Greetings from our principal

Dear parents, dear staff, dear students,

and now Riga, I could say after a long professional life. My photo makes it clear that I am no longer at the beginning of my professional career.

After graduating with a degree in German and PE, I initially taught at a German high school. I then gained my first experience abroad at the German School in Lisbon. I also met my wife there.

After my contract in Lisbon ended, I returned to Germany to work as a teacher. After a few years, I was then entrusted the management of Lessing high school in Lampertheim in the south of Hesse. It was still a very young school, and my job was to develop and expand it.

At some point, the memory of Lisbon and the school service abroad came back to me. In the meantime, Lessing-Gymnasium had developed into a large and established school and our two sons were on their way to university. So the time was ripe for a big change. It involved taking over the management of the German School Quito in Ecuador. This school has a tradition of over 100 years and is one of the largest German schools abroad.

After ten years in Quito, my professional time was actually up. But then I received an enquiry from the Central Agency for German Schools Abroad, part of the Federal Foreign Ministry, asking if I would like to take over the management of the German International School of Riga. I didn’t have to think about it for long – and so I will now start my work here in Riga at the beginning of the new school year.

I am very much looking forward to this task because I immediately recognized this still very young school as dynamic, open-minded and high-performing during my first visit. I am also looking forward to this task because I have a highly motivated team at my side and parents who have decided to provide their children with a solid, international education.

Let’s work together to further develop this successful school. I look forward to contributing the experience I have gained as a school principal over almost 25 years.

Sincerely yours,

 Jürgen Haist