Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Danish Education Special – Gymnasium
Get to know Denmark, internationally At Grenaa Gymnasium, students get the benefit of both a Danish environment and an international atmosphere. Since 2003, the school has taught the International Baccalaureate (IB) alongside the normal Danish STX and HF education systems, allowing international students and Danes who have lived abroad to get to know Denmark at high-school level while retaining their international education.
school is alive 24/7. Students have their own private rooms and are given a great deal of freedom in their spare time, but there’s always someone around for support,” says Kristensen.
By Louise Older Steffensen | Photos: Grenaa Gymnasium
Grenaa is its own small town and hosts exciting events throughout the year, but it is also situated close to the airport and only 45 minutes from Aarhus, which makes it a nice and safe place to learn independence – much like the school itself. “We have space for all types of people here. At the same time, we’re only 600 students in total, so we have the time to look after everyone too,” Kristensen concludes.
“I think the mix of the three education systems works really well at the school,” says Grenaa Gymnasium’s principal Helene Bendorff Kristensen. “We have a large variety of students here, so it naturally becomes a very inclusive environment – everyone gets the space and opportunity to be themselves and develop their own particular interests.”
ing well-rounded students. Students are required to take two languages, maths, a science subject, a humanities subject and usually top up with a creative subject. At Grenaa, everything is taught in English, with very good diploma results, allowing students to continue their studies abroad later on. This also opens up Denmark to students who know little or no Danish.
The systems are taught separately, but there are plenty of opportunities to meet each other through the school’s many extra-curricular activities, student societies and excursions, including a project called Model United Nations, trips to the local beach, and student or teacher-led music and drama events.
“Many of our IB students are halfDanish or have some sort of connection to Denmark but have never tried living here,” says Kristensen. “While at Grenaa, they get to know not just Denmark but Danish peers and youth culture, all while keeping their international ties. That’s one of the things we do best.”
Live and learn at the school
Grenaa includes a very reasonably priced boarding school for students who wish to try living semi-independently or whose parents work abroad. “It means that our
The IB is respected across the world for its variety in subject choice, its high academic standards and its emphasis on develop86 | Issue 106 | November 2017
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