Maria Ward School Aschaffenburg and Eagle International School Poole – a Lasting Relationship (
Pictures - old and new)
As this is the 20th year of a very successful and happy working relationship between Eagle International School Poole and the Maria Ward School in Aschaffenburg, I am very pleased to have been asked to write an article for your Year Book.
From the very first group that came with Frau Debes in 1990 – there has been a group visiting us each year and in recent years even two groups visiting us at Whitsun and in summer.
I would like to share a little bit about the background to you. Our relationship began when Sister Beatrix, the then Headmistress of the Maria Ward School in Mainz, mentioned to me that her colleague in Aschaffenburg was interested in our programme and if I would consider accepting another group of girls from this school. She telephoned Sister Renata that morning and it was arranged that I would visit Aschaffenburg and meet her. My meeting with Sister Renata was successful, she liked the programme that we offered and I think that she liked me too. She would report to the English teachers and a decision would be made for the future.
It has been a pleasure from day one. The girls from the Maria Ward School Aschaffenburg have always been enthusiastic and highly motivated. Our host families have enjoyed hosting them and my teachers have found them a pleasure to teach. So many wonderful and enthusiastic teachers have taken part in the Poole Programme over the years. They have all given so much time and effort to support their students and have given me ultimate support at all times. For many years, Frau Klinkenberg was the pillar of our relationship. It must be said that it was Maria Klinkenberg who kept the yearly journey to Poole going. Over the years there have always been colleagues who were willing to give up their free time and come to Poole as responsible group leaders. Meanwhile Frau Andrea Scholz and Herr Helmut Heßler have been in charge of preparing and organising the stays from their end of the line and have done this over a considerable number of years.
The school year begins for us in November when I come to visit my German Schools. There is always work to be done and as any of you who have taken part in a Course with us knows, the most important part of the stay is ‘the host families’ – we are very fortunate to have some wonderful host families working with us. Many have been with us for over 10 – 15 years and each year new families come along to join us. I visit all the Host Families myself and know them all personally so that I can recommend them to you. I start working with our families in December, giving them all the information for the coming year and starting to recruit new host families. Many of our teachers come back to work with us year after year and each brings their own style and personality to their lessons. For those of you who have been with us in the last couple of years, you will have benefited from the wonderful drama lessons, introduced by Mrs Roberts (Chris) who manages to put on Shakespeare productions in just two weeks. These get better each time I see them. Sometimes you have learnt traditional English Songs with Graham and your English singing voices are without a German accent. He has also prepared you for all your excursions and visits, giving you information and facts to help you understand more. With Mrs Wood and Pip you have learnt about English Life and Culture and practised your speaking skills.
It is always good to hear from old students. Often they write to me to ask for references for their careers or sometimes just to tell me what they are doing and to recall their times with us here in Poole. For any ‘old girls’ reading this – if you ever want to write I would love to hear from you and to know what you are doing in life. Recently a Spanish student wrote to say that he had found the school website, when he was looking for a school for his sons, it was amazing to think that he is now 43 years old and that he and his sister had been with us twice in Poole when he was 14 and 15 years old.
On a very personal note, my life has been very enriched and privileged to have had the opportunity to work with schools such as your own. For almost 30 years I have been involved with the Maria Ward Schools in Germany and I have to say that the girls from the schools are all outstanding and are a credit to their parents and their schools. It was interesting for me, in January, when I was returning from visiting my daughter in Australia, I picked up the English Telegraph in Singapore and I was so excited to be able to read English news after 6 weeks, and by a strange quirk of fate, there, on page 6, was the picture of Mary Ward that I had seen so many times whilst visiting my German schools. The heading read, “Honoured Nun on Path to Sainthood”. The article went on to tell the story of Mary Ward and that almost 400 years after her death, Mary Ward is on the way to becoming the UK’s first new female Saint for 40 years. Through my work with you all over the years, I really felt part of this story.
We are celebrating our 37th year as a school, now in 2010 – what a lifetime experience this has been. I have had the opportunity to meet and work with some of the most interesting and professional teachers and can say that many have become close and dear friends. We will have to think of something very exciting to do in our 40th year Celebrations. I hope to be able to continue working with you all for many years to come and to enjoy the rewarding experience of seeing and hearing you all being so happy during your stays with us in Poole with Eagle International School.
Joan Rees, May 2010