What’s the best way for new and “old” boarding students in the same residential group to get to know each other? Steinmühle relies on a tried-and-true format for this. At the start of the school year, each residential group embarks on a group trip. Read on to find out which trips were on the calendar this time.
Hessenhaus: Casual conversations and new connections
This year’s group trip took us to Soltau, in the heart of the Lüneburg Heath, where we spent a fun-filled weekend together. The goal of the trip was to strengthen group cohesion, build trust, and create opportunities for new connections through shared experiences.
Over the course of the weekend, it was clear to see how the group was growing closer and closer. During games, shared meals, and the visit to Heide Park, many casual conversations took place and new connections were formed. It was especially wonderful to see how naturally the young people included one another and shared experiences together.
Westfalenhaus: Personal Friendships and True Group Cohesion
To get to know each other better and build a sense of community, this year’s Westfalenhaus event was held near Cologne. The highlight on Saturday: riding roller coasters at Phantasialand. We spent the whole day on the hunt for the next adrenaline rush, during which some of us had to step out of our comfort zones and conquer the thrills together. Things got really exciting—and a little bit scary—that evening during a game of Werewolf, which gave everyone another chance to get to know each other even better. But it wasn’t just there—individual friendships and genuine group camaraderie also blossomed over the weekend while we cooked together in the self-catering cabin, sat comfortably around the campfire chatting, or enjoyed spontaneous dance parties in the evening.
Bremerhaus: The Success of Everyday Life Depends on Everyone’s Participation
The Bremerhaus trip to East Frisia and the island of Norderney was all about shared experiences, team building, and personal development. The focus was less on the journey itself and more on how a group grows closer through new experiences, shared challenges, and unfamiliar situations.
Shaping daily life together was particularly important. When shopping, planning, and preparing meals, the young people were challenged to take on responsibility, coordinate with one another, and divide tasks among themselves. This naturally led to situations that required consideration, communication, and reliability. Cooking together thus became an important social learning experience: Everyone could contribute and see firsthand that the success of daily life as a group depends on everyone’s participation.
The stay on Norderney also offered numerous opportunities to test their independence and personal responsibility. The young people had to find their bearings in an unfamiliar environment, navigate their way around on their own, and coordinate with each other within the group. Consciously trusting in their own abilities and in the group not only strengthened their individual independence but also fostered mutual trust.
Taking a group swim in the cold North Sea posed a particular challenge. Venturing into the water despite the low temperatures required determination and courage. It is precisely these kinds of situations—those that lie outside our usual daily routine—that offer valuable experiences: recognizing one’s own limits, overcoming them when necessary, and being supported and motivated by others in the process. Overcoming this challenge together strengthened the sense of camaraderie and created a shared sense of accomplishment.
In addition, new connections formed within the group, particularly through playing together. The unfamiliar situations gave rise to new dynamics and relationships that might not develop as naturally in the normal daily life of a boarding school. In some cases, the teens saw each other from a different perspective and discovered shared interests and skills. This helped break down existing group boundaries and foster new relationships within the Bremerhaus.
Parent Company: A Complete Success in Terms of Momentum
The main group went to the Rhön this year. We all spent the night together in a large tent under simple conditions. We set up and took down the tent together with all the boys. All other tasks that needed to be done—cleaning up, doing the dishes, and preparing meals—were also handled collaboratively and without complaint. In our free time, we played chess and soccer. Whether it was summer tobogganing, hiking, or unwinding at the thermal baths at the end of the trip, the mood was consistently lively, and the entire group clearly had a great time. As a reward after the hike, we stopped at a monastery to refuel with hearty treats.
The weekend was a complete success in terms of the group’s dynamic and cohesion, and we are very optimistic about the coming school year.
Mühle: Time spent together on a wonderful weekend
This year, we took a trip to the Ruhr region together with the Mühle girls’ group. At a cozy lodging in a cultural center in Essen, we wrapped up Friday evening with an Italian cooking session and fun games. At the stroke of midnight, we had a little party with a sing-along to properly celebrate one of the residents’ 14th birthday. We spent Saturday together at Movie Park. From whitewater rafting and looping roller coasters to shooting ranges and delicious crêpes, there was something for everyone. Before heading back to our hometown of Marburg on Sunday, we made a stop at the Bochum Planetarium. There, we watched “The Mysterious Universe,” lying beneath a huge dome and gazing at wonderful constellations while listening to a fascinating presentation about the structure of our universe and the Milky Way galaxy. The girls—and we teachers, too—really enjoyed our time there and will remember this wonderful weekend, complete with lots of photos.
Biohaus: The group can weather friction and reach compromises
A new residential group, a new concept, and eight young adults: For some of our 12th and 13th graders, this trip wasn’t just an outing—it was a dress rehearsal for a completely new residential group concept at our boarding school, one that emphasizes initiative, trust, and maximum independence. The role of the educational team? No longer merely as guides, but as invited partners on equal footing.
It became clear right from the start of the weekend together that this idea could work: shopping, preparation, and an atmospheric candlelit pizza dinner were all organized entirely by the group on their own. The educational team sat at the table with them—but as guests in what was clearly a well-functioning shared apartment.
Saturday was all about genuine participation. To turn the living group into a true meeting place that also serves as a learning space, the group worked together to select the furnishings for the “new” group room. The lively discussion about taste and practicality suggests that the group can handle disagreements and find compromises together.
To highlight the importance of effective communication for a group, we visited the interactive museum “Dialog im Dunkeln” in Frankfurt am Main. Relying on the voices and signals of others while unable to see was a valuable and very powerful experience in terms of trust, support, and communication for a group that must learn to work together without a constantly supervising team of educators. The same applies to the escape room, which rounded out the Saturday. Finding solutions as a team, relying on one another, and even taking wrong turns together will also be part of everyday life in a shared apartment.
As a team, we’re drawing a very positive conclusion from this weekend: Despite their very different personalities, the group is already getting along remarkably well. Naturally, such a new and, until now, unfamiliar living arrangement at our boarding school brings with it some minor uncertainties—both for the young adults and the slightly “older” ones. Nevertheless, we were able to prove this weekend that giving young adults a lot of trust up front can pay off. An all-around successful start for a new group—and perhaps also for a new living arrangement that will last for many years.
The Educational Team at the Steinmühle Boarding School
