Daily routine
The alarm clock rings, the day begins. For most students the lessons start with the first class period. For higher secondary level students this can be different, due to the course system teaching. Our deans know their students well and are aware of which ones manage to get up on time or which ones need an extra wake-up service. During summertime, birdsong might be a pleasant replacement for the alarm clock but otherwise the campus is absolutely quiet. Our campus, the adjoining pastures and forests invite to an early morning jogging. After that – or non-joggers even earlier – our students freshen up and get ready for a healthy breakfast. The breakfast buffet offers a wide variety of foods: several cereals, cheeses, spreads, jams, fresh fruit and breads. For drinks there are milk, soy milk, tees and juices available. The cafeteria is, of course, also a meeting point for dormitory students - to quickly pick up a piece of fruit for the break or to discuss the last details of the presentation to be given soon. Then the school day can start.
For a student, the “working day” begins with a short time for reflection or devotion at the beginning of the first class period. After that, the various lessons begin. During the breaks, the students get some exercise by moving from classroom to classroom and school building to school building. Two longer breaks invite to lounge on one of the lawns or to buy a tasty vegetarian sandwich from the kiosk.
After lunch with salad bar, soup, main course and dessert the biological afternoon slump sets in. The mind is lazy and not particularly awake – the best time for some physical labor. Every boarding school student has to clean a certain area in his or her residence hall or another building. After half a year, he or she is assigned to a different area. Behind this is a pedagogic as well as a practical concept. To pitch in is a natural part of community life and through the cleaning duties performed by students the school saves the expenses for cleaning staff which in turn reduces the school fees.
After the cleaning duty the students get back to their original job: studying. Our organized study time (“Learing Office”) supports students in their homework and preparation for exams and presentations.
Dinnertime – the start of a more relaxed part of the day. Dinner is also served in the cafeteria. The buffet offers different breads and spreads, crudités, sometimes hot food that is leftover from lunch. Toaster and microwave are available; one of the students’ favorites is home-made cheese toast.
Devotional time is spent in two different ways: Mondays and Wednesdays together with the whole boarding school „family“, that means girls and boys meet in the devotional room. There is also the opportunity to discuss common topics and ideas. On Tuesday evening devotion time is spent in groups in each residence hall in the presence of a dean.
With all the new friends and so many recreational offers on the campus the evening always seems too short. To ensure that our dormitory students get enough sleep, we have different age-related curfews. In general, the house gets quiet between 9 and 10 pm, the corridors get empty and the deans take care that the students come to rest. Those who do not need to go to bed yet are reminded not to disturb the others.
This calm atmosphere is sometimes also used by the deans to discuss one or the other topic or to ask how somebody is feeling. Needless to say, the purpose of going through the house in the evening is also to make sure that all students are where they are supposed to be. It helps the dean on duty to a better sleep!
In both residence halls there is a dean on duty during the night who sleeps in a clearly labeled room and can be addressed in emergencies.