Politics, Business & Responsibility-Archiv

A Glimpse into “Normal Life”: A Visit to the District Court

News, Politics, Business & Responsibility

In January, Class 8c from Steinmühle High School visited the Marburg District Court on Universitätsstraße as part of the “Youth and Crime” project, accompanied by their teacher, Dr. Claudia Röder. Students Greta Steiner and Evelyne Hildermann wrote the following about the visit:

We wanted to pursue criminal charges. After passing through security, the hearing began at 9:30. The courtroom was a small room divided into two sections: one section was for spectators, and the other section housed the prosecutor, the judge, a court clerk who was taking the minutes, and the defendant.

When the trial was about to begin, no defendant appeared, and the judge feared she would have to send for him. The prosecutor wanted to make sure once more that no one was actually there, and as he did so, he ran into the defendant in the hallway.

The defendant appeared in court without a lawyer and chose to represent himself. In the trial in question, the defendant was accused of assaulting his wife and an acquaintance at a house party attended by about 10 people in total, and of later resisting law enforcement officers.

The defendant denied the sequence of events and said that he had never become violent. However, since five witnesses described him as violent, he was found guilty. He was sentenced to seven months in prison, suspended for three years, and a fine of 600 euros, which he is allowed to pay in installments.

The witness, who failed to appear without a valid excuse, was fined 150 euros or sentenced to three days in jail.

Everyone was clearly shaken by the fact that actions we young people had actually considered “not that bad” had led to a prison sentence.

We all followed the trial with bated breath and found the outcome gripping. At the same time, we realized that, due to his language difficulties, the defendant hadn’t understood everything the prosecutor or the judge had said. For example, he was unfamiliar with the term “probation,” so he reacted with horror to the verdict.

All in all, it was a great morning, and it was cool to get a taste of “normal life” for a change.

16. February 2023

Alcohol Prevention Project for 8th Graders: “Hackedicht – You’re Better Off Without It”

News, Politics, Business & Responsibility, Sports & Health

On October 17, the alcohol prevention project “Hackedicht – besser geht’s dir ohne” took place once again for 8th-grade classes. Every year, as part of this project, 8th-graders learn about the basic effects of alcohol on our bodies.

Dr. Birgit Wollenberg, director of the Public Health Department in the Marburg-Biedenkopf district, provided the students with a wealth of information on the relevant topics during the first part of the project: the effects of alcohol on the body, responsible alcohol consumption, alcohol addiction, and its consequences.

In the second part, the activity took on a more practical focus: using “drunk goggles” that simulate the effects of alcohol intoxication, the students learned that even simple tasks—such as sorting small objects or playing ball games—can become very difficult when under the influence of alcohol. Photos were also taken during this activity. In addition, they discussed the topic of “peer pressure and alcohol.”

In general, this two-hour project aims to raise students’ awareness of the issue and, among other things, help them understand the consequences of drinking alcohol at too young an age.

22. December 2022

A Guide to Choosing a Career: Information Day at Steinmühle

Collaborations & Partnerships, News, Politics, Business & Responsibility

“And what do you want to be when you grow up?”—This question, which was already being asked of young people decades ago, has lost none of its relevance. On the contrary, the answers are no clearer today: more degree programs, more training opportunities, but not necessarily more clarity among young people. To change that, Steinmühle holds a career information day every November. The event is organized by Steinmühle teacher Dr. Claudia Röder, the career guidance coordinator, and Hans-Heinrich Bähr from the career services department of the Rotary Club Marburg-Schloss.

Once again, many professionals from a wide variety of fields had agreed to answer questions from the 11th-grade students about their career paths and their work. In three 20-minute discussion sessions, the young people were able to ask their favorite experts anything that was on their minds: How do you secure a spot in a psychology program? What should you expect if you want to enter the IT industry? “How do you become a professional politician?” These were ultimately the questions asked most frequently, reflecting which careers were the most in demand that evening. However, the representative from the German Armed Forces drew the most interest by far. Not a single career field went without questions.

Politicians also answered questions

“We are pleased to be able to host this information evening again,” said Dr. Claudia Röder, noting the lively discussions that took place. “I am particularly pleased that we were able to have representatives from the political sphere join us.” Local state legislator Dirk Bamberger (CDU) and Marburg Mayor Nadine Bernshausen (Alliance 90/The Greens) were on hand to participate in the discussions. Nadine Bernshausen also represented the legal profession.

“I found it very interesting,” Benjamin Schul said at the end of the event. He had had an in-depth conversation with a representative from a consulting firm and could now envision a career as a self-employed professional after completing his business administration degree. Melissa Mägerlein was impressed by the information provided by the German Armed Forces: “We learned about the degree programs available through the German Armed Forces and, most importantly, received concrete offers for a camp or an internship. That was very helpful.” Emilia Ouaissa had inquired about the details of a career in politics and working as a psychologist. “It was very interesting for me because I was able to get truly neutral and balanced information.” Chiara Rector had focused on the Bundeswehr and medicine; she found the information on both topics to be sound and the explanation of the career path and duration of study to be comprehensive. Tom Beyer explained that he had used the evening to rule out some options: “I was able to get an idea of what isn’t really for me.”

Some of the students would have liked a little more time at the career information evening—either to go into more detail with their preferred speaker or to learn more about another career field. Lauritz Kleine, an 11th grader, said, “Holding five rounds of discussions instead of three—that might be a suggestion.”

At the career information evening, which was opened by Principal Björn Gemmer, the following professions and fields were represented: Attorney, judge, business graduate/managing director, physician, psychologist, psychological psychotherapist/child and adolescent psychotherapist, dentist, tax consultant/certified public accountant, physicist, management consultant/business administration studies, information technology, savings bank/finance, career politician, member of parliament, Authorized signatory, medical school without admission restrictions, German Armed Forces, pharmacist, voluntary social service year, journalism.

18. November 2022

Learn More About the Economy Through the Entrepreneur’s License

Contests & Awards, News, Politics, Business & Responsibility

During the past school year, several students took their exams for the Entrepreneur’s License. They have now received their certificates and posed for a photo with Principal Bernd Holly (left) and subject teacher Erno Menzel (right). The following students qualified:

Johanna Arndt, Fiona Claar, Aliena Entebach, Finja Grün, Lauritz Kleine, Jannis Mitze, Acelya Olcuk, Anton Schneider, Daniel Schöne, Lenn Stumm, Emilia Wagner. Of 33 exams (Modules A/B/C), 29 were successfully completed.

The modules are structured as follows: Module A: Basic Economics; Module B: Fundamentals of Economic Interrelationships; Module C: Basic Entrepreneurial Knowledge—The Business Plan.
The certificates are part of the “Entrepreneur’s Skills Certificate” program and are awarded by Eurochambres, the umbrella organization of European chambers of commerce and industry.

2. November 2022

The Tower Guards: An Entertaining Read and a Contribution to Cultural History

Collaborations & Partnerships, Former Students & Alumni, News, Politics, Business & Responsibility

On September 1, Wilhelm “Willi” Stehling presented his new book, *Die Marburger Turmwächter* (The Marburg Tower Guards), at his former place of work. The former music, sports, and geography teacher at Steinmühle took the hundred guests on a journey back in time during his richly illustrated reading and made it clear that the tower guards had been watching over the city from the high castle tower since the Middle Ages, ensuring its safety. Day and night, they warned of fires, enemies, and other dangers, and used signals to announce all travelers approaching the city. At the same time, the tower guards—who served as princely castle and city musicians for centuries—were regarded as the most important representatives of instrumental music. These musical all-rounders performed at weddings, dances, church and civic events, as well as at courtly occasions.

Willi Stehling did more than just provide an introduction to the complex working lives of guards and musicians. In particular, the stories from the professional and personal lives of one or two colorful characters were highly entertaining and made it clear that with his book, Stehling has not only made an important contribution to the cultural history of Marburg, but has also produced an engaging read offering previously unknown insights into the city’s musical and social life.

21. October 2022

“Building self-confidence and accepting your own limits”

Collaborations & Partnerships, News, Politics, Business & Responsibility

“Only you know what career is right for you.” – The “Mutmacher” team conveyed this encouraging and confident message to the 11th-grade class. The Mutmacher are members of a startup focused on modern career guidance, based in Karlsruhe and active in schools across various German states. Following their debut last year, the young people returned to Steinmühle for the second time to help the students—who are only slightly younger than they are—develop career prospects.

The overwhelming number of options for what to do after graduating from high school is offset by a rather sobering reality: One in three students drops out of college, and 150,000 apprenticeships were terminated early in 2019 alone. To ensure that the supposed dream job doesn’t turn out to be a nightmare, the motivational speakers recommended exploring one’s own criteria for a dream job: What will be important to me in my future career? A lot of money? Social recognition? Plenty of free time? A fulfilling job? Regular working hours? Working in a team or alone? The team of speakers advised the students to first gain clarity on these and other points. Together with their own strengths—which were assessed in a workbook and discussed in pairs—each student had the opportunity to develop a rough idea of where their journey might lead after graduating from high school.

Annerose Glöckner, the Steinmühlen liaison at the Federal Employment Agency, described the Mutmacher event as “very helpful and practical.” “There is a path for everyone—even for those who don’t have a specific career in mind.”

The Mutmacher crew pointed out how important it is to develop self-confidence in order to be able to pursue the chosen path with determination: “At school, self-confidence is usually linked to grades. If you do well, you’re self-confident—and vice versa. However, the currency of the future is gaining self-confidence regardless of grades.” But self-confidence also means standing by your own limits. “That’s not so easy in a world where it’s a breeze to put on a mask.”

The morning event with the “Mutmacher” (Encouragers), who can be found on Instagram at @meinmutigerweg, was organized by Dr. Claudia Röder, who is in charge of career guidance at Steinmühle.

17. October 2022

Faces and Stories: What Has Become of the Refugees at Steinmühle

News, Politics, Business & Responsibility

2015 – the large wave of refugees reached Germany. Steinmühle, too, made it its mission to provide active assistance and organized a residential group for unaccompanied minor refugees, designed to help these young people find their footing in Germany as quickly as possible and take their first steps toward successful integration. Not least because of this experience, the exhibition “Faces and Stories” by the bsj Marburg immediately piqued the interest of the Steinmühle’s leadership.

The exhibition traces the journey of Tarek, Ali, and Muhi Eddin, who arrived in Marburg in 2015 and, several years later, reflect on their experiences over the past few years. Sometimes enthusiastic, sometimes pensive, but always optimistic, they talk about their experiences and adventures.

Together with educators from bsj Marburg, the three young Syrians also compiled diaries of their flight, featuring cell phone photos of their families, their hometowns—Damascus, Idlib, Al-Hasaka—and of individual stops along their journey of flight to the Marburg-Biedenkopf district. The young people developed the concept for illustrating their stories during a weekend workshop together with a graphic designer. There, they counted the days of their journey and illustrated each stage with photos, their own drawings, and handwritten notes in Arabic and German

What has become of Tarek, Ali, and Muhi Eddin since 2015? Have the three of them found a new home in the Marburg-Biedenkopf district? Which of their wishes have come true, and which have not?

The three young men come to very different conclusions on this matter, but they all emphasize that they feel they have found their place, even if things haven’t turned out exactly as they had hoped five years ago.

The exhibition was on display for two weeks on the upper floor of the Steinmühle high school building and drew a great deal of interest from the students.

(Bernd Hülsbeck)

16. August 2022

The “School for Earth” Working Group is looking for people interested in getting involved

Ecology and Sustainability, News, Politics, Business & Responsibility

Resource scarcity, global warming, the climate crisis, and more: The Future is Now—the future has already begun! That’s why Ines Vielhaben, an art teacher at Steinmühle, is leading a new student group dedicated to activities that could slow this trend or highlight alternative ways for each of us to act. What’s actually happening? How can we take countermeasures? And how can this topic be addressed at Steinmühle across the various subject departments? Ines Vielhaben presented the project to the faculty meeting this past spring, outlining these questions along with the goals and responsibilities of the new club. The plan is to address the topic ideally through smaller lesson units or larger projects. Those present spontaneously contributed ideas and expressed their willingness to participate. Annett Miller expressed a desire to integrate a project using the iPad, particularly with regard to the necessary resources. Lisa Braun offered the assistance of the Geography department, which already had a wealth of materials on the subject.

“We hope to see even more interest from students, parents, and faculty, and we hope that over the summer break, some of them will decide to join our club,” says Ines Vielhaben, who is happy to serve as the contact person (ines.vielhaben@steinmuehle.net). As part of her advanced art class, high school senior Talea Funk designed a logo for the club to help people quickly recognize its posts and activities.

26. July 2022

State Representative Nina Eisenhardt (Alliance 90/The Greens) Visits the Steinmühle

Ecology and Sustainability, News, Politics, Business & Responsibility

Whenever there’s an opportunity to engage with politicians, the high school students at Steinmühle are eager to participate. They value the chance to discuss current issues, hear different perspectives, and ask questions about topics that are on their minds. This was also the case during the visit by State Parliament Representative Nina Eisenhard. The 32-year-old has been a member of the Hessian State Parliament since 2019 and serves as the higher education policy spokesperson for the Green Party’s state parliamentary caucus.

The visit, organized by Erno Menzel and Bernd Hülsbeck with the support of their colleagues in the Politics and Economics department, had been prepared in class. Participants included the 12th-grade class and the future 11th-grade Politics and Economics honors class. However, some questions also arose spontaneously, partly prompted by the conflict in Ukraine. The discussion centered on defense spending, the question of how the Green Party, as a coalition partner, could possibly support certain decisions in substance, and the fact that digitization is progressing so terribly slowly, especially in higher education.

Despite her young age, Nina Eisenhardt was able to draw on her own personal experience. She didn’t go straight from the classroom to a seat in parliament. The politician spoke about her experience as a self-employed entrepreneur running a web development company. “This has significantly improved my understanding of these issues,” she said. According to Nina Eisenhardt, the slow pace of digitization in the education sector isn’t due to a lack of available hardware: “That’s already in place.” Rather, there is a lack of staff for maintenance and long-term oversight. “It’s simply a matter of jobs.”

The students, led by the moderator team of Tilmann Molzberger and Mara Mensing, asked whether she found the decisions being made within the coalition unsatisfactory in terms of their substance. The member of parliament described the coalition compromises as side effects of a “temporary alliance of convenience.” She noted that if one wants to be part of the process and play a fundamental role in shaping it, there will inevitably be decisions that run counter to one’s personal views.

The questioners—all of whom were men—were also interested in the visitor’s views on a possible lowering of the voting age.

According to Nina Eisenhardt, voting is a right that requires no qualifications. You don’t have to explain why you want to vote. There is no reason to deny the right to vote to those under 18. The representative continued: “I’m in favor of lowering the voting age to 14. From that age on, you can work, earn a salary, and are required to pay taxes.” Nina Eisenhardt concluded: “Voting starting at age 14—that would be a huge opportunity.”

26. July 2022

“We are currently defending our democracy”

News, Politics, Business & Responsibility

Spotlight on Ukraine: Lucia Puttrich, Hesse’s Minister for Federal and European Affairs, visited the Steinmühle

Don’t talk about politicians—talk with them. That is the goal of Steinmühle High School, and it is also why the school always welcomes visits from members of parliament and ministers. Through local state parliament member Dirk Bamberger (CDU), Steinmühle established contact with Lucia Puttrich. She is not only Bamberger’s colleague in the Hessian State Parliament, but also Hessian Minister for Federal and European Affairs and Plenipotentiary of the State of Hesse. She recently joined Dirk Bamberger and Horst Falk—also a member of the state parliament and the education policy spokesperson for the CDU parliamentary group—on the panel at the Steinmühlenforum event: “Students Ask—Politicians Answer.”

A ministerial visit in the midst of the war in Ukraine—this was a good opportunity for the 11th and 12th graders at Steinmühle to raise issues that were on their minds. It’s no surprise that this topic was the main concern for the Steinmühle students. It was a serious event featuring in-depth questions and well-considered answers from the minister. And her answers didn’t always dispel concerns or alleviate fears. Informative, but not sugarcoated.

“A War Against NATO and the EU”

“Ukraine is defending its sovereignty, and virtually every Ukrainian has a weapon,” said Lucia Puttrich as she began her description of the situation in the country that is currently the focus of attention in Europe and around the world. However, the minister was also keen to make it clear that the conflict does not stop at territorial borders but is imperialist in nature: “Putin wants his old empire back. It is a war against NATO and the EU. And Putin is fundamentally unwilling to change the course of the war before achieving these goals.” In response to the frequently asked question of whether Putin’s absence from the scene would improve the situation, the minister offered no positive outlook: “It’s not about the person; it’s the system behind him.”

What is at stake in the war in Ukraine? What are we defending? What will happen if Russia cuts off the gas supply? — Questions from the minister to ponder, and questions from the students. “We’re defending democracy,” said Puttrich, “and rising prices and economic downturns are currently the price we’re paying for that.” It’s about our stance, about realizing that we shouldn’t take anything for granted. “We have a responsibility toward Ukraine,” Lucia Puttrich stated, and continued: “And we also have a responsibility toward Russia. But that cannot mean condoning a war of annihilation.”

“A Time of Escalation”

The minister described NATO’s foundation as a defense pact with a mutual assistance obligation. She noted that there are currently security threats in the Baltic states and in Poland. This situation means that certain events are interconnected: “If Ukraine falls, we’ll see a domino effect.” She noted that the current situation is fundamentally at odds with the formal realities. Puttrich: “Ukraine is a sovereign state, recognized even by Russia.” This fact alone demonstrates a certain unpredictability: “If Putin wants World War III, then that’s what he wants—it’s not up to us to decide. And war is most likely to be avoided if it is unwinnable for Russia.” In fact, according to the visitor from Wiesbaden, we must probably brace ourselves for a long conflict: “A ceasefire would already be a good thing.” It takes a long time for sanctions to take effect. The minister considers it a mistake to dismiss the Russian president’s behavior as mere caprice: “Putin is serious about these matters. We are living in a time of escalation.”

“We must learn from history—anything is possible,” said State Parliament Representative Horst Falk, concluding the overall discussion between the panel of politicians and the student body. The event—prepared by Steinmühlen teachers Bernd Hülsbeck and Erno Menzel and moderated by Tilmann Molzberger from the Q2 Political Science Honors Class—did not end on a reassuring note, particularly given the minister’s use of sources of information that were, in some cases, exclusive. Principal Björn Gemmer expressed his gratitude for arranging the event, for the attendance and active participation of everyone present, and for their willingness to take the time to engage in dialogue with young people.

When the event came to an end, the audience could have continued the discussion. This was certainly a sign that the topic was thought-provoking, but also that the exchange had been fruitful.

23. May 2022