15 Nov Bridge building, Project writing, Girls and boys night.

Dear reader!
All week long, early in the morning and 1 minute ahead of time, 280 pupils of the 10th grade travelled in buses to Aalborg and Års to attend the compulsory bridge building. Back at school, Year 9 started the day with their project tutors and experienced a completely different day with only 120 peers in the house. By the end of the afternoon, the large community was re-established and we had several social activities during the week which brought the group back together.

Tuesday lunch was ANTI everyday, and the kitchen team presented a very nice 3 course menu for all staff and 9th graders.

Tuesday night was girls' night after dinner, where all the girls met for some fun and girl talk over sweet refreshments in the dining room.

On Wednesday evening it was the boys' turn to have a "boys' night out" and things got crazy at dinner. All the boys gathered at the lake, lit a fire (you're not allowed to do that, we found out afterwards), and then it was KØD night, ending with dessert, which was served in a fantastic foodfight in the light of parked cars and the bonfires.

Watch - or listen to - video from the men's evening.

Thursday evening we did the big common cleaning of all bathrooms and that creates a kind of community...

Every evening there has been a dance workshop with Lisa Clark and this weekend there is music and dance weekend. It culminates in a performance, which will be held on Tuesday in the Festival Hall.

Social we have a very quiet period for the season, and although there is some disruption due to the bridge-building in everyday life, there is a good energy and a strong community. Unfortunately, we also have to draw a line in the sand for a few pupils who have broken the school rules, and this naturally causes some shake-ups in parts of the camaraderie. The morning exercise is a trial for some because of the darkness and the cold, and so we have put in place a pedagogical follow-up so that everyone feels part of this duty.

The students of the 9th grade have worked independently and in small groups throughout the week on Project Writing, with teachers acting as tutors. The vast majority of students have completed the task with a high degree of responsibility and independence, and the few who have not been able to cope with the freer environment have been closely monitored to ensure that a product has also emerged from the week.

The students in the 10th grade have been on the Bridge Building in many different schools, and have been accompanied along the way by our 4 study counsellors. There have been many different stories coming home from the bob construction courses, and it has been exciting to hear about clothing design, hair dye, manicure, dentistry etc. from the Body and Style course at Tech College. About the construction of a submarine at HTX, about the design of a new community creating soft drink from HHX in Års. The teacher was quite impressed by the Ranum students and sent this picture of the product afterwards. It should be noted that I have received confirmation that this is 6.4% ALOVE and not ALC. which qualifies the product to be a sure hit!

 A group of Global Perspectives teachers have been on a course in Amsterdam, exchanging experiences and tuning up for the spring exams. In the photo, the three teachers are giving presentations and receiving feedback from their colleagues from around the world. Carl Bennison receives his certificate from the head of the Cambridge GP subject committee.

In the coming week there is again a regular timetable with academic subjects and profile subjects. On Thursday afternoon, the winners of the big film, photo and article competition from the first period profile trips will be revealed. There are big prizes and, above all, a lot of prestige in the competition, and a lot of people have sent in their entries. You can follow the competition on FB at this link.

Wednesday evening there is a concert with Mont Oliver in the banquet hall at 19.30
The band has played at North Site and Roskilde, and now in Ranum - the place in the middle!

This coming weekend there is NO stay weekend, but all students in the 10th grade must be present on Sunday at 1 pm, when the 10th grade will start their OSO program.
All 9th graders must be present at 7pm for the start of 3rd period profile elections.

Saturday 22.11 there is a Christmas decoration of the school for the weekend students. And at the same time the competition starts Christmas room of the year in all 3 houses. The competition runs until the big Christmas clean-up on 18.12. For the sake of nature and fire safety, there are some simple rules that must be followed:

1. No real fir trees, like Christmas trees ( imagine every room has a fir tree = over 120 trees..) Plastic recycled Christmas trees are perfectly OK.
2. Battery light chains only ( 220V are often of poor quality and therefore flammable).
3. Living candle - to be placed on a fireproof dish or plate. ( And they must not be near curtains/combustible material, and must be extinguished during the day).
4. Adornment is not enough to win. It's all about fun and Christmas... and the evening teachers (judges) are in for a treat with treats, carols, Christmas stories, and little surprises).
5. Santa hats may be worn at morning exercise and in the dining room, as well as in the banquet hall.

Last year, we had a rare visit when "Mogens came by" - see link from TV2Nord. Happy decorating to all!

This past weekend we have been at a fair in Hjørring (picture above) and on November 22-23 we will exhibit in Vejlby-Risskov hall in Aarhus.

Best regards and have a great weekend!
Olav Storm
Principal