The special thing about the VS St. Stefan am Walde is that it is very “small”, but still fine. It is currently run in two classes and attended by 30 children. In particular, the headmistress , VD SR Erna Allerstorfer, the two part-time teachers, Mrs. Gumpenberger and Mrs. Schaubmair of the moving and healthy school are delighted with their latest achievement, the “Ecolabel School”, and give a small insight into everyday school life, as well as realised projects around the topic of environment, sustainability and Health.

Our visitors are welcomed by 2 school guardian angels in the hall, painted on newly installed noise protection elements. The painting by the artist Albina Bräuer is very lovingly designed in delicate pastel shades and radiates a lot of warmth, harmony and security. This artwork was financed with the proceeds obtained by the students at two Christmas markets for homemade herbal products (herbal salt, 180 bottles of homemade fruit and herbal juices. . . ), as well as self-designed decorative items.

The topic "herbs" occupied the pupils for a long time in the context of a school project. The peculiarities of herbal plants were discovered on Herb Day at a nearby farm. The knowledge gained was very helpful when later laying out a herb and raised bed in the school garden and when tending, harvesting and processing the plants. In addition there was a biofair breakfast with a seminar farmer.

The weekly healthy snack, which was always prepared with a lot of love by 1-2 parents before Corona and the daily busy break can no longer be imagined from this school. The students especially love the newly acquired break devices such as waveboards, swing rollers, moonhoppers, stilts, pedalos, boundaloons, smoveys, diabolos and exercise cushions. Students can also keep moving during the lessons. Together with the parents' club co-man Michael Radinger, special “one leg stools” were built from discarded crutches, which both train the balance as a seating position, as well as promote fun and community as a sports equipment, namely as an indoor „Eisstock“.

"Do not give water as a gift, that is something everyone should remember. There is no substitute for life's greatest treasure!" was the closing song of the musical "The garbage witch Rosalie and the element water", which was enthusiastically presented by the students of VS St. Stefan under the direction of VD Erna Allerstorfer at the end of school in 2019. For one semester and with great zeal, the children practiced the 13 demanding songs, designed props as well as the colourful stage design and rehearsed texts and small dance interludes. Thematically it was about not throwing problematic substances, such as paint cans, into the water, because otherwise the fish would get sick and we would no longer be able to drink the polluted water. This project was awarded the State Prize for Environment and Nature by the Province of Upper Austria.

In the last school year, we dedicated ourselves to the environment and sustainability. . . Starting with the song "Doing something", we worked on projects about melting poles, plastic in the sea, many cars on the streets and the waste problem. The 17 SDG's (Sustainability Targets) of the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development should make a good life for everyone. Its contents are intended to change the world, to make it a better place for everyone. And they apply to everyone - everywhere! The pupils have dealt with it intensively in a child-friendly way.

The own environmental corner presents school work on the SDGs, but also tips for a greener year, insect hotels, self-made wood-waste prevention signs “Throw nothing away!” and even sewn fruit bags for fruit shopping. But even dried herbs from the school’s own herbal garden for the well-being tea, dried soup vegetables, fruit and herbal juices and even dried apple rings from the school’s Dörrex can be found in this part of the hall. The walls adorn an environmental ABC, environmental tips and small garbage devil.

Mr Ing. Bernsteiner was full of praise and congratulated our wife director Erna Allerstorfer and her team very warmly on the very remarkable performance of a small school, as he stressed.

As a newly tested eco-label school, we are all very proud of course and continue to strive to act in an environmentally conscious and responsible manner and to work for the protection of the climate and our beautiful Earth, because….

“Our earth has problems, it is high time for something to DO, DO, DO,…. ... and we HELP our earth, doing nothing is OVER NOW! (from our song "Do something") "