An important part of Rilke Schule's German immersion program is the creation of partner schools and exchange visits in Germany. Prior to the first trip to Germany by Rilke Schule students and teachers, we had arranged for Jo Sanders to visit the Volksschule (Elementary School) in Eiselfing. Here are some snapshots of this visit with Mayor Rupert Oberhuber as well as principal and teachers from the Grundschule Eiselfing.
Jo visits with teachers Frau Freiberger und Frau Hofmann in their classes.
Oskar Pircher and Jo. Herr Pircher is an avid astronomer (see: Astonomie im Chiemgau) and leads the building of an observatory. Furthermore, he plays an integral part in bringing Rilke Schule and the Grundschule Eiselfing together. More under "Connection to Eiselfing".
Mayor Oberhuber explains the Eiselfing coat-of-arms. (See also under Eiselfing)
Jo standing at a panel with sled dog drawings
Mayor Oberhuber explains the history of Eiselfing
Mayor Oberhuber and Jo visit the grave of Otto Geist and his father. Mayor Oberhuber explains some history about the two men.
An areal picture of the town.
An online article about Jo's visit to Eiselfing was published in the German Internet. German only.
Location: Bavaria (Oberbayern); County of Rosenheim; approx. 65 km (1 hr drive) south-east of Munich; approx. 1 hr 15 min. drive from Salzburg/Austria Population: 2957 (2006 census) Mayor: Rupert Oberhuber
Rilke Schule's connection to Eiselfing - a brief history
Rilke Schule’s connection to the village of Eiselfing reaches back to the early planning stages of our school. The founders were looking for a suitable name-sake and the Academic Policy Committee (APC) asked many people to suggest names. Among those was Otto Geist (1888-1963) who represented the Alaska-Germany connection. Geist was an archeologist, explorer, and naturalist, who came from Germany to Alaska in 1920, where he worked for the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). His archeological digs were primarily located in the circumpolar north (St. Lawrence Island). During the approval process of our school’s charter proposal, we were advised to research Geist’s biography and investigate with the Alaska Native Community, with whom Geist had primarily worked and lived while in Alaska.
During his time in Alaska, Geist established a name for himself, received an honorary doctoral degree from UAF and in 1927 was initiated into an Eskimo clan. One of his impressive findings were the remains of the woolly mammoth that was meant to be our school’s mascot. However, not much evidence about Geist’s personal life is readily available. One of the APC members, Antje Carlson, decided to become a history detective and she contacted a number of people who had some knowledge about Geist’s work and life, including Native Alaskans of whom some people had known Geist. She listened carefully to their stories and recollections. On the German side there is only one resource that provided useful traces and clues to Geist’s family in Germany. There she learned that the entire Geist family descended from the vicinity of Eiselfing, Bavaria. Otto Geist was not only buried in Eiselfing but was also made an honorary citizen of the town (see photo above with Mayor Oberhuber and Jo at Geist’s grave). Carlson contacted the town’s administration and received willing support from Oskar Pircher, the mayor’s assistant and “left hand”. Together Pircher and Carlson embarked on an incredible research journey that lasted about 4 months and that resulted in locating and contacting three Geist relatives. With the conclusion of the Otto Geist research journey, Carlson submitted her findings to the school’s board members. During a meeting the APC decided to forgo the name Otto Geist for the new German school and selected Rilke Schule German School of Arts and Sciences instead.
The conclusion of the Geist research was not the end of Pircher’s and Carlson’s correspondence and consequently, it was not difficult to envision a partnership between the Grundschule Eiselfing and Rilke Schule. Despite not choosing Otto Geist as our school’s name sake, the elementary school in Eiselfing and Rilke Schule decided to establish contact. Jo Sanders visited Eiselfing, June 10, 2008 and received a warm welcome. ____________________________________________________________________
Courtesy of Oskar Pircher
View onto Eiselfing from the north-east.
The magistrate / town hall of Eiselfing
Elementary School
Nature education trail
Farmer's house in Old Eiselfing
A "Feldkreuz" on the nature education trail. Note: These field or path crosses / cruxifictions are primarily found in Catholic regions. Mostly they signify a place of rememberance but they also are a place to hold a blessing ceremony for the fields and harvests.
Jo visits with teachers Frau Freiberger und Frau Hofmann in their classes.
Oskar Pircher and Jo. Herr Pircher is an avid astronomer (see: 
Mayor Oberhuber explains the Eiselfing coat-of-arms. (See also under Eiselfing)
Jo standing at a panel with sled dog drawings
Mayor Oberhuber explains the history of Eiselfing
Mayor Oberhuber and Jo visit the grave of Otto Geist and his father. Mayor Oberhuber explains some history about the two men. 
An areal picture of the town. 
Location: Bavaria (Oberbayern); County of Rosenheim; approx. 65 km (1 hr drive) south-east of Munich; approx. 1 hr 15 min. drive from Salzburg/Austria
View onto Eiselfing from the north-east. 
The magistrate / town hall of Eiselfing
Elementary School 
Nature education trail 
Farmer's house in Old Eiselfing
A "Feldkreuz" on the nature education trail. Note: These field or path crosses / cruxifictions are primarily found in Catholic regions. Mostly they signify a place of rememberance but they also are a place to hold a blessing ceremony for the fields and harvests. 
Kindergarten