Berlin teachers win award in national competition

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  Thomas von Pluto-Prondzinski (M) from Robert-Jungk-Oberschule in Berlin.

• Leonie Bücker (2nd from left) and Nina Wegner (2nd from right) from Albert-Einstein-Gymnasium in Berlin are awarded the special prize "Environment and Sustainability" by Christine Hauck (r), member of the management board of Cornelsen Verlag (Berlin), and Susanne Lin-Klitzing (l), Federal Chairwoman of the German Philologists' Association, at the "German Teachers' Award - Innovative Teaching" 2023.

Three teachers from Berlin are among this year's winners of the German Teachers' Award. Leonie Bücker and Nina Wegner from Albert-Einstein-Gymnasium in the Neukölln district of Britz and Thomas von Pluto-Prondzinski from Robert-Jungk-Oberschule in Wilmersdorf were honored in Berlin on Monday.

Von Pluto-Prondzinski won third prize in the "Exemplary School Management" category. Bücker and Wegner received the special award "Environment and Sustainability" for their project "Green Chemistry - for me, for you and for our future". According to his staff, Thomas von Pluto-Prondzinski was appreciated for creating a culture of collegiality, helpfulness and cooperation and for being a source of motivation and open to innovation. For example, he opened the YouTube channel "TuttoCapito Berlin" during the pandemic and had teachers and students produce educational videos while homeschooling.

Leonie Bücker and Nina Wegner were honored for their hands-on concept. In their compulsory elective lessons, students used creative experiments and test procedures to learn how to produce sustainable cosmetic products, cultivate healthy crops and close material cycles, among other things.

Senator for Education congratulates Berlin award winners

Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch (CDU) congratulated the three Berlin teachers. They stand for what makes a good school: "Firstly, prudent school management that takes colleagues on board and pursues clear goals for good school development. And secondly, varied, up-to-date lessons that actively involve the pupils in the transfer of knowledge and also present complex scientific topics in an exciting and age-appropriate way".

According to the sponsors of the German Teacher Award for Innovative Teaching - the Heraeus Education Foundation and the German Philologists' Association - the aim of the award is to recognize the achievements of teachers, teaching teams and school administrators and bring them to the forefront of public awareness. A total of 18 awards went to teachers, teams and head teachers from twelve federal states.