Welcome to the Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium
This page is a resource for parents and students who are interested in finding out more about our school. Our school is in Landau, a town of about 47,000 inhabitants, situated in Rheinland-Pfalz. We can be found in the town centre, not far from the town hall and market square. Nearby are the cities of Karlsruhe, Mannheim and Heidelberg, the area is surrounded by wonderful scenery with its mountains, vineyards and picturesque villages. In September 2017 we celebrated the 50-year anniversary of our school’s naming through Otto Hahn, a wonderful occasion at which all involved with the school – parents, children and teachers – joined together to show exactly what it means to be a member of this school community.
What does the Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium have to offer?
100 teachers, together with the school headmaster, Mr Andreas Wehrmeister, ensure that our school provides an ordered and disciplined learning environment, in which our approximately 1000 pupils can successfully study and reach their potential.
Teaching
In 5th grade each child will take a course in English as a first foreign language. In 6th grade there is a choice between French and Latin. In 9th grade pupils may choose a third optional language: Spanish, French, or Latin. ln order to strengthen the language expertise and cultural awareness of our staff and students we organise several exchanges each academic year: contacts include schools in Croatia, Poland and France (here you can find information on all our partner schools). We also have many students who choose to spend a year in the Sixth Form studying abroad, these students are fully supported by the school. We encourage students having participated in these schemes to share their experiences and pass on their enthusiasm to others.
In grades 5 and 7 all students follow a course in “Natural Sciences” that encompasses Biology, Chemistry and Physics. From 8th grade this is further refined into discrete Chemistry, Physics and Biology courses. Our attainment in these areas is particularly noteworthy, the school maintains an exceptionally high profile with regard to prizes and research in science in Rheinland-Pfalz.
More information on teaching and classes offered can be found in the section “Unterricht” in the menu bar.
The Sixth Form begins in the 11th school year (for more information on the MSS – the Sixth Form system in the state Rhineland-Palatinate see here). The students can now specialise by majoring in three courses whilst at the same time following subsidiary subjects. For example, a student can choose between taking Maths at major or at minor level. This forms a points-based system which leads directly to the Abitur and allows our students to progress successfully to higher education whilst at the same time providing a broad-based and rigorous education.
Ganztagsschule
A particular strength of our school is the provision for the “Ganztagsschule”, which we implemented in 2004. The “Ganztagsschule” offers the opportunity for students to spend the whole day (from 8 am to 4 pm) in school. This provision is available from Monday to Thursday. In order to cater for the needs of our students a canteen and cafeteria have been constructed, which allows us to provide every child of the “Ganztagsschule” with one hot meal per day. The additional costs to parents are minimal because our lunches are subsidized by the Education Authority. After lunch the students are in supervised homework clubs or may continue with a combination of homework and lessons subject to timetable. For more information see here.
Extracurricular activities
In addition, we offer a large number of extracurricular activities for example: football, drama, “Jugend forscht” (a challenge in science), choir and orchestra, to name just a few.
Sporting achievement has a high priority here, various events such as “Jugend trainiert für Olympia” (“Youth training for Olympics”) and football tournaments are strongly supported.
Work Experience
In order to prepare our students for the world of work we offer a “Work Experience Program” in the Sixth Form (two weeks) and a Community Service placement (one week) for our 9th grade students.
Between 2003 and 2006 the school was completely renovated thanks to a generous subsidy from the local government of over 7 million Euros, we therefore now enjoy excellent facilities of the highest order. In addition, a former unused basement has been converted into a venue for cultural events with the help of parents, teachers and students, who donated over 1000 hours of their time. This resource is also available for community use. To get a first impression of our school’s compound and facilities follow this link for a virtual tour.
We extend a very warm invitation to you to visit our school and to see our pupils at work. You will be most welcome and we look forward to seeing you.