The uninviting basement room is left out during the tour of the guests that afternoon. No wonder, after all, the opening of the extension to the Erich Kästner School in Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn is supposed to be about the pretty building that was built north of the sports field last year. For reasons of contrast, it would be interesting to also take a look at the basement of the school building. Because there recently had to be taught a class of elementary and middle school. The reason: the building, which was built in 1950 and has been expanded several times since then, “is bursting at the seams”, remembers Rector Torsten Bergmühl.
The extension building, which was moved into at the beginning of the school year, now provides a remedy for this lack of space. He himself “recently and inadvertently” referred to this as container construction, says Bergmühl – whereupon the responsible architect corrected him immediately. “He said: Our new building is a modular building based on a steel structure – something like the Empire State Building.” Eight classrooms and several adjoining rooms can be found in the two-storey building with the wooden facade. And: two special rooms, which are one of the main reasons why not only the opening of a “wonderful new building” is celebrated on this day, according to the Rector. The Erich Kästner School is also the first educational institution in Bavaria to receive the “XRXplorer School” award for its exemplary use of XR technology in the classroom.
With a solemn ceremony and the blessing of Pastors Manuel Kleinhans and Thomas Lotz, the modular extension building was inaugurated on Friday afternoon. In the background: Mayor Mindy Konwitschny (SPD) and Rector Torsten Bergmühl.
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
The abbreviation XR stands for Extended Reality – translated: augmented reality. This generic term includes various technologies such as virtual reality, i.e. diving into digital worlds, usually using VR glasses. Or augmented reality, where digital content is projected into the real environment via a display. The guests in the new building will be shown how such technologies can enrich lessons. At one station, you can go on a journey through the human body using VR glasses. In another room, a virtual town hall is presented, where students can find out about the processes there. Last but not least, the children and young people should experiment with the new technologies themselves. One of the two rooms mentioned is available for this purpose – an XR Makerspace. “It’s a kind of virtual reality lab where students can have new, exciting learning experiences with VR glasses and 3D printers,” says Torsten Bergmühl. In the second room, teachers from all over Bavaria are to be trained in XR technology.
Dare to try it yourself: Deputy district administrator Otto Bußjäger (free voters) with VR glasses.
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
The XR Makerspace “turns the new building into a workshop for the future,” praised Digital Minister Judith Gerlach (CSU) in her video message at the opening. On the other hand, Otto Bußjäger (free voters) is present as the deputy of the district administrator, who describes the technical possibilities much more vividly. “They bring Egypt, the Stone Age and the jungle closer to the students – in one room and in real time. That’s a quantum leap,” says Bußjäger. And Thomas Gehring, the deputy president of the state parliament and education policy spokesman for the Greens, emphasizes: “The days of frontal teaching without exception are over. Children and young people have to become active themselves.”
Meanwhile, Mayor Mindy Konwitschny (SPD) goes into the history of the extension – “a mammoth task for the community”. And one that took longer and cost more than planned. The municipality paid 4.7 million euros for the construction alone, says Konwitschny. “Even though it’s an interim building, we haven’t skimped on the standards – especially when it comes to the energy supply.” How long will the new building, which the pastors Manuel Kleinhans and Thomas Lotz will later bless, be in operation? That is open – as is the future of the entire school building. After all, this needs a refurbishment; Alternatively, the municipal council is considering demolition and a new building – at the previous location or on the municipal property east of the high school. A feasibility study will serve as a basis for deciding how to proceed. It is expected to be presented to the council at the end of the year.