“Dear Mayor Reker, we need help,” read a banner held up by some young people in front of the town hall on Friday afternoon. They had come from Mülheim to the city center to draw attention to themselves. It was about the Genoveva-Gymnasium, perhaps the hottest school in Germany. The city of Cologne is now also aware of the problem.
School in Cologne-Mülheim sets heat records, calls for help
The Genoveva-Gymnasium is a special school in many ways. In January 2020, Mayor Henriette Reker opened a new building, and this third wing gave the school more space. In a way, it’s a luxury. If only it wasn’t sometimes as hot as the desert. Headmistress Susanne Gehlen claims to have measured around 52 degrees Celsius at its peak two years ago.
The students gathered in the new building of the Genoveva-Gymnasium on Friday.
“Up in the new building, we regularly had over 45 degrees,” says Gehlen. The classrooms are grouped around an inner courtyard, the roof is permeable to light and obviously also heat. The concrete walls heat up quickly. For five years now, the Genoveva Gymnasium has been struggling with the temperatures in summer. Classes are repeatedly cancelled because of the heat. Two years ago, the headmistress even had to close the school completely for two days because the limits of occupational health and safety law were massively exceeded.
Heat-free days are not a long-term solution
“We’ve had more early days off, which is perhaps nice for the younger students. But for those who are currently doing their A-levels and want to learn the material, it’s a disadvantage,” says Ibrahim Ali, one of the student representatives. The 18-year-old is in his last year at the grammar school. He will soon be doing his A-levels. The courtyard and corridors are often empty during recess, as it is even hotter there than in the classrooms.
Headmaster Gehlen showed her letter to the assembled students and the press at the demonstration in the school.
There are no air conditioning units in the hallways, reports Gehlen. The few that are available throughout the new building are not sufficient. There are no shutters on the east side of the new building to protect the rooms from the sun.
The windows in the new gymnasium cannot be opened. There is basically no fresh air. Even the relatively cooler old building is heated up by the new building. “I don’t know what the architect was thinking. Sometimes I would like to know what was going through his head,” says Bianka Schmöle, chairwoman of the school’s parent association.
Teachers and students demonstrate at the town hall
At 10 a.m. on Friday, the school community gathered in the new building. A mother, who is a doctor, complained about the health effects of the heat. The students fanned themselves as they listened. Despite the cooler temperature of 24 degrees, the new building was still quite hot on Friday morning.
Some students demonstrated in front of the historic town hall.
Headmistress Gehlen, parents and some students then made their way to the town hall to deliver a letter to Mayor Reker with several demands. Among other things, they want a functioning air conditioning system, more roller shutters, greenery in the concrete building – and to finally be heard.
Letter to Reker was received by administration
However, as the demonstration was held at short notice, Henriette Reker was unable to receive the letter herself. She is currently on a trip to China. Two of the parents were able to deliver the letter anyway. “The city of Cologne is aware of the problem and naturally has great understanding for the situation of the school community,” said Jutta Doppke-Metz, press spokesperson for the city of Cologne, when asked by the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” on Friday.
The city administration has been trying to improve the situation in the school for a long time. The plan was for the building to cool down at night by letting in cool air. “Unfortunately, the interaction between the building management system and the ventilation system at the Genoveva High School is not working as it should. All technical options for optimizing the building automation have been exhausted to date,” Doppke-Metz continued. An engineering firm has currently been commissioned to examine all cooling options, and the results are expected shortly.
“If the results show that installing an air conditioning system in the ventilation system is possible and effective,” a company would be commissioned to install it immediately, said the spokeswoman.
Headmistress Gehlen is optimistic about the future. “I have faith that the letter will find its way to Mrs. Reker. She knows the school and she will certainly have a heart for us,” says Gehlen.
