Dear GSB families, friends, supporters & partners,

Starting a school is an indescribable adventure, especially when we are talking about a school in NYC. Our home borough Brooklyn being the dynamic player that she is, has dealt us great cards setting us up in the Union Temple building where we grew our roots. Some families remember the days of unused class rooms on our floor, we can only smile at that now. Two floors are now buzzing with activity, a staff of 35 is ushering grades K-6 through their daily transitions from art class to soccer training, from geometry to seeing Irish for a sore throat.

The routine came to a dead halt when the Bundesaußenminister Heiko Maas announced himself a few weeks ago. So, how do you explain to a Kindergarten kid that it is kind of a big deal that the German Minister of Foreign Affairs is coming to their class room? When speaking to children, its is best to use one’s heart and from the heart is this letter that we are writing to you today.

The excitement was palpable when we walked up the stairs with the Minister to the 5th floor with a delegation of 30, including journalists, TV crews and security staff. The 5th floor has never been this quiet. GSB board members stood lined up to greet the visitor and 180 kids were ready in their class rooms, prepared to show and tell about GSB.

It’s not every day that a politician of such caliber comes to visit a school this young. We cannot put in words how much pride and gratitude we are feeling and we would like to thank all of our families for their trust and support, your children are what made this possible.

We are sending you a picture walk through the day, when Minister Maas honored our school by handing over the official PASCH certificate – GSB is now an accredited German School Abroad. A big thank you goes to Mr. Kehlenbeck from the Central Agency for German Schools Abroad (ZfA), who hand-delivered the PASCH certificate for the occasion.

We are deeply grateful for Minister Maas’ genuine interest in our school, the learners, the teachers and the community that surrounds it. It was a truly exciting day that we will never forget. So many hands were shaken, so many smiles exchanged and the visit will surely have a long lasting effect on GSB’s further development.

With gratitude
Kathrin Nagle & Muriel Plag
GSB Founders