The bands and ensembles at the Steinmühle offer a wide variety of musical performances. Visitors got to see how this mix can come together to create an entertaining evening at “Bands on Stage” on Monday at the Forum.

The AG Band from grades 5 and 6 kicked things off. Their performance featured vocals combined with various instruments: violin, saxophone, piano, and guitar, along with two drummers and a bassist. The group played and sang under the direction of Frank Wemme, performing “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and “Firework.” The saxophone ensemble from the Marburg Music School, led by Jörg Eichberger, entertained the audience with rhythms ranging from swing to Bach: The wind players earned enthusiastic applause for their performances of “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” “Charleston,” “Solitude” by Duke Ellington, and the Bach Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major.

The Hamilton Project, led by Talea Funk from Class 10b, is one of the program highlights that have been part of the musical evenings at Steinmühle for some time now. Various singing roles have been cast, including not only the protagonist Alexander Hamilton but also his wife, his sister, rivals such as Thomas Jefferson, and others. The audience heard four songs from the musical of the same name.

The band Fynn Konnertz & Tom Herfert & Friends is known for their impressive performances on saxophone, guitar, keyboard, bass, and electronic drums. The surprise guest appearance by Daniel Sans and Rosie Boebel during the Spandau Ballet song “Through The Barricades” drew additional applause.

Vocals, saxophone, trombone, euphonium, piano, two guitars, bass, and drums came together in the StoneMill House Band, led by Frank Wemme, for the songs “Smooth” and “Levitation.” Before the same band brought the evening to a musical close with “Clocks” and “Feeling Good,” the jazz ensemble (vocals, saxophone, trombone, euphonium, guitar, bass) performed the catchy numbers “How Long Has This Been Going On?,” “Work Song,” and “Hanky Panky.”

The absence of the boarding school band—which always spreads good cheer—likely had similar causes to the fact that some rows of seats in the Forum remained empty: The wave of colds and flu seems far from over. Meanwhile, the boarding school provided refreshments during the intermission through the Tea Room Club. WU Sound & Light, led by Werner Eismann and Sam Kempkes (Class 11d), provided the appropriate lighting for the event.

Great joy for Michael Neirich’s team: Our Competition Class II soccer players have once again won the district championship this year on the artificial turf field in Kirchhain. This year’s two opponents were the Georg-Büchner-Schule in Stadtallendorf and the Freiherr-von-Stein-Schule in Gladenbach. The fact that these two teams faced off—resulting in a scoreless draw—already put us in a very strong position. Highly focused, our students in grades 8 through 10 took the field for their first match against Stadtallendorf in Game 2. A convincing performance, highlighted by a hat trick from Jakob Reinhard, ultimately resulted in a well-deserved 3–0 victory. This meant that a draw against Gladenbach in the tournament’s final match would be enough. In this match, the Steinmühlen players didn’t show their best soccer; both teams played nervously, and so it wasn’t until three minutes before the end that Adrian Bruchmann tapped in a cross from Jakob Reinhard to make it 1–0. A lapse in our defense then led to the 1–1 equalizer in the final minute. Shortly afterward, however, the prudent referee Sam Kempkes blew the whistle to end the game.

This means that Steinmühle has once again qualified for the regional tournament on April 18 at Georg-Gassmann Stadium in Marburg. Very strong opponents await us there, especially the team from Gießen. Unfortunately, we’ll likely be the underdogs that day, since the entire 9th-grade team (eight players from that grade were on the field today) will be on a school trip.

Student council elections were held—and here are the results: The new student council team consists of Bodam Lee and Carolin Mauersberger. Janina Seip is the upper school representative. Eren Pektas was elected middle school representative. The lower school representative team consists of Joris Benavente and Jonah Schorm.

Members of the General Student Council are Piet Laufhütte (5a), Lina Martin (5a), Fynn Dörr (5b), Paula Hartmann (5c), Arwen Seifart (6a), Urs Seifart (8c), Flûte Seifart (11b), and Christian Eifert (11d). The photo shows (from left) homeroom teacher Jennifer Bernhart, Janina Seip, Carolin Mauersberger, Bodam Lee, Eren Pektas, Jonah Schorm, homeroom teacher Dirk Lange, and Joris Benavente.

International group of students staged the “Ring Parable” from *Nathan the Wise*

German teacher Dr. Claudia Röder staged the “Ring Parable” from *Nathan the Wise* with 11th-grade students in the advanced math track who are taking German as either a basic or advanced course. This was a challenge in many ways, as the group consists of Syrian, Chinese, Afghan, and German students. Even on its own, the play—which is set in Jerusalem during the Crusades and focuses on humanism and the Enlightenment’s ideals of tolerance—is not easy to perform. Performing in a language other than one’s native tongue presents an additional significant hurdle.

To tackle this as effectively as possible and foster the process of understanding, the international students first read the work in their own native languages. Lessing’s final work, featuring the protagonist Nathan, focuses on exemplary behavior regardless of the situation or religion of those involved—a topic that is both timely and emotional. The actors authentically captured the guidelines—namely, prose language with a style similar to that of modern speech. They also made targeted use of body language as required. The result was a successful and authentically staged production, reported teacher Dr. Claudia Röder. We say: Hats off to this achievement!

Steinmühle aims to provide a new framework for career guidance. “We will place greater emphasis on this area for students from 8th grade through high school,” says Dr. Claudia Röder, the future coordinator of school-based internships.

In 8th grade, the social internship provides students’ first introduction to the world outside of school. It concludes with the writing of a reflective report. As part of a three-week career orientation program, students then work on developing an awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses. Contacting the employment office, writing a resume, and preparing a job application are also on the agenda—after all, the goal is to secure a placement for the workplace internship in 9th grade. When the time comes, this phase also concludes with a report written by the students.

In 10th grade, students have the opportunity to discover their own strengths through a three-month internship. Often, choosing a specific advanced course isn’t that easy—but that’s set to change.

Once students reach 11th grade, they receive a Career Choice Passport. This is where they are supposed to document everything that qualifies them—whether inside or outside of school.

 

Social Skills Are Important

“It’s not just the hard criteria that qualify a person; it’s also the soft skills—the social skills,” says Dr. Claudia Röder. This context also encompasses the topics of self-assessment, self-reflection, and peer assessment.

In addition to the tutoring sessions, which play an important and central role, a three-hour test is also offered. This test assesses students’ talents and interests and identifies potential career paths that are a good fit for each individual.

Steinmühle also wants to encourage students to take advantage of the regular career counseling sessions offered at school. During Qualification Phase 1, the Rotary Club’s career fair in the school’s forum is another great opportunity to talk with representatives from various professions and ask specific questions. The college exploration days, which also take place during Qualification Phase 1, make university majors and processes more tangible.

The internship in Qualification Phase 2 concludes with the completion of a business research paper, which, according to Dr. Claudia Röder, allows students to become familiar with a selected topic but also requires them to engage deeply with it.