Levana School starts the new school year without two dedicated colleagues
The time had come before the summer vacations: Ulla Schüren and Linda Meier had their last working days at Levana School. The farewell did not take place in the usual large circle of the entire school community, but in a smaller group at the Christiane Herzog School (CHS) in Engers with the pupils and teachers with whom the two educational specialists completed their last year of work.
To celebrate the special occasion, the lawn between the classrooms with its shady trees was transformed into a cozy "beer garden". After school, all the teachers and staff of the Levana school community had the opportunity to meet again in this informal atmosphere, share memories and say goodbye to the two popular colleagues. Of course, after so many years of service, it was not possible to do so without a festive tribute. The teachers' band had dedicated a song to each colleague, in which the special characters and merits of the future retirees were honored.
After training as an educator and working in various fields, Ulla Schüren worked as an educational specialist at Levana School for almost 25 years. First as a member of two class teams and then for many years as a class teacher. She herself never liked to be the center of attention, preferring to work in the background. In addition to her pedagogical work within the class for the benefit of her students and the associated active work with parents, she was also committed to the entire school community. Ulla Schüren played a key role in preparing and organizing the school's legendary carnival celebrations and looked after the student princess couple and the carnival clubs that performed. For eight years, she was chairwoman of the local staff council, always had an open ear for the various concerns of her colleagues and provided them with competent advice and support. She was also responsible for the selection, purchase and organization of the school T-shirts. In her short speech, Ulla Schüren emphasized that she was grateful that she was able to work in a job that she enjoyed until the end and that she always enjoyed coming to work. Her colleagues and students have always felt this positive attitude and warmth, which is why they all enjoyed working with her. The verse and chorus of the lyrics of the Brings hit "Mama, wir danken dir", which was rewritten for Ulla Schüren, clearly expressed this: "You are, you can truly say, a ray of sunshine, even on dull days. You always show us that things will go on, we already realize how much we'll miss you soon. Ulla, we thank you ... you were always, always there for us. Ulla, you are wonderful!"
Educator and state-approved curative teacher Linda Meier joined the team of teachers at Levana School in February 2018. She was previously employed by the Josefs-Gesellschaft in Rhöndorf for nine years and worked in outpatient assisted living for severely disabled young adults as well as mentally ill people and people with intellectual disabilities. Linda Meier also had experience as an educational specialist at a special school, as she had already worked at the Janusz Korczak School in Sinzig for six years from 2002 to 2008. Despite her relatively short time at the Levana School, Linda Meier will also leave a lasting impression. She worked as a member of staff in various classes and supported the teams with her helpful and hands-on approach. She also kept an eye on the needs of the pupils and actively supported them. "Sustainability" was and is a topic close to Linda Meier's heart. She internalized these values and lived them authentically, so that students and colleagues could not help but engage with the topic. Together with a colleague, she founded the "garbage club" and, together with her students, was committed to consistent waste separation in the classroom and school. Linda Meier was also committed to avoiding waste as much as possible and was always coming up with new ideas for "upcycling". These and other merits and characteristics of the colleague were also expressed in a song tailored to Linda Meier with a twinkle in her eye. "... You like cycling, of course without the "E", you prefer to drink hot water and grain coffee. You rarely eat meat, soups all the more, and you've never found it difficult to be there for others. ..."
The two colleagues said goodbye to the pupils of the five classes at CHS during a singing circle in the last week of school. Here, the "teachers' band" played songs selected by the future retirees from the school's extensive repertoire. The songs that had been rewritten for them were also performed once again and everyone enjoyed singing along. In this round, the acting principal Kathrin Römermann presented Ulla Schüren with the certificate from the President of the ADD, in which she was thanked and recognized by the state government for her many years of service. Linda Meier also bid her farewell with words of thanks and a flower as she entered the one-year partial retirement phase. On behalf of the school community, she wished the two deserving colleagues all the best, health, happiness and contentment for their retirement!
When school starts again after the vacations, these two valued colleagues will certainly be missed.
