In December, several H.I.S. students organised a winter clothing drive to support families at Handschuhsheim Hilft and Begegnungshaus Walldorf.

The students planned and advertised the event and, once the H.I.S. families had dropped off the donations, the students sorted the donations and prepared them to be delivered to these two organizations. On the same day, the PTG organized a toy drive, where they also received many generous toy donations.

As a result, the  “free shop”  at Begegnungshaus was quickly filled with warm clothing for families in need. The toy donations were an added surprise for our families, and many could now choose a holiday gift for their child.

The Begegnungshaus team would like to thank the H.I.S. students, the H.I.S. PTG , and the whole H.I.S. community for supporting our families in need and making their holidays a little brighter.

ID

Thank you for supporting Handschuhsheim Hilft! With your help and the support of the H.I.S. community we were able to raise enough funds to cover the costs for the items on each child’s wish list! The students worked very hard to achieve this goal;  they’ve done a great job.

H.I.S. students handed out the gifts to the families. I know our hearts were filled with gratitude and joy seeing smiles on faces all around.

CT

In a world filled with economic inequality and social issues, there are organisations that serve as beacons of hope, working diligently to alleviate the burdens of those in need.

I recently had the opportunity with my MYP Zero Hunger Group to visit “Die Tafel,” a great initiative aimed at providing people with inexpensive access to critical groceries and everyday essentials. This visit not only shed light on the significant impact of their work, but also allowed me to personally observe the delight and gratitude of those who benefit from their assistance.

Walking through the aisles at the Tafel shop, it was heartening to see shelves stocked with a diverse array of products, from fresh produce to pantry staples and household necessities. Beyond the aisles, their dedication to community engagement and outreach cemented their reputation as a light of hope, addressing not only current needs but also long-term solutions. They are building a sense of shared responsibility and making a tangible difference in the lives of those they serve.

One of the most enriching aspects of the visit was interacting with the shoppers. It was evident that the Tafel has built a welcoming and inclusive environment for them. Many people saw Die Tafeln as a lifeline in challenging times, allowing them to stretch their restricted finances without sacrificing the quality of their meals.

According to the people I spoke with, those with impairments or who are too old to work and have little or no income other than little government checks are allowed to join the Tafel. Their stories portrayed resilience and thankfulness. The sense of relief and gratefulness in their voices was palpable, reinforcing the organisation’s impact on the community’s well-being. We offered them a bar of bio chocolate as a tiny gesture after they participated, but the delight the chocolate brought them was greater than taking a global trip.

Die Tafeln has become a shining example of how grassroots efforts can make a substantial effect on the lives of individuals and families in need by providing affordable groceries and developing a sense of community. As people go through challenging times, organisations like these offer hope and demonstrate the transforming power of community compassion and support.

I’m certain that by reading this, you’re also encouraged and enthusiastic to make Christmas brighter for those who have less. To that end, we’re organising another donation event before Winter Break.

Preyasi, Grade 8

How should the city of Heidelberg develop as a sports city? This was the question the students had to answer in the form of a creative writing task.

The competition was initiated by the sports department of the University of Heidelberg. 5 students of the grade 7 German Language & Litearature class (Neils, Sanpi, Philipp, Aiden and Marta) sent in their short stories. On the 18th of July the award ceremony took place on campus in the Neuenheimer Feld. All participants were invited and the short listed students received the message that they were likely to win a price.

Aiden won third price in the category “Jugendliche”. His story was about a big youth sports event, like a video game, in the city of Heidelberg, including famous places like the Neckarwiese and the Alte Brücke. Martha couldn’t attend the ceremony, but was able to pick up her first price some days later. She submitted a very sensitive story about a teenager who has no interest in sport and in the end makes up his mind to get involved in sports activities.

The prices were sponsored by institutions in Heidelberg. Next to the certificates Marta and Aiden received vouchers for  the Heidelberg SoccArena, tickets for the BasCats USC Heidelberg for the season 2023/24 and vouchers for the Heidelberg funicular.

Congrats to the happy winners and thanks to the other grade 7 students who made the effort to write and submit a story!

BK

In PYP, taking action doesn’t just mean implementing new ideas to help the HIS community or the global community.

Taking action can also mean passing on already existing traditions. This year, our Grade 4 students wanted to bring a German tradition to our school.

To do this, they chose the tradition of handing over a „Schultüte“ to all students entering 1st grade after the summer break.

The tradition of the „Schultüte“ goes back to the 19th century and is still very much alive today. The content of the „Schultüte“ is supposed to sweeten the 1st day of Grade 1. This tradition is also a right of passage to move from Kindergarten into school.

The Grade 4 students not only handed over the „Schultüten“ to our EP 2 students, but they will also keep an eye on their “friends“ when the EP 2 students will be in Grade 1 after the summer holidays.

SH

Science Posters

In the der Friday It’s My Serve! Handicraft Group we created three science themed posters for the two science rooms. We made the posters three different themes: chemistry, biology and physics.

Our inspiration came from what we had learned from 6^th – 10^th grade. We created these posters because Mrs. Mechkova requested it and it would give color to the science rooms.

We liked working with each other and approving our communication skills to get all the different elements done. Although it took a bit too long to finish it turned out to be a beautiful collage of all the topics we covered in our science years. The black background makes the vibrant colors pop out.

Hannah, Sophie, Bernard, Oliver

Spring Display

We liked that with the Spring display we were able to express our own individual ideas and interests, to the extent that the display became a work of our own and our own individual form of artistic expression.

We individually created drawings related to the theme of spring and then cut them out methodically and pasted them onto the windows into a beautiful exhibition of freedom of thought and mind and spring.

The original idea behind the spring display, that combined different art styles and ideas of spring, was to bring joy to the people walking past and inspire them that spring break was close. We think that the product reflects each of our own individual values of creativity and ideas.

Stella, Charlotte, Marta, Lieselot