Every time I click on the “Reviews” tab on Google Maps for Carl-Fuhlrott-Gymnasium, I’m shocked by the numerous fake troll reviews. That’s why I wanted to write an objective and helpful review for the high school I am currently attending (as of February 2023). In the following, you’ll read the content of my review (TL;DR: 4/5 stars. Overall, a very good high school, especially in the MINT area. Most teachers are highly motivated and want their students to learn something).
I’m very happy to be attending this school. Students are perfectly prepared for the Abitur and later life. Of course, for the best possible education, students should be motivated and show interest. Almost all the teachers who taught me in upper school are excellent. You can tell that they are motivated and want their students to learn something. I am also very satisfied with my choice of my advanced courses (“Leistungskurse”): 1. Mathematics and 2. Computer Science. When I had to decide on my advanced courses, the combination of mathematics and physics was also an option. However, I learned that it was likely that a new Computer Science advanced course would be established. As I am enthusiastic about technology and mathematics, I eventually chose Computer Science as my second advanced course. So, I ended up attending the first Computer Science advanced course at this school. I can highly recommend the Computer Science course. However, it requires a lot of logical and abstract thinking, and it’s less about video games or anything like that, as many might think.
Regarding the school’s facilities: Recently, as part of the Digital Pact, CFG received a beamer, including an Apple TV, for each room. Some rooms now even have two beamers :D. Therefore, the facilities can be described as good.
Nowadays, most upper school students use an iPad with the program GoodNotes 5 to save their notes. If you don’t have an iPad, you can sign a contract to borrow a device from the school for a longer period of time for free.
The official communication platform of the school is IServ. Although there is also a school Wi-Fi for students, it is often overloaded and unusable because too many people are using it. The school will have to improve this in the future.
CFG has also had a cafeteria for several years now. You can pre-order a few days in advance. There are two menus for hot food: a regular and a vegetarian one. You can also order a salad. If you forget to pre-order, you can usually order again for one euro more. Payment is made with a cafeteria chip, which is linked to an account that can be topped up. Currently, as of February 2023, a dish costs €4.35. It includes the main course, a small salad, and a dessert. Additionally, you can take as much still or sparkling water as you want from the water dispenser with a glass.
There is also a kiosk near the cafeteria that is open during breaks. Many students buy something there, which can make the waiting time very long. The prices are also not particularly cheap. As an upper school student, you are allowed to leave the school grounds during school hours in the free periods or breaks, which is why most students go to the nearby REWE, Aldi, or Netto supermarkets to buy something there.
CFG also has toilets for every tower and floor. At the moment, only the toilets on the ground floor and the 1st floor (at the height of the east schoolyard) are unlocked and accessible to everyone without a key. Although they were renovated not too long ago, these new toilets have already become somewhat run down. This is due to the students, as vandalism is often carried out. The toilets are vandalized, paper is thrown on the floor, and toilet seats are destroyed. The toilets are also not cleaned often enough, which leads to most people preferring to avoid using them at school.
As a senior student who is 18 years old, I have a driver’s license, which allows me to drive to school alone in my car every day. There are plenty of free parking spaces at the school, so you can usually find a spot even during public transport strikes. There are also many bike racks, so you can always ride your bike or electric scooter to school. Motorcycles or mopeds can be parked in the car park if you’re not afraid of vandalism or theft.
The school has two schoolyards: the west schoolyard (“Westhof”) and the east schoolyard (“Osthof”). The rear entrance is accessible from the west schoolyard, which is slightly more spacious than the east schoolyard. It has several basketball hoops and seating options with benches and concrete structures. From there, you can see the physics and chemistry classrooms. The east schoolyard also has basketball hoops and two concrete table tennis tables. In addition, floor markings have been added to the east schoolyard, allowing children to jump around on the squares. However, there are no playsets or structures on either schoolyard that one could climb on, for example.
During breaks, students can also hang out in the “Pausenzentrum” (PZ), which also has charging options for digital devices. In addition, as a student at CFG, you can also sit in the library during your free periods. It offers a good selection of books and is a good place to study in peace. A tip: the Wi-Fi is also best there.
Another part of the school infrastructure is the swimming sports performance center (“Schwimmsportleistungszentrum”) with the sports hall at the west schoolyard. This significantly simplifies swimming lessons for students, since the (relatively well-equipped and modern) swimming pool is directly connected to the school.
The sports hall basically consists of two very large halls. One hall has retractable bleachers, where larger events such as competitions can take place. For regular physical education, these two halls are usually divided into three smaller segments with two retractable partitions. This creates six smaller sports halls, which are still large enough for a class.
I hope that my review was helpful. What do you think of the CFG? Write that in the comments down below!