Fotogalerie zur Schulsprecherwahl 2006
Fotogalerie zur Schulsprecherwahl 2005
The European School of Frankfurt is very diverse. Meeting and befriending students from all over Europe and parts of the world is a daily occurrence here. You might ask, “What is so different about these students in comparison to other students at international schools?” Well students at ESF are multilingual and learn at an early age to accept and embrace other cultures different to those they have been raised in. This is a very important skill in today’s ever changing world.
The European School System requires students to take their Human Sciences in their second language after grade 9 or secondary year 4. Therefore the students are taught by teachers from different European countries, giving them the opportunity to experience different styles and teaching methods. The teachers are enthusiastic about the material in their subjects. They are very helpful and willing to act when a student needs extra help and will usually offer to meet with students during lunch or study periods.
A few examples of the teacher’s engagement with the students are the extra activities that they take time to prepare for us. The sports teachers stay after school on Wednesday and Thursday offering soccer, basketball and badminton. Mrs. Masaki directs our orchestra, the Extreme Symphony Freaks, Tuesdays after school and Mrs. Forster, a music teacher, gives up her lunch break Mondays to direct the choir and Tuesdays to rehearse with a pit orchestra for upcoming musical performances. Last but not least Mrs. Forster and Mrs. Kersken, the art teacher, are working together to put on the musical “Cats”.
“I have attended schools all over the world, including the United States of America, France and Australia, but no school has offered such a unique environment. Just the simple fact that you have students walking by you from more than 15 different countries is enough to make you understand you’re not in just any school. But what is even more impressive is the way the students interact and communicate between themselves. It is still amazing for me to think back after every day and realize that my school day was made up of following a lesson in English about the complex structure of cells, then watching a film about WWI in French for my history course and finally taking part in a friendly game of football during Sport where students are calling out to each other in German, Italian and even Spanish but still manage to move the ball around as if we were all playing in our backyards.” -Spyros P. S6En
“My first impression of ESF was full of amazement. I had never had so many people from different countries in my class before. It is great to be able to switch from speaking English to German and hear a friend speaking Italian beside me. I especially enjoy the small class sizes, because it makes the lessons seem more like discussion groups rather than a disinterested group of students listening to a teacher’s monologue. As I will be graduating soon I am very glad that with a European Baccalaureate I can attend a university anywhere in Europe and at select universities around the world. ” - Sarah M. S6En
ESF students are also very active in school life. At the beginning of every year a Pupils Committee is organised with representatives from each class. Then an assembly is held where the whole secondary student body votes for a President and Vice-President of the Pupils Committee (PC). The PC is responsible for representing the students and their opinions in our school and in the other pupils committees found in other European Schools. The PC is also the part of the student body that provides the pupils with different events and activities throughout the school year, for instance school dances, talent show evenings, bazaars and more. Thus, giving everyone the chance to not only meet others here in Frankfurt but also make friends in the other European Schools in the European School System.
A special aspect of the European School System is the European Baccalaureate (EB). This is the degree that a graduate of any European School receives. The EB is a select conglomeration of all of the European Country’s graduation requirements, therefore allowing the recipient of the EB to attend a university in any European Country, or at select universities all over the world. One advantage of the EB is the possibility to specialise in a certain area where the student’s interests for a future career might lie. After 10 th grade, or secondary year 5, the students in the ES system are given the opportunity to stop taking certain classes and deepen their knowledge in other areas by taking advanced level classes in those areas. The two main directions a student can go into are language arts and sciences.
The European School of Frankfurt is one of the latest additions to the European School system that has been running for more than 50 years. Despite its very short existence, it is already well on its way to meeting the high standards that this one-of-a- kind system has been known to set. Its small class sizes and experienced teachers allow for a level of education preparing all students for a successful life ahead, no matter where they may find themselves.
By Spyros Pavlidis and Sarah Morrow (PC Presidency of 2004-2005)
