Our Team
At Platanus Schule Berlin, we are proud to have created a place where people from all over the world meet. Our employees come from 17 different countries and speak 15 different languages in total. Since the challenges at a bilingual school are greater than normal and our colleagues are above-average competent and committed due to the diverse prerequisites and requirements, this is accompanied by a certain fluctuation. These people love change and challenges. In the modern world of work, it is timely and necessary to develop further through professional reorientation and relocation. The induction and integration of new colleagues into our team is a very important part of our work, which we increasingly appreciate. For us, newcomers mean professional input and new ideas. We admire and respect the different CVs, educational qualifications and competencies. For us, school as a place of lifelong learning means learning from and with one another as a team. We respect and admire the different and invaluable life experiences, educational qualifications and skills that each member contributes to our school. Being such a place also means that we learn from and work with one another as a team.
At the moment, 18 Erzieher*innen care for 108 Kindergarten children. Our 334 school children and young adults are in the best hands of 34 teachers, 15 Erzieher*innen and three volunteers completing their social year. Platanus owes its success to their commitment and pedagogical talent.
Kristin Wendorf
Managing Director
Kristin Wendorf is one of the directors of Platanus Bildungs gGmbH, and is primarily responsible for the kindergarten. After completing her Abitur at the 3. Gymnasium Berlin-Treptow in 1992, she undertook studies in Education at the Humboldt University. In connection with her studies, she spent many months in Central America in order to learn Spanish. Due to her work as an individual caseworker with the Jugendamt Pankow during her studies as well as the decision from the state of Berlin to privatise social work and family help with private agencies, a decision was made in 1999, together with her school friend Sabine Schoenermark, to found the the family assistance agency ‘lara.berlin’. In 2003, the first lara.kita was opened on Hermann-Hesse Straße and was followed in 2009 with the opening of the first bilingual lara.kita on Schulstraße in Berlin, Pankow. Here, along with Sylke Mouroum-Ebeler and her language school, she developed a concept for early years bilingual education. In 2009, she and her partners founded the Platanus Bildungs gGmbH. Kristin Wendorf lives with her partner in Prenzlauer Berg.
Dr. Karen Krüger
Managing Director
Karen Krüger is one of the directors of Platanus Bildungs gGmbH, and is primarily responsible for the Primary and Secondary School. Following her Abitur, which she completed in 1992 at the 3. Gymnasium Berlin-Treptow, Karen Krüger spent many months in Indonesia in order to gain experience overseas as well as to learn the language. Following this, she studied Psychology at the Humboldt University with a focus on occupational, industrial and organisational psychology. She spent a semester abroad in New York at City College and also used her summer to undertake an internship in Human Resources at the New York University. After her studies, Frau Krüger moved to Stuttgart and worked there for almost 10 years in research and development for Daimler AG along with short stages in marketing and design. During this time she also completed her doctorate with a theme of engineering psychology. She moved back to Berlin in 2009 in order to found the Platanus Bildungs gGmbH with her friends Kristin Wendorf and Sabine Schoenermark. She lives with her husband and young son in Pankow.
Sabine Schoenermark
Finances
Sabine Schoenermark is the commercial manager and is responsible for the area of finance. She completed her Abitur in 1992 at the 3. Gymnasium Berlin-Treptow. From early on, she placed a high value on personal and financial independence. During her studies in Education at the Humboldt University Berlin, which she completed in 1999, Sabine Schoenermark was working as a social worker for the Jugendamt Pankow. Before and during her studies, she also lived in London on multiple occasions. In 1999 she founded the family assistance agency ‘lara.berlin’ with her school friend Kristin Wendorf. Due to the constant growth of the company, to which now many kindergartens belong, she shifted the focus of her area of responsibility to management and financial planning. In 2009 she founded the Platanus Bildungs gGmbH along with her partners. Sabine Schoenermark lives with her husband and three daughters in Pankow.
Sylke Mouroum-Ebeler
Education and Classroom Teacher 8a, German
Sylke Mouroum–Ebeler has pedagogical and conceptual responsibility for the organisation. After completing her Abitur at the „Geschwister Scholl“ school in Bernau, she began her teacher training in 1979 in German and English at the Humboldt University. She started working in 1983 at the Grete-Walter-Schule in Berlin-Weißensee. Her ideas for an open minded approach to English teaching were unfortunately not fully realised there and in May 1990, she founded her own language school, ‘Sprachcenter Mouroum’. Her son and daughter were born in 1990 and 1992 respectively. Inspired by her children, the idea arose to develop a concept for early years English learning. Among her customers were Kristin Wendorf and Sabine Schönermark and it was from this business relationship that the idea came to found a bilingual kindergarten and school. Frau Mouroum-Ebeler lives with her husband and dog in Wandlitz. Her children are now grown up and speak multiple languages.
Susanne Hofer
Head of Platanus Kindergarten
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Wilja Richter
Deputy Head of Kindergarten at Benjamin-Vogelsdorff-Straße 1, Educator “The Internationals”
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Theresa Ebert
Deputy Head of Kindergarten at Kissingenstr.,
Educator in the “Explorers” Nursery Group
Andrew Ashdown
Educator in the “Sailors” Preschool Group
Maria Bergander
Educator in the “Firefighters” Kindergarten Group
Juliane Eigner
Educator in the “Sailors” Preschool Group
Lindsay Evans
Educator in the “Internationals” Kindergarten Group
Gwendolyn Farrow
Educator in “Dragonflies” Nursery Group
Nadia Froese
Educator in the “Rescue Rangers” Preschool Group
Maximilian Hayner
Educator in the “Internationals” Kindergarten Group
Grit Henrichmann
Educator in the “Explorers” Nursery Group
Annett Hildenbrand
Educator in the “Rescue Rangers” Preschool Group
Annelie Krause
Educator in “Dragonflies” Nursery Group
Akilah Moxam
Educator in the “Explorers” Nursery Group
Ian Porter
Educator in the “Firefighters” Kindergarten Group
Lars Reichstein
Educator in the “Explorers” and “Dragon Flies” Nursery Group
Alice Richings
Educator in the “Dragonflies” Nursery Group
Zoia Grüning
Head of Primary and Secondary School
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Whitney Morris-Lange
Head of Co-Curricular Enrichment Primary and Secondary School
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Simon Gaunt
Team Leader Teachers 3-4; Classroom Teacher 4b; English, Science and Social Studies
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Robin Zeh
Team Leader Teachers 5-10; History, Political Education, Geography and Ethics
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Lars Lüer
Deputy Head in Absence of the Co-Curricular Enrichment Program, Class Erzieher 3a
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Dr. Stephanie Bachorz
Classroom Teacher 6b, English and German
Rebecca Bernhardt
Team Teaching German
Ita Connell
Classroom Teacher 1a; English, Science and Social Sciences, Physics and Elective Course Robotics
Kyle Daley
Classroom Teacher 5b, English and Social Sciences
Fine Diehn
Volontary Social Year
Christoph Diekhaus
Classroom Teacher 4a; German, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies
Dr. Robert Dennhardt
Classroom Teacher 10a, Ethics and WAT (Economy/Work/Technology)
Daniela Dufft
Mathematics, Physics and Elective Course Robotics
André Galhardo
Physical Education
Carla Gianatelli
Spanish
Brianna Hecht
Art
Nicole Hinz
Classroom Teacher 5a, German and English
Mette Jakobsen
Class Erzieherin 3b
Anne Johannsen
Classroom Teacher 3a, German and Mathematics
Caroline Johansson Wübben
English as an Additional Language (EAL), Elective Course Music
Erman Jones
Classroom Teacher 3b; English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies
Joana Kappes
Natural Sciences (Biology, Physics and Chemistry)
Annabelle Kemish
Music
Pierre Lacasé
Class Erzieher 5a
Shannon Leonard
Music
Louise Lenssen
Classroom Teacher 7a, German, Ehtics and Political Education
Annika Litschke
Class Erzieherin 1a
Sandra Lück
German
Anna McCrary
Class Erzieherin 6b, Chemistry
Sylke Mouroum-Ebeler
Classroom Teacher 8a, German, Cofounder of Platanus Schule Berlin
Tatjana Nikolovska
DaZ (German as a Second Language)
Dennis Olbert
Volontary Social Year
Amber Norris
Class Erzieherin 1b
Sofia Passaro Lorenzo
Class Erzieherin 6a
Anne Pelzer
Class Erzieherin 4a
Katharina Popiak
Class Erzieherin 5b
Sarah Qavi
Classroom Teacher 2a; English, Science and Social Studies, Physical Education, Elective Course Coding
Cristian Revestido
Class Erzieher 2a
Stefan Rubly
Mathematics and Chemistry
Amy Schäfer
English
Clara Schirmacher
Volontary Social Year
Dr. Jeremy Stahl
Social Studies, History and Geography
Mara Thomele
Mathematics, German and Art
Lindsay Turner
Classroom Teacher 2b; English, Science and Social Studies
Chester Veazie
Erzieher
Livia Warrington
Class Erzieherin 4b
Nathalie Weidner
Class Erzieherin 2b
Ulrike Wernst
Class Teacher 6a, German
Stefanie Wieschalla
Classroom Teacher 1b; German, Mathematics and Elective Course Spanish
Michael Woythe
Classroom Teacher 9a, Physical Education
Anja Thieme
Assistant to the Managing Director
Silke Ameti
School Secretary
Nadin Prüske-Strutz
Public Relations
Luisa Junicke
Team Assistant School Office
Antje Krause
Housekeeping in Platanus Schule Berlin
Cordula Planitzer
Housekeeping in the Platanus Kindergarten, Benjamin-Vogelsdorff-Str. 1
Regina Scholz
Housekeeping in the Platanus Kindergarten, Kissingenstr. 48
Henry Stamm
House Technician in Platanus Kindergarten
Manfred Gehrke
Platanus Kindergarten Groundskeeper
Olaf Becker
Platanus Schule Caretaker and Groundskeeper