On June 14, 2024, we, the French course Q2, spent a day learning about French history and culture. Our day began  at 9:50 a.m. in high spirits, enjoying authentic French pastries (Merci, Aux délices normands!). The first item on our agenda was a visit to the Ambassade de France. We were warmly welcomed there after passing through a security check. During the tour, we explored the outstanding architecture and art. We also learned a lot about working in an embassy and about the special role of the French embassy in Berlin in preserving and strengthening the Franco-German friendship. Afterwards, we quickly made our way to the Federal Foreign Office, where we were given an insight into the historical importance of the French language in everyday diplomatic business.

On June the 18th, 2024, the traditional soccer tournament of the Berlin UNESCO Project Schools took place on the sports field of the M.-Planck-Gymnasium.
In pleasant summer temperatures, 9 schools took part this year. The NMS team consisted of Hannah-Marie, Mia, Hannah, Samuel, Rehan and Jakob.
As always, the matches were played according to fair play rules. Mixed teams of girls and boys from different schools played against each other in teams of four without referees. Fairness, victories and goals were counted for the ranking. The teams were newly mixed in each round. After the tournament, the award ceremony was held as part of a collective lunch. This year's Cup was won by the team from the Königin Luise Foundation. 

On 3 July 2024, the LK & GK Geo students and Ms. Mueller made the “long” journey to the FEZ in the Wuhlheide. The topic "Sustainable City" was to be brought into focus once again at the end of the 2nd semester.

First of all, the students drew fictitious identities. For example, one group represented an elderly man with a disability and another a single mum with two children. In two workshop periods, the pupils worked on key aspects of a sustainable city in terms of climate, water, mobility, social issues and the economy, using their knowledge from geography lessons to great effect.

They went into the break with a mental exercise to work out what their fictional characters would need in a sustainable city. The practical part then began, which involved building a neighbourhood that takes into account all the needs of its extremely diverse citizens. The students developed interesting and completely different neighbourhood concepts, which they presented to each other and realised that many aspects need to be considered and combined in order to reach all citizens and how important participation is in sustainable urban design.

On July 2nd the NMS school celebrated its 3rd annual Pride Day. 

It was another successful day that strengthened the NMS support for the LGBTQIA+ community. 

While the day started with an assembly In the primary school, the secondary school kicked the day off with some music in the courtyard. 

Then in the secondary, classes organised their own workshops or activities. 

In the primary school there were activities set up in the foyer, conference room and Aula for the students to enjoy.

How did Goethe and Schiller live?

The students of the 2nd semester found out on 4.7.24 on an excursion to Weimar, which concluded the semester topic "The idea of man in the classical period". The program included not only the Goethe and Schiller House, but also the famous Anna Amalia Library. Unfortunately, the weather was not classically beautiful, but this did not detract from the relaxed atmosphere.

"Should girls and boys be taught separately?", "Should a mobile phone-free day be introduced at NMS?", "Should compulsory military service for men and women be introduced in Germany?" or "Should school trips only take place within Germany?"

The best teams from years 8-10 debated these important questions in German (partner or mother language) in front of their year groups in the Aula on 1.7.24 in the big intra-school "Jugend debattiert" final. The competition was moderated by Ananya and Lilith (both 10d) and Merle and Selma (both 10a).

At the end, the very competent jury (Alexandrine, Isabelle, Bendix and Hugo from 10b) announced the winners: In year 8, Henriette and Esther (8a) won in the mother tongue, Anandi und Ryan (8cd) in the partner language.

The school winners were Lynn and Richard (9a) in the mother tongue and Semi and Sophia (9cd) in the partner language. Congratulations on this great success!

We are already looking forward to the final rounds next school year, because the winners there will then represent NMS in the national "Jugend debattiert" competition.

"This is like Grey's Anatomy!" The visit to the BBG Berliner Bildungscampus für Gesundheitsberufe gGmbH (link: https://www.bildungscampus-berlin.de/ ) on June 22, 2024 made a big impression on the IB Biology course! Future surgical assistants (OTAs) are trained in original operating theaters on the grounds of Vivantes Neukölln Hospital in practical teaching units. Our students were able to gain a compact insight into everyday school and work life in four hours.

At the beginning, all the participants were "smuggled" into the operating theater, i.e. their everyday clothes were exchanged for the green scrubs with hoods.  After an initial overview of the occupational field and the day's program, hand hygiene was on the agenda. "Disinfecting your hands correctly can save lives, as most infections in hospitals (nosocomial infections) are transmitted via this route," says Maik Jelinski, medical educator and teacher at the BBG. And so that the result could be checked, the disinfected hands were held under a black light lamp to show any gaps in wetting, oha, some places were forgotten!

For the Nelson Mandela School, 5 June 2024 will be remembered as a historic event: For the first time since the school was founded in 2000, a school senator will visit our school. Senator Günther-Wünsch, herself a former deputy headmistress and at times a specialist teacher in Namibia and South Africa, was accompanied by her State Secretary for Education of the State of Berlin, Christina Henke, as well as Sandra Khalatbari, Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Committee for Education, Youth and Family Affairs, who has a special connection to our school as a former member of the General Parents' Council, and the Head of Department of Centrally Administered Schools, Grit Orgis.

Ninety minutes of lessons pass quickly, as did the eventful day with our political guests, which began with a lively exchange on educational policy issues with representatives of the school management, the committees and the student representatives of the NMS. The Senator focussed in particular on the concerns of our pupils.