Even before the first speeches were given, certificates presented, and musical performances played at noon, the founding principal of the Gronau Comprehensive School took nearly two hours to do just that. Students stopped by with cards they had made themselves, small gifts, or simply a story to share. Some wanted to say thank you, while others wanted to share once more what they had experienced with their principal. There was laughter, hugs, and storytelling. Time and again, there was room for a personal moment.
The contribution from the DAZ students was particularly moving. They had written down their wishes for Ursula Steuer in German and in their native languages. She had some of them read aloud first in German and then again in their respective native languages. It was a quiet moment that brought the room to a complete standstill for a brief instant.
Early that morning, Ursula Steuer had driven into the schoolyard in a classic car. There, students and faculty welcomed her with a guard of honor and a long round of applause. Still, there was hardly any time for melancholy. Later, she said with a smile that the day had been so full of encounters that “since 9 a.m. this morning, I haven’t had any time to think about whether I might get sad or whether I might start crying.”
A School Is Built Together
The official ceremony took place at noon. Representatives from politics, the school board, the parent body, the student council, the schools in Gronau, as well as numerous colleagues and friends paid tribute to the outgoing principal’s work. Musical performances, piano pieces, and the musical theater club lent the celebration a festive yet personal atmosphere. A special moment was the presentation of the retirement certificate by Department Head Kathi Kösters. With the words
"We know what you've accomplished and what this school is capable of."
She summed up her appreciation for Ursula Steuer and, at the same time, for the development of the Gronau Comprehensive School.
Since the founding of the Gronau Comprehensive School in 2014, Ursula Steuer has served as its founding principal and has played a decisive role in shaping its development from the very beginning. Together with the teaching staff, support staff, students, and their families, the school developed step by step—leading up to its first graduating class in 2023. Prior to that, she had already served as principal of the Pestalozzi School in Gronau for eleven years. In total, she has over 20 years of experience as a school principal in Gronau.
But anyone listening to the speeches quickly realized: This day was not primarily about positions, projects, or numbers. It was about people.
Stories Instead of Financial Statements
When Ursula Steuer finally took the podium herself, she largely refrained from looking back on her own achievements. She didn’t talk about what she had accomplished. She talked about the people with whom she had accomplished it. The fact that she spoke first of people and not of successes probably came as no surprise to anyone that day.
She thanked the students, parents and former parents, the faculty and former colleagues, the school support staff, the administrative staff, the custodians, the cleaning crew, the principals of Gronau’s elementary and secondary schools—and finally, her family.
She emphasized that people had “always worked constructively with us” and that “there were always a few who helped drive our ideas forward.” It was not a look back at personal achievements, but rather at what had been accomplished together.
Time and again, she shared stories.
One story was about a promise: When a student stepped in at the last minute to provide piano accompaniment at the 2023 graduation ceremony, she promised him that she would play with him at his own graduation. Two years later, she kept her word. Although she had only recently started playing the cello and—as she admitted with a laugh—had barely found time to practice, she stood on stage with him.
Another story began with the words:
"Junia, I still remember when we were on the subway in Berlin back then..."
That’s as far as she got. “Stop!” the former student body president called out from the audience, laughing. The whole hall laughed along with her. Videos from a group visit to the Rock ’n’ Pop Museum also had everyone in stitches. Karaoke performances by the secretaries and the faculty had the audience both laughing and singing along.
Amid all the memories, the room suddenly fell silent. Ursula Steuer paid tribute to her recently deceased colleague, Stephan Schulte-Rehers.
"I'm sure his thoughts are with us very much today."
Moving Forward with Gratitude
Amid the many moving moments, there was also room for humor. With a twinkle in her eye, Ursula Steuer remarked that she had been “showered that day like a warm shower—okay, it was almost hot.” Before inviting everyone to raise a toast together, she directed her final words of thanks to her family. She especially thanked her husband for having repeatedly tried over the past few years—and particularly in recent weeks—to make sure “I get something to eat.”
At the end of her speech, she said:
"It's fine the way it is. Things will continue to go well."
The official part of the farewell ceremony ended with a long round of applause.
But that wasn’t the end of the day. At the traditional “School’s Out” event, colleagues, former classmates, and friends of the school gathered to share memories and toast to the many years they’d spent together. Finally, on Thursday—the last day of school before summer break—the school community will once again bid farewell to their longtime principal.
A farewell like this doesn’t end with the final round of applause. It lingers in conversations, lives on in shared memories, and continues wherever people meet again.
Ursula Steuer at a Glance
- Principal of the Pestalozzi School in Gronau (2003–2014)
- Founding Principal of Gronau Comprehensive School (2014–2026)
- Establishment of the comprehensive school leading up to the first class of 10th-grade graduates in 2020 and the first class to take the Abitur in 2023
- More than 15 years as a school administrator in Gronau
More photos (more to come soon):