Scan Magazine | Mini Theme | A Danish Educational Top Three
Out of Grenaa Gymnasium’s 650 students, 140 are enrolled on the IB programme, where all subjects are taught in English. Another line of study on the Danish STX programme specialises in global studies, a social sciences course taught in Danish but focusing on global relations.
Different cultures One of the advantages of attending a school such as Grenaa Gymnasium, which attracts students from all over the world, is that it provides not only a theoretical but also a practical understanding of international relations. Students get first-hand experience of the meeting of different cultures and the connection between global and local issues. “We have boarding students from all over the world. A lot of young expat Danes choose to return to Denmark to get an international education, which they can use all over the world and, at the same
time, get reacquainted with Denmark and Danish culture. But we also have international students from other European countries who come here to do their IB – many because they’ve heard that Denmark is a country with a good educational system,” explains Kristensen and adds: “Finally, there are also many locals who choose our regular STX programmes because of the school’s global focus and extra-curricular courses.” Students also get to explore different cultures and societies through regular trips to, and visits from, schools in the US, Kenya, Spain and China. International politics is studied via enactments of reallife situations such as debates and model UN roleplays based on the procedures of international institutions.
A safe, healthy base to explore from The majority of Grenaa Gymnasium’s international students live in the school’s
boarding halls, which house around 110 students in total. “During the last few years more and more schools have chosen to establish an IB programme, but what gives us an edge is that we have a great boarding school, where students are given the possibility of taking an active part in the decision making through a boarding school council. Also, Grenaa Gymnasium is a relatively small school, and that means that everybody knows everybody – it’s a safe setting in which everyone is noticed and no one feels neglected,” stresses Kristensen. Another essential aspect of life at the school is the focus on physical health and wellbeing, which manifests itself on the IB programme especially in the sports science course but also saturates the rest of the school. Grenaa Gymnasium can thus provide a both safe and healthy base from which to explore, meet and study the rest of the world.
GRENAA GYMNASIUM AT A GLANCE Location: Grenaa Gymnasium is located in Grenaa, a seaside town of around 15,000 inhabitants on the tip of Djursland, about 60 kilometres from Aarhus and 20 kilometres from Aarhus Airport in Tirstrup. Number of students: 650 (110 boarding students) Courses: HTX, HF and IB Accommodation: Boarding students live in their own private rooms Founded in: 1961
For more information, please visit: www.grenaa-gym.dk
Issue 89 | June 2016 | 57