The Herrsching Realschule family bid farewell to their director, Rita Menzel-Stuck, with a two-hour celebration that went very deeply.
Herrsching
- Headmaster Rita Menzel-Stuck did not
miss
one last dance with husband Erich Stuck in the festively decorated auditorium of the Herrsching Realschule yesterday morning at the end of her personal graduation ceremony. After 40 years at the secondary school on the Ammersee, nine of them as director, the 66-year-old is going into well-deserved retirement. Colleagues, schoolchildren, local politicians and parents' councils duly bid farewell to Menzel-Stuck during a two-hour celebration. Because of Corona, it was on a smaller scale than originally planned, but no less emotional.
“Lucky number 13, average heel height eight centimeters, 40 years of concentrated school experience. That's Rita Menzel-Stuck in numbers, ”said the deputy headmaster and successor to the 66-year-old, Christian Schmitz. “But that doesn't do her justice. Rita Menzel-Stuck did an incredible job for the school, ”said Schmitz to the 50 invited guests and the spectators who followed the celebration on the screen. "I hope you all raise your glasses and toast this wonderful woman," said the deputy headmaster in the direction of the camera that was broadcasting the festival live.
Numerous companions said goodbye to the headmistress - on site or via video. "If you see this recording, the live switch on my vacation to Croatia probably didn't work," said Christian Schiller, who was recorded and thrown on the wall with a projector. Nevertheless, Herrsching's mayor gave a touching speech for Menzel-Stuck. “I still remember that I was there on your first day at the Realschule in Herrsching - as a seventh grader,” said Schiller. The mayor always saw the then very young Rita Menzel-Stuck as a kind of lawyer for the students. She approached the students with a lot of understanding. "Who would have thought that today, as mayor, I would say goodbye to you as headmistress," said Schiller. He particularly regrets that he was unable to fulfill a great wish of the director:the farewell party in the new triple gym. "However, we hope that it will be ready next year and that you will come to the inauguration."
District Administrator Stefan Frey also thanked Rita Menzel-Stuck for her many years of commitment.
“They made the school what it is today: a gem in the district,” he said.
As a gift, Frey gave the headmistress a Starnberg version of the Monopoly game.
In case she gets bored in retirement.
Around 30,000 students have attended the Herrsching Realschule over the past forty years.
Most of them got to know the director personally.
"Actually, a musical by students and teachers about Rita Menzel-Stuck's school life would be appropriate," said Christian Schmitz.
Due to the corona, several small appearances of different classes took place.
"I would like to say thank you to everyone for the great trust and the common work", Rita Menzel-Stuck ended the celebration with a tremulous voice. How much the headmistress was appreciated by her colleagues and students was shown by the applause that lasted for several minutes.