Network-Marienthal

A survey among our network partner schools has shown that no country can really commit to the September 2020 meeting. Some even had to cancel already now. The given situation in Mai 2020,  is to uncertain to allow travels within Europe for a meeting which is based on a lot of international contact.

Some have suggested a postponement to spring 2021. However, I have been trying for many years to postpone a School Network Meeting until spring. From March onwards, Germany has Abitur exams and in January and February there were always concerns from other countries. But a postponement to spring 2021 is unrealistic. For this reason we unfortunately have to cancel the 2020 meeting without replacement - we are very sorry about that! But a real network meeting with close cooperation would not have been conceivable in September 2020 or spring 2021 anyway.
But since we can carry the funding over into next year, we can already invite you firmly and safely for September 2021. A date for 2021 will be published soon. 
We are very sorry that we will not see each other this year, but there are a lot of sad things to cope within this year. Maybe we can make an appointment for a video conference to share how things are going in the different countries? What do you think of the idea?

Every place has its legend, a myth or just a story that parents tell their children when they do not behave very well.  St. Marienthal story is about a ghost that walks in the woods near the nunnery.

The ghost’s name is Kunigunde of Hohenstaufen. You might ask yourself who she is or the better question would be “ who was she”? She was the third daughter of Philip and Irene. She was happy living a normal life with her family  until one day...  In 1208 she and her three sisters became orphans as her father was murdered, but unluckily for her that was just a beginning. Few months later, due to all the stress and hardship, her mother died following the birth of their fifth sister. The life was hard, really hard. And so she ended up living with her 3 sisters as an orphan.

Time passed… She got older and she decided to move to Prague. Going to Prague was one of the best decisions she had made, because there she met him, she met her fiancé, Wenceslaus. They were happy together and they lived a very good life. He was successful and in 1230 he succeeded his father as the King of Bohemia, which meant  that Kunigunde became his queen then. She was really happy and she tried her best to earn his respect  by coming into the possession of  many properties and monasteries, but somehow that was not enough.

She had several kids, some of them died, some of them were not in a good relationship with her. She seemed to have been overwhelmed with sadness. She kept thinking about her life, about her deceased mother and father, about her sisters, about the happiness that  faded away as if it’d never existed… And then she was all alone in Prague. Even her husband  got indifferent and cold and forgot about her.She died on 13^th September 1248 and was buried in Agnes nunnery, but neither her husband  nor son attended her funeral.

The legends says that you can see her in the woods along the border with Poland. She can appear in three forms and the one you see depends on  the deeds  that you have done  during your life. The first form is the form of a girl. You will see a little girl who is calling you, because she wants to show you the right way out of the  woods. The second one  is a woman in a wedding dress. She will appear if you have done something wrong and you don't feel sorry about it. She will scare you, she will hunt you until you can feel your heartbeat thumping in your head. But she isn't going to kill you. The third form is of a granny and if you see her, your life is over. This form means nothing but death. She will only appear in front of a person who committed the worst sins. When you see her, you will feel cold, numb and after some time you will feel something coming in through your throat and coming out through your mouth. You will see a little ball of light and then you are going to think :

“This is beautiful. What is this? How is it possible that is the first time I see something so beautiful?” and a silent voice will tell you: "You’ve  always had it, but you’ve never seen it, it has  always been inside  you, but you’ve never appreciated it and now when you are losing it, you have the courage to be amazed. All the humans are the same, no one is aware of what they have until they lose it. Thank you for the meal, your soul is going to be a real treat, darling."

After that you  are just going to close your eyes and fall into eternal sleep. Your body? Don't worry about it. Other ghosts are going to eat it up. Only the queen gets  the soul, only  Kunigunde gets the best.

-The End.-

Handwerk, Weberstrasse or Neissestrasse are names we may have never heard of, even less would we think of connecting them with some well-known titles in filmography such as The Book Thief. The aforementioned places belong to a German town sitting on the Polish border, more specifically on the western bank of the Neisse River, that runs through it. The town’s filming history is definitely no real secret to its inhabitants, it was granted the title of European filming location of the decade which pretty much attracts quite a share of visitors each year. Just by taking a tram ride you will probably be able to recognize certain places if you’re keen on movies. If you get out near the Frauenkirche, there stands one of the main filming locations of The Grand Budapest Hotel, the Görlitz Department Store, and just next to it, the alleys and market places of the old town, which saw Quentin Tarantino’s soldiers patrolling around for his 2009 movie Inglorious Basterds. Görlitz has also been the location for movies less known worldwide but quite enjoyed in Germany, such as Goethe, the Young Karl Marx and The Reader/Der Vorleser.

Perhaps one of the main charms of this old Silesian town is its architecture, it seems luck played in its favor since it didn’t get destroyed by war and after it 4,000 buildings were carefully restored. The town used to go beyond the river, now it meets an international border. It’s quite well known what happened after the war, how Poland and Eastern Germany both underwent the communist regime by different rules and, one could pretty much think both sides would have grown to hate each other, this is luckily not the case with the German Görlitz and the Polish town of Zgorzelec. The town presented its candidacy to be the European Capital of Culture in the year 2010, although without success, yet just the mere action represents how relatively unified the town still is, even if on the two banks of the river people and signs speak a completely different language.

It’s a kind of yearly tradition in our seminar just to take a few -hour-long jaunt to this town. Then you can take a tour through the main sites, but I would personally and subjectively suggest one gets lost among the captivating colorful buildings, hanging signs written with the characteristic Fraktur German font and feel its Silesian ambience. 

Just after lunch we took a bus to Görlitz and in thirteen minutes we arrived in the town. Now I’ll have a fellow student narrate her experience:

“...we spent there more than three hours, so we had enough time to explore the city. We could admire many architectural styles within the city, such as Baroque, Renaissance and Gothic. Due to the fact it wa

sn’t destroyed during the wartime, it acts as one of Germany’s major architecture reserves, which you can see wandering through its bright and colorful streets.
We scattered all over the town, some students simply went sightseeing, shopping or visited famous filming locations... others lounged in a café, me included. The facade of the one I got into looked pretty inconspicuous but it was really cozy inside. They served those delicious cakes I definitely hope I can try again and experience the relaxing moment again. Overall, I really enjoyed this trip, I got to know new places and it was a really good time. Some people went to try some kebab that they say was nice since there are quite a few street food stalls all around the center, so I would suggest trying those if you’re hungry. If not, there are a lot of interesting and inviting stores to take a peek at.
”

For this text, I will share my personal thoughts and opinions on the seminar. So, I’m Seth, and during the seminar I have been working with the Seminar Reporters workshop as a writer and also a part-time illustrator. But before I go into detail on my opinions on that, I’ll first go over my first impressions of the seminar.

I’m a pretty shy person, so at the start of the seminar, when we did these icebreaker games, I admit that I was feeling quite uncomfortable. However, I really only had to worry about that for a day or so, as while I was working in the workshop, I was allowed to write by myself a lot of the time. So, no matter how you may be, there’s a pretty high chance that there’s still a workshop perfect for you.

The environment here at Marienthal is gorgeous too and the rooms you stay in are nice. There are also special party rooms where you can socialize with other students. Although I didn’t use them a lot myself, I’d say they’re probably great fun if you like meeting and talking to new people.

If you ever have the possibility to come here, I fully recommend it!

Interview with Anne Hübinette

What were your first impressions of the seminar?

Oh, that was a long time ago. I think my first time was some time in the mid-2000s, but I do remember thinking that at the beginning it was somewhat messy. I remember I kept thinking to myself  “Oh, what is happening now?” and “Oh, what am I supposed to do now?”, but it actually didn’t take too long for me to get comfortable, and when I returned here later, I had no problem knowing what to do.

How has the seminar changed over the years?

Well, the core structure of the seminar hasn’t changed too much at all. A few workshops have appeared, and a few have disappeared, but the general arrangement remains the same. If I had to say anything, I think it’d have to be that the seminar is more reliant on technology now. When I first came here, there was a lot of writing by hand.

Oh, there is another thing I’ve noticed. Well, I suppose it has less to do with the seminar and more to do with the students, but either way, I have noticed that the students have become much better at English in recent years. When I first came here, there were a lot of students who could barely speak English at all. Perhaps a little bit of German, but hardly any English. Obviously this caused a bit of a communication problem between the students, but it’s not a problem I see anymore.

In what ways do you think the seminar is good for students?

I think the seminar helps students communicate and understand each other. It helps them get to know each other better and grow closer. There’s been maybe one time when a student absolutely did not want to be here, but it’s most common for everyone to enjoy it here.

What tips would you give to a teacher who is new to the seminar?

I would say to stay close to the other teachers, and don’t wander off alone. Here at the seminar we teachers need each other, and I think it’s important to stay together. Even though I don’t have a specific workshop, I socialize with the other teachers at meals and in the evenings. During the evenings it’s also important to keep an eye on the students to make sure they don’t hurt themselves.

Interview with Annette Sindénius

What were your first impressions of the seminar?

I thought it was pretty fantastic. This is a very beautiful place. The buildings are very beautiful, and especially the baroque-style monastery. The rooms we teachers stay in are very nice, and the food…well, the food is okay, at least. There’s a lot to see here and I think it’s good for students to come here. You see, the idea of  bringing Europe together was started after World War II, so  I think it’s good that students from different countries can come here and meet each other, make each other acquaintance and get some understanding for different cultures. Even though we live in the same part of the world, they’re still a little different.

How has the seminar changed over the years?

Well, I actually don’t think it has changed a whole lot at all. We’ve had different themes, so they have changed after the current topics. I can’t quite remember what the first theme was, but…I think it was “I’m a human”. And then we had a lot of themes about refugee and immigration policy and now we have this theme about the environment. So that has changed, but apart from that I don’t think there have been many changes, which would mean that this is a concept that works and is good.

In what ways do you think the seminar is good for students?

Well, I think it’s good that you get to speak English, and perhaps a little German too, so  you improve your languages.  You also get to communicate over country borders and get to hear how people of the same age have it in other countries in Europe, and perhaps even get some new friends. We don’t write letters anymore, like we did before, but you still get in touch with new people, so I think that is very important for the youth to see what the world is like, it’s important we get to know each other and thus prevent estrangement.

What tips would you give to a teacher who is new to the seminar?

Hmm… Tips, well… Bring a good mood, and try to talk a little with the other teachers. That is important for us, too. It may be comfortable only to speak with people we know, but it’s also important to communicate and have a chat with the other teachers. And then I’d also let them know that they have a fantastic week ahead of them.

It was asked somewhat frequently back in the day whether Marienthal was school or vacation. I’d say it’s something in between the two. I mean, we do work pretty hard, it is 8 hours a day, after all, but perhaps not in the same way as in school, and it’s like that for us teachers too, even though we also get to do some different things. We take it easy sometimes, but we are also at hand when the students need us.

On the first day of the seminar the debate club made its return. This year the main topic of the debate was to ask whether the European Union is indeed an opportunity or can have a positive effect in tackling climate change – a discussion about the looming threat of climate change and the European Union’s role in stopping it. Many representatives from the various different countries shared heartfelt speeches on its causes, how to stop it, and who is responsible, backed by well-thought out arguments, facts and statistics.

This comes right in the midst of a political wave of demonstrations against climate change that have been taking place  all around Europe and the world, so this year debate topic is found to be pretty accurate and of general interest for the youth.

The speeches were given  in a certain order, a candidate who believed in the EU being able to tackle climate change would present his or her thoughts aiming to convince the public, then a member of the opposition would come next, trying if possible to backfire using the previous speaker’s arguments.

Even if some of them did start with catchphrases, willing to have a great, dramatic impact on the people (e.g. reminding us all we are going to die anyway), the speakers based themselves on objective data and they chose different ways of expression, which made the debate pretty easy to follow, even if the most part of the public were not necessarily experts on the matter.

“…we have to accept that the climate change is not going to disappear and that it’s unstoppable, so money should be invested in infrastructure instead of measures to slow it down somehow. This way, the investment will help the population directly, as floods have incremented (…)”  – an excerpt from one of the speeches

After all the speeches had been presented, the students were allowed to discuss and debate the topic with each other, asking questions and providing counter arguments, by approaching the speaker whose speech they would like to argue and talking with them, enriching us all with opinions, or facts that had not been covered in the debate. Although there were ten main characters of this event, everyone got to add their own part to it.

The event was generally well-received by students and teachers alike and it surely has been a topic present in conversations during our stay in St. Marienthal.

“The speeches sounded very well-prepared and professional. The speakers were really great. You could hear emotions in their voices, and it felt really genuine.” – a student from the audience

“It was… impressive. They were well thought-out, well-prepared and well-executed. The students were very verbal and expressive.” – a teacher from the audience

“I do think it is a good idea, it’s really interesting as a concept, I believe this topic is something that concerns all of us. I personally think I lacked a certain guide to base my speech upon. Whereas many of us do have a strong opinion about such a debatable topic, some do need preparation. But overall, I enjoyed being in front of the public and speak my mind, I believe climate change is a major concern and I’m glad I’ve been granted this opportunity.” – one of the speakers.

To conclude, it was a mind-opening event for most and we hope that it will return to the seminar for many more years to come, with more astonishing speeches to listen to and more interesting topics to discuss.

The way today’s generation is having fun is all about playing games on their mobile phones or computers. Overall, young people spent a lot of time being active in social networks. Most people say that they are on their phones, because they want to communicate with their friends. It is quite funny because they choose to be alone with their phones instead of actually going out and having real fun. It is very often that even though they can meet face to face, they rather send a message.

On the other hand, some young people (luckily) want to have fun together rather than spend their free time looking at the screens of their mobile phones. And I think these are THE people, who have come here to St. Marienthal.

And this is the thing I like about this seminar the most. We don’t spend time on our mobile phones, but we play games like small children together and it is a really pleasant change I must say. We enjoy a lot of interesting activities and we have a lot of space for communication, too. We also enjoy our own work at workshops, which is very diverse. Some people take photos, some act, film, or write, there is simply a lot to do. Every country also organizes an intercultural evening, where they show the others some remarkable and funny facts or traditions of their country.

One evening, there wasn’t given any special program. A few people met in the “chimney room” just to chat. The people who can play the guitar started to play and the others to sing. More and more students started coming. After that everybody began singing the Bohemian Rhapsody song. It was a really emotional moment for me, I enjoyed it so much. It was great enjoyment and I will remember it  my whole life.

And this is the best thing about St. Marienthal. You collect unforgettable memories and meet new friends. In my opinion, it is the most meaningful experience any seminar can give you in life. Last but not least, it will definitely make you confront people face to face.

Nobody would probably think seriously about this question. Especially if you are at an educational seminar, just sitting and listening to opinions of your peers. You can hear a lot of information and opinions on a debate with the main topic  being “the European Union and environmental protection”. All opinions are very interesting and inspiring. Everybody likes to listen to them, but nobody will be really touched or influenced by them permanently at the end.

I’d been listening  to several speakers, slowly losing my concentration. Then, out of the blue, one of the speakers made an unusual demand. She asked the audience: “Could you please stand up, put your left and right hands on your head?” All the listeners did what she’d asked for…Everybody was just standing and wondering what it all meant. No one understood it. After a quick, strange moment, she calmly said: “Next time somebody wants you to do something, think about it first. Think why you should or shouldn’t do it.”

That was the moment  she made me really think about what and why I do  the way I do in general and also in connection with the environmental protection. The idea has become one of my favorite. Since I heard it there on the debate, I have had to think about that. And in my opinion, this is exactly the purpose of every speech I heard there.

I don’t claim that everybody has been  influenced only by this idea. But it is definitely worth spreading this concept among  other people. I believe it has something to say to you too…

This seminar has been taking place here in St. Marienthal for almost a quarter of a century. There is a bigger number of participants this time. About fifty-nine students and their teachers have arrived. They have come from seven different European countries. The main topic is the European Union and environmental protection. We are going to work in various workshops. The students can play in a band, make a movie, write articles, take photos or engage themselves in activities connected with Fridays for future. But there is so much more to take  part in. For example, a  trip to Görlitz, a debate or intercultural evenings are planned. A lot of fun awaits us. Everybody is looking forward to it!