Launching a New Sport: Tennis Clubs in Elementary School and Grades 5–6

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During a visit to the Steinmühle campus, Hans-Jürgen Schneider, chairman of the Marburg-Biedenkopf Tennis Association, found ideal conditions for tennis: The boarding school maintains the courts and thus the necessary infrastructure. Schneider’s suggestion to get young Steinmühlen students excited about tennis was well received by Principal Björn Gemmer. The school then surveyed interest in the “white sport” among elementary school students and those in grades 5 and 6.

The call for participants generated such a strong response that, since the beginning of September, 16 elementary school students have been training on Wednesdays from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m., followed by 19 fifth- and sixth-graders from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Three coaches are available to work with the children: Patrick Voyé is provided by the tennis association, and former Steinmühlen students Nina and Tom Horn assist him.

The opportunity to use the tennis courts for school clubs is yet another sign of the successful collaboration between the school and the Steinmühle boarding school. The administrators at Steinmühle—and, of course, Hans-Jürgen Schneider as the initiator—hope that the students will enjoy tennis so much that they will join a tennis club in the local tennis district and make the sport a lifelong hobby.

Unfortunately, the Steinmühlen Fall Festival has been canceled!

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2020 is a special year—unfortunately, without the Steinmühlen Fall Festival. However, we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to celebrate together again at our Steinmühlen grounds next year. So please be sure to mark September 25, 2021, on your calendar! 😊👍

Boarding School Weekend as an Adventure Weekend

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The first boarding school weekend on the grounds of Steinmühle Boarding School offered a varied program for all 83 students and their teachers: From traditional sports activities to craft projects and moments of intentional relaxation, there was something for everyone. The educational philosophy of Steinmühle Boarding School was fully embraced right from the start of the school year: strengthening community and providing active breaks from the (academic) stress of the week.

The First House Evening: The Living Groups All to Themselves

And so the weekend kicked off on Friday evening with the traditional house night: Each living group plans its evening according to its own preferences. The evening activities reflect the individual interests of the living groups. For example, the guys from the main house let off some steam at the Jump’n Fly trampoline park in Gießen, while the girls and guys from the Hessenhaus preferred to spend a cozy evening at home enjoying a delicious meal. Fueled by pizza on Friday evening, the boys from the Mühle began renovating their common room, while the students from the Biohaus ventured into a colorful wonderland at the 4D black-light mini-golf course in Linden. The Westfalenhaus spent the evening singing and dancing to SingStar and Just Dance in the tea room on the boarding school grounds, while the residents of the Bremerhaus residential group relaxed and let their gaze wander from Landgrave Castle in Marburg across the city and countryside.

A weekend full of adventures

The weekend program for the entire boarding school community was just as varied as Friday’s in-house opening event.

The sports-loving students were able to let off some steam with fitness activities, soccer, baseball, and badminton. On Saturday, the trip to Lake Eder offered a welcome change of scenery from the boarding school grounds. Even though the water level of Lake Eder has dropped significantly in recent weeks and months, it still offered ideal conditions for trying out the seven newly purchased SUPs (stand-up paddleboards). And for those who preferred a classic canoe trip, there was an opportunity on Sunday to paddle down the Lahn River under the guidance of staff, starting directly from the Steinmühle boarding school grounds.

 

This weekend, the students with a knack for crafts had the opportunity to create vertical gardens or build their own beach bar. The vertical gardens were created using pallets, soil, dirty hands, and small herb plants in the Westfalenhaus garden, where they are accessible to everyone. And on Saturday, the Beach Bar construction project kicked off: On the newly developed Lahn grounds, which feature a professional beach volleyball court, a real beach bar is, of course, a must. And under the guidance of their teachers, the students are building it entirely on their own—from applying the wood primer to the subsequent assembly.

Mindful Relaxation for the Boarding School Community

In addition to opportunities for physical exertion, this weekend also offered intentionally planned moments of respite for both body and soul. The delicious warm brownies baked by the boarding school community’s baking club sweetened Saturday afternoon, and in the evening, enthusiastic students gathered to collect new recipes for “Meat-Free Monday” at the Steinmühle. On Sunday morning, anyone interested could relax and try their hand at making macramé keychains. The journaling session offered moments of deep self-reflection: developing visions, focusing on goals, and becoming aware of one’s strengths and resources. Some students enjoyed this experience entirely on their own, under the guidance of teachers, while sipping tea and listening to relaxing music.

And so, on Sunday evening, those eventful days drew to a close, allowing us to start the new week feeling refreshed and reenergized.

For more photos, feel free to follow our Instagram account @internat.steinmuehle.

Outdoor Back-to-School Ceremony: New 5th Graders Are on Board

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A large campus like the one at Steinmühle currently helps prevent large groups of people from gathering. If the weather cooperates, everything goes smoothly—as was the case recently during the welcome event for the new 5th-grade students.

Parents and children took their seats on wooden benches spaced far apart, while the welcome music played under the direction of Frank Wemme. Principals Bernd Holly and Björn Gemmer gave a brief speech and introduced Jasmine Weidenbach, the chairwoman of the Steinmühle Marburg Friends Association. At the end of the morning, she presented each new student with a Steinmühle T-shirt.

Teachers helped organize the classes using buttons and signs. Who would be in the same class as whom? Those were some exciting moments!

Before visiting the classrooms, there was also a group photo session on the schedule—with signs identifying each class—but this time without the parents.

While the children were getting to know their new classrooms, a refreshment stand was set up for the parents—in compliance with hygiene regulations, of course. The morning—and thus the first day of school for the fifth graders—came to a close at the “Spinne,” Steinmühle’s popular climbing area for younger students.
As is the case every year, some fifth graders quickly swapped out the clothes they’d come in wearing for the T-shirt provided by the booster club—a positive sign for the trip home, as it already signaled their sense of belonging to their new school.

The Steinmühle would like to thank all the volunteers who, despite everything, helped make this “somewhat different first day of school” such a carefree event.

A Gentle Transition into the World of Learning

Starting first grade is always doubly exciting: for the children, of course—but also for their parents. It marks a transition from a world of play to a world of learning—and this is often accompanied by great concern on the part of parents: Will my child feel comfortable in this new environment? Will they get along with the other children? Will they be sad? And what if something unexpected happens to them?

With all these parental concerns in mind, Schulzweig Director Janine Neckenich crafted her thoughtful speech for the first-graders’ orientation ceremony at the Steinmühle Bilingual Elementary School. Her colleague Katrin Weißenborn had selected a story describing the correspondence between a “first-day-of-school mom” and the homeroom teacher. The text, read aloud in English, described the situation of a mother who was in the same situation as the parents in attendance. This empathetic approach conveyed to them that they are taken seriously.

A musical piece to start things off, a body percussion performance of “A Little Night Music,” and a rap about the first day of school dispelled any melancholy thoughts that might arise when your own child becomes a schoolchild. “We look forward to playing, reading, goofing off, and learning with you, dear first-graders,” concluded Janine Neckenich. The school branch director also emphasized the importance of collaboration with parents. She noted that it is part of the responsible and special task of being able to care for the children here at school.

Certificates Demonstrate Business Knowledge

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Following last year’s successful launch, students from Steinmühlen’s E-Phase once again participated in the program to qualify for the “Entrepreneurship License.” The certificate is based on a program offered by the e-learning provider bit media in collaboration with the student learning platform LONA Education. The exam is administered by the Academy for Business and Logistics. This is preceded by instruction in the fields of business, economics, and business administration. The Entrepreneur’s License is completed through several modules, each of which concludes with a certification exam. It is a recognized business certificate. Principal Björn Gemmer (back left) and subject teacher Erno Menzel congratulated the students on their successful demonstration of knowledge, which in almost all cases was documented in Modules A and B. Preparations for the next level, Level C, according to Erno Menzel, were unfortunately derailed by pandemic-related restrictions. The Entrepreneur’s License was earned by Johannes Agel, Sarah-Marie Blöcher, Lara Maria Engel, Paul Kappeller, Sebastian Koch, Moritz Philipp Mägerlein, Simon Süßer, Mara Wagner, and Elisabeth Weber.

It does matter what you eat: Meat Free Monday at the Steinmühle

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Starting immediately, the Steinmühlenküche’s menu will be completely meat-free on Mondays: Neither the cafeteria nor the bistro will serve meat or sausage on that day of the week. With this measure, the school and boarding school are heeding a prominent call that is spreading around the world: Paul McCartney and his daughters launched the “Meat Free Monday” campaign. “Everyone can do their part to raise awareness of the harmful environmental impacts of animal agriculture and the consequences of industrial meat processing.” With this appeal, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health had already advocated for one meat-free day per week as a public health awareness program as early as 2003. The campaign was supported by numerous other schools of public health, but it has only gained worldwide attention since Paul McCartney and his daughters began supporting it as the nonprofit project “Meat Free Monday.”

Principal Björn Gemmer gave the Steinmühlen kitchen the key suggestion that has now superseded the previous, rather half-hearted solution. Although every Wednesday had been “Veggie Day” up until now—it was limited to lunch and only in the cafeteria. Breakfast, dinner specials, and the bistro menu still featured meat and sausage. That’s no longer the case on “Meat-Free Monday.” “Veggie is simply the trend.” August 17 marked the launch of Meat-Free Monday at the Steinmühle.

Head chef Sebastian Riehl also welcomes the initiative: “It’s about raising awareness of doing something good for yourself and the world.” He knows that eating vegetarian has long since ceased to be merely the philosophy of a few individuals. “Veggie is simply in.” Through its curriculum and building initiatives, Steinmühle has already demonstrated on multiple occasions that it places a high priority on the environment and the ecosystem. Now, the school and boarding school are placing further emphasis on this approach when it comes to meals. This initiative is one of many activities that help slow climate change, conserve valuable natural resources, and improve personal health. For more information on the Meat Free Monday campaign, visit www.meatfreemondays.com.

Steinmühle Boarding School’s House Trips: Lots of Caution, but Still Great Fun

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As part of the annual program, boarding school students set off on what are known as “house trips” immediately after the start of the school year: Each residential group heads to a different destination in Germany together. Reports indicate that this year’s trips were once again a lot of fun. “The ‘Häuserfahrten’ have become an established tradition at our boarding school—a trip that each residential group can effectively use for team-building activities and to get to know one another,” reports boarding school director Anke Muszynski.

 

Bremerhaus: In the Footsteps of the Vikings

This year, the Bremerhaus traveled to Süsel in Schleswig-Holstein. The stunning location—with Lake Süsel right on the doorstep of the Tannenhöhe youth vacation center and just a few minutes from the Baltic Sea—couldn’t be dampened even by the occasional rain. With the two birthday celebrants, Sarah and Luke, everyone celebrated together in the group room. And as if they were all true Vikings, the students and counselors braved the rain and embraced Viking Day on Friday. “Oars up!” In a traditional boat, the residential group navigated across Lake Süseler after trying their hand at Viking games together, including axe throwing, archery, and Viking chess. On Saturday, the sun came out for a relaxed and playful day at Scharbeutz Beach on the Baltic Sea, which came to a perfect close with a sumptuous barbecue buffet in the evening.

 

The parent company’s goal: A campground in Heidelberg

Heidelberg is this year’s destination for the residents of the main house. Once there, they headed to a campground and are spending the night in small cabins. A nice touch: there’s virtually no internet reception at the campground. So “digital detox” became the theme of the weekend for the residential group, allowing the students and educators to fully focus on themselves. In the evenings, they also had barbecues at the main house and enjoyed spending time together in a relaxed atmosphere. The highlight of the trip was a visit to the Auto & Technik Museum in Sinsheim. The main attraction there: a Concorde.

 

Heidepark in the Spotlight at the Hessenhaus

The Hessenhaus group headed toward Hanover: Near the capital of Lower Saxony—which has beautiful, natural spots on its outskirts—they fired up the grill in the evening and chatted. Since there were no other groups staying at the very modern facility at the time, the Hessenhaus group was able to feel completely at home playing soccer and basketball and enjoying the lively evening atmosphere. The group had planned a visit to Heidepark for the next day: endless fun, games, and excitement for the new residential group.

 

“MS Mühle in the harbor of Lake Wißmar”

The “MS Mühle,” jokingly dubbed the “passenger ship of good cheer,” sailed into the “harbor” of Lake Wißmar near Gießen on Friday. After setting up camp at the campground, firing up the grill was at the top of the agenda. Since Ivo, whose birthday it was, was on board, a little celebration was in order for Saturday.

Other activities planned for the residents of the Mühle: group icebreakers and team-building activities, as well as a visit to “Jump & Fly” in Linden. After a cozy evening and a quiet morning, the soccer fans in the residential group were looking forward to watching the Champions League final after a manageable 30-kilometer trip back.

 

Westfalenhaus: “Being a Kid Again”

The Westfalenhaus headed to the tried-and-true group house in Weeze, North Rhine-Westphalia, which used to be a school. On the grounds, various games proved to be the perfect way to pass the time before everyone could satisfy their appetites at the long-awaited barbecue and the evening came to a close around the campfire. The “Wunderland Kalkar” amusement park served as an attractive highlight of the weekend together—with attractions for all ages, “not only to get our adrenaline pumping, but perhaps also to simply be kids again for a while.”

 


Biohaus: Getting to Know and Trust Each Other

For the youngest house at the Steinmühle boarding school, the focus was clearly on age-appropriate, relaxed, and fun team-building and trust-building activities. So this year, the Biohaus headed to Düsseldorf for an overnight stay at a youth hostel and a visit to a climbing park that is part of the Alpenpark Neuss. Climbing as a group activity: As a true team, the students overcame their fear of heights together; guided by the experienced team of educators, the younger students motivated one another throughout the climbing course and, in the process, grew together into a real group.

Learning Center Expansion for the Bilingual Elementary School: Steinmühle Celebrates Topping-Out Ceremony

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“In a turbulent world, the safest investment is in education.” With these words, Egon Vaupel, chairman of the Steinmühle Marburg School Association, opened the topping-out ceremony for the expansion of the Steinmühle Learning Center. Starting in the second semester, the bilingual elementary school is set to move into this new floor. The school opened a year ago and has been housed in the Bremerhaus building until now.

The fact that this works so smoothly is yet another testament to the excellent collaboration between the school and the Steinmühle boarding school. The high school and elementary school, on the one hand, and the boarding school, on the other, work hand in hand to further establish the bigger picture—namely, “Steinmühle.” “We’ve already succeeded in this; there is great respect for what our students and staff accomplish,” Vaupel reported. This was confirmed by Georg Ritter, who, as managing director of the boarding school’s operating entity, Landschulheim Steinmühle GmbH & Co. KG, praised both the spirit of partnership and the supportive attitude of the shareholders.

 

“The celebration is in honor of the construction workers”

“We’re celebrating here first and foremost to thank the construction workers,” Egon Vaupel went on to explain. “And we’re glad that all the work was completed without any injuries or incidents. Let’s hope it stays that way.”

In addition to praising site manager Jochen Schröder (Gade), Vaupel highlighted the architectural firm Thomas Oesterle’s aesthetic execution of the ideas within the framework of the numerous requirements. He praised the cooperative partnership with Sparkasse Marburg-Biedenkopf on financing matters, the support provided by the Steinmühlen Friends Association, and the dedication of School Association Executive Director Dirk Konnertz, backed by the reliable support of school principals Björn Gemmer and Bernd Holly.

All those involved took advantage of the gathering to engage in lively conversation over grilled sausages and cold drinks. Interested guests had the opportunity to take a guided tour of the building shell.

Last but not least, the group posed for a group photo—with Janine Neckenich taking center stage. The elementary school division director is especially delighted that the day when her students and colleagues will move into the new classrooms is now drawing ever closer.

 
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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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