Farewell to Katharina Kaufmann – Five Years of Dedication to GISA

This week, the German International School Accra said goodbye to a very special colleague: our Deputy Head of Administration, Katharina Kaufmann, who will be returning to Mannheim with her young family after five intensive and eventful years in Accra.

During her time at the school, Katharina played an important role in shaping and supporting many areas of school life – often far beyond her official responsibilities. Whether in marketing, event organisation, creative design ideas, the improvement and enhancement of school facilities, supervising interns, onboarding new colleagues, or maintaining warm and reliable contact with families, Katharina approached every task with commitment, professionalism, and her characteristic combination of warmth and determination.

Especially during challenging times, working together “through thick and thin” became something truly special. With her structured, dependable, and genuinely caring approach, she helped shape numerous processes and contributed greatly to the development of the school community. Her departure is therefore a significant loss for GISA.

The farewell celebration itself reflected exactly that: appreciation, gratitude, and many heartfelt moments. A humorous farewell poem brought plenty of smiles and laughter as it revisited shared memories from the past years. One particularly memorable highlight was a dance held in her honour – in which Katharina herself quickly became part of the performance.

In their words of appreciation, among others, Head of Administration Katrin Krüger and Robert Lüdtke on behalf of the Board highlighted the important impact Katharina’s work has had on the development of the school.

The entire community of the German International School Accra would like to sincerely thank Katharina Kaufmann for five years of dedication, creativity, loyalty, and tireless commitment, and wishes her and her family all the very best, good health, and happiness for this new chapter in Mannheim.

Die gesamte Schulgemeinschaft der Deutsche Internationale Schule Accra bedankt sich herzlich für fünf Jahre voller Einsatz, Ideenreichtum und Loyalität und wünscht Katharina Kaufmann und ihrer Familie von Herzen alles Gute, Gesundheit und viel Freude für den neuen Lebensabschnitt in Mannheim.