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Merz-School Merz Boarding School |
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The private educational institution Werkhaus / Werkschule Merz was founded in Stuttgart in November 1918 by Senator Albrecht Leo Merz. Shut down by the national-socialistic government, the school was reopened in 1945 under the American military administration. Merz School was recognized and recommended as a model school by the UNESCO. Albrecht Leo Merz introduced the method of 'Recognizing and Creating' as a concept of learning and teaching.
Today the state-acknowledged institution (with about 850 students) consists of
- kindergarten
- primary school
- grammar school
- boarding schools and
- workshops.
Affiliated with Merz School is the Merz Academy / College of Creative Art, an advanced vocational college and member of the European Association of Colleges (CITE) which offers the 'European Media Master' course of studies.
Merz School was one of the first schools to fulfill the so-called Golden Plan; i.e. it has sports grounds, a track and a gymnasium of its own, combined with an indoor swimming pool.
Both work at school and school life in general are influenced by the original ideas of the founder of the school but also take current educational needs into account. The way young people are educated is more important than the amount of information they receive. The working basis of this school has been to make use of obstacles that come up in all kinds of situations, encourage and help the students to fight their way through and so shape their their whole personality. Those leaving our school will shape their lives as citizens who are fully aware of their responsibilities, acting rather than merely reacting.
Within the school, teachers work according to the curriculum and requirements of state-run schools, and consequently students have the same chances of graduating as in state schools. They can either leave school with 'Mittlere Reife' (equivalent to the GCSE in Britain or the intermediate High School Certificate in the USA). Or they can sit the final 'Abitur' exams (equivalent to the British A-level or the American high school diploma).
Since 1995 Merz School has been equipped with modern powerful computers (multimedia, Internet etc.). Students can therefore keep up with technical innovations and new technologies that flood the market and will be increasingly important for them to be competitive in their later professional careers.
International contacts are being cultivated with schools in Britain, Hungary, Austria and France, in the fields of education, fine arts (e.g. music), sports, etc. There have been sports links with Britain for over forty years. Decades ago the cooperation between our school and one club was initiated, and since then has continued with six different clubs. Our school has conducted pioneer work in this field.
Besides the usual sports activities, hockey and tennis as well as judo and rock-climbing have been practised at Merz School since the fifties. Merz School is officially acknowledged as a 'Partner school of sports and of the Olympic site Stuttgart' by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in Baden-Württemberg. A boarding school for students specialising in sports will be established in cooperation with First League clubs.
In addition to an ordinary day school, Merz Primary School and Merz Grammar School offer a place where students are taken care of all day, as well as a boarding school starting with the fifth grade (i.e. the first of nine grammar school years).
A kindergarten is integrated within the educational complex and can be attended half the day or all day long. The kindergarten curriculum provides a variety of special courses, including rhythmic exercise, folk dancing, activities at the climbing wall, and swimming lessons in the school's indoor swimming pool.
Apart from the daily routine work, several research projects are carried out at the primary school, e.g. the construction and planting over of a pitched roof, the use of rain water collected in a 100,000-liter tank, the exploitation of a solar and wind plant, as well as other environmental projects. English is offered as early as the first primary-school class.
From the first primary class up to intermediate and advanced grammar school (or U.S. high school) classes, students take elective courses in eight different workshops, changing every six months, where they are instructed by master craftsmen and other qualified personnel.
In the early fifties the 5-day school week was introduced for all Merz school branches. If necessary, however, students can be looked after at the boarding school seven days a week.
At our grammar school, every Thursday afternoon is reserved for extra-curricular activities. This is called 'Musischer Nachmittag' and allows students to test their individual talents in approximately forty courses and group activities. These activities are headed by both qualified instructors who hold public position, and by teachers of the school.
From the tenth class on, practical training opportunities are offered in selected industrial plants to provide insight to students on their possible future careers.
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