Music “made in Steinmühle”: Philipp Stauzebach and his band Juno17 recorded a new album at the Forum

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The German band “JUNO17” took advantage of the fact that schools were closed for the weekend to record parts of their new album at the Steinmühle Forum.

This extraordinary lineup has a history. The band, which has a large following on all social media platforms, has been around since 2015. Its members are Philipp Hofmann (vocals), Philipp Stauzebach (guitar), Joscha Mengel (bass), and Sebastian Schmitt (drums). Guitarist Philipp Stauzebach, from Marburg, was a student at Steinmühle himself. He graduated from high school here 13 years ago.

In 2016, the group celebrated its TV success in Germany when it provided the theme song for the season of *Celebrity Big Brother* with its song “Rebellen.” Since then, the musicians have been active primarily in Russia. There, they have built up a large fan base and have become an integral part of well-known music shows and the lineups of major festivals. With their cover version of the old Russian anti-war song “Beri Shinel, poshli damoy”—originally by Bulat Okudzhava—they performed on Victory Day in May 2019 (May 9), and have been traveling to Russia 5–6 times a year ever since. “We’re all working hard to learn Russian,” said singer Philipp Hofmann when asked how he and his colleagues were getting along with communication. “But we’re not quite there yet.”

Guitarist Philipp Stauzebach from Marburg still raves about the musical support he always received at the Steinmühle. He has remained in touch with his former school—especially with principal Björn Gemmer—to this day, and the sound of the Forum was one of the reasons Stauzebach chose to record parts of his new album right there, where, musically speaking, it all began for him.

(Angela Heinemann)

First Prize at “Jugend musiziert” for Nela Haeberle and her flute quartet

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Nela Haeberle and her flute quartet won first prize with a perfect score of 25 points at the Central Hesse regional round of “Jugend musiziert” held at the Philosophikum II in Giessen. The “Vier Notenschlüssel” have thus qualified directly for the state competition, which will be held at the end of March at the State Music Academy in Schlitz. The quartet’s ultimate goal—which includes Nela Haeberle (second from the left) along with students Anna Briel, Anna Schwarz, and Miriam Lange—is to qualify for the national competition. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for them!

Coronavirus – Important Information

Dear Parents,

In addition to Friday evening’s announcement, we would like to inform you of the option, as communicated by the Ministry of Education, to pick up school supplies—particularly books, workbooks, and binders—from the school. To avoid crowds, we are extending the pickup time window at the Steinmühle campus:

The school buildings will be open from Monday, March 16, through Wednesday, March 18, from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day. As we noted on Friday evening: To significantly slow the spread of the coronavirus, it is important that as few students as possible come to school. Children whose parents are not eligible to provide care have the option of attending school. This applies when the children are at an age where they cannot yet stay home alone and when both parents work in jobs that are essential to society, such as healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, pharmacy staff), firefighters, police officers, etc., as children should not be cared for by their grandparents. If you belong to this group, please email me at bjoern.gemmer@steinmuehle.net AND Bernd Holly at bernd.holly@steinmuehle.net by Sunday evening to let us know which student will be coming to school starting Monday to receive care there. Even though teachers are still required to report for duty, this information is important so that we can verify that your daughter or son has arrived at school and know how many lunches to prepare. Additional important information:

  • As things stand now, the regular high school graduation exam date will remain unchanged.
  • The parent-teacher conferences have been canceled.
  • The same applies to all informational events.

The parents of boarding students will receive further information from the boarding school administration. You will certainly receive additional emails from Steinmühle in the near future. In particular, we will try to send your daughters and sons study materials on important school-related topics. To do this, we will either send emails or share information in the relevant groups on the StoneApp.

With warm regards and best wishes for a healthy weekend!
Bernd Holly and Björn Gemmer

Steinmühle Boarding School: Active on the Slopes

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Spectacular weather awaited us in Randa:

The ski trip to Randa, Switzerland, has long been a staple of the annual schedule at Steinmühle Boarding School. On February 13, ten students set off together with

Nils Schwandt and Freya Penschuck set out from Marburg for the Grächen ski resort. The weather throughout their three-day stay more than made up for the eight-hour trip there, which took place in the rain and under less-than-ideal conditions. “We had what you might call perfect weather in Randa,” the participants reported. Indeed, the cloudless sky and clear visibility treated the students from the Steinmühle boarding school to a view of the distant Matterhorn!
Helping One Another
It quickly became clear that all the passengers had been on a ski vacation before, on their own. You could tell that some were experienced skiers or snowboarders: they turned out to be seasoned and skilled riders. In contrast, others still needed a little extra help or a refresher on their skills. In many cases, everyone quickly helped each other out to navigate the slopes successfully. We also had Freya, a certified snowboard instructor, who had a few helpful tips for everyone.
Working Out During the Day
We slept in old, rustic wooden cabins on the grounds of a former farm in a traditional mountain village at an elevation of about 1,400 meters. We hit the slopes around 9 a.m. The day there was active and full of exercise. Around 4:30 p.m., the group met up to ski down to the valley. So it’s no wonder that everyone was thoroughly tired and exhausted by evening. After cooking and eating together, we chatted a bit or played some games to wind down the day peacefully.
Refreshing all around
Once again this year, none of the participants could escape the ritual that has been a tradition for years: Anyone visiting Randa for the first time must take a quick dip in a water trough. Since it is fed by pure mountain spring water, this turned into a “pleasantly refreshing” splash around. Everyone took the decidedly cool temperatures in stride and saw it as a sign to return to their schoolwork with a clear head once they were back at the Steinmühle boarding school.

School Ski Course: A varied program featuring hands-on activities, theory, and fun at the mountain huts

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At the end of the third week of January, the annual school ski trip for 8th-grade classes began. With a total of 72 students and 11 teachers, the group set off by bus for Mayrhofen in the Zillertal.

After overcoming the initial organizational challenge of transferring all the luggage from the bus to the Penkenbahn in no time at all, everyone was then able to enjoy the Alpine panorama to the fullest. Upon arriving at the Gschösswandhaus, run by the Mitterer family, everyone settled into their rooms and enjoyed their first hearty dinner.

For the following days, everyone was divided into three skill-level groups—from beginners to advanced—to improve their skiing skills or learn to ski with the help of the instructors.

The days began with a wake-up call at 7:30 a.m. and ended with bedtime at 10:00 p.m. We hit the slopes for two hours each morning and afternoon. Everything went smoothly, and aside from a few minor scrapes, everyone had a great time—especially in the bright sunshine starting on the second day.

 

About slope rules and Alpine Hazards

There was also a varied program at the lodge, and the theoretical side wasn’t neglected: the instructors presented a lecture on international slope rules, skiing adapted to external conditions, and information about alpine hazards. In addition, there was always plenty of entertainment. There was a moonlight disco; at night, participants could marvel at the clear starry sky on a night hike; and on the ski-free afternoon, they could even tour the Penkenbahn or head down to Mayrhofen for some shopping. Highlights included the final afternoon on the slopes, when students were allowed to ski in mixed groups; a fire alarm accidentally triggered by deodorant spray; and the elaborately and creatively designed “rocket” in the room decoration contest. On the day of departure, everyone headed back to beautiful Marburg with mixed feelings.
The WU Student Newspaper

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Junior Science Olympiad: Even the youngest participants worked independently and successfully

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The first round of the 17th International Junior Science Olympiad took place between early December and mid-January. During this round, children and teenagers up to age 15 had the opportunity to conduct, document, and analyze experiments on a specific topic—this year, “ink.” This competition offers students an accessible introduction to STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and is designed to spark an interest in inquiry-based learning—particularly in an interdisciplinary context—that goes far beyond the standard school curriculum.

A total of 10 students took on the challenge at the Steinmühle under the guidance of their NaUnt teacher, Julia Riemenschneider: Liliane Albrecht, Mats Egbring, Maximilian Glock, Lilian Gräser, Max Krug, Antonia Kurlinsky, Stella Preiß, Konrad Rothmann, Jonathan Wolff, and Philipp Zielen. Alongside their regular classes, they worked with great enthusiasm on the experiments, which they conducted and documented using only everyday materials. The tasks posed a particularly significant challenge, especially for the youngest participants in the competition. Despite this, they were able to successfully complete the experiments on their own, demonstrating great enthusiasm for STEM subjects.
Julia Riemenschneider

“Amazon Ants” and “Math Magicians” took second place statewide in Hesse

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“Can you guys double-check if what we’ve checked off here is right?” “I’m on a hot lead for Problem 8 right now.” “How do you factor again?” “You cross out something at the top and something at the bottom.” “I know the p-q formula. Am I smart or am I not smart?”—Those were the actual words of Aliena, Paula, Joshua, and Konstantin from Class 9a as they worked on the problems for the Bolyai Team Math Competition.

What is not allowed in regular class exams or tests is, in fact, encouraged in this new math competition: Two to four students from the same grade form a team and work together to determine which of five given answers is correct for a math puzzle. Anything is possible, ranging from “none” to “all 5 answers.”

“The ability to work together is a core value in our lives”—that’s the motto of this competition, which originated in Hungary and has only been offered in Germany for the past five years. The two girls and two boys from class 9a agreed to participate in Bolyai without a moment’s hesitation. They spent more time discussing their team name. They ultimately competed as the Amazon Ants (“They’re the strongest animals in the world relative to their body weight,” Joshua had explained) and were very successful. Out of 61 participating teams in Hesse, they took second place and received certificates, T-shirts, and the 2019 Bolyai Competition yearbook containing all the problems and solutions.

Just like last year, Teresa Dinges (6b) and Sophia Rogosch (6c), along with two students from the Gymnasium Philippinum, competed in the Bolyai Competition as “Die Mathemagier.” They were just as successful as last year and took second place among 103 participating groups of sixth graders in Hesse.

Congratulations to both successful math teams!
Gisela Opper

The Introductory Art Course Designs Posters for the Guest Bands at the MaNo Festival

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For the past 25 years, bands from Marburg and the surrounding area, as well as from the sister cities of Northampton, Poitiers, Maribor, Sfax, Eisenach, and Sibiu, have been invited to Marburg for a weekend in March to play their music at the MaNo Festival in pubs and clubs. All guest bands introduce themselves to the Marburg audience with a few songs on Thursday evening.

For the first time, one of the co-organizers, Antje Schmidt, came up with the idea of announcing the bands during the concert using posters instead of a host to mark the anniversary year. A collaboration with a high school class at Steinmühle was established to design the posters.

In the art class, the “assignment” of the eleven bands was conducted just like on popular talent shows: the bands’ songs were played, and the students who were the first to press the fictional buzzer got to design the poster for that band. Decisions regarding color contrasts, brushstrokes, composition, and typography were incorporated into the concept and sketches before the art room was transformed into a painting studio.

“It’s especially the way each poster is individually tailored to the sounds and rhythms of each band that makes these student posters so appealing,” comments art teacher Ines Vielhaben. “We’re really curious to see if the musicians like our designs.”

The posters for the guest bands at the MaNo Festival will be unveiled to the bands and the audience at the Waggonhalle on Thursday.

2020 School Chess Championships: Philipp Dubinker (5b) won his age group

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A tense calm hangs in the air during the final round of the Marburg Student Chess Championship. You can’t even hear the clocks ticking—electronics have made their way here, too. Full concentration on opponents and the board. A large group of students comes through the door and quietly gathers around the first table of the 5th/6th-grade group to watch their top players compete on the top boards. And they aren’t disappointed—the game is thrilling and ultimately ends with their classmate’s victory and his title win in this group. Applause!

The School Chess Individual Championship, organized by the Chess Club and Steinmühle, was well attended again this year. A total of 59 students from 13 schools in the Marburg district took part and competed in three categories (up to 4th grade, 5th and 6th grades, and 7th grade and above) to determine their champions. The event was sponsored by Sparkasse Marburg-Biedenkopf. City Councilwoman Kirsten Dinnebier served as the event’s patron and personally welcomed the participants.

Among the winners were some new faces and some familiar ones. The winner in the category for grades up to 4 was Mark Scherer from the Erich Kästner School, with 6 out of a possible 6 points. In the 5th and 6th grade category, Philipp Dubinker from the Steinmühle School took first place, also with 6 out of 6 points. Finally, in the “older” category, Jakob Wolf from the Elisabethschule won once again.

The organization, which is now well-established, ran smoothly. The next major chess event on the horizon is the schools’ team championship, which will take place this summer.

Text and photo: Helge Neidhardt, Schachklub Marburg e.V.

This is what winners look like: (from left) Jakob Wolf (Grades 7 and up, Elisabethschule), Mark Scherer (up to Grade 4, Erich-Kästner-Schule), Philipp Dubinker (Grades 5/6, Steinmühle, Class 5b)

Winter Teepee Camp

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2020 Winter Teepee Camp

There was no snow, but everyone was in high spirits

This year, too, a total of 10 students and two educators set out to answer the call of the wild and set up their winter teepee camp in the wooded area of the “Zum Oertzwinkel” campground in Kreutzen near Münster. Even though this year’s winter camp had to make do without winter, the conditions still held their own charm for the campers. Bright sunshine, cool and clear nights, and pleasant temperatures provided the perfect setting and kept everyone in good spirits.

A Unique Atmosphere

While shooting with a bow and arrow during the day gave participants a glimpse of what life in the wild must have been like back then, the evening brought a unique and incomparable atmosphere as the campfire was lit— without which no real winter camping trip would be complete and which is what makes the experience of nature truly authentic. In the steady glow of the flames and accompanied by the crackling of the embers, we sang, cooked, ate, and—above all—laughed a lot with old friends and new acquaintances.

“Sturmfrei” with a Twist

On Sunday, our adventurers also demonstrated perfect timing. Just as they had stowed away their belongings and were ready to head home, Storm “Sabine” began whistling through the treetops at the campground. When we arrived home, exhausted but happy, and learned that we’d have the day off on Monday because “Sabine” had “blown” the classes off the schedule, an unforgettable weekend came to a perfect end.

 
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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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