Social Engagement

Ending the Year with a Spirit of Charity Once Again — Students Volunteer to Help the Elderly and Those in Need

Collaborations & Partnerships, News, Politics, Business & Responsibility, Social Engagement

It all started last year with a small idea: actively practicing charity. This year, educator Francine Olschewski once again inspired students at the Steinmühle boarding school to participate in two volunteer projects. Just like last year, the students made their own cards during the pre-Christmas season, which were distributed to elderly people living alone in Marburg. A new addition this year was a partnership with the Marburg food bank.

A new pre-Christmas tradition: bringing joy to the elderly

Over 100 hand-designed Christmas cards were created for the Arbeit und Bildung e.V. association in Marburg and distributed to elderly people living alone in Marburg as another Christmas greeting from Steinmühle. Students from the Steinmühle boarding school were present for some of the deliveries. The students went door to door and surprised some elderly people with a brief personal visit.

Some of the older residents even remembered last year’s event: “Oh, how wonderful that you’re back!” said a 93-year-old lady happily. “I told all my remaining friends about your wonderful event last year. I’m all the more delighted that you’ve thought of me again this year. That really touches me!”

Charity evokes emotions and a sense of belonging—both among students and among the elderly

The students were once again deeply moved by the initiative this year. “It’s such a simple thing for us—we just go up to people and wish them a Merry Christmas. And this small gesture makes such a big difference—it really touches me!” says student Verena, visibly moved.

“This is my first time participating,” says student Niclas. “It was incredible how much emotion the elderly people showed. I definitely want to take part in an event like this again—it’s so wonderful to see that we can bring so much joy with just a short visit!” And student Felix once again delighted young and old alike this year with his gifted singing performances right at the front doors of the people they visited.

When an Idea Becomes a Project: Boarding School Students Want to Volunteer Long-Term

The genuine and heartfelt emotion was clearly palpable on both sides: Both the students and the surprised elderly people living alone were very grateful for every single encounter. Angela Schönemann, a staff member at Arbeit und Bildung e.V., was once again deeply moved: “I’m so happy to see young people going out of their way to help older adults and that we can bring the generations a little closer together. I’m incredibly grateful for these young people’s dedication—it means so much, especially to older adults living alone!”

And since the City of Marburg will continue to fund the “Participating with Dignity” project in 2022, the partnership with the students at Steinmühle will continue into the coming year. “We’d actually like to expand our involvement even further,” says educator Francine Olschewski, “but the pandemic keeps getting in the way. Still, we’ll find creative ways to continue these volunteer initiatives in 2022 as well.”

Charity knows no bounds: Additional partnership with the food bank in Marburg

And this creativity was already evident in the expansion of volunteer efforts shortly before Christmas at the Steinmühle boarding school: The students and teachers baked all kinds of cookies, cinnamon rolls, and cakes, which were sold in the schoolyard on the school grounds for another good cause.

“This year, we entered into another partnership with the food bank in Marburg. We wanted to raise funds by selling our homemade treats so we could put together Christmas food packages for families in need,” says organizer Francine Olschewski. “We raised an incredible total of nearly 650 euros!”

Delicious surprises for 12 families in need

In coordination with the Marburg Food Bank, generous care packages containing dumplings, goulash, red cabbage, other staple foods, and Christmas surprises were put together for a total of 12 families in need; these were then personally distributed to the families by the Marburg Food Bank shortly before Christmas. “We never could have imagined being able to do so much good for so many families with a single campaign,” says educator Francine Olschewski happily.

Ms. Vaupel, the president of the Marburg Food Bank, was also thrilled by the initiative organized by the Steinmühle Boarding School: “This is a wonderful initiative and a pre-Christmas surprise for these families in need. I’m thrilled by the students’ dedication!”

We’re heading toward 2022 with enthusiasm

And so the calendar year is drawing to a close. “I’m already looking forward to next year!” says student Viviana. “No matter what COVID-19 does, we’ll be volunteering again!”

And with this spirit of love and care for one another, Steinmühle Boarding School bids farewell to this calendar year. May you all enter the new year safe, sound, and healthy. We look forward to seeing all Steinmühle students again soon and are eagerly anticipating the upcoming events.

4. January 2022

School backpacks and supplies on a relief shipment to Sibiu

Collaborations & Partnerships, News, Politics, Business & Responsibility, Social Engagement

A total of 45 school backpacks in good condition were sent this time as part of an aid shipment to our Romanian sister city, Sibiu. For years now, Steinmühle School, under the direction of Principal Bernd Holly, has supported the school backpack drive organized by the Marburg Children’s and Youth Parliament (KiJuPa) and has been collaborating with the association “Hilfe für Sibiu/Hermannstadt.” Every year, Bernd Holly asks the new fifth-graders if they have any school bags they no longer need, so that these can be put to good use. “For quite a few children in Romania, school bags are placed under the Christmas tree, since their families often cannot afford new ones,” he reports. “Around 500 backpacks have already made their way to Romania this way,” Holly notes, adding that discarded school furniture, computers, projectors, and all of the Steinmühle’s chalkboards have also been delivered to the sister city via aid shipments. – A heartfelt gesture that also contributes to greater sustainability.

17. December 2021

Steinmühle Boarding School Rolls Up Its Sleeves: Helping Hands in the Ahr Valley

News, Social Engagement

Six students, accompanied by two teachers, traveled to the Ahr Valley—which remains severely devastated—on the Saturday before the fall break with the help of the organization “Helfer Shuttle” to provide volunteer assistance there.

Get to work with a jackhammer, a mask, and work boots

Our eight-member delegation was commissioned by a resident of Bad Neuenahr in Ahrweiler, whose house and garden had been ravaged and largely destroyed by the summer floods.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done here,” says our educator Phillip Rumpel, “but at least we’ve been able to bring some order to things, and that gives us hope.”

Working together, the students scraped the plaster off the wall and helped clear away the piles of debris in front of the house. There was also plenty to do in the resident’s yard: a tree had to be cut down, the flower beds were cleared of mud, and the paving stones, which had been scattered haphazardly, were stacked on a pallet.

“Even though there were only eight of us, we got a lot done!”

The students, in particular, showed great compassion and enthusiasm. “What made it special for me was being able to really help the local people repair their own homes!” student Felix reports proudly.

Experiencing the full range of emotions—all in a single day

After the mission, student Julian reacted with emotion: “It’s shocking to see what it still looks like there. But at the same time, it was so great to see how many people came to help—and we were able to be a part of it.”

The students of legal age experienced a wide range of emotions that day. Out of respect for the suffering of the residents, we will not disclose any personal details here, but for the students, it was a particularly moving moment to be able to share in the experience.

“It’s completely different from watching it on TV,” says student Jan. “That was really intense. But we helped as much as we could. And it was actually kind of fun, too!”

Experience Community in a Whole New Way

All the students involved were particularly moved by one feeling: a sense of community. Emilia, a student who just transferred to Steinmühle Boarding School this school year, was especially enthusiastic: “It was as if we’d known each other for a long time. The solidarity and sense of community among the volunteers—but also among us as a group—were impressive.”

Everyone would come along again if there were another event

The project was organized by Nils Schwandt, the head of the Steinmühle boarding school. “Unfortunately, only students of legal age were able to participate this time, so we were only able to provide support with eight students.”

In total, just under 40 students and teachers from the Steinmühle boarding school volunteered to help. However, for insurance reasons, only those of legal age were able to participate in the event.

“Maybe it’ll work out again with more people at a different location,” says Nils Schwandt. “In any case, there’s definitely a willingness to help within the boarding school community here.”

In any case, the entire Steinmühle boarding school community is sending its best wishes and strength to all residents of the Ahr Valley, and we hope that our eight-person team of volunteers was able to bring some peace of mind and optimism for the future.

25. October 2021

Great Donation from the Student Council to “Help for MiRO”

News, Social Engagement

From time to time, students at Steinmühle get involved with “Help for MiRO,” the project close to editor Nadine Weigel’s heart. This summer, they handed over the proceeds collected last winter. The Student Council (SV) had sold small chocolate Santa Claus figurines with personal messages and has now officially donated the proceeds of 500 euros to Nadine Weigel. The entire amount will go to the Kenyan orphanage. If you’d like to see what Nadine Weigel and her organization have accomplished for the children’s aid project over the past ten years, you can find out more here: www.help-for-miro.de.

18. August 2021

Steinmühle Spreads Love 180 Times – Even the Mayor and HR Are Impressed

Collaborations & Partnerships, News, Social Engagement

It all started with a simple idea: shared joy is double the joy!

The students at the Steinmühle boarding school have also noticed that these vital resources derived from social relationships are currently difficult to access due to the COVID-19 measures. Adolescence is supposed to be characterized by diverse social relationships that can play a particularly important role in the developmental process; however, the many opportunities for social interaction are currently severely limited.

Boarding school educator Francine Olschewski also noticed this growing desire for social interaction and connection among the students at the Steinmühle boarding school. And so the idea was quite simple: By doing something good for others, you might also be doing something good for yourself in the process. From this simple idea by the educator emerged a successful and promising collaboration between the City of Marburg’s “In Würde Teilhaben” project and the Steinmühle boarding school community.

Small Ideas with a Big Impact

The City of Marburg’s project aims to improve the subjective well-being of elderly and very elderly people who are lonely and living in isolation by establishing contact with them. During the run-up to Christmas, surprise packages—known as “encouragement bags”—were put together for this purpose, and the boarding school students contributed to them with homemade cookies and handcrafted Christmas cards.

At first, a handful of students got together and pooled their ideas. It quickly became clear: Our students wanted to do something good for people in need during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. Anyone can bake cookies, and many are creatively talented: so for the “Cheer-Up Bag,” the students wanted to include something delicious and a kind message. “I finally felt like I was doing something meaningful again!” says student Friederike enthusiastically. “Such small things can bring so much joy.”

The entire boarding school community pitches in

The students’ initiative impressively demonstrated that sharing experiences with others can enhance our well-being:
With the support of boarding school counselor Francine Olschewski, this small group of students managed to get every member of the boarding school community to participate in this initiative. As a result, ovens are running hot in all six residential groups as students bake cookies, and even the housekeeping and administrative staff helped design the cards. “I really didn’t think we’d be able to pull this off. But so many people on campus were enthusiastic about the idea that, in the end, we all pulled it off together,” Francine Olschewski reports proudly. In the end, the boarding school community donated 180 bags of cookies and 180 individually designed cards to the “Mut-Mach-Tüte” project.

Mayor Spies and HR document the handover

And because the initiative is so full of compassion and dedication, it was no surprise that Mayor Dr. Thomas Spies wanted to be there to help present the gifts to the project leader. This ultimately even drew Hessischer Rundfunk to the Steinmühlen grounds, where they recorded the students presenting their homemade gifts to project leader Ms. Angela Schönemann. Boarding school student Noah is especially thrilled: “It all started with just a little idea. And now I’m carrying the cookies right alongside the mayor!”

You can listen to the segment from the show HERE .

Endless Commitment – Students Are Motivated

Caught up in the excitement, the students naturally can’t resist taking part in the distribution of the “cheer-up” bags to the elderly. And so, equipped with FFP2 masks, bags of homemade cookies, and handcrafted cards, some students are bringing a little joy to elderly people living alone in Marburg. “I think it’s super cool what you’ve started here. It began with just a little idea, and I’m so touched by the result. This is exactly what older people need right now,” says project leader Angela Schönemann happily.

Three groups of students surprise lonely seniors at their front doors with a socially distanced visit during the pre-Christmas season. A special highlight: Felix, a student who hopes to study music someday, delights and amazes them with spontaneous arias and choral songs right at their front doors.

The reactions are very emotional on both sides: While the elderly express their joy at this spontaneous, lovely surprise with effusive warmth, the students are deeply moved that such a small gesture can bring so much joy. “I can hardly believe how much love is coming our way. I definitely want to keep doing things like this next year!” says student Verena, visibly moved.

Cooperation to Continue – Doing Good in 2021 as Well

Despite all the challenges, the students at Steinmühle Boarding School have already put together a wonderful project this year. Inspired by the heartfelt reactions of the elderly residents, initiator Francine Olschewski and her students are eager to continue the project in 2021. They are planning to establish mentoring relationships and regular contact between young and old. No matter what—the Steinmühle boarding school community will find its own unique way to make this happen in 2021 as well.

23. December 2020

One of Hesse’s largest soccer-golf courses is located on the Steinmühle grounds

Collaborations & Partnerships, News, Social Engagement, Sports & Health

School, boarding school, and strong networks enable new activities in inclusive sports

Plenty of exercise in the fresh air and lots of fun for young people with and without disabilities—that’s what the new soccer golf course on the Steinmühle grounds has to offer. The 12-station course is designed for use in inclusive sports. That’s why the soccer team from the Kerstin-Heim and soccer-loving families from fib—the association for promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities—attended the opening ceremony. Together with members of the Sportfreunde Blau-Gelb and Steinmühle, they immediately set out to explore the individual challenges.

“Hesse has never seen such diversity before,” said Anne Effe enthusiastically. The Special Olympics regional coordinator for Hesse had traveled there specifically for the opening ceremony. Egon Vaupel expressed his gratitude to her in his brief speech. The chairman of the Steinmühle Marburg School Association also thanked Marc Mercurio and the Hessian State Sports Federation for their financial support. He emphasized the collaboration among individual institutions on this project, noting that the partnership formed a year ago between Steinmühle and the Blau-Gelb Marburg Sports Club was a key component of it.

Vaupel explained that, under normal circumstances, the course would be completed in groups of five made up of participants from all participating institutions. “Unfortunately, due to pandemic-related regulations, this is not possible at the moment, so the groups of five will remain separate,” he explained to the guests, among whom was Verena Gottmann from the Culture and Sports Department of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district.

There are still too few Unified teams, Vaupel said. That makes it all the more wonderful to launch this initiative in Marburg. “But this can only work as a team,” emphasized the school association president, whose networking skills once again came into their own in this matter.

The focus is on social skills

The idea for the soccer-golf course came from Bernd Holly, one of the two principals at Steinmühlen School: “Our goal was to promote sportsmanship and teamwork, free from the pressure to perform.” In inclusive sports, he explained, teaching and results take a back seat. The focus is instead on acquiring and applying social skills within a team where young people with and without disabilities participate together. The plan is for one or two Steinmühlen students to always be on hand to assist those who need support due to their disabilities as they navigate the course.

“It’s wonderful that we can present this facility today,” said Michael Neirich, the school’s athletic director at Steinmühle, with delight. “We’re inaugurating 12 stations today; eventually, there will be 18.” A unique feature of the facility is that it was designed by students at Steinmühle. The future advanced sports class from 11th grade and their teacher, Mirko Radatz, invested many hours in developing and designing the course. The course elements are weather-resistant; some can be set up and taken down within ten minutes; they can also be used individually for recess sports and, for example, at the Steinmühle Bilingual Elementary School. The high school students provided a description of all the course stations and a “score card” on which all participants’ results can be recorded. The course details alone would provide enough material for another report.

Sascha Huhn had the hardest shot

“If everyone is having fun, diving right into the activities, and the facility can be used in a variety of ways, then we’ve done something right,” Dirk Konnertz concluded. As a former active soccer player and coach, the managing director of the Schulverein Steinmühle Marburg e.V. couldn’t resist taking a shot at the goal wall. The best performance at this station—where shot speed can be measured electronically—was achieved on the day of the inauguration by 23-year-old Sascha Huhn, with a shot speed of 118 kilometers per hour. The student is a winger for Blau-Gelb and a former Steinmühle student.

26. October 2020

37 school backpacks are on their way to Sibiu

Collaborations & Partnerships, News, Social Engagement

In collaboration with the organization “Hilfe für Sibiu/Hermannstadt,” the last chalkboards left the Steinmühle during the summer break on a fully loaded 40-metric-ton truck headed for Sibiu—as part of an aid shipment for our Romanian sister city.

The next shipment to Sibiu will include 37 school backpacks in good condition for our new fifth-graders. Principal Bernd Holly has been actively supporting the school backpack drive organized by the Marburg Children’s and Youth Parliament (KiJuPa) for years. The campaign provides school backpacks to children who cannot afford them, while also taking a stand against waste and promoting greater sustainability.

26. October 2020

“End of the Cretaceous Period” at the Steinmühle: Sustainable Aid for Schools in Sibiu

Collaborations & Partnerships, News, Social Engagement

During the summer break, the last classrooms and special-purpose rooms at Steinmühle were also equipped with interactive multi-touch displays. These have replaced (almost) all of the remaining chalkboards, which were donated by Steinmühle and shipped to Marburg’s sister city, Sibiu, in Romania.

Following the decision by the school administration and management to replace all remaining chalkboards with modern interactive whiteboards offering a wider range of features, Principal Bernd Holly contacted Carola von Winterfeldt, the chairwoman of the “Hilfe für Sibiu” association. She was delighted by Steinmühle’s offer and arranged for the blackboards, which had been temporarily stored in the schoolyard, to be loaded onto the impressive 40-metric-ton truck for the summer transport to Sibiu.

Hanna Schmidt-Dege (8a) and Teresa Dinges (7b), students at Steinmühle School, also helped load the eleven well-preserved chalkboards and seven projectors; they have been involved with the Sibiu Aid project for several years and have already accompanied a trip to Sibiu once before. As a result, they know Marburg’s sister city firsthand.

The last two chalkboards from the Steinmühle are still located in the specialized learning room and in the third-grade classroom at the Bilingual Elementary School in the log cabin by the sports field, mainly for nostalgic reasons. The third-grade class is temporarily housed there until the planned completion of the Learning Center’s expansion at the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the Steinmühle continues to support Sibiu. Bernd Holly is currently collecting the used elementary school backpacks from the new fifth-grade students. The backpacks will be sent to Sibiu on the next shipment this winter.

21. September 2020

Help That Makes a Difference: Fall Festival Fundraisers for the “Help for MiRO” Organization

Collaborations & Partnerships, Events & Celebrations, Former Students & Alumni, News, Social Engagement

Since 2010, Nadine Weigel, an editor at the Oberhessische Presse, has been supporting a children’s home in a suburb of Mombasa, Kenya. While conducting research for a feature story on various social projects, she came across the completely dilapidated orphanage during her trip to Africa. The journalist was confronted with dramatic scenes. Without hesitation, she decided to help right there on the spot.

What began as a spontaneous act of support that immediately saved a child’s life turned into long-term assistance. Together with several fellow activists, Nadine Weigel founded the nonprofit organization “Help for MiRO e.V.” in 2014, which she now leads as president.

Two groups of students from Steinmühle School found Nadine Weigel’s project so worthy of support that they decided to donate the proceeds from their fall festival activities to “Help for MiRO.”

Class 13d sold old geography maps that were laid out on the sports field. The maps are no longer needed, as map data is available online and displayed on screens.
The Interact Club, a Rotary-sponsored service club for children and young people, sold fruit cocktails to guests at the fall festival.

Total proceeds amounted to 625 euros, which Nadine Weigel gratefully accepted. The photo shows representatives from both groups, who were supervised by Principal Björn Gemmer. The “Interactors” can be recognized by their white polo shirts.

If you’re interested in learning more about the association’s work and its project, it’s worth taking a closer look at the website www.help-for-miro.de.

17. October 2019

Funds from the “Steinmühle Foundation” set aside for the same purposes

Former Students & Alumni, News, Social Engagement

Decades ago, the “Stiftung Steinmühle e.V.” was founded with the purpose of supporting boarding school students who had difficulty paying their school fees and, above all, their boarding fees. In recent years, the activities of the “Stiftung Steinmühle e.V.” had ceased to be visible. Following the death of Chairman Thilo von Thümen, who was a student at Steinmühle from 1956 to 1965, the decision was made to dissolve the association. It was particularly the former Steinmühle students and members Axel Becker (pictured left) and Udo Graul (right) who spearheaded the dissolution of the association and ensured that the association’s remaining funds could now be transferred to the Steinmühle Marburg School Association (Schulverein Steinmühle Marburg e.V.). As part of the celebration marking Steinmühle’s 70th anniversary on September 20, the two members presented Principal Björn Gemmer (center) with a check for the remaining balance of 7,418 euros. In line with the goal of “Stiftung Steinmühle e.V.,” the funds will be used for scholarships and tuition reductions.

17. October 2019