Hildegardis-Schule Bochum
History
The school was founded in 1860 by a young Bochum teacher, Henriette von Noël, as a private school for girls. An extension was built in 1901 and in 1916, the school was named after naturalist, theologian and author, Hildegard von Bingen. There is a statue of Hildegard von Bingen in front of the main entrance.
Today, the school is a public Gymnasium for boys and girls. The Hildegardis-Schule was one of the first schools in Germany to offer French bilingual education. History, politics and geography are taught in French and students may graduate with a French baccalaureat as well as an Abitur. In 2008, the school was certified as a "Europaschule" (de) (English: Europa School) by the Ministry of Schools of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Student exchange program
The Hildegardis-Schule has a student exchange program with schools in
- Wolverhampton in England
- Lyon, Duttlenheim, Châlons-en-Champagne, Châteauneuf-sur-Sarthe, Ile de la Réunion in France
- Vicenza in Italy
- Piekary Śląskie in Poland
- Be'er Sheva in Israel
![Henriette von Noël (1833–1903), teacher and school founder of Hildegardis-Schule](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Henriette_von_noel_1833-1903.jpg/150px-Henriette_von_noel_1833-1903.jpg)