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German European School Singapore (GESS) opened its new $135million campus last Thursday (13 September). It is also offering the use of several school facilities to the select community organisations.
GESS is making its Olympic-sized swimming pool, football field, cooking laboratory and 400-seat auditorium available for use. Community groups simply have to write in to the school to request permission.
“We are blessed with wonderful facilities and we want to pay forward the support we have received from the government, our neighbours and so many other people by making spaces like our auditorium and football field available for community event bookings,” said school principal Christogh Zanglein.
He explained that GESS is aiming for long-term partnerships, rather than short-term usage, to “better manage the scheduling and logistics”. The facilities can only be used outside of school hours.
All interest groups can apply for a slot and the school will vet who gets to use the facilities. The assessment criteria for each request includes things like the values and purpose of the organisation, its target audience and the availability of the facilities, Zanglein said.
Organisations such as swimming schools and a sports program for underprivileged children are already using GESS’s sports facilities, reported the Straits Times.
GESS was previously located on two campuses in Singapore but moved to the new Dairy Farm campus in July.
The school’s official opening ceremony was attended by Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office (Germany) Andreas Michaelis, EU Ambassador to Singapore Barbara Plinkert, German Ambassador to Singapore Dr Ulrich Sante, as well as President and CEO of Daimler SEA Wolfgang Huppenbauer.