September 2026 | Christian Matyszok, Deputy Head of Boarding
A very warm welcome to the colourful world of our Clubs!
In the Clubs at Stein, skills are nurtured and new abilities learned depending on age group. The wide range of opportunities to discover and develop one’s own talent in a protected setting is by no means a given these days. For us, it is part of everyday life—whether musical, artistic, hands-on, creative or athletic, and in winter even on the ski slopes.
As supervisors, we meet the children in their free time. We support them in their talents—or discover them together with them. Because outside the classroom, strengths and hidden abilities often emerge that do not always come to the fore in everyday school life. Many a child surprises themselves, their friends—and us.
“Many a child surprises themselves, their friends—and us.”
Christian Matyszok | Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist
In the Clubs, relationships change and deepen. The children discover common ground, learn to cooperate as a team, to think together and to develop solutions together. In doing so, they experience that every contribution matters—and that you get further together than alone. This strengthens self-confidence as well as a sense of togetherness.
Our programme is as diverse as the children’s interests themselves. Anyone who enjoys making music, being creative, working with their hands or being active in sport will find the right group with us. And anyone who is not yet sure what suits them is welcome to try things out at their own pace and be inspired. Every Club offers space for curiosity, enjoyment in doing, and the experience of creating something of one’s own.
You may not yet know what talents are waiting to be discovered in your child. We warmly invite you to find out together with us. Let yourself be surprised by the possibilities our Clubs have to offer. If you have any questions, we will be happy to help at any time.
“In the Clubs, you experience yourself quite differently than in lessons: you are active together, have fun, and get to know one another from a different side.”
Veronika Koch | Principal
Veronika Koch, Headmistress & Sebastian Ziegler, Head of School
At Stein, Clubs are simply a natural part of everyday boarding life. They create space for everything that matters alongside lessons and study time: being active together, trying something new, pursuing one’s own interests, or improving in a sport. It is not only about using free time sensibly. Especially in a boarding school, shared activities are an important way to get to know other students, make friends, and grow together as a community.
What is particularly wonderful is the mix: in the Clubs, boarding and day students meet, as do students from different year groups. Outside the classroom, you experience one another quite differently. Doing sport together, being creative, or trying something new creates a different atmosphere and brings together people who might not otherwise meet in everyday school life.
“Clubs are an important way to find your place in the Steiner community, to get to know one another, and to make friends.”
Sebastian Ziegler | General Manager
That this is so easy at Stein is also thanks to the special facilities right here on our castle grounds. Whether climbing hall, sports halls, ASB GlassFloor, tennis courts, beach court or fitness room—much of it is on site and invites everyone to be active together. And of course, alongside sport there are many other options, so that everyone can find something that suits their own interests.
In this way, the Clubs are far more than an additional leisure activity. They are part of our shared school and boarding everyday life—and a way to experience Stein as a community beyond lessons and study time.
Our Headmistress, Veronika Koch, is herself particularly fond of joining the sporting Clubs. This autumn she leads the badminton group, and in summer the beach volleyball court becomes a meeting place when everyone plays volleyball together and enjoys the beach game. It is not only sport that takes centre stage. Outside lessons, a completely different atmosphere emerges: you are active together, have fun, and experience one another from a different side.
“It is precisely this mix of performance, community, responsibility and fun that defines the Clubs at Stein for me.”
Markus Koch | Club leader
Markus Koch | PE teacher
For me, the Clubs are a very important part of Stein. As a school we are rather small, but it is precisely in the Clubs that you see what we are capable of. In competitions, we do not need to hide from much larger schools—and we are not easily beaten.
For me, however, it is about far more than sport alone. In tennis, for example, it is simply part of it that we prepare our court together—rolling it, putting up the nets, getting everything ready—and at the end, putting everything back in order together. In this way, the students learn that a sports programme also means work and responsibility.
We experience something similar in climbing. Over the years, the students develop further, learn to boulder, to climb difficult routes, and at some point even to set routes themselves. You can simply see how, year by year, they become more independent and confident.
Skiing also involves development over many years. Many start in the Clubs and keep progressing—right through to training as ski instructors, which has now become a fixed component for us.
What is particularly important to me is this: we train, we want to improve, and we want to measure ourselves in competitions—but the fun must never be lost. It is precisely this mix of performance, community, responsibility and fun that defines the Clubs at Stein for me.
“Pottery is relaxation, creativity and a little adventure all at once—or, as people say today: pottery is the new yoga!”
Daniela Fleidl | Pottery
Daniela Fleidl | Pottery
Pottery is about relaxation, creativity and a little adventure all at once. For more than 20 years, Club leader Daniela Fleidl has been passionate about pottery herself—and knows how good it feels, when working with clay, to leave everyday school and study life behind for a while. Instead of maths, homework and tests, clay, hands and one’s own ideas take centre stage.
Whether a bowl, a mug, a small figure or something completely wild: what is created is up to each individual. Along the way, fine motor skills and dexterity are trained. It becomes especially exciting when the finished pieces come out of the kiln after firing. Sometimes the surprise is great—and sometimes the result looks a little different from what was originally intended. But that, too, is part of it: in pottery, things are allowed to go wrong. You try things out, learn, and become more confident with every piece.
And of course, when working together there is also time for conversation and laughter. In this way, pottery becomes not only a creative break, but also a relaxed time together.
“No prior knowledge is required – just the desire to build something of your own with wood.”
Matt Lorenz | Woodworking
Matt Lorenz | Woodworking & Electronics
In Woodworking, students learn how their own projects take shape step by step from different pieces of wood. It is all about practical skills: selecting wood, cutting it to size, working it, and joining the individual parts together. In the past, birdhouses, benches, tables, small paddle boats, boomerangs, and even a two-metre-long skateboard have been built.
Work is done individually or in small groups. Students can realise their own ideas or work to a plan. No prior knowledge is needed—what matters is the desire to build something with one’s own hands and to learn something new in the process.
“Here we safely take electronic devices apart, learn how they work, and even find out how they can be repaired.”
Matt Lorenz | Electronics
In the Electronics Club, students experiment, take things apart, test them, and put them back together again. They learn how electronic devices work and how simple technical problems can be solved. The programme includes, among other things, testing circuits, measuring current, and soldering.
Used components such as LEDs, motors or switches are also given a new purpose. As with woodworking, students can develop their own projects or work from set plans—on their own or together with others. The same applies here: no prior knowledge is required. Curiosity and an interest in technology are more than enough.
Korbinian Kollmeier | Football
In football, students from various year groups and diverse backgrounds come together. On the pitch, one thing matters above all: playing together. A team is formed from a wide range of ages and nations. What is particularly wonderful is the open atmosphere of the group: newcomers quickly find their place and become part of the team.
“It is wonderful to see how, on the football pitch, students from a wide range of year groups and nationalities become a team.”
Korbinian Kollmeier | Football
The Clubs presented in this article offer only a small glimpse into the diversity of our programme. If you do not yet find what you are looking for in the current offering, you are very welcome to bring your own idea. If we can inspire a few interested students for a new Club, we generally try to make new options possible as well. Because the same applies here, too: you are encouraged to try things out, discover, and help shape what we offer.
You can find the full range of our Clubs here.
Our heartfelt thanks go to all Club leaders who took the time to give us a personal insight into their groups and their experiences. Each and every one of them helps to ensure that the Clubs are such a diverse and special part of life at Stein.
