Pupils from the Alice Salomon School visit the state parliament in Mainz

At the invitation of Lana Horstmann, member of the state parliament, pupils from the Alice Salomon School in Linz am Rhein visited the last plenary day in the Mainz state parliament before the state elections on March 22, 2026.

At the beginning of their visit, the guests were given an introduction to the procedure and importance of a plenary session. They then took a seat in the visitors’ area and followed the ongoing session of the state parliament live. They were able to experience parliamentary debates at close quarters and gain an authentic insight into political work at state level.

A particular highlight of the visit was the personal exchange with Lana Horstmann. In a lively round of talks, the MP reported on her work in the state parliament, explained her duties and parliamentary procedures. The pupils took the opportunity to ask numerous questions and actively participate in the discussion.

“It’s always nice to welcome guests from home here in Mainz. I am particularly pleased when schools take up this offer to introduce young people to democracy and its possibilities – and to show that politics can be exciting and not, as many people think, a boring affair,” Horstmann summed up.

The guests were then given an introduction to the procedure and importance of a plenary session. This included a clear explanation of how parliamentary decision-making processes work at state level.

The pupils then took a seat in the visitors’ area and followed the ongoing plenary session live. They were able to experience the debates in parliament at close quarters and gain an authentic insight into political work.

The visit left a lasting impression on the participants and helped to strengthen political interest and democratic understanding.

Der Beitrag Pupils from the Alice Salomon School visit the state parliament in Mainz erschien zuerst auf BBS-Linz.

Helmut Muthers had invited them to an event a year and a half ago with the President of the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament, where he found the young people to be politically interested, open-minded and motivated. He wanted to continue this exchange with today’s discussion. To this end, he invited H BFS 24 B and H BFS 24 C to the Stadthalle Linz for a political talk from 9:00 to 11:00 am. Also present were Wolfgang Latz (SPD), Dennis Swirsky (CDU), Helmut Muthers (Mayor), Andreas Pfarrhaus (CDU), Michael Schneider (independent voters), Brigitte Teubler-Köhler (Greens).

After the pupils had briefly presented the projects they are currently working on in the subject “Responsibility and Commitment”, it was up to the politicians to briefly present their current projects. It turned out that the politicians also have to deal with similar difficulties and problems as the pupils. In addition to the current project topics and the associated political issues, questions concerning the current living environment of young people were also discussed. These included the parking situation in Linz and the desire to live more sustainably and the associated difficulties with regard to local public transport.

Overall, the pupils experienced local politicians from a different perspective and were able to see that they are highly committed to the well-being of the people in the city of Linz. And the politicians experienced our pupils as politically interested, committed and reflective young people.

In the final feedback, all participants agreed that it was a successful event that should definitely be continued in a similar format.

Text: Jenny Trittin

Photos: Doris Schulte-Schwering / Jenny Trittin

Der Beitrag Young people discuss politics erschien zuerst auf BBS-Linz.

On Sunday, 10.11.2024, at 3 p.m., 100 pupils from the nursing department and their teachers gathered in the Lahnstein town hall to witness an impressive cultural project.

Klaus Peter Weber, chairman of the “Growing old with dignity” association, had staged a varied and colorful program around 15 large-format photos by photographer Doris Kohlhaas, which both touched the hearts of the audience and gave them food for thought.

The people in the photos were mostly older, some of them traumatized or mentally ill, and they all had one thing in common: life had not always been good for them. Some of the protagonists were present and told the stories of their lives. They expressed that old age does not necessarily mean loneliness, sadness, isolation and a lack of prospects. Instead, they encouraged everyone to find their own way of growing old.

The program was accompanied by lots of music, including the two nephews of the portrayed Django Reinhard, who gave an impressive guitar performance on stage.

Culture, and music in particular, plays a major role for older people suffering from dementia, because they remember the music of their youth and music brings them back to life.

Klaus Peter Weber also mentioned the “Walking Foodball” project, which enables the elderly and people affected by illness in particular to keep moving.

All in all, the event gave our students from the care sector plenty of food for thought. And the best thing is that it won’t be the end, but the beginning of a collaboration between the “Growing old with dignity” association and the Alice Salomon BBS.

Text: Doris Schulte-Schwering
Photos: Doris Schulte-Schwering and Christine Schemmer

Tags: Inspirations

Der Beitrag “Depths of the soul” – an impressive project by the “Growing old with dignity” association erschien zuerst auf BBS-Linz.

On April 23, 5 students from BF1d were honored in the state parliament in Mainz for 2nd place in the student and youth competition of the State Center for Political Education.

Their mini-podcaston the topic of LGBTQ+, created in ethics lessons under the supervision of Ms. Podsiadly, won over the jury. As part of a digital exhibition, it can now be heard on the website of the state parliament.

The entire class, accompanied by class teachers Ms. Schilk-Steinhaus and Ms. Stinner, used this opportunity to take a trip to Mainz. While the winners attended the award ceremony in the plenary hall of the state parliament, the rest of the class visited the Gutenberg Museum. At the end of the day, the whole class enjoyed an ice cream

Der Beitrag Schoolgirls invited to the award ceremony in the state parliament erschien zuerst auf BBS-Linz.

On 9 November 2023, Democracy Day, BOS 2 visited the exhibition at the Haus der Geschichte in Bonn.

Visit the exhibition

The exhibition began with the Second World War. From there, we went through the decades from the post-war period to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The images of the mass graves from the Second World War were particularly depressing.

We were able to get to know the personalities of the victims. Letters, diaries and posters brought us closer to the individual fates of the victims.

In the former plenary chamber of the old Bundestag in Bonn, we were able to use small tablets to cast our own votes for former party contributions. This was followed by a photo shoot in front of a tank from the former Soviet Union.

We attended the screening of “The Damned Village” in a replica movie theater from the 1950s. The movie showed a village that was to be demolished for the construction of a US airfield. However, this was prevented by the resistance of the citizens.

In the 60s, we were able to see a replica ice cream parlor as well as old billboards and cars. In keeping with the moon landing in 1969, there was a stone from the moon in a display case.

We particularly noticed the VW Transporter from the T1 series, which was very popular in the flower power era and looked accordingly. Various flowers and peace symbols adorned the car.

In the 80s, tube televisions awaited us in rows. Various 80s classics were shown, such as Tatort, Die Maus and The A-Team.

The show ended with the 90s, or more precisely with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Elements of the Berlin Wall surrounded a green Trabbi.

We were able to listen to the lyrics of David Hasselhoff’s song “I’ve been looking for freedom” through small wall-mounted headphones. We watched clips of the fall of the Berlin Wall through small monitors.

Visit to the old Federal Council:

The listed building was erected in 1933 and was originally used as a teacher training college. It was later converted into the Bundesrat. Our Basic Law was adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly in the large plenary chamber in 1949.

Our class was able to experience a legislative process at first hand by slipping into the role of the 16 federal states (there used to be 11). The states had the task of answering the following questions

“Should gambling be abolished? ” to present their views.

Our happy ending was a class photo in front of the car of the former German Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, the Adenauer 300.

And by the way, the undemocratically elected chancellor had done a better job than all the previous ones.

Der Beitrag BOS II visits the House of History in Bonn erschien zuerst auf BBS-Linz.

On Wednesday, 28.02.2024, BBS Alice Salomon received a visit from the Deputy President of the State Parliament, Mr. Matthias Lammert, as part of the “State Parliament goes Vocational School” project. The visit was part of a multi-day state parliament program for vocational schools. Firstly, various workshops were offered for interested classes, such as “Letting off steam” or “The European Union and YOU”. Secondly, a miniature state parliament was set up in the foyer of our school, with quiz questions about the state parliament to solve and small prizes to be won. And thirdly, the event culminated in a round of talks with Mr. Lammert.

Ms. Trittin’s secondary vocational school class and some of her BVJ students prepared thoroughly for the political discussion. Over the course of the morning, they creatively created graffiti with the artist Kai Semor, which illustrated the most important topics of discussion. The pictures were then presented to Mr. Lammert, which led to lively discussions between the students and their Deputy State Parliament President. The topics ranged from war, climate protection, cannabis and school policy to the increasing number of young people with mental health problems and some of the difficulties involved in integrating refugees. The afternoon flew by in a flash.

One pupil summed up her day as an example: “This morning I was sure that I was completely apolitical. But over the course of the day, I realized that I know more about many topics than I thought and that I do have a political opinion!” Being listened to and actively influencing politics one day was a key experience of the day.

Der Beitrag Landtag goes Alice Salomon School! erschien zuerst auf BBS-Linz.

Der Beitrag Democracy Day erschien zuerst auf BBS-Linz.

From Tuesday, 21.03.2023, to Thursday, 23.03.2023, BBS Alice Salomon and David-Röntgen-Schule in Neuwied received a very special visit: the state parliament from Mainz introduced itself. During this time, the pupils were able to find out about the work of the state parliament in the cafeteria and also solve a quiz; if they answered correctly, they could even win a hot drink, a muesli or an apple spritzer, which was gladly accepted by the students from both schools. The classes were also able to book workshops on three different topics, namely “Regulars’ table slogans – I won’t just leave them standing”, “State politics – but SIMPLE” or “Letting off steam”. A total of 25 classes in Neuwied and three more classes at the BBS Alice Salomon school in Linz took part in workshops, meaning that many young people were able to benefit from the campaign.

Finally, one class from each school was able to take part in a political art project led by Cologne graffiti artist Kai “Semor” Niederhausen. Here, the students from the curative education and vocational high schools first collected the topics that were most important to them and then expressed them in graffiti under his professional guidance. As the final highlight of the event, the schools were then visited by the President of the State Parliament, Mr. Hendrik Hering, to whom the pupils presented the works they had created in the afternoon. The pictures served as a welcome starting point for discussions about politics and commitment to democracy.

Mr. Hering had an open ear for all areas, from the lack of childcare for our students, to difficulties with public transport in rural areas, to the lack of appreciation for work in the care sector and the barely affordable basic cost of living for students and trainees.

The organizers on the school side, together with their head teachers, were delighted with comments such as “The graffiti workshop was the best extracurricular event we’ve had so far” and “Parliament has invited our class – when are we going?”. All in all, a great initiative by the state parliament and a successful project at both schools!

Der Beitrag State parliament goes vocational school erschien zuerst auf BBS-Linz.

With the help of a laying circle with texts in easy language, the BVJSa class, led by Ms. Pies, worked creatively on this complex topic of German history.

The resulting posters can be admired in the classroom or in front of the staff room in Neuwied.

Der Beitrag BVJ language for the Day of German Unity erschien zuerst auf BBS-Linz.

Photo: © State Chancellery RLP/ Pulkowski

Youth engagement competition 2018

The competition, which was jointly launched by Minister President Malu Dreyer and the Bertelsmann Stiftung, aims to encourage young people to get involved in politics and society. Dr. Katarina Barley, Federal Youth Minister, Dr. Stefanie Hubig, Minister of Education, and Dr. Brigitte Mohn, member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board, presented the awards to the winners.

HBFS 17 b receives award

The quiet room at our school in Neuwied was honored. The HBFS 17 b class at the Alice Salomon School in Neuwied set up a quiet room in their school. It is equipped with sofas, tables, chairs, bookshelves and functioning WLAN.

Der Beitrag Getting involved – making a difference erschien zuerst auf BBS-Linz.

“I will never forget this school trip!”

This is how one pupil from the vocational preparation year class assessed the four days in which the class was on a school trip or work assignment in the West Eifel region near the Luxembourg border.

After several hours of driving to the small village of Daleiden, we moved into the local youth center. This is a community-owned self-catering house with newly renovated sanitary facilities and a fully equipped professional kitchen.

Daleiden is located 7 km east of the Luxembourg border in the middle of the scenic West Eifel region and has the largest military cemetery in Rhineland-Palatinate with over 3,000 military graves next to the town center. The latter was the reason why the class visited this inconspicuous climatic health resort. After arriving, the first step was to set up the accommodation, chop wood for the evening campfires and prepare the meals that were to be cooked over the following days. Under the guidance of the practical and class teacher Katrin Birmanns, the most fantastic simple dishes took shape, which were eaten with much appetite and chatter.

The evenings were filled with sitting around the campfire, bowling at the in-house bowling alley and lots of conversations about God and the world and about the exciting and challenging work that lay ahead at the cemetery of honor.

In cooperation with the German War Graves Commission, represented by Mr. Köppl, and with material support from the Remembrance and Peace Foundation, the class was to spend a day at the military cemetery doing maintenance work to preserve this dignified burial site.

Mr. Köppl prepared the class for this special place of history, remembrance and reminder for peace by walking with the class to various points in the cemetery and explaining the fates and backgrounds of the fallen, missing and unknown buried at individual graves.

The Daleiden war cemetery contains graves that fell in the Eifel-Ardennes region during the Second World War. Until they were reburied, the graves were spread across 72 smaller cemeteries in the region and brought together in Daleiden until 1959. As the site is located on a slight slope, the cemetery consists of several circular rows, which are connected by paths. The graves are all aligned towards a central focal point. This is where the memorial is located, which consists of a rotunda with a stone Pietà in the middle. Adjacent to the rotunda is a memorial hall with the names of the fallen buried there. The large number of names and the age of the fallen, which can be seen on the gravestones, impressed the pupils greatly, especially as many of the fallen were barely older than themselves.

Daleiden is located 7 km east of the Luxembourg border in the middle of the scenic West Eifel region and has the largest military cemetery in Rhineland-Palatinate with over 3,000 military graves next to the town center. The latter was the reason why the class visited this inconspicuous climatic health resort. After arriving, the first step was to set up the accommodation, chop wood for the evening campfires and prepare the meals that were to be cooked over the following days. Under the guidance of the practical and class teacher Katrin Birmanns, the most fantastic simple dishes took shape, which were eaten with much appetite and chatter.

The evenings were filled with sitting around the campfire, bowling at the in-house bowling alley and lots of conversations about God and the world and about the exciting and challenging work that lay ahead at the cemetery of honor.

The pupils were asked to help maintain, clean and repair the site. There were a number of grave slabs that were so badly weathered that they had to be replaced with new ones, moss and lichen had to be removed from many parts of the enclosure wall, as well as from large stone crosses that stood between the graves. As the cemetery is also a place for bereaved people who come to visit, benches also had to be repainted and made weatherproof. Ms. Lütke, who has been commissioned by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate to look after the graves, was on hand with help and advice and, like Mr. Köppl, answered many of the pupils’ questions about what was going through their minds as they worked on and looked at the graves. Some of them found it difficult to look after the graves, and the trepidation and sadness over the loss of a loved one and the countless sacrifices of very young soldiers lent the day a special atmosphere.

It was a busy day and so it was a little quieter than usual at dinner and later on. Nevertheless, there was a good feeling of having done something meaningful together, of having left behind a place of dignity and peace, where a candle against forgetting and for remembering now burned for each of the pupils on the new gravestones.

The next day was all about enjoying life and experiencing Europe together, as a trip to the city of Luxembourg was on the agenda. A completely new experience was made there with an exotic national language and lively city life.

And then it was time to say goodbye. On the last evening, the campfire was even more beautiful and more enduring than the days before. There were dances from the students’ different countries of origin and lots of music to sing or at least hum along to.

One thing the students said they had realized in Daleiden: no matter how different we are, we can trust that we somehow understand each other. We are sure that we will not wage a war that will cost so many lives.

Der Beitrag BVJ working at the military cemetery in the West Eifel region erschien zuerst auf BBS-Linz.

Fundraising campaign #hilfefürdieukraine at the BBS Alice Salomon

The war between Russia and Ukraine has dominated the news for months. The attacks on various targets in Ukraine and the associated suffering have affected our school community. Many families are separated and lose their homes. For several months now, more and more Ukrainians have been seeking refuge in Germany – including in Rhineland-Palatinate.

In order to both alleviate the suffering in Ukraine and provide support for the refugees in our region, students from the vocational school for social pedagogy at BBS Alice Salomon planned various fundraising campaigns. Students from the two school locations in Linz and Neuwied took part in these campaigns. Under the motto #helpforukraine the first fundraising campaign was held on 23.03.2022 in cooperation with two local florists “Frings” (Linz) and “Schmitz” (Neuwied). By distributing hundreds of white tulips in the city centers of Linz and Neuwied, the prospective educators and geriatric nurses showed their solidarity with the situation in Ukraine, which is not too far away. In Linz, self-designed sunflower pendants played a key role in this, as they have become an unofficial symbol of Ukraine as an international expression of solidarity and resistance in recent months. In Neuwied, messages of peace were prepared for the fundraising campaign in cooperation with three kindergartens and an elementary school in the Neuwied area. The peace messages were made and donated by children from the Stromberg daycare center, the Pusteblume daycare center (Hausen), the Burgmäuse daycare center and the Kehrig elementary school.

After the Easter vacations, a charity run and cake sale were held on the Kaiserberg sports field in Linz in cooperation with the Department of Nutrition and Supply for the benefit of refugees and those who remained in their home country.

Overall, the pupils were delighted with the high level of donations and raised a total of €2742. The donations were handed over in equal parts to the German Red Cross and the Elterninitiative krebskranker Kinder e.V. for the benefit of refugees with cancer on 12.07.2022. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the florists Schmitz from Neuwied and Frings from Linz, the children, educators, teachers and parents as well as the citizens who actively supported us with the fundraising campaign.

Der Beitrag Money handed over after charity run for Ukraine erschien zuerst auf BBS-Linz.