Project Music Swap Lap

The students of 7a, 7b, 8a and 9c, together with their music teacher Mr Theuner, took part in the Music Swap Lab project for the first time in 2023 and played the Sleeping Beauty Waltz by P. I. Tchaikovsky digitally with the musicians of the Bremen Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra and many others. The project enabled us to get to know classical works in a practical way and at the same time to play together with a large professional orchestra, and all the students enjoyed it very much.

Perhaps you will recognise one or the other!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m_h1w0PU4k

 Delegation trip to Kalpitiya / Sri Lanka

In the context of a cooperation project with the department of education for sustainable development of the district office Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and Kalpitiya traveled from 22.1.23 - 29.1. 23 the district councilor Oliver Schruoffeneger, Svenja Arenz from the staff office, Michael Böker as subject teacher for biology and chemistry from the Friedensburg-Oberschule, Tino Schott from the Gottfried-Keller-Gymnasium with the subjects history, PW, ethics and Detlef Wingerath from the Nelson-Mandela-Schule as teacher for fine arts and drama to Sri Lanka. Dilsiri Welikala from Kite Surfing Lanka supervised the trip on site. A meeting with the ambassador Holger Seubert in the embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Colombo formed the prelude. We visited the Muslim School in Kandakuliya, St. Sebatiens School Kandakuliya, St. Annes School Thalawila, RCT School Kalpitiya, Mune School and the Muslim School Paliwasturai. The theme here, besides the impressive hospitality, was the EducationBox#2030 and a very moving exchange. This took place, for example, in exhibition rooms on the reuse of plastic waste, or after dance and mime performances on the topic of microplastics and marine protection. The delegation successfully organized a workshop with all teachers and representatives of the city administration in the city hall of Kalpitiya. We planted mangrove trees with the students of the participating schools and carried out a beach clean-up activity. 

The next steps for further cooperation within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals were bundled and outlined in school cooperation projects.

THINKING OF ALL THE WOMEN IN THE WORLD WHOSE FREEDOM IS RESTRICTED

 As teachers at the Nelson Mandela School, we want to share this video showing our solidarity with all women in the world whose rights are not respected.

<

School Life

WannseeForum “Mitmischen Possible” 2023

In the week from 18.09.2023 to 22.09,2023 students from the Nelson Mandela Secondary School, accompanied by Ms. Reiß-Schmidt and Mr. Theuner, took part in the WannseeForum "Mitmischen Possible". This was a seminar that took place in cooperation with EPIZ. The Nelson Mandela School was one of four schools that took part in the seminar. The pupils took part in the workshops: Rap, theater, film and writing on creative projects and were able to exchange ideas with the pupils* from the other schools and make new friends. The results of the project work were very impressive and really successful. There was also a presentation on the work of the SV and student participation, and a discussion with two activists from BUND-Jugend. The WannseeFORUM was a great experience for everyone involved and we all had a lot of fun, we would like to thank the organizers from the WannseeFORUM Foundation and the participants from EPIZ. We hope that we will be able to integrate some of the findings from this exciting week into our everyday school life. (Report from a student)

NMS PRIDE DAY 2023

Empowering the LGBTQIA+ community in the education system is an important step towards fostering inclusivity, understanding, and acceptance in society. By promoting education and awareness, we can challenge stereotypes, reduce discrimination, and create a more inclusive environment for all individuals. With the NMS Pride Day 2023 on June 15, 2023, we saw with great pleasure how the school community of both campuses came together to celebrate each and every one’s individuality. We offered a wide range of thematic workshops and activities to support and empower people of all genders and sexual orientations.

Pride Day was celebrated by the entire school. Many classes at the NMS Primary, as well as the Pride WUV, worked hard during the past weeks to prepare for the day. Beautiful artwork created for the day was exhibited in school and during the parade. The Pride WUV performed the world premiere of their song “Vibrant Colours” that was brilliantly co-created with songwriter Chalice Phoenix. Ms. Kwai led several classes through beautiful renditions of “This is Me”, “A Little Respect” and “I am what I am”. Oshri returned for a second year to read stories and sing with the students and had everyone mesmerised. Lex Kartanė, also for the second year, helped students create their own unique Pride pins with the support of student and parent volunteers. The library created a beautiful stand with books and information related to Pride month as well as information about being an ally. In addition, there was a display of zines made by students together with Lex Kartanė that are normally displayed in the library.  There was a dress-up photo booth where students could get their photo taken by parent and P30 volunteers and plenty of colouring. One NMS parent even created an NMS Pride colouring sheet specifically for us! Philip Wade kept us dancing at the disco and P23 and P30 students made sure everyone’s faces were made up for Pride.

The Pride March over to the Secondary, accompanied by a police escort, and parent and P30 volunteers, brought our NMS Pride to the streets and enabled the whole school to come together as one school and show our Pride together.

At the Secondary campus, we started the Pride Day with an assembly on the school yard for all students Y7 to Y12. The Intersectional Student Union moderated the opening.  Short introductory speeches were held, music was played, and the structure of the day was explained. Right after the assembly, all classes started with their workshops and activities which lasted all morning - and some all day. Students and teachers were involved in watching and discussing films, discussions with experts, awareness workshops, several art and design activities, music workshops and preparations for the final assembly of the whole school.

We collected money at both campuses for two initiatives (Rainbow Women of Kenya and Let’s Walk Uganda) and together made several hundred euros.

Remember, creating an inclusive and empowering educational environment for the LGBTQIA+ community requires ongoing efforts and a commitment to addressing biases and discrimination. By integrating these actions into educational institutions like our school, we can contribute to a more inclusive society that embraces diversity in all its forms.

We would like to thank everyone who prepared and organised this year‘s NMS Pride Day and all students, teachers and families who create safe spaces, celebrate differences, and live diversity every day at NMS.

The core organizing team: Philip Wade, Felix Theuner, Goran Subotic, Tanya Mokdad, Kai Linke, Lex Kartanė, Tom Hyland, Stephanie Greenwald, Florentine Baumann, and the Intersectional Student Union.

Basketballfest 2023 (Video By David Nassim)

Return visit from Sri Lanka 2023

The Nelson Mandela School had the honour of receiving a delegation from Sri Lanka. Detlef Wingerath warmly welcomed the delegation, setting the stage for a day of meaningful discussions.

Headmaster Dr Bauer warmly welcomed the representatives of the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district's Sustainable Development Unit, four students from Kalpitiya, a teacher, a headmistress, a coordinator, an artist and the esteemed mayor of Kalpitiya. The meeting was characterised by insightful discussions on the critical issues of 'no-plastic' initiatives and UNESCO school projects and provided a platform for shared learning and understanding.

The day continued with a hands-on screen printing workshop led by the advanced art class, engaging our guests in a creative exploration of artistic expression. The workshop not only showcased the capabilities of our school, but also provided a unique opportunity for artistic collaboration and cultural exchange.

A comprehensive tour of the Nelson Mandela School building gave the delegation an insight into our academic facilities, learning spaces and the vibrant student life that characterises our community.

Plans for a joint dance theatre piece to be performed in Berlin in March 2024 are eagerly awaited. This joint project promises to be a celebration of cultural diversity.

Climate - WE MUST #ACTINTIME.

  Climate Clock

Climate Clock image used with kind permission of Climateclock.world. Permission granted on 02.11.2021.

On June the 18th, 2024, the traditional soccer tournament of the Berlin UNESCO Project Schools took place on the sports field of the M.-Planck-Gymnasium.
In pleasant summer temperatures, 9 schools took part this year. The NMS team consisted of Hannah-Marie, Mia, Hannah, Samuel, Rehan and Jakob.
As always, the matches were played according to fair play rules. Mixed teams of girls and boys from different schools played against each other in teams of four without referees. Fairness, victories and goals were counted for the ranking. The teams were newly mixed in each round. After the tournament, the award ceremony was held as part of a collective lunch. This year's Cup was won by the team from the Königin Luise Foundation. 

On 3 July 2024, the LK & GK Geo students and Ms. Mueller made the “long” journey to the FEZ in the Wuhlheide. The topic "Sustainable City" was to be brought into focus once again at the end of the 2nd semester.

First of all, the students drew fictitious identities. For example, one group represented an elderly man with a disability and another a single mum with two children. In two workshop periods, the pupils worked on key aspects of a sustainable city in terms of climate, water, mobility, social issues and the economy, using their knowledge from geography lessons to great effect.

They went into the break with a mental exercise to work out what their fictional characters would need in a sustainable city. The practical part then began, which involved building a neighbourhood that takes into account all the needs of its extremely diverse citizens. The students developed interesting and completely different neighbourhood concepts, which they presented to each other and realised that many aspects need to be considered and combined in order to reach all citizens and how important participation is in sustainable urban design.

On July 2nd the NMS school celebrated its 3rd annual Pride Day. 

It was another successful day that strengthened the NMS support for the LGBTQIA+ community. 

While the day started with an assembly In the primary school, the secondary school kicked the day off with some music in the courtyard. 

Then in the secondary, classes organised their own workshops or activities. 

In the primary school there were activities set up in the foyer, conference room and Aula for the students to enjoy.

How did Goethe and Schiller live?

The students of the 2nd semester found out on 4.7.24 on an excursion to Weimar, which concluded the semester topic "The idea of man in the classical period". The program included not only the Goethe and Schiller House, but also the famous Anna Amalia Library. Unfortunately, the weather was not classically beautiful, but this did not detract from the relaxed atmosphere.

"Should girls and boys be taught separately?", "Should a mobile phone-free day be introduced at NMS?", "Should compulsory military service for men and women be introduced in Germany?" or "Should school trips only take place within Germany?"

The best teams from years 8-10 debated these important questions in German (partner or mother language) in front of their year groups in the Aula on 1.7.24 in the big intra-school "Jugend debattiert" final. The competition was moderated by Ananya and Lilith (both 10d) and Merle and Selma (both 10a).

At the end, the very competent jury (Alexandrine, Isabelle, Bendix and Hugo from 10b) announced the winners: In year 8, Henriette and Esther (8a) won in the mother tongue, Anandi und Ryan (8cd) in the partner language.

The school winners were Lynn and Richard (9a) in the mother tongue and Semi and Sophia (9cd) in the partner language. Congratulations on this great success!

We are already looking forward to the final rounds next school year, because the winners there will then represent NMS in the national "Jugend debattiert" competition.

"This is like Grey's Anatomy!" The visit to the BBG Berliner Bildungscampus für Gesundheitsberufe gGmbH (link: https://www.bildungscampus-berlin.de/ ) on June 22, 2024 made a big impression on the IB Biology course! Future surgical assistants (OTAs) are trained in original operating theaters on the grounds of Vivantes Neukölln Hospital in practical teaching units. Our students were able to gain a compact insight into everyday school and work life in four hours.

At the beginning, all the participants were "smuggled" into the operating theater, i.e. their everyday clothes were exchanged for the green scrubs with hoods.  After an initial overview of the occupational field and the day's program, hand hygiene was on the agenda. "Disinfecting your hands correctly can save lives, as most infections in hospitals (nosocomial infections) are transmitted via this route," says Maik Jelinski, medical educator and teacher at the BBG. And so that the result could be checked, the disinfected hands were held under a black light lamp to show any gaps in wetting, oha, some places were forgotten!

For the Nelson Mandela School, 5 June 2024 will be remembered as a historic event: For the first time since the school was founded in 2000, a school senator will visit our school. Senator Günther-Wünsch, herself a former deputy headmistress and at times a specialist teacher in Namibia and South Africa, was accompanied by her State Secretary for Education of the State of Berlin, Christina Henke, as well as Sandra Khalatbari, Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Committee for Education, Youth and Family Affairs, who has a special connection to our school as a former member of the General Parents' Council, and the Head of Department of Centrally Administered Schools, Grit Orgis.

Ninety minutes of lessons pass quickly, as did the eventful day with our political guests, which began with a lively exchange on educational policy issues with representatives of the school management, the committees and the student representatives of the NMS. The Senator focussed in particular on the concerns of our pupils.

We cordially invite you to our music evening on June 27th 2024 at 6:00 pm in the Aula. On this evening, the NMS-PopChoir and the school orchestra will present a colorful program of classical, a capella and pop music. We look forward to spending a musical time with you and presenting the results of our rehearsal week.  

A special event took place at our school on 5 June 2024: The Berlin author Bov Bjerg read from his novel ‘Auerhaus’. All 10th graders took part in the reading and were very interested in the lively reading and the themes of the book.

After the reading, the pupils had the opportunity to ask the author various questions. The topics ranged from specific aspects of the novel to personal questions about Bov Bjerg's life and career.

The pupils were given fascinating insights into the author's creative process and the background to

‘Auerhaus’.

We would like to thank Bov Bjerg for his visit and the inspiring reading.

It started on June 9th at 7:00 a.m.: 7 students from the politics course marked polling station 122 in Steglitz, set up voting booths and hung up flags. From 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., our team verified 519 voter credentials and handed out ballots. During the count (see picture) it turned out that not all of them were valid and some contained curiosities. At around 8:00 p.m. we were able to submit the final result and were pleased with the mathematically perfect results. Many thanks to the volunteers for taking on this position!

On June 4, 2024, the Geography GK's Q2 and the LK Q2 visited the European House in Berlin with Ms Wandtke & Ms Müller. In an inspiring lecture followed by a discussion, Frenchwoman Claire reaffirmed the importance of the EU in securing peace in Europe, the benefits of the EU for every citizen of an EU country and the importance of a democratic process in decision-making within the EU. She made it clear that voting in the European elections on 9 June 2024 will determine the future political direction of the European Parliament and that every voter should be aware of this responsibility. The pupils were later able to answer the questions in the Wahl-O-Mat and take a stand in the ‘Experience Europe’ exhibition.

Our call to all: Use your vote on 9 June 2024.

A. Müller & F. Wandtke