The Salem Blog
Interesting stories, current information, exciting thoughts - in our Salem Blog you will find many different contents from our school and boarding school cosmos, written by students, teachers, the communication department or the management.
Enjoy reading!
Our field hockey players met Konstanz and Lahr last weekend.
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award: 20 students covered 35 kilometres in two days and learned a lot for their next expedition.
Lesego Serolong set herself the goal to fund one million beehives for South African farmers. Schule Schloss Salem is one of her supporters.
During the May Ball dancers demonstrated their newly learned dance skills on the dance floor and all guests enjoyed the exuberant party mood.
By using modern technology we can tell how a bee colony is doing and how much honey can be expected. You can share in our excitement!
With help of intensive review courses over several weekends, IB2 students were able to review subject material in their own study groups. This was exhausting but fun.
At the Careers Information Day, students can learn about different professions from speakers.
In the middle of May we, class 5D1, had our teambuilding day: A day with games about team spirit, skill and strategy.
Sophie reports on the first of four Duke of Edinburgh's Award Gold Expeditions.
The college's Theater AG and Salem College presented a "Performance Slam" consisting of artistic expressions.
In mid-March 2022, some students from grades 11 and 12 took part in the Green Summit Model United Nations.
This year our music competition, which is supported by the Felicitas-und-Werner-Egerland-Foundation, took place digitally again.
Grades 5 and 6 participate in a world-wide Round Square service project and engage themselves intensively with IDEALS and with bees.
As part of their natural science lessons our fifth-graders visited the nearby Heinz Sielmann Pond. Once there they helped many small animals to cross over the road.
Students who mastered their first trial expedition for the Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award had challenges to overcome during their preparations.
Salem alumna Paloma Kreet Tupay from Estonia held a speech in the school assembly and answered fascinating questions from students.
Salem’s fire brigade celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2022. To mark the occasion we hope, with your support, to acquire a new fire engine with portable pump.
The Friends of Salem made it possible to hold an inspiring mask workshop for the Theatre AG and the IB Theatre Arts class in the Aula im Härlen.
Interested visitors could experience Schule Schloss Salem online at the end of January 2022.
A snowshoe hike in the Black Forest was the third tour of the new Outdoor Club in this school year. The exertion was rewarded by an enchanting winter landscape.
In a Spetzgart Forum talk, paraplegic athlete Andrea Szabadi-Heine spoke about her own experiences. The invitation came from four students who had undertaken multi-day Duke of Edinburgh excursions in a wheelchair.
Students and staff members ended the last days of school in December on a contemplative note, enjoying the magical Christmas atmosphere in the cathedral’s forecourt.
The Formal Christmas Dinner and the Casino Night brought a lot of joy and music to the Esssaal in Spetzgart.
The Abi 1 and Abi 2 chemistry "Leistungskurse" visited a sugar factory of Schweizer Zucker AG in Frauenfeld (Switzerland) on the 24. November 2021.
Ben Jagasia wants to stir up and educate with political speeches in the school assembly. On 26 November 2021, he spoke about children's rights.
Fine food, a beautifully decorated dining hall, and the conferment of Salem Pins were the ingredients of the traditional banquet on December 6th.
As a special project during their music class, pupils in grade 6 created an array of rhythms with balls and other objects.
Two counsellors from the Addiction Counselling Agency in Friedrichshafen held an online meeting with the ninth grade.
The College Theatre Club once again performed one-act plays. A thespian provides insights from behind the scenes.
Sanitätsausbildung: 60 students from grades 10PLUS and grade 11 learned how to help injured persons during a two-day-workshop.
Students in grades 11 and 12 face the challenge of choosing a course of study at university. During a ”Study Information Day” they can acquire valuable insights.
On Remembrance Day, a memorial statue was handed over in front of the "Betsaal" to remind the school community of peace. This bronze statuette was donated to Burg Hohenfels by Jocelin Winthrop-Young in 1949.
At the end of October, grades 7 went on an excursion under the motto "Experience the Middle Ages up close". A perfect rounding off of the topic in the 1st epoch history lessons: "Places of life in the Middle Ages".
In October theatre enthusiasts from Salem International College, accompanied by our teacher Keith and his daughter Cheyenne, went on a trip to Frankfurt to watch "The Girl on the Train".
Five days before Germany’s national elections representatives of the political youth organisations in the Bodenseekreis responded to questions from our students.
At the beginning of the school year, Years 5, 7 and 8 spent several days in the forest or in the mountains. Building huts and making a fire were part of the programme of activities.
During their “Media Day” new students in Years 5 and 6 received valuable tips about internet platforms, passwords and netiquette.
To help experienced and newly arrived Salem students get better acquainted with each other, the school organised an Integration Day full of fun and challenging activities.
Marina Ewald became the fourth founding personality of Schule Schloss Salem, alongside Prince Max von Baden, Kurt Hahn and Karl Reinhardt. On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of her death, Marc Zirlewagen looks back on her life.
From 1934 to 1943, Dr Heinrich Blendinger led Salem in the spirit of its founders. It was due to him that Salem was able to survive with a minimum of compromise until almost the end of National Socialism. 8 September 2021 is the 140th anniversary of his birth.
The two alumni Nora Grabmayr and Stella Poelzig, spoke in the school assembly about jobs in the energy industry, the current challenges in the energy industry, renewable energies and the energy turnaround, as well as the power of an almost twenty-year friendship that began in Salem.
In March 2021, the second TEDx Talk of Schule Schloss Salem took place on our Campus Härlen. All videos are published on the official Youtube channel of the TEDx Talks.
At the end of June 2021, Year 9 spent four days in the alpine nature landscape in Morteratsch near St. Moritz. A successful alternative to the Outward Bound expedition in Norway, which could not take place due to the pandemic. Dongyang tells us about his experiences.
Jalda Rebling, a specialist in European-Jewish music from the Middle Ages to the present, visited Year 9 on the occasion of the theme days. The student Fee wrote a welcome for her.
All candidates who apply for the office of school representative give a speech in the school assembly. Here is Meltem Cicek's speech.
With her personal letter to Headmaster Bernd Westermeyer, Queen Elizabeth expresses her gratitude for the condolences of Schule Schloss Salem.
Year 6 took a field trip to the gardens of Salem’s Junibau for their class unit on insects. They were able to collect and observe a wide range of crawling creatures.
Salem alumnus Jakob Schoen gave a talk in the school assembly about his impressive project “Jugend Rettet”, which came to the aid of refugees in distress at sea.
Schule Schloss Salem offers the opportunity to earn the ICDL Certification by learning how to use various programs in the Microsoft Office package. Two students describe their experiences.
Year 9 at Schule Schloss Salem is characterised by an exploration of one’s own limits and deciding to pursue the German Abitur or the IB Diploma. Many exciting projects in the boarding school contribute to each student’s development.
Two house tutors have installed a beehive scale under a bee colony to study the correlation between honey production, temperature, and atmospheric humidity in near real time.
At the graduation ceremony on 14 July 2021, over 100 graduates from 21 countries around the world who successfully completed their time at Schule Schloss Salem with the Abitur or the International Baccalaureate Diploma were honoured.
This year’s International Baccalaureate results are outstanding with an average of 35 points and a 98 percent pass rate.
Building on the basic ideas of Kurt Hahn, Schule Schloss Salem implements a challenging outdoor education curriculum. In Year 6, the radius of activities is extended.
The Henning Winter Foundation for the Promotion of the Arts in Salem has made the Salem Music Competition possible for almost 20 years. Eva Winter passed away on 10 April 2021. Members of the music service play.
Two speakers from the Kinderstiftung Bodensee visited the Social Services at Salem Castle at the end of April.
At Salem Castle students celebrated their Easter holiday with many traditional customs. Two of them describe decorating and searching for Easter eggs.
Whenever all our boarding students remain on campus, there are many exciting activities on the weekend programme. These recently included raising the maypole.
On a day filled with a variety of activities, our scholarship holders in Years 5 to 10 learned a lot about the scholarship programme at Schule Schloss Salem. And there was plenty of time for fun, too.
The first trial expedition for the Gold Award took place this year at the end of March in the woody hinterland not far from Spetzgart Castle.
Over 200 visitors from around the world enjoyed Schule Schloss Salem’s digital presentations.
Schule Schloss Salem is pleased to receive 80,000 FFP2 masks donated by a pair of parents.
At first glance, health and wellness education at schools is nothing new. The importance of health as a prerequisite to learning for the full is a matter of common knowledge. Why would Salem International Boarding School stand out in this aspect? Read on for an insight into the unique principles of an awarded health and wellbeing concept.
Students of our graduating class used the first online Student Information Day to inform themselves about various degree programmes at the two universities in nearby Konstanz.
Because our Social Service students could not meet with the primary school children they usually tutored, they kept in touch through games, handicrafts, and storytelling.
Let the coronavirus pandemic nix our beloved music competition? Not at Salem!
To hold their Project Week aboard the swimming classroom on Lake Constance our students would be grateful for your support.
Two students, in Year 5 and Year 6, describe their afternoon extracurricular activities.
Our student Angela Gall has written a column for our weekly campus newspaper "Wort zum Dienstag". Enjoy reading it!
For the school year 2021/2022 the Kurt Hahn Stiftung and the Beck’sche Stiftung once again offer a large number of partial scholarships to talented students.
“What matters is our deeds!” – On the occasion of the ceremonial awarding of Salem pins at the Nikolaus Dinner two school speakers gave a moving speech.
Rather playing the traditional Christmas concert live and on location, Salem’s musicians sent out the Christmas spirit via Internet
Pleased by the high demand for our digital information events, we have also begun to offer general sessions and special presentations in English.
Distance learning represents a change and a challenge not only for students. Salem teacher Stefanie Grimm gives a report of her own experiences.
Due to restrictions on in-person gatherings, the Parents’ Council of Schule Schloss Salem gets together digitally and gathers suggestions from other parents regarding digitalisation within the school.
Raising the bar: four journalists from two generations of Salem students will report on events and current topics at Schule Schloss Salem for their fellow alumni.
The chairman of the board of the sponsoring association of Schule Schloss Salem gGmbH, Dr Maximilian Dietzsch-Doertenbach, passed away suddenly and completely unexpectedly on 2 January 2021.
Spending a weekend in and around Schloss Salem: Years 5 and 6 enjoyed a variety of leisure activities during their school weekend at the beginning of November.
During Salem’s first Autumn Academy (Herbstakademie) three international students trained reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in their foreign language of German.
Six members of the Experiential Education Department at Schule Schloss Salem successfully completed a training course to become certified kayak and canoe tour leaders.
Christmas is just around the corner. And while you do your Christmas shopping you can support Salem with the help of „School Angels“ (Schulengel) or Amazon Smile.
With the present of this over 460-page Festschrift commemorating the 100th anniversary of Schule Schloss Salem you will give someone great pleasure on Christmas Eve.
Due to increased student enrolments, Schule Schloss Salem is constantly looking for new staff, especially teachers and house tutors. In an interview, Natalie Lander from our Recruitment Department reports on why it is worth working at Salem.
Patrik Birkle, who graduated in Salem in 2015, has been selected as a member of the Schwarzman Scholars Class of 2022.
A student and a teacher write about their experiences at the Herbstakademie Deutsch, which took place in the college for the first time this year.
During November 2020 you may noticed some uncharacteristic mustaches growing on a few of the male staff members. With the bizarre appearance, they were once again trying to raise awareness of men's health issues.
Since the autumn holidays, all classrooms at Schule Schloss Salem have been equipped with high performance air filter units.
Creepy stories, LED candlelight and lots of sweets. So our years 5 and 6 celebrated this years Halloween.
At the beginning of each school year, the new wing helpers are elected on all wings of grades 5 to 10. Shortly after this, the so-called helper weekend takes place.
On 14 October 2020, the traditional Hödinger-Runde run of the Ppper school took place. It is part of every school year in the Upper School and is usually held in the first epoch.
Year 7 spent an extraordinary outdoor day at the skywalk nature adventure park in Scheidegg.
Our online information presentations have been in high demand and we will continue to offer them on a regular basis. As in past years, you will also be able to get to know us in person at venues in Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt or Zurich during this school year.
At a two-day workshop Year 9s devoted themselves to finding out what interests them most and getting better acquainted through team games.
Four class-groups of Year 10 climbed the Hochgrat and got to know each other better.
A wide range of games and activities on the first day of school unites old and new Salem students.
Former students representing Schule Schloss Salem at the 131st Cutter Regatta achieved respectable results
During our Summer Schools students immersed themselves in Salem’s boarding school life and spent some time in classrooms
The community of musicians is particularly affected in times of Corona, as singing and playing with instruments are considered to be particularly difficult.
Nothing would have quite prepared me for the amazing panorama view I had when I first stepped onto the balcony on the Zimmerman Bauernhof site back in August 2017 ...
In January 2020 the first TEDx Talk: Schule Schloss Salem took place on our Campus Härlen. A few days ago all videos were published on the official TEDx Talks Youtube channel.
Seven classes of Schule Schloss Salem successfully participated in the nationwide non-smoking competition BE SMART- DON'T START for school health promotion through tobacco prevention.
Many students submitted work to an art competition on this important issue. Their creations are on exhibition at the Spetzgart dining hall.
The Botanical Service looks after the school’s own four colonies of bees. With the help of the Müllers, a teacher couple who also own bees, students spun “Castle Honey” and filled it into jars.
During their period of distance learning students drew pictures of imaginary animals and invented Latin names for them. The results are now being exhibited on campus.
The school’s popular summer holiday programme will take place in Salem and Spetzgart despite the coronavirus pandemic.
After the Whitsun school holiday all our students were finally allowed to return to campus. Everyone was thrilled, even though there are new rules to be followed.
At Schule Schloss Salem almost all students in years 5 to 12 have been back on board again since 14 June 2020, and after more than three months of largely digital coexistence, the boarding school and school are finally filled with life again.
The research and media broadcasting ship “Aldebaran” recently travelled around Lake Constance and sent live broadcasts to our students in their classrooms or at home
Twenty-four authors trace the history of Schule Schloss Salem in a richly illustrated Festschrift. The number of copies is limited.
Looking Back: The Kurt Hahn Archive offers insight into daily life and classroom experiences at Schule Schloss Salem shortly after its founding in April 1920
In this anniversary year the Kurt Hahn Foundation plans to offer scholarships to many more students
Plenty of activities sweetened the Corona time for pupils who stayed in Salem and College during the Easter holidays
Welcome: New managing director and business manager Thomas Obitz introduces himself as the successor of Christian Niederhofer.
Formula 1 at School is a multidisciplinary, international technology competition in which students aged 11 to 19 years design, build and race a miniature Formula 1 racing car on the computer and then send it out to race.
Year 8 enjoyed a snowy white landscape and the joys of winter during their excursion to Austria.
In a workshop titled “Reading Aloud is Fun” members of the Social Service Group developed ideas for reading aloud to primary and special needs students in the village of Salem.
Launch of Cooperation between Schule Schloss Salem and the “Stiftung 20. Juli 1944”: Participation in a Conference in Berlin.
“Fractured Unity“ was the prophetic title of the XXVII Annual IB Art exhibition that was inaugurated at Schloss Spetzgart after a week of extraordinary events.
Fancy a spontaneous visit to Schule Schloss Salem? No problem. Experience our three campuses with aid of virtual reality and enjoy a glimpse into the daily routines of our boarding school students.
During its 100th anniversary year Schule Schloss Salem offers a programme of evening talks and discussions about education, politics and culture.
Students from all year groups presented pieces in front of an audience and jury during the two-day competition. Highlight of the event was the concert of the prize winners on Sunday evening.
3000 young visionaries from 227 schools, including a group of Salem students, debated resolutions to solve problems in areas of international political, economic and social significance.
All students of Years 5 and 6 took part on a special event. Zoe from China reports about how she learned ice-skating.
Parent representatives serve as a channel of communication, in both directions, between school and family. New elections are scheduled for this school year.
The biology classes of the upper school explored the evolution of life at Wilhelma Zoo and two museums in Stuttgart.
On January 10, 2020, the school finals for the school competition "Jugend debattiert" took place in the Kapitelaal of Schule Schloss Salem.
