Annegret Jung-Wanders takes over the Eurocampus at Playa de Palma

Annegret Jung-Wanders takes over the Eurocampus at Playa de Palma

Experience from Barcelona and Washington meets Mallorcan ease

If you walk across the Eurocampus courtyard in the morning, you can hear the clatter of recess shoes, the distant roar of the beach and sometimes a few children calling out in Spanish and German. It is precisely in this mix of the familiar and the new that Annegret Jung-Wanders has now begun her work. At 71, she has moved from Wesel on the Lower Rhine to the flatter land of the island — more precisely: to a residential area in Puigderrós near Llucmajor, where she and her husband have found a new home.

Jung-Wanders brings long international experience: she led German schools abroad, among others for years in Barcelona and most recently in Washington D.C. On Mallorca she now encounters a significantly smaller institution than in the big cities. While around 1,700 pupils learn in Barcelona, the Eurocampus at Playa de Palma has about 245 students. The curious thing: the school here finances itself independently, unlike some large German projects abroad that receive state support. A New Start with a Suitcase and Heart: Birgit Schrowange Stays Connected to Mallorca.

The new head sees this manageable size as an advantage. Lines of communication are short, decisions can be made pragmatically — and sometimes a personal conversation in the hallway suffices instead of a long protocol. That does not mean she wants to forgo change. Rather, her aim is to preserve the existing treasure of traditions while gently guiding the school into the present: more modern teaching, clear structures, but no break with what defines the Eurocampus.

The founder of the project, Gabriele Fritsch, remains connected to the campus and will in future concentrate primarily on the affiliated kindergarten. For a founder this can sometimes feel like letting go with the handbrake on: you hand over leadership but stay close to guard what you have built. That creates continuity — and reassures parents who value the origins and character of the school. Palma's casals open enrollment: Courses from €2 — Yoga, Cooking and More.

On the island itself this is a piece of news with a small but fine symbolic value: an experienced educator consciously chooses Mallorca, although she has worked for many years in large cities. This is not only a personal story of joie de vivre and curiosity; it is also a vote of confidence in the local education landscape. For parents this means: stability in leadership, a network of long-standing experience and management that combines an international perspective with local rootedness.

If you drink a cortado on a mild morning at Playa de Palma and watch the school run, you quickly notice: small schools have their own rhythm. Teachers know the children's names, playground conversations are not anonymous, and projects can be accompanied more personally. Jung-Wanders intends to nurture precisely this feeling. At the same time, she wants to strengthen modern teaching methods and clear organizational processes without stifling the relaxed island atmosphere.

This is a good moment for Mallorca. Education thrives on experience but also on the willingness to try new things. A seasoned head who consciously moves here and who keeps the founder actively involved brings both: proven practices and openness. The outlook is less about major reform than a gentle, reliable transition — and a day-to-day reality in which parents, children and teachers can continue to say: good work is being done here and people are well cared for. Calvia strengthens tourism training: eTalent brings students and businesses together.

And in the end there remains an image familiar to many Mallorcans: a school mother or father who stops at the fence, the winter sun on their face, while voices from the schoolyard reach them. There is a new leadership, yes. But above all the small, lively sense of community that has carried the campus through the years remains.