Tuesday, July 2, 2024, was a special day – for Hamburg’s Head of Education Thorsten Altenburg-Hack, for District Head Ralf Neubauer, for school principal Bianka Petri, for Theda Juliane Mustroph, Quarter Manager of Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier, and above all for the pupils of the school “Schule auf der Veddel”: At eleven o’clock they opened a new school kiosk, a donation from Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier. From now on, the pupil’s club “Kiosk” will be selling snacks and drinks to students and teachers in a stylish, modern pavilion made of glass and steel.
On a strong course for life is the school’s guiding principle, and the kiosk makes an important contribution to this cause. Principal Bianka Petri: “Here, our pupils can gain practical experience, learn how to run a small retail business and develop important skills that prepare them for life.”
The new store is a prototype for kiosks in Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier and was tested in Ruhr Park Bochum. “We used to have to go to the supermarket and cross two busy roads to get there, and we weren’t allowed to leave the school grounds,” said Laila, one of the initiators. Until now, the operators have sold their products at plain school desks. “In the new kiosk, sales will certainly increase, and the principal will have peace and quiet in the office again during the breaks,” says Laila, who is also the school spokesperson.
“This unique kiosk is a good example of how cooperation can help to prepare pupils for working life,” said Thorsten Altenburg-Hack, Hamburg’s Head of Education, who oversees more than 350 schools. Ralf Neubauer is delighted that “this collaboration between Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier and the school ‘Schule auf der Veddel’ is bringing the neighboring districts of HafenCity and Veddel closer together.”
Theda Juliane Mustroph is happy that the pavilion has been given such a meaningful reuse and supports an educational project: “We see so many similarities here between the initiative and Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier: both are in retail, both make people happy, both are in a maritime environment.” She is convinced that the opening of the kiosk is just the beginning of a long friendship.
The song “Like Ice In The Sunshine”, which the first grade choir sang and danced with the support of the audience, did not match the weather 100 percent, but the eyes of the first customers shone all the more.
