A Rich Education

Schule Schloss Salem’s philosophy is built on seven pillars. Serena Templeton spoke to Head of Admissions, Dr. Stephanie Nau to find out how the school delivers a holistic education

Germany’s biggest and most famous international boarding school was founded by the well-known educational reformist Kurt Hahn in 1920. It has been putting his “7 Laws of Salem” into educational practice ever since as the basis for everything undertaken in daily life at the school.

Hahn believes in equipping young people with the opportunity to discover themselves and face challenges within a community of pupils from 45 nations all over the world, sharing a structured boarding school day – and a room on the dorms. It’s important to provide young people with the experience of both victory and defeat, and this rule is exercised in a multitude of activities from sports tournaments, to performing on stage.

We teach our students to put pursuit of the common good before personal ambition, by helping them learn to assume responsibility for oneself, for fellow pupils and for the community. The Salem Services and Technical Relief Units reflect this philosophy and have been set to offer help in emergencies and to people in need. Making time for silence and space for contemplation naturally follows. As time has become such a precious commodity in our busy lives, it’s important to remember creativity comes from reflection.

Closely linked with this approach is the motivation to help train students’ imagination and encourage them to focus on their ability to look ahead and plan - the future starts now. We will never know what it’s store for us, however, it’s important that we manage to get along well, no matter what the future might bring.

We recognize that sports and games should be taken seriously, but we don’t let them dominate. It’s important not give up easily in life and this is easily demonstrated on the field. There’s always a solution to any problem - especially when working together as a team.

Finally, we believe in liberating the children of the rich and powerful from the paralyzing awareness of their privilege. We encourage them to stand on their own two feet and to make real friends for a lifetime. Salem is about bringing people together, from all nations, no matter their individual background. In order to learn from each other, to reach smart solutions to common problems and to better understand other people’s contexts. Salem builds personalities of pupils striving to become active global citizens; a new young elite, responsible for the decisions of tomorrow.