Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Norwegian Education Special
Every year, the students of Hedmarktoppen Folkehøyskole travel to Hawaii. Photo: Mats Borgersen
Widening the horizon through education, travel and diversity Through the trip of a lifetime, which trails through the world and eventually ends up in Hawaii, the students at Hedmarktoppen Folkehøyskole get a unique opportunity to explore the world and delve deeper into their hobbies and interests, in addition to creating ever-lasting friendships. By Line Elise Svanevik
“It’s an incredibly diverse school, regardless of interests and hobbies,” explains principal Geir Byberg. “Our courses and activities range from sports, wilderness, surfing, snowboarding, music, dance and disciple to creative subjects including photography and barista training.” Byberg explains that the most wonderful thing about a year at Hedmarktoppen is the fact that students can specialise 88 | Issue 106 | November 2017
in their interests while also challenging themselves and growing as individuals.
A field trip to Hawaii Each year, the students on all courses head off for a three- to four-week journey that ends up in Hawaii. The journey there sees several meaningful pit-stops, where some of the students stop off in New York for a bit of cultural education to later volunteer at orphanages in Jamaica
or build houses in Panama, Costa Rica and Mexico. There are also several other trips throughout the year. “At the moment, our sports students are diving in Thailand and our disciple students are in Israel,” says Byberg. “Our creative course students are going to Barcelona and Amsterdam.” In Hawaii, the students learn the hula and haka dance while soaking up the local culture, but they also get exposed to missionary organisations, which Byberg believes is incredibly important. The school raises around 65,000 pounds per year through selling calendars created by the creative