The beginnings of computer use in the grammar school "Gymnasium an der Gartenstraße" can not be determined unambiguously. When I came to this school in 1978, Mr. Dipl . Ing. Maser ( teacher of mathematics at the school at the time )

just had bought a handful of TRS80 Model I (Z80 processor with 16KB memory) of the American company Tandy and to 2007 I believed that this was the beginning of the computer use at our school.
In a conference in November 2007 however I was informed by Ms. Sisay (representative of the parents) about the fact that the physics course by Mr Elsenbroich the computer already used in the classroom in 1976, precisely one located at the Hugo Junkers-Gymnasium near by.
A similar situation then arose in the early 80s. Since the mathematics and natural science high school in Moenchengladbach had got a wickedly expensive mini - computer system ( 4 terminals ), of course one had to obtain such a system also to a school in Rheydt. This was installed in Hugo Junkers Gymnasium and should be used by the pupils of our school too. There were introductory courses and conventions related to usage times and sometimes you was included by the caretaker, if you forgot to look at the clock. The mini computer-system was rather expensive (DM 100,000), but for effective educational use, it was too slow.

Hence, in the high school "Gymnasium an der Gartenstrasse" we went over to raising the number of the TRS 80-computers, even if the Ministry of Education believed, that for the use in the informatics lessons such computers were not sufficient: The Pascal versions which were available for this model were by far mightier and were much quicker above all. At that time, moreover, the opinion of the Ministry of Education was not especially important for us, because we used the computers at most in mathematics and physics, because informatics might be offered – in the absence of teaching ability by colleagues – at that time only as a study group. However, it got about in the town and far beyond it that we ordered TRS 80-computers (the number grew till 1982 in 10 – 15 computers, so that we needed an extra room which was found in the former hand workroom), and soon I had contacts with pupils and students who also disposed of such a computer. With approval of the headmaster at that time, Mr. Bertholdt, it came to regular evening meetings of the TRS 80-user at our school. Our school also profited from it: With the help of the club the computers of 16 KB were extended on then incredible 64 KB (by soldering the RAMS, then one could roast fried eggs on the computer) and, finally, we made on our computers CP/M (OPERATING SYSTEM) executable and could use with it Turbo-Pascal as a computer language, the Pascal variation which began at that time her triumphal procession. At that time oh yes, these calculators were already linked up: As "a server" served a cassette deck on which could be stored and be loaded by it.

Then the time of the TRS 80-calculators started to run off in the middle of the 80s. The IBM PC, so the real "personal computer" like we know him today, had asserted itself and became from 1983 by the first copies also affordable. From 1984 on only calculators compatible with IBM-PC were bought in addition. However, the TRS 80 were not taken out of service: on them the same Turbo-Pascal ran like on the IBM compatible and our "tuned" models were able to read the disks for the IBM PC and to write, so data exchange was easy.
The use of the computers in lessons had remained limited till then on mathematics and physics. In my first mathematics-achievement course (Abitur 1985), nevertheless, I used for the first time the computers regularly. At that time the subject was matrix algebra and here one comes not far with serious uses without computer.
Then since 1985 informatics could be established as regular school subject. To do so interested colleagues had to take part in a suitable course which concluded with a certificate and the recommendation for the application in the informatics lessons of the upper stage. Dr. Klouth and I took over the informatics lessons in the upper stage, while Mrs. Thunich and Mr. Kloos concentrated upon the electoral duty area of the middle step.
The conversion of the class room 202, so of the former "hand workroom", as an informatics or PC room was continuously continued in the future. Finally in 1996 the TRS 80-calculators have been removed by PC's (meanwhile Pentium 75). 15 linked up computers were available in a NT domain (based on Windows NT 4.0 server). And, finally, the use of the computers was not left any more to the natural sciences as an article of Mr. Höckmann books in the school report 1996 (quotation: „What do you make as a German teacher with disks?“).
Now the magic word was called "ITG", technological of information and communication basic education.

Since beginning of 1996 our school also presented itself for the first time on the Internet: In the context of the initiative „schools to the net“ AOL, the known provider, granted us free Internet access: A single computer could dial in with the help of a modem and we received a  amount of Webspace for our school. Though this was exciting first, it was hardly usable for the teaching practise. This changed in the end of 1996: Also about „schools to the net“ the company Hewlett Packard gave us a multimedia PC (by small co-payment) with ISDN connection and the "Lower Rhine FH" stepped in as an Internet provider. Now we could integrate the other computers into the net, all 15 computers had Internet access. Later Telekom with free ISDN- or DSL accesses was involved.
Now projects became possible like the participation of a physics-achievement course in a project of the DARA, email projects with schoolgirls and schoolboys all over the world, the participation in "Geo-Game", a geographic one Guessing game and more.

Soon one computer room was not sufficient any more. It was due in particular to the commitment of Mr. Trabandt and a row of computer donators that a former media room was developed to the second PC room. Although the PC's in this room were linked up, indeed, was not to be thought of a union of the nets at that time yet.
However, as the development of the PC's by itself knows no break, is valid also for the development of the possible applications at school. The need rose constantly and with it also the number of the PC's. We achieve a breakthrough in 2002. The city of Mönchengladbach asks the schools to present a draught for the application of the new technologies in the lessons. We followed to this request with pleasure and succeeded. Beside the high school of Odenkirchen we were promoted with more than 51,000 euros. For this amount two rooms, the former language laboratory 210 and the first informatics romm 202 were radically anew formed: new furnishings, new PC's (a total of 50), new interlinking.
For cost reasons we changed the server operating system, now instead of NT we use Linux. First I conceived the server myself, later on we changed to the Open-Schoolserver (OSS, based on Novell Enterprise Server), many schools already had in use.

The network continues to grow. Following the expansion of the chemical rooms, fiber lines were laid in the old building, so that the former media room 220 is fully integrated into the educational system. In addition, the self-study center (library) with 10 computers, physics and chemistry are involved, each with 10 computers, and also the music room has its network connection. As part of the energy-efficient renovation in 2011, each classroom has several Ethernet ports. Naturally, our school also has WiFi, which is fully accessible for interested colleagues (radius server).

At the end an assessment of the then deputy headmaster, Mr Ciupka in the commemorative book for the 175th anniversary of our school: "An economic operation of similar size so with about 1,000 employees as our school has naturally a personally and financially adequately equipped IT department, taking care of hardware and peripherals, software, updates, server, network, data security, firewall and a wealth of other tasks necessarily updated daily with issues of data security.
The school will be without all that! Competent colleagues have to shoulder this package in loads as it were as a sideline - rewarded with a barely noticeable Teaching discharge - with minimal budget, dependent on donations from a benevolent parental environment, and yet actually always faced again with obsolescent hardware and software - for the hare hedgehog principle, there is hardly a more graphic example!
Not high enough, the school can evaluate this performance of professional improvisation, perseverance and uncountable hours of work and the construction work on the last 25 years and appreciate and thank especially Mr. Fell and Mr. Trabandt for their tireless efforts.
It glows the hope that in the near future younger colleagues move up and engage in a similar manner. The fact that we as a school once could engage own DV - specialists will remain  just a dream for the next quarter of a century!

Supplement: The departure of Mr Trabandt was compensated fortunately by Mr. Pohlmann in the IT field . It is true that the time spent on planning, implementation, development and maintenance of the network actually for a part-time activity is too high, mainly due to the fact that the necessary background knowledge needed to first be learned. It is equally true , however, that the challenge that you will be asked again and again in this context also is fun and most will fail me if I will retire soon.