GISSV Wins Highly Endowed Prize Awarded by DIHK

...in the "Students Building Bridges Worldwide" competition for German Schools Abroad, organized by the German Chamber of Commerce (DIHK). The prize, which is endowed with €60,000, is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, teachers, and staff. Congratulations to all for this incredible accomplishment!

The competition featured many German schools from around the world, and we are honored to have emerged as the winner. Our winning project was an interdisciplinary startup program that involved developing solutions to real-world problems using artificial intelligence. The project was part of GISSV's long-established "AI project" in Grade 10, an interdisciplinary project in Economics, Informatics, and Ethics.

At the Award Ceremony on Tuesday, May 9, during the celebratory evening of the AHK World Conference at the House of German Business (Haus der Deutschen Wirtschaft) in Berlin, a delegation from our school received the award from the State Minister in the German Foreign Office, Ms. Katja Keul. The ceremony was attended by 400 decision makers, including the Head of the ZfA, Ms. Heike Toledo, and many Members of the Bundestag and the diplomatic corps. Our current and former students Fiona, Felicia, and Jules led the ceremony and presented their successful projects on behalf of the entire team*.

At GISSV, we are constantly innovating and transforming education to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century. Our Deeper Learning method combines the rigor of the German curriculum with project-based learning experiences. This approach helps students develop critical thinking skills, collaborate effectively in teams, and communicate their ideas convincingly.

Our interdisciplinary start-up project is an excellent example of the Deeper Learning method. In this project, 10th-grade students worked in teams to create a start-up designed to solve complex problems. For instance, one group tackled the issue of diet-related diseases and developed an idea for a start-up that uses machine-learning to gather nutritional information and recommend personalized and healthy recipes. The students created a blueprint for a hypothetical algorithm without actually programming it.

Learn more in the video filmed by the DIHK:

(Please turn on English subtitles in settings)
 

Project Page: www.gissv.org/deeper-learning-at-gissv

This award is a true success of the whole GISSV school community. Teachers initiated this project years back, others developed it further, and new teachers join. AI experts from our parent community provided valuable input. At the same time, this project is only a part of our GISSV established approach to continuously improve our forms of assessments. Complex assignments are made use of, replacing many Klassenarbeiten and Klausuren in Middle and High School by all teaching staff.

Together, we are GISSV, and we have just again been rewarded for our excellence and innovation in education. Herzlichen Glückwunsch, GISSV!
 

Project Leads: Jenny Jungeblut and Martin Lentzen

Student Teams:
- Sesamo team: Jules B., Toshiyuki J., Rosa B., Laurenz H., Felicia A.
- Ape Earth team: Nicolas Sch., Philipp W., Lars L., Fiona H.

Video and photo credit: DIHK

GISSV Press Release