After two-and-a-half years of construction, the new building of the Oberhavel Adventist School in Friedrichsthal, Oranienburg, Germany, was officially opened on Friday, October 13, 2023. This was announced by the school's main shareholder, the Advent-Wohlfahrtswerk E.V.—the social welfare organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Germany—in a report on its website.

Christian Fischer, managing director of the school's sponsor, Adventschule Oberhavel 'gGmbH' (a non-profit company with limited liability), recalled the beginnings of the school in his speech: "In 2006, we started the elementary school with seven pupils in the rooms of the former village school. Although the building had a certain charm, it also had its limitations due to the lack of space and inadequate building fabric. That's why Advent Wohlfahrtswerk E.V. decided to build a new school building on the school grounds."

Modern Construction with a View of the Countryside

Before work could begin on the new building, the existing school building had to be converted and extended, and an old barn had to be demolished. "It fills us with a certain pride that we were able to preserve part of the old building and integrate it into the new building. The modern school building, partly constructed with wood, extends in a U-shape around the spacious square in front of the entrance area. It contains a new assembly hall, a canteen, a new kitchen, and a number of modern classrooms with a wonderful view of the countryside," says Fischer.

Principal Anita Michor gave an insight into the construction phase: "Of course, the construction work was exhausting, and sometimes nerve-wracking, for both teachers and pupils while the school was in operation. But it was also a great adventure for the children. They were able to experience the construction of their school live at every stage. On the one hand, this is very interesting, and on the other, they got a good feel for how long something like this takes.”

Michor added, “In line with the principle of 'learning from life,' much of the interesting construction work was incorporated into the lessons. Now that everything is finally finished and you can see how beautiful everything has become, all the effort has been worth it."

The Cornerstone of Human Dignity

Johannes Naether, president of the North Germany Union, posed the question in his welcoming address: "Why do we, as a Protestant free church, build and run a school at all?" In his answer, he reminded the audience that education is an integral part of the Reformation and both a motive and consequence of a mature faith. Free access to education for all is, therefore, a cornerstone of human dignity. Being able to read and understand the Bible was the key to education and progress back then.

Today, too, it is important to develop and strengthen the individuality and personal responsibility of young people and promote solidarity and a sense of community. Holistic education of body, soul, and mind is the central concern of all educational institutions of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church.

About Oberhavel

Oberhavel Adventist School is a general secondary school with a primary school section. As an all-day school, it also offers its pupils a wide range of activities in the afternoon. As a privately-run independent school, it adheres to the framework curriculum for the state of Brandenburg, but the learning conditions can be designed more freely, according to Michor. Each class has a maximum of 17 children, which allows for more individual support. The children can attend the school from grades 1–10 and complete all standard exit qualifications.

To read the original article, please go here.

The original version of this story was posted on the Inter-European Division website.