BIS Director Patricia Baier said she was excited to welcome “such an outstanding, forward thinking educator” who also places great emphasis on creating a home away from home for each student. School started at BIS last week with 700 students from 75 nations.

Tragert has been in Bonn for a couple months already and says he already feels at home both in Bonn and at BIS. He enjoys the internationalism of the city and the school and is impressed with all the different cultures, nationalities, and perspectives, and how well they live together and how much they benefit each other.

With a rapidly changing world, he is energized by the idea of preparing students for a future that can’t yet be defined. For him, learning is not just the memorization of facts, the students need to develop competencies. In his opinion, that is what schools need to focus on.

Tragert has always wanted to work in education. He remembers “amazing teachers from my time as a student - they challenged me to think about things in different ways and helped me to develop an intrinsic motivation for learning. I don’t necessarily remember what those teachers taught me, but most certainly remember how they made me feel.”

The new principal moved here with his wife and three children. His wife is also an educator, teaching at the BIS primary school. The family is already enjoying spending Saturdays at the Marktplatz in Bonn city center where they can shop for fresh produce and enjoy what the food trucks have to offer. They also like the Rheinaue in the evenings where he and his wife can listen to cover bands while the children play on the green grass.