Embarking on a New and Exciting Future

It may sound like lofty language, but it perfectly captures where we stand as a school at the start of 2026. Just a few days ago, the members of our school association voted unanimously to take this bold step forward: to launch our new school model as a Recognized German School Abroad. With the active involvement of our entire community, we’ve achieved a great deal over the past nine months, and now we’re ready to move into implementation.

GSA Board Members (left to right) Mr. Torben Bohn, Mr. Christian von Strombeck, Mrs. Lila Rosenberger & Mrs. Marjolijn Roepers during a meeting with GESM staff members in August 2025

Much will be reshaped in the process. A long-standing, heritage-rich part of our school—the German middle school section—will hold its final MSA examinations in the coming weeks. For many of us, this will stir feelings of loss and nostalgia. Yet, as one chapter closes, another begins: at the start of the 2026/27 school year, we will open our new unified middle school, merging the English and German sections. One tradition ends, but a new era of shared experience begins. Together, we will create fresh customs and shared milestones that will strengthen our future as both a school and a community.

GESM Board members Mr. Torben Bohn, Ms. Penny Lim & Mrs. Lila Rosenberger together with Academic Director Mr. Julien Ferrandon, Deputy Head of School Mr. Aleksandar Krstovic and Head of Administration Mr. Volker Ross, during a dinner with GESM staff members, January 2026

We will walk this path alongside our partners—the German Embassy in Manila, the ZfA in Bonn, and the Foreign Office in Berlin. Their strong support encourages us, and we look forward to shaping the details and growing into a more united school, both internally and outwardly.

As the board, we believe it is essential to continue fostering the active participation of all groups within and around the school. We don’t want these changes to be decided in an ivory tower by only a few, but rather through open dialogue with many. Where change happens, opportunities for shaping the future arise—and those opportunities are open to everyone who wishes to contribute.

We look forward to the second half of this school year, and even more to the years ahead—with a German School Manila that remains a vital part of all our lives.

by Christian von Strombeck

Chairman of the Board

German School Association Manila