Before the Easter holidays, the European School Munich celebrated Europe Day. The day commemorates the Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950, which laid the foundation for what later became the European Union. For the European School Munich, this day is a special occasion every year to deal with Europe and European culture and politics.
Special lessons on Europe were held in the Kindergarten. P5 pupils performed the traditional flag dance at the Primary School. The choirs and orchestras contributed videos of their performances. There was also a mystery video that could be watched in class and invited people to join in the puzzles. The Primary School library had also set up an exhibition in different languages in the entrance area. The children painted stones with the different European flags and placed them at the main entrance.
The Secondary School welcomed Dr Raymund Saller as a speaker. He works for the development of economic strategies at the City of Munich and is an expert in the field of economic cooperation in the European Union. The topic of his lecture was also highly relevant: "The European Union and the COVID crisis". Afterwards, he answered questions from selected students from s5 to s7. The discussion was critical and stimulating and revolved around foreign and domestic policy, agricultural and climate policy, touched on questions of internal organisation, civil rights, but also issues such as youth unemployment in some countries. The pupils were able to follow the event via video stream.
Europe was also addressed in many ways in the lessons. For example, Maria de Stefano's classes collected thoughts on the question of what Europe means to them. Many pupils reflected on the freedom to travel, the coexistence and unity of different countries and cultures with different languages and on living in peace and democracy on the continent. Again and again, they also drew the comparison to a family: "For me, Europe is like a family you can rely on," wrote one pupil, for example.
Despite the restrictions caused by the pandemic, it was once again possible to celebrate a Europe Day that was enriching for the whole school family. The European School Munich would like to thank all those involved and the organisers for their great commitment, which made this wonderful day possible.