From bratwurst to baklava

The WvSG is colorful - this not only applies to the group picture that concluded the school festival at the Werner-von-Siemens-Gymnasium at the end of an eventful day, but is also part of everyday life in the school community. However, while cultural background should not play a role in day-to-day teaching for good reason, the "Festival of Diversity" held on Friday, 28 June 2024, which was supported by donations from the Gronau-based companies Urenco and Klaas und Kock, focused on and celebrated precisely this cultural diversity. In addition to the assembled student body of the Werner-von-Siemens-Gymnasium, the invited parents and alumni were catered for at an international culinary market with a wide variety of dishes from the different countries of origin of the families - everything from bratwurst to baklava was on offer. The classes in grades 5-10 provided a colorful program in the school building and on the schoolyard: in addition to games from all over the world, there was also room for music, dance, family stories and rituals. The Friends' Association also hosted a large cake buffet and organized a relaxed get-together with parents and alumni after the official school party.
In their welcoming speech, student representatives Sophia Böckers and Eva Oberkalkofen emphasized that a day like this naturally brings fun into school life, but can also send a strong signal for cohesion and against exclusion of all kinds. The Werner-von-Siemens-Gymnasium's membership of the "School without Racism" network, for whose 5th anniversary the school was honored - somewhat belatedly due to the coronavirus - at the school festival, should continue to be more than just a certificate on paper, but an incentive to put it into practice - the "Festival of Diversity" was certainly a building block in this regard. (SPR)