Whenever parents consider a boarding school for their children, most naturally what goes along is their expectation to see them develop into a prosperous personal future. Among all the questions asked at the department of admissions in Salem, the one addressing future chances after graduation is also the most frequently asked. Every single time we could tell stories about our careers counselling service, starting in grade 9 and working individually with every child, helping them to make good decisions for their future academic life. We could also emphasize the great many chances that our academic as well as personal networks offer. The most convincing testimonials of Salem’s pedagogical success, however, are our alumni themselves. It is for this reason that we use the following lines to present our alumna Violetta Betsch and her award-winning invention to you. Not without mentioning that Salem’s founding father Kurt Hahn would be very proud of her.
Kurt Hahn’s idea for Salem (among others) was that of a holistic education. Besides a very thorough academic training at a German grammar school, making up the “head component” of our education, two more components are essential to us: The heart and the hand of every pupil.
Younger pupils at Salem start out training their hands in experimenting on professions like woodturning, precision mechanics, tailoring or pottery. How would you know what you are capable of, if you never get to try something new? The muses and the crafts at Salem provide an idea of the creative jobs people do when using their hands. A new building on the Salem Campus reflects the idea of head, heart and hand precisely: While on the ground and first floor, pupils of two age groups train their heads in classrooms, there are the crafts’ workshops in the cellar (hand). The Assembly Hall underneath the roof is a meeting point for all Salem pupils and staff (heart), coming together for ceremonies and good times.
In grade 9, pupils choose one service to the community and continue being of service to others until graduation. It is in fact a real apprenticeship with the German Red Cross, or the Fire Brigade, or the Technical Relief Service, just to name a few. Pupils can also be of service to the school by joining the music service. Or experiment development politics. Or sustainability – at this point in time, this can also be a strategic decision opening professional (career) chances in the near future. The Salem Services aim at making young people see their privileged life, as well as their ability to help those in needs.
A vast number of Salem alumni have the idea of head, heart and hand incorporated in their professional lives. And so has Violetta Betsch: At the age of 15, still a Salem pupil, Violetta started putting into practice an idea that would become a “multipurpose aid parcel”, an award-winning, patented and CARE-supported product. The idea: To avoid waste when sending care parcels to crisis regions by turning the very parcel into an emergency lodging item after the goods have been distributed. How creative an idea coming out of Violetta’s head, who developed her prototypes with her own hands in order to be of wholehearted service to people in need! Her multipurpose aid parcel has made it to every trouble area of the world ever since, offering goods and shelter at the same time, without harming the environment. Today, Violetta is working as an assistant doctor in the surgery section of a clinic in Germany. Kurt Hahn would be very proud, indeed.
Head, Heart and Hand:
Whenever parents consider a boarding school for their children, most naturally what goes along is their expectation to see them develop into a prosperous personal future. Among all the questions asked at the department of admissions in Salem, the one addressing future chances after graduation is also the most frequently asked. Every single time we could tell stories about our careers counselling service, starting in grade 9 and working individually with every child, helping them to make good decisions for their future academic life. We could also emphasize the great many chances that our academic as well as personal networks offer. The most convincing testimonials of Salem’s pedagogical success, however, are our alumni themselves. It is for this reason that we use the following lines to present our alumna Violetta Betsch and her award-winning invention to you. Not without mentioning that Salem’s founding father Kurt Hahn would be very proud of her.
Kurt Hahn’s idea for Salem (among others) was that of a holistic education. Besides a very thorough academic training at a German grammar school, making up the “head component” of our education, two more components are essential to us: The heart and the hand of every pupil.
Younger pupils at Salem start out training their hands in experimenting on professions like woodturning, precision mechanics, tailoring or pottery. How would you know what you are capable of, if you never get to try something new? The muses and the crafts at Salem provide an idea of the creative jobs people do when using their hands. A new building on the Salem Campus reflects the idea of head, heart and hand precisely: While on the ground and first floor, pupils of two age groups train their heads in classrooms, there are the crafts’ workshops in the cellar (hand). The Assembly Hall underneath the roof is a meeting point for all Salem pupils and staff (heart), coming together for ceremonies and good times.
In grade 9, pupils choose one service to the community and continue being of service to others until graduation. It is in fact a real apprenticeship with the German Red Cross, or the Fire Brigade, or the Technical Relief Service, just to name a few. Pupils can also be of service to the school by joining the music service. Or experiment development politics. Or sustainability – at this point in time, this can also be a strategic decision opening professional (career) chances in the near future. The Salem Services aim at making young people see their privileged life, as well as their ability to help those in needs.
A vast number of Salem alumni have the idea of head, heart and hand incorporated in their professional lives. And so has Violetta Betsch: At the age of 15, still a Salem pupil, Violetta started putting into practice an idea that would become a “multipurpose aid parcel”, an award-winning, patented and CARE-supported product. The idea: To avoid waste when sending care parcels to crisis regions by turning the very parcel into an emergency lodging item after the goods have been distributed. How creative an idea coming out of Violetta’s head, who developed her prototypes with her own hands in order to be of wholehearted service to people in need! Her multipurpose aid parcel has made it to every trouble area of the world ever since, offering goods and shelter at the same time, without harming the environment. Today, Violetta is working as an assistant doctor in the surgery section of a clinic in Germany. Kurt Hahn would be very proud, indeed.
By Dr. Stephanie Nau, Head of Admissions
https://www.schule-schloss-salem.de/en/