ISHR Honoured with “ZUKUNFT braucht VIELFALT” Award in Intersektional Category

We are proud to announce that ISHR was honoured with the prestigious “ZUKUNFT braucht VIELFALT” 2025 Award in the Intersektional category. This significant accolade, initiated by Region Hannover’s economic development team, recognises organisations in the region that actively promote and celebrate diversity in all its dimensions — including age, ethnicity, gender identity, ability, religion, sexual orientation, and social background.

At ISHR, fostering an inclusive, diverse community has always been a fundamental part of our mission. Our longstanding commitment to cultural openness, inclusive policies, multilingual communication, and student diversity initiatives has created a learning environment where every individual feels valued and respected. This award is a powerful acknowledgement of those efforts and inspires us to deepen our dedication to inclusion.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Ms. Schmidt‑van Die, a member of our Secondary Faculty and the passionate supervisor of our Student Diversity Council. Her leadership and dedication have been vital to the success of our diversity initiatives. We also thank our site manager, Mr. Warchala, whose unwavering support and involvement played a crucial role in this achievement.

Receiving the “ZUKUNFT braucht VIELFALT” Award encourages us to continue building a vibrant, welcoming space for all members of our community. At ISHR, we believe that diversity enriches education and empowers every voice to be heard — shaping a stronger future for everyone.

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A Joyful Celebration of Culture at ISHR’s International Festival

On May 24, the ISHR campus came alive with colour, flavour, music, and laughter as our school community gathered for the much-loved International Festival — a true celebration of the diversity that makes ISHR so special.

Families proudly showcased their cultures through traditional dress, mouthwatering dishes, and vibrant country booths, creating a lively atmosphere filled with glorious sights, sounds, and aromas. The country parade was a particular highlight, as students, parents and staff walked together in national attire, waving flags and sharing in the joy of cultural pride.

This year’s festival also featured an exciting lineup of performances, adding to the festive buzz. From the Middle School Band’s dynamic set to energetic routines by the Hip Hop Club — along with a variety of other music, dance, and theatre acts — the stage was alive with talent all day long!

For our younger visitors, there was no shortage of fun — a merry-go-round, games and activities, and plenty of opportunities to laugh and play added to the family-friendly atmosphere.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our incredible PTA for organising this spectacular event and to every family who contributed their time, talent, and traditions. The International Festival reminds us that when we come together in celebration and curiosity, we build a stronger, richer community.

Thank you for making it an unforgettable day!

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ISHR Students Go Behind the Scenes at the Lower Saxony Parliament

At the end of March, four of our Grade 11 students—Max Dorn, Mariella Jaensch, Joel Wagner, and Victoria Weitze—had the exceptional opportunity to take part in the Landtag-Online project, attending the March plenary session of the Lower Saxony Parliament in Hanover.

As part of this immersive two-day experience, the student editorial team observed key debates and interviewed several prominent political figures, including Minister President Stephan Weil and Vice President of the State Parliament Jens Nacke. They delved into pressing political topics—from ship recycling to youth language trends on TikTok.

A special highlight was the mentorship of Lower Saxony’s Minister of Education and Vice Minister President, Julia Willie Hamburg (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), who not only helped organise interviews but also joined the morning editorial briefing. She also gave an in-depth interview on issues such as mobile phone bans in schools and education for democracy—topics chosen by the students themselves.

The ISHR team’s journalistic work is now live on the project’s editorial platform: https://www.online-redaktionen.de/plenum03-2025

“This was more exciting than we expected. The debates and interviews really opened our eyes to how politics works behind the scenes,” said the team. Their teacher, Judith Schmidt-van Die, added: “It was a fantastic experience, and we are especially grateful for the support from Ms Hamburg.”

This marks ISHR’s first participation in the Landtag-Online project, and we couldn’t be prouder of how our students represented the school. Their curiosity, critical thinking, and communication skills shone throughout the experience.

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TRANSLATION:

Online editorial team of the International School Hannover Region (ISHR) gets ready for the March plenary session

Member of Parliament, Minister of Education and Deputy Prime Minister Julia Willie Hamburg (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) is a political patron and visited the e-paper team at school

Excitement is building for the online editorial team at the International School Hannover Region (ISHR): From March 26-28, Max Dorn, Mariella Jaensch, Joel Wagner and Victoria Weitze (Year 11) will get the chance to report on interesting debate topics from the Lower Saxony state parliament. The team of four wants to get to the heart of cabinet members and MPs from all parliamentary groups. “Landtag-Online” is the name of the project of the state initiative n-21: Schulen in Niedersachsen online e. V., which makes this special form of political education possible.

Introducing herself and her work: Julia Willie Hamburg (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), directly elected member of the state parliament and sponsor of the four-person online editorial team from the International School Hannover Region (ISHR).

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Julia Willie Hamburg is providing active and prominent support. As a directly elected member of the state parliament for Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, she has taken on the sponsorship of the editorial team from her constituency of Hannover-Mitte. Her task is to prepare the team for the plenary sessions and to make contact with potential interview partners during the sessions.

The project kicked off on March 5. During “political coaching” at the school, mentor Julia Willie Hamburg explained how a plenary session usually works and also answered questions from the class, for example about her activities as Lower Saxony’s Minister of Education and Deputy Prime Minister. Information on the sponsor: Julia Willie Hamburg, a member of the state parliament since 2013, has represented constituency 27/Hannover-Mitte in the Lower Saxony state parliament as a directly elected member of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen since November 2022. She is Deputy Minister-President of Lower Saxony and, since her appointment as Lower Saxony’s Minister of Culture, Deputy Chairwoman of the n-21 state initiative.

Julia Willie Hamburg (Alliance 90/The Greens), Minister of Education and Deputy Prime Minister with online editors Joel, Mariella, Victoria, Max, teacher Judith Schmidt-van Die and director John Barker after the political coaching at the International School Hannover Region (ISHR).

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From Wednesday morning, March 26, the group will be in the thick of the action. In addition to the day’s topical issues, appointments with the Prime Minister and the President of the State Parliament are on the editorial team’s agenda. The journalistic results will be posted on the editorial team’s own website at https://www.online-redaktionen.de/plenum03-2025 and http://www.landtag-online.de (temporarily).

Principal John Barker welcomes the project: “We are delighted that our school has been accepted with its first application. It will certainly be instructive for our pupils to see what role national politics plays at an international level.” The group will be accompanied by their teacher Judith Schmidt-van Die: “The editorial work will be exciting – especially as we are planning some English-language texts for our readership. This journalistic learning scenario will certainly expand our media skills in a variety of ways,” she promises of the project.

Background: The aim of the Landtag-Online project is to promote democratic education and media skills among pupils through journalistic work and to get them interested in state political issues. The group was selected from 35 applicant teams by the advisory board of the state initiative n-21. The school is taking part in the Landtag-Online project for the first time.

Message from Landesinitiative n-21, dated 4 March 2025 (translated from German via DeepL)