Following a complete renovation of the former Schmelzerwald School, the building has been available to the St. Ingbert Vocational Training Centre (BBZ), Willi-Graf-Schule, as a so-called F-Bau since the end of 2024. The BBZ school community, together with the Saarpfalz district as the school authority, has now officially inaugurated the new premises at a ceremony.
Headmistress Nicole Luckas welcomed the guests, among them Education Minister Christine Streichert-Clivot, District Administrator Dr Theophil Gallo, St. Ingbert's mayor Nadine Backes, Hans-Peter Engel, Head of Finance, Real Estate and School Administration, Jürgen Leroux, Head of the district's real estate management, architect Tina Muskalla and landscape architect Heike Wegener, both from the real estate management department, the acting head of the school authority Christina Trouvain, members of the district council, representatives of the construction companies as well as teachers, parent and pupil representatives. Not without pride, she said: "What was in dire need of renovation some time ago is now an ultra-modern and sustainable learning centre that meets the requirements of contemporary education. Dual education is at the heart of our education system and is the envy of many countries around the world. For many young people, a qualification as a skilled worker and the opportunity to progress to master craftsman is the start of their career. An investment in a vocational school is an investment in the future." To put it in figures: The Saarpfalz district invested around 13.7 million euros in this construction project. "And I am very grateful to our district council for the fact that it has always approved funds for our schools without much discussion. We had and still have some catching up to do. However, it is also true to say that the "catch-up" in the area of schools already began under my predecessor Clemens Lindemann, I continued this and would have liked to have done even more. Pupils and teachers are constantly exposed to external influences that make teaching a challenge, the coronavirus pandemic being just one example. As school authorities, we must therefore ensure that at least the general conditions are right so that lessons can take place in bright, clean and modern rooms. We have achieved this very well following the extensive renovation of this existing building," emphasised District Administrator Dr Theophil Gallo in his speech and thanked the companies involved as well as the property management staff, above all project manager Tina Muskalla.
School operations at the former Schmelzerwald School, which was built in 1964, were discontinued from the 2019/2020 school year due to declining pupil numbers and integrated into the Mandelbachtal-Schmelzerwald community school in Ommersheim.
The new, barrier-free F-building consists of a longitudinal and a transverse building. The longitudinal building extends over four storeys and part of it has a basement. The transverse building has two storeys and the south-facing main entrance is also located there.
A total of ten classrooms and course rooms have been created - specialist rooms for fine arts, handicrafts, nursing, music, textiles, natural sciences and 6 PC rooms, as well as two double rooms that can be used for multiple purposes. All are equipped with state-of-the-art technology and a digital whiteboard. Teacher workrooms are located in the administration area in one wing of the transverse building. There are also teaching materials and preparation rooms as well as sanitary facilities with disabled toilets and technical rooms. A lift has also been installed to ensure accessibility.
The Minister of Culture and Education, Christine Streichert-Clivot, and the Mayor, Nadine Backes, also gave welcoming speeches before all those present joined a tour. During the tour of selected specialist rooms, the final craftsmen's work could be marvelled at, while pupils demonstrated the functionality of the new premises with chemistry experiments, the construction of insect hotels, first aid training and computer use.
A specially assembled school band provided the musical backdrop for the inauguration, and their première whetted the appetite for more.