Complex sentence: During the school year, she had little contact with other students, instead, she helped in her spare time in a retirement home in the neighboring village of Grünheide, where she was very popular with senior citizens.
Split into simpler sentences: During the school year, she had little contact with other students. Instead, during her spare time, she helped in a retirement home in the neighboring village of Grünheide, where she was very popular with senior citizens.