New hope for Bad Saulgau: Antje Ziehmann heads the Berta Hummel School

New hope for Bad Saulgau: Antje Ziehmann heads the Berta Hummel School

The Berta Hummel School in Bad Saulgau can finally breathe a sigh of relief: Antje Ziehmann was appointed as the new headmistress on May 22, 2023. After the retirement of Susanne Fröhlich, who resigned from her position in July 2024, the headmaster position was vacant for over a year. The temporary team, consisting of Antje Ziehmann and the teachers Manuela Michels, Sonja Miko and Frederik Söder, took responsibility during this time and ran the school together.

Antje Ziehmann is not a newcomer to the Berta Hummel School; she has been teaching there since 2007 and was appointed deputy principal eight years ago. The decision to apply came during the fall break after she was able to gain valuable experience in acting management. The application process included a class observation, a presentation, a case analysis and an interview in which she prevailed against another applicant.

The school and its students

The Berta Hummel School has around 560 students in 23 classes, with the fourth class having five classes and the others having six. Under Antje Ziehmann's leadership, she will now work as a specialist teacher for mathematics, art and religion, but no longer as a class teacher. The position of vice-principal will be advertised soon in order to further strengthen the management team. With regard to the development of children during their primary school years, Ziehmann emphasizes its importance.

But it's not just exciting in Bad Saulgau. On May 22, 2025, students from classes 8M and 9 of the Berta Hummel School, accompanied by teachers Martin Mayer and Jürgen Schwitalla, visited the Flossenbürg concentration camp memorial. The visit had a profound goal: to examine the history of the concentration camp and the fate of the inmates. Two memorial educators introduced the students and explained the historical context and significance of the memorial.

Culture of remembrance in the classroom

Researching these historical sites can be extremely important, as can be read on the Bildungsserver. Here you will find a lot of information about memorials and places of remembrance that will help students understand the atrocities of the National Socialists. The Working Group of Nazi Memorials and Places of Remembrance in North Rhine-Westphalia is just one of the many institutions dedicated to education and remembrance.

The visit to Flossenbürg in particular left a lasting impression on the students. The exploration of the site included the former prison camp, a quarry and a crematorium. They reported on the prisoners' hard-fought lives and the inhumane conditions they had to endure.

Visiting the memorial is an important part of school education that not only imparts knowledge, but also helps to emphasize the importance of tolerance and humanity in our society today. Antje Ziehmann and her team are not only committed to academic education, but also to the personal and moral development of their students.