"MINT-friendly" and now also "digital": Two awards for the Schongauer Welfen-Gymnasium

Created: 01/13/2023, 10:00 am

By: Elena Siegl

The Welfen-Gymnasium Schongau was awarded the title of "digital school".

(symbol image) © dpa

The Welfen-Gymnasium Schongau was awarded: as "MINT-friendly" and for the first time as a "digital school".

High school is a joy.

Schongau – At an online award ceremony, the Schongauer Welfen-Gymnasium from the initiative “MINT Zukunftmachen!”

Two titles were awarded at the same time, which made the responsible school coordinator, Simon Batzer, very happy: "The award confirms and motivates us in our work," he says.

MINT is an abbreviation for subjects from the fields of mathematics, computer science, nature and technology.

The grammar school has placed a focus on promoting them, which is why the school has now defended the “MINT-friendly school” award it received for the first time three years ago.

To do this, the high school had to meet at least ten out of 14 criteria, explains Batzer.

For example, regular participation in MINT competitions.

No problem for the high school, which takes part in the kangaroo competition every year.

In addition, schoolchildren regularly present projects at “Jugend forscht”.

Welfen-Gymnasium Schongau meets numerous criteria for "MINT-friendly school"

Thanks to the “excellent equipment”, for which Batzer thanks the district in particular, which bears material expenses, as well as the Frank Hirschvogel Foundation and the sponsoring association of the grammar school, it is also possible to design clear lessons, which the initiative also values.

There are modern classrooms for physics and chemistry and the students can easily do their own experiments.

In addition, there are so-called profile lessons for students in the science branch, in which the class is divided so that more complex experiments can be carried out in smaller groups.

"That doesn't exist in all schools and is not a matter of course," says Simon Batzer.

But not only in class, but also beyond that, students should come into contact with MINT areas.

At the Welfen-Gymnasium, for example, parents are involved who are professionally active in this direction and report directly from practice at the grammar school or offer workshops.

For example, there was recently one on the subject of robotics, and the students were allowed to program a robotic arm, says Batzer.

A workshop on 3D printing or lectures on e-mobility and artificial intelligence have also been offered and were well received.

(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular Schongau newsletter.)

Welfen-Gymnasium recognized as a digital school for the first time

Batzer is particularly pleased that this time the grammar school has not only been recognized as "MINT-friendly", but also as a "digital school" for the first time, which confirms that numerous successful measures in the field of digitization have already been integrated into the school concept.

"Thomas Weinland, our head of the computer science department, and Fabian Melzer, our system administrator, played a particularly important role in this," says MINT coordinator Simon Batzer.

The grammar school offers very good computer science lessons, which the award confirms.

It is also a nice recognition for the teachers.

"There is currently a shortage of computer science teachers at many schools," says Batzer.

Not so at the Welfen-Gymnasium.

For example, an optional course in robotics could be offered in addition to the lessons.

The students program a lot.

This year a competition of the "World Robot Olympiad" will also take place in Schongau.

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"The pandemic period also played a part," confirms Batzer: The use of digital technologies and media in schools was increased during this time.

Pupils increasingly have access to information and contact via digital media.

The equipment, such as iPads, has also been improved at the school.

It is possible to use digital technologies in all subjects.

In the MINT field, experiments could be evaluated digitally, for example.

A total of 96 schools were recognized as “MINT-friendly”.

In Bavaria, the award is under the patronage of the Conference of Ministers of Education.

The award of the "digital schools" - they received 51 - is under the patronage of the Bavarian State Minister for Digital Affairs, Judith Gerlach, and the Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and Transport, Volker Wissing.

You can find more current news from the region around Schongau at Merkur.de/Schongau.