Blau” Special Prize from the Marburg Art Museum

, ,

Great joy at our school: Tolga Tokcan (10B) was awarded the “Günther-Blau” Special Prize by the Marburg Art Museum. The competition’s theme was “A World Worth Living In” and was open to artistically talented students in grades 10 through 13 from across the district.

In addition to Tolga, Maxim Brockmann and Eric Dörschel also participated with impressive paintings and drawings. Cilia Evelbauer submitted a plaster sculpture on the theme. Although the grand prizes—worth 300, 200, and 100 euros—went to students from other schools, Tolga’s extraordinary sculpture impressed the jury so much that an additional special prize was created.

Inspired by an internship

His work—a lamp made of pipes, with the “light bulb head” lowered as if in a crouching position—was created in Marc Bepperling’s elective course (WU) in Art and Crafts. Tolga was inspired to create it during his internship at an installation company. The sculpture symbolizes, in an ironic and artistic way, the hope inherent in the human intellect, which takes on special significance in our times. The Friends of the Marburg Museum of Art and Cultural History (e.V.), which organized the competition, therefore decided to honor Tolga’s creative achievement with a special cash prize.

An exhibition at the school will follow

Unfortunately, the award winner was unable to attend the ceremony in person; Marc Bepperling accepted the award on his behalf. We, the art teachers, are thrilled by the talent of our young artists and look forward to displaying the works at our school after the exhibition ends.

Anyone who would like to admire Tolga’s award-winning sculpture and his other impressive works still has the opportunity to do so at the Kunstmuseum Marburg through the end of April. It’s well worth a visit!

Dr. Stefanie Stork


Great costumes and a festive atmosphere among the 5th and 6th graders

,

The costumes worn by the students in grades 5 and 6 at the joint Carnival celebration in the new gym were a testament to their vivid imaginations. Following a meticulously planned schedule, teachers and students were all involved in the festivities. Nothing was missing: decorations, lighting, seating, food—and even a Carnival Olympics featuring the biathlon and three-legged race were held. The disco and, later, the traditional Carnival snacks were also met with enthusiastic responses. The numerous teachers who participated set a good example not only during setup but also during takedown and cleanup, so that helping with cleanup, sweeping, and trash removal became second nature for the children.

Steinmühle would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to everyone involved, big and small, for the dedication you have shown. Many thanks to teacher Rieke Marie Schüßler for sharing her photo collection.

Princesses, wizards, and bunnies celebrate Carnival at the Bilingual Elementary School

, ,

It’s still quiet in the classroom, but out in the hall, the Steinmühle Bilingual Elementary School’s Carnival party is really getting into full swing. Whether they’re dressed as princesses, the Easter Bunny, or magicians—everyone is celebrating together with their teachers, who have also slipped into costumes to mark the occasion.

The students form a circle. “Anyone who has anything red on their clothes, please come to the center,” asks Lori Herrmann, assistant principal of the Bilingual Elementary School. The calls are repeated, naming different colors. And so, everyone gets a turn in the spotlight on this early afternoon.

The Carnival party with you students was great! And we say: See you next time!

Collaboration with Fleckenbühl on Natural Fruit Tree Pruning

, ,

 

How do you care for fruit trees? This is important for the Steinmühle to know, since there has been a mixed-fruit orchard behind the atrium for some time now.

Carmen Bastian, a biology teacher at Steinmühle, had invited David Rempen, a certified landscape and fruit tree specialist, to lead a workshop. Registration numbers were very high, but unfortunately dwindled due to a winter wave of illness; however, this did not dampen the positive atmosphere or hinder the sharing of knowledge.

Disinfect your pruning shears!

David Rempen, project manager of the educational garden at the Demeterhof Fleckenbühl near Schönstadt, gave an excellent presentation on how to prune fruit trees naturally so that they are not damaged but thrive and eventually bear fruit. During the five-and-a-half-hour workshop, the focus was first on training in fruit tree pruning, covering both theory and practice. A supplementary handout was used to convey basic theoretical knowledge before moving on to the practical application. For many, it was certainly new to learn that pruning shears should be disinfected after use to prevent the spread of fungal spores to other trees.

A few “aha” moments from horticulture were complemented by a discussion on space travel, during which biology teacher Dr. Sven Freibert got into a technical discussion with the speaker.

The workshop was considered a complete success, and everything points to the fact that Steinmühle’s collaboration with the Fleckenbühlers is bearing fruit in the best possible way.

Perfect pitch, a bubbling fountain, and a great collaboration: That’s how Steinmühle shone at “Jugend forscht”

, , , , ,

At the Central Hesse regional round of “Jugend forscht”—Germany’s best-known competition for young talent in mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, and technology—Steinmühle took first place four times. Following a team from the plus-MINT boarding school Steinmühle’s advancement to the national competition last year, this marks another outstanding start to the competition. Now in its 60th year, the competition invites young researchers to present their projects to a 24-member jury.

A total of 34 teams presented their research projects at the event, which was coordinated and jointly organized by Justus Liebig University Giessen and the Technical University of Central Hesse. Steinmühle was represented by seven teams, all of which addressed different topics in chemistry, the working world, biology, and technology. Using equipment, poster presentations, and scientific explanations, the students described their research questions and methods and reported on their findings. Key criteria included innovative thinking, the level of scientific rigor, as well as attention to detail and the ability to derive plausible and practically applicable insights.

 

For gentle UV filters in sunscreens

Anna-Lena Griesler and Maya Fischer from 9th grade took first place in chemistry. Building on a project from the previous year, they investigated the possibility of replacing synthetic and potentially harmful UV filters in conventional sunscreens with natural and long-term stable extracts, which required specialized equipment in the form of a UV-VIS spectrometer.

 

A Closer Look at Film Properties

First place in chemistry also went to Leonard Berger and Nicolas Bohnstedt, who are conducting research on sustainable alternatives to conventional petroleum-based plastic wrap. Their work focused on films that are partially recyclable or biodegradable, and they used precise methods to investigate their properties relevant to everyday use—including tear resistance, elasticity, oxygen barrier properties, and degradability.

 

Can You Learn Perfect Pitch?

Toshiro Beato, Leontin Schmidt, and Noah Wieder were delighted to take first place in biology. The trio of young researchers explored the topic of perfect pitch—what it depends on, how it can be learned—and whether it can be learned at all. To investigate this topic, the three young researchers designed questionnaires and conducted tests as part of a study.

 

Collaboration Between Two plus-MINT Boarding Schools

The project “Orbitals – plan around the year” by Fabian Sotonica, a student at Steinmühlen, and Nicklas Fuchs from the Louisenlund Foundation was the fourth project to win first place, in the “Working World” category. The project focused on annual schedule management, taking into account not only individual dates but also broader time frames. An application was developed for this purpose. This project marked the first collaboration between two plus-MINT boarding schools in the “Jugend forscht” competition.

 

Paper Made from Horse Manure

Lara Khatib, Jana Nowakowski, and Giorgia Kuhn (7th grade) took second place in the “Working World” category and won a special prize for resource efficiency with their project “Environmentally Friendly Paper Made from Horse Manure.” By producing paper from this resource—which is virtually unlimited at Steinmühle thanks to the school’s own horse farm—tree die-off can be reduced.

 

Professionalizing Water Quality Testing

Fabian Sotonica, Luis Gerloni, and Clara Steiner won third prize, along with the special “Make Annual Subscription” award, for their optimization measures aimed at the professional use of the low-cost boat they developed for the semi-automatic determination of water quality classes. The focus was on individual functions and autonomous waypoint tracking to enable completely autonomous sampling and subsequent analysis.

 

A Bubbling Experiment

Third place also went to Yiheng Liang, Niilo Danner, and Jakob Heck from 6th grade. The trio had investigated the height of the “Coke-Mentos fountain” as a function of the quantity, state, and temperature of the ingredients. The three young researchers were also interested in the fountain’s speed and whether adding dish soap would change its height.

 

All Steinmühlen projects were ranked

This means that all of Steinmühle’s “Jugend forscht” projects have placed in the competition. To top off all these awards, Steinmühle received the MINTSPACE School Award from Hohenloher.

 

Many thanks to the support team!

The Steinmühle projects, which achieved outstanding results among the 34 participating teams, were supervised by Steinmühle teachers Dr. Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf, Dr. Sven Freibert, Malte Klimczak, Dr. Eva Neumann, Antje Seel, Dr. Patrick Szabo, and Dr. Christian Drews (Louisenlund).

Sophie Sacher from class 5i takes third place at the state finals of the Math Olympiad

, , ,

Rainer Grabowski, Hesse’s State Representative for the Mathematics Olympiad at secondary schools, was the one to deliver the good news to Maximilian Moll from the Steinmühle math department: Once again, Steinmühle had secured a podium finish in a competition. Fifth-grader Sophie Sacher scored 26.5 out of 40 points in the highly challenging competition, securing third place. Steinmühle Principal Björn Gemmer commented on the achievement of the student, who attends Steinmühle’s International High School Program: “Outstanding!”

Emil Zuckermann, also a 5th grader and regional champion, and Orlando Geisel (11th grader) also took on the challenging problems of the Math Olympiad. Unfortunately, Orlando had to withdraw early on the second day due to illness.

Up through 7th grade, the state competition is the highest level that can be reached

The Math Olympiad consists of several rounds, with the difficulty increasing from round to round—culminating in the national round for the top math whizzes starting in 8th grade. For students in grades 3 through 7, the competition ends with the state round and a grand awards ceremony organized by the individual states.

Our photo shows Sophie Sacher at the awards ceremony alongside Brigitte Hirschler from the Hessian Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs, organizer Rainer Grabowski, and the head of Olympiad Class 5. All the award winners from this Olympiad class then gathered for a group photo. Sophie can be seen in the back row, center.

For now, just for the boarding school: Café Mühle is open!

,

With as many as 60 guests at times, the new Café Mühle at the Steinmühle tennis complex celebrated its grand opening. Visitors were eager to see the new addition and took in the atmosphere while enjoying a hot drink and something sweet. According to the plan, the café will now be open every weekend and twice during the week—initially only for boarding students, but eventually also for students from outside the school.

Work areas are divided into

With more than 20 young people, the café is Steinmühle’s largest Inno-Club, Ben Zriki announced on behalf of the educational team. For this reason, the work was divided into various areas of responsibility: barista, a baking group, PR, decoration, and finances.

Check Cost-Effectiveness

At the opening, everything was still free of charge. Now, however, we need to develop an idea of how such a café can—and must—be run profitably. To better cater to the interests of young people, this task was also included in the plan. —It’s like a small student-run business, so to speak!

A smoothie maker is on its way

We already have some concrete ideas for the product lineup. Every week, there will be a rotating selection of different cakes. In the near future, we’ll be adding a smoothie maker so we can offer delicious and healthy juices.

Designed as a multipurpose space

The opening was a complete success, and everyone was delighted with the overwhelmingly positive feedback. Ben Zriki: “We hope the café can become a new gathering place at the boarding school where young people enjoy spending time—whether to study or just to relax.”

You can find a reel offering a 360-degree view of Café Mühle at instagram.com/steinmuehle/.

 

This is how the Steinmühle voted

, ,

On February 19, 2025, the junior elections were held once again at the Steinmühle, this time as part of the early federal elections.

Voter turnout, at 80.2 percent, was slightly below average compared to turnout in previous years, which can be attributed to the high number of students on sick leave and the many students who were abroad. Given these circumstances, however, it is encouraging that voter turnout was still relatively high.

 

Many thanks to the election workers

This was certainly also due to the great dedication of this year’s election volunteers. Ben Luis Peters, Jannis Bastian, Fabian Gutmann, Andreas Wöhr, Jonathan Eckardt, Baris Tutu, Jan Templer, and Anton Neßler from Dr. Claudia Röder’s Political Science seminar impressed everyone with their motivation, expertise, organizational skills, and their friendly and good-humored demeanor.

Project manager Eva Rink was pleased that the junior elections went off without a hitch. The political science and English teacher was also relieved that the junior elections were able to take place at all this year, which was by no means a given due to the early federal elections and the resulting time constraints. Once again, the project’s sponsor, the nonprofit and nonpartisan association Kumulus e.V. from Berlin, proved itself to be a reliable supporter and organizer of political education (for more information: juniorwahl.de).

The results of the mock elections could hold a few surprises here and there, especially when compared to the results of the actual federal elections or to the overall results of the mock elections from all participating schools in Germany.

 

CDU Remains the Strongest Party, Followed by the Left Party

At Steinmühle, the CDU emerged as the leading party with 23.9 percent of the vote, just as it had in the last youth election held in conjunction with the European elections.

The result achieved by the Left Party—which was considered the loser in the last election—is striking. This year, the party can certainly be described as another winner, as it not only made significant gains but also became the second-largest party with 21.1 percent of the vote.

The Greens are in third place with 17.8 percent, just ahead of the SPD (16.9 percent).

A nationwide trend is also evident at Steinmühle: Compared to previous junior elections at Steinmühle, the FDP has suffered further losses. While it was still the second-strongest party in the youth elections held as part of the 2021 federal elections, this year it received only 8.2 percent of the vote.

The Sarah Wagenknecht Alliance and the Volt Party received 3.3 percent and 3.0 percent of the vote, respectively, putting them almost neck and neck.

 

There was no shift to the right

The shift to the right, which is evident not only in Germany but throughout Europe, did not take hold in Steinmühle. The AfD received even fewer votes than in the previous local elections and managed to secure only 1.5 percent of the vote.

In the chart, the following parties were grouped under “Others”: Free Voters (1.2 percent), Animal Protection Party (1.2 percent), Die PARTEI (0.9 percent), MLPD (0.6 percent), and PdH (0.3 percent).

 

“Panel Discussion Was Helpful”

The results of the first-preference votes are also interesting. Sören Bartol of the SPD emerged as the clear winner, with 40.2 percent of the vote. The attached table shows additional results regarding the district representatives.

Many students noted that the previous panel discussion at the Steinmühle with the candidates running directly for the German Bundestag was very helpful in determining their voting decisions and left a lasting impression.

 

Democracy is fun

In addition, numerous students and faculty members once again spoke positively about the junior elections, a sentiment that was also reflected in the enthusiasm shown by the Steinmühle student body on election day. Democracy is fun! This was evident once again this year, and the organizer of the junior elections at Steinmühle hopes that enthusiasm for the event will not wane in the years to come.

Eva Rink

 

 
12
 
123456

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

  • NEWSLETTER
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • WORK AT THE STONE MILL
  • SUMMER CAMPS
  • LEGAL NOTICE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • CONTACT