… was the hotly debated topic of the two finals in Years 9 and 10 as part of ‘Jugend debattiert’ (Youth Debates) on 11 December 2025. Both debates were of a high standard and demonstrated the pupils' nuanced understanding of the issue. Many thanks to all the debaters involved, the moderators and especially the judges, who evaluated the debates very competently and fairly! Emma (9b) and Emilian (9a) qualified for the next round in Year 9, while Henriette (10a) and Rasmus (10c) qualified in Year 10. 

With 11 athletes, our Sport Club International at the Nelson Mandela School Berlin e. V. took part in this year's Weißensee Cross Country Run on 7 December 2025. With great enthusiasm and outstanding support from the accompanying audience, classmates, parents and siblings, our runners competed in the 1.6 km, 3.2 km and 12 km disciplines. Our talented runners Simon (1.6 km) and Elisabeth, as well as our NMS alumnus Lucas (3.2 km), achieved great results in the shorter distances. The SCI-NMS put in a particularly strong performance in the discipline for which the organiser had not even planned a youth classification: the 12 km distance – here, our school club had the most participants of all the clubs registered.

On 17 and 19 November, students from classes 7c and 8c, together with their teacher Dr Ahke, discovered what scientific work looks like in the modern laboratories of the Free University of Berlin.

Class 8c spent an exciting experimental day at the NatLab, embedded in an escape room centred around the mysterious “enigmatic Galmei Society”. To uncover its secret, the students needed both scientific skill and strong teamwork. In the first part of the day, small groups reconstructed the steps of industrial zinc extraction. Afterwards, they explored two important everyday applications of the element: the zinc–air batteryand brass.

From the 19-22 of November, the JFKS hosted their 34th annual BERMUN model UN conference with over 700 students attending from around the world in order to discuss this year's theme : “Building a Rules-Based Order to Withstand Authoritarianism". Thanks to our director, Ms McCabe, seven students from our MUN-club in the secondary had the privilege of taking part as delegates representing Iran in the PC, DC, SOCHUM, WTO and SpC as well as Tunisia in the Security Council. In addition, Amélia IB13, was a student officer, chairing in the SOCHUM committee. Over three days our delegates debated topics such as neocolonialism, nuclear proliferation, combating state sponsored terrorism, the situation in Syria and many more. Each committee also had a guest speaker which added a further layer of knowledge and professionalism to the event. The keynote speaker Herr Putscher, former alternate executive Director of the World Bank , highlighted how existing institutions needed to be strengthened. While a further special speaker event discussed ‘War in Europe: How is Peace with Russia Possible?’, a very timely topic given recent suggestions for a ‘peace plan’. This topic was discussed by Dr K. Wittmann, former Brigadier General and currently at the University of Potsdam along with Dr B.M Scianna from the same university. A further special moment was during the opening ceremony when we watched a moving ,live performance by members of the National Ballet of Ukraine. Conferences such as these allow our students to expand their public speaking skills, become more active in politics and build connections with young people from around the world. This year’s BERMUN has taught us that change is possible if we all take action. We encourage secondary students to join us on Thursdays at 15:05 in N0.4 to take part in lively debates. We wish to thank the Friends of NMS for their support.
Mathilda 11c

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Human Rights Convention, the Federal Ministry of Justice invited guests to a winter workshop day. After the official welcome by Federal Minister Dr. Hubig, the group was given a tour of the building. This was followed by an introduction to Prof. Nußberger's book entitled Frei und gleich. Die Menschenrechte (Free and Equal: Human Rights), which presents exciting cases on difficult human rights issues at the Court in Strasbourg. This was followed by a lively interactive exchange with students sharing their opinions. Finally, the European Competition was presented. It was an interesting day with insights into the work of the judiciary.

Three 9th-grade students met at the Zeiss Large Planetarium to discuss the topic of climate change. After a very interesting introduction in the dome hall of the building, they embarked on a rally to learn about different organizations that deal with various aspects of climate change (e.g., kosmos b). This was followed by three different keynote speeches on the stage of the dome hall. Dr. Romanovska from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research presented the latest findings on climate change data, Nicholas Omonuk, an activist from Uganda for Fridays for Future MAPA, reported on the concrete consequences of climate change in his village and for his community, and the Kipppunkte Kollektiv highlighted various ways in which young people can take action against climate change. After a lunch break, there was a panel discussion with local politicians to discuss specifically how Berlin can shape a climate-friendly future. The day culminated in a workshop on fake news on the topic. Many thanks to Ruby, Abigail, and Roxanne for participating in the conference!

At today's Toilet Congress at the Alte Pumpe, our students are actively addressing
an important topic: clean toilets and sustainable cities. Through various creative
workshops, ranging from live illustration and comics to theater, design thinking, and
fashion under the microscope, the students are learn how toilets, water, and
environmental protection are connected.
The day began with a performance on the topic of water injustice, followed by
exciting school presentations of projects at various Berlin schools and a
panel discussion on “Toilets and Sustainable Cities.” In the workshops, the students
developed their own ideas for the toilet of the future – resource-efficient and
sustainable.
The Toilet Congress is part of the German Toilet Organization's “Klobalisierte Welt”
education project, which raises awareness worldwide about the
importance of hygiene and basic sanitation. The young people not only learn about
global issues, but also how they can improve the situation at their own schools.
It was an inspiring day full of creative ideas and sustainable visions!

To find out how to apply for the Nelson Mandela School, please click here.

We look forward to welcoming you to our school community!

Dear school community, 

We hereby invite you to our music and art evening on December 4 at 6:00 p.m. in the Aula (P30) and at 7:30 p.m. in the new building. On this evening, the school orchestra, the NMS Pop Choir, and the music classes will present a diverse program of classical, pop, and film music. Afterwards, the art classes will present their work in an exhibition in the new building.

We look forward to spending a musical evening with you and getting in the mood for winter.

NMS Orchestra, NMS Pop Choir, and art classes

At the beginning of October, another festive award ceremony for all award graduates took place at the Rotes Rathaus. This time, the awards were presented by British Ambassador Andrew Mitchell and Berlin State Secretary for Education Christina Henke. And NMS received their first Gold Award! It was a wonderfully festive event and almost all graduates now want to complete the next level. Congratulations to our graduates and to everyone who motivated and supported them! 

The Berlin to Kalpitiya Cultural Exchange 2025 marked another meaningful step in the growing partnership between schools and communities in Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka, and Berlin, Germany. Rooted in cultural understanding and sustainability education, the collaboration involved the Nelson Mandela School and the Friedensburg-OS School in Berlin, together with six partner schools in Kalpitiya: Pallivasalthurai Muslim School, St. Sebastiyan Government Sinhala School Kudawa, St. Anne’s Thalawila, Roman Catholic Tamil School Kalpitiya, Sinhala School Kandakuliya Mune, and Kandakuliya Muslim Maha Vidyalaya. Key institutional partners included the Town Council of Kalpitiya (Pradeshiya Sabha), the District Office of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and SBNE Berlin, the Goethe-Institut Sri Lanka, and Kitesurfing Lanka.

From November 3 to 7, 2025, a cultural exchange sponsored by the German-Polish Youth Association took place for the 12th time at the International Youth Meeting Center at Morawa Castle (Lower Silesia). Around 40 children from the Społeczna Szkoła Podstawowa in Świdnica (Schweidnitz) and the Nelson Mandela School in Berlin came together under the motto “Just Different” to explore the question of how diversity and otherness can be interpreted artistically through theatre (Mr. Szulc), art (Ms. Martens), and music (Mr. Fischer). In addition to the creative work, the program included joint activities such as a trip to the city of Świdnica and an atmospheric campfire with Polish delicacies. However, the highlight of the week was meeting 98-year-old castle resident Melitta Sallai, who told us stories from her long and exciting life and answered our questions. The atmosphere between the Polish and German students was very warm from the start, and new friendships were quickly formed. We had a lot of fun and the time flew by. In the end, we all agreed: this cultural exchange was an unforgettable experience!Naima and Elena (8a)