28 Aug Lessons are in full swing – from ecosystems to ceramics
In this week’s newsletter, you can join us on a weekend trip to Silkeborg, get a glimpse into our creative courses in ceramics and gastronomy, or delve into marine science. We’ve also had some exciting visitors from Guadeloupe – find out who they are further down in the newsletter.
Happy reading!
Full Host pupils exploring Silkeborg
Our wonderful Full-Host students have been on their first long weekend trip, which this time took them to Silkeborg. These trips are an important part of the Full-Host experience and are designed to give the students an even greater insight into Danish culture and everyday life.
Along the way, the pupils visit various Danish towns and places that they might not otherwise have experienced. Each trip also has its own focus area, which the pupils have the opportunity to explore and work on. On the trip to Silkeborg, the focus was, amongst other things, on waste sorting, where the pupils gained an insight into how we in Denmark sort and manage waste.
And just look how cool they are – of course, there was time for a refreshing dip in the lakes too!
Visitors from Guadeloupe
This week, we’ve had the pleasure of welcoming Natacha, Yannis and Ashima, who are keen to experience Denmark and, in particular, life at a Danish efterskole school. We are absolutely delighted that they have made the long journey to Ranum, but also by their keen interest in our school and our daily lives.
The visit is also a fine continuation of the cultural exchange that began last school year. At that time, the unrest in the Middle East made it difficult for us to travel to Asia, and our cultural study trip to Bali, Indonesia, was therefore redirected to Guadeloupe in the Caribbean. There, we visited the Lycée Sainte-Anne, where we were greeted with great hospitality and a strong desire to forge connections and build bridges between young people across cultures.
As well as going sightseeing in North Jutland and taking a day trip to Skagen, Yannis and Ashima have also been attending lessons alongside our other pupils. They are incredibly curious, keen to ask questions and very engaged in the lessons. In just a few days, they’ve already learnt their way around our large school – something that can otherwise be a bit of a challenge for new Ranum pupils.
It has been a pleasure to have them visit, and yet another wonderful reminder of how encounters between young people across countries and cultures can foster curiosity, understanding and new communities. Whilst Natacha is heading back to school in Guadeloupe, Ashima and Yannis have a couple more weeks here in Ranum.
Watch the video below and hear Yannis and Ashima talk more about their experiences and thoughts on their visit to Ranum.
Everything has a beginning – and in pottery lessons, it quickly takes shape
The first task is to create your own cup using two different techniques. The pupils have been introduced to two methods and can then choose for themselves which one they’d like to continue working with. Now it’s time to shape the clay, try out ideas, and let the cups slowly take shape. In a few weeks’ time, they will be glazed and fired before they are ready for use. Once the cups are finished, a cosy time with coffee, tea and hot chocolate awaits – hopefully on a lovely autumn’s day.
A tiny ecosystem in a jam jar
In the Marine Science course, the pupils have embarked on a project involving a great deal of responsibility, in which they must create and maintain their own small ecosystem. Each group has been given a large preserving jar, which they must keep alive over the coming weeks. Armed with their knowledge of photosynthesis, plants and wildlife, they went down to the stream to find the ingredients that would form the basis of their ecosystem. The jars were filled with water, plants, snails and small creatures from the stream. Now comes the exciting part: can the pupils strike the right balance between plants, animals, water and sunlight so that life in the jar can thrive? The coming weeks will be a practical exercise in understanding just how delicately balanced ecosystems really are.
Yearbook presentation
We’ve been delighted to start handing out the yearbooks to last year’s pupils, and it’s a real pleasure to see you all again and hear what you’ve been getting up to.
This week we have been in Aalborg, Silkeborg and Viborg.
Gastronomy Skills works with eggs
In the corridors of the primary school, the aroma of delicious food is wafting through the air these days. This is hardly surprising, as the pupils on the Gastronomy Skills course are working intensively with eggs as their key ingredient. The students are exploring the many possibilities of eggs in the kitchen and have, amongst other things, thrown themselves into making cakes with the season’s lovely apples, more niche techniques such as poached eggs and, most recently, homemade fettuccine and ravioli. Eggs are a fantastic and versatile ingredient that bring something quite special to cooking. Among other things, they can be used to bind ingredients together, create texture and – in baking – contribute to both rising and lightness.
So there’ll be plenty of experimentation, a bit of fiddling around with techniques and, of course, tasting the results as we go along.
The community is growing
We know that starting a efterskole year can be a big change. There’s a lot to get used to – a new room, a new school, new friends and new teachers. For many, it takes time before everyday life feels secure and they find their place in the new community. That’s why it’s particularly lovely to see how the pupils are already taking the initiative to build a sense of community – even outside school hours. Among other things, a rounders match was organised for everyone this week, and a great many pupils were keen to take part.
It is precisely this sort of initiative that helps to foster a sense of community across the board and makes Ranum a place where the pupils themselves help to shape everyday life. It’s wonderful to see.
The cyber threat is drawing closer
How does the growing cyber threat affect those of us living in Denmark? The pupils will have the opportunity to learn a great deal more about this when Major and military analyst Mikkel Storm Jensen gives a presentation to them on 7 September.
We have invited him to give the pupils an insight into the current security policy situation and, in particular, the growing cyber threat from the East. Drawing on examples such as the war in Ukraine, he will explain why Russia uses cyberattacks, what they can be used for, and just how serious the threat actually is.
It is a complex and topical subject, which we have made a point of explaining in a way that students can relate to. In our experience, students have lots of questions about the subject, so Mikkel has set aside plenty of time for discussion.
We have places available for girls
We have now opened a few places for girls at Ranum Efterskole College for the 2026/27 academic year.
A efterskole year is full of a sense of community, experiences, new friendships and the chance to explore a wide range of interests and subjects.
Find out more and sign up at ranumefterskole.dk, or contact us at info@ranumefterskole.dk, if you’d like to find out more.
Day of the Afterschools
On 27 September, from 10.00 to 17.00, we’ll be opening the doors to Ranum Efterskole College as part of Efterskole Day.
Our pupils are ready to show you around, tell you about their everyday lives and give you an honest insight into what it’s like to be a pupil at Ranum.
With more than 50 subjects on offer, there are plenty of opportunities to put together a timetable that suits each pupil’s interests and curiosity. On the day, you can try your hand at crafts, sailing, design and dance, amongst other things, and get a taste of some of the many subjects and activities that form part of life at Ranum.
Of course, there will also be an opportunity to enjoy the delicious food, the cosy atmosphere and, not least, that special efterskole sense of community.
Registration for Efterskolernes Day
We look forward to seeing you!
Vilsted Lake Run – Charity Run
On Saturday 12 September, we’ll be running for a good cause at the Vilsted Sø Run – a charity run. If you haven’t already signed up for the family day, please do so now. You can also show your support by making a donation on behalf of your child. All the money raised goes directly to the overseas projects and partner schools we have around the world – including in Nepal, Malaysia and Namibia.
The charity run is also a competition between the family groups. We’re eagerly watching to see which group raises the most money and can therefore call itself the winner of this year’s charity run.
Support the race from 50 kr here
We’re looking forward to a lovely day of exercise with you all!
Headmaster's column
The first long weekend did both pupils and staff a world of good. It was clear that the pupils had recharged their batteries as the week got underway. It was also a trial run for this year’s cohort on the Ranum bus, and although there were a few minor challenges with reading the timetable, roadworks and so on, all pupils made it home safely and back again. The Ranum bus means a great deal to many parents and pupils, as it makes it easy to get to and from efterskolen.
This week, we’ve really got all the academic subjects, specialised subjects and activity-based subjects up and running. Some pupils have changed subjects and academic levels, but that’s fine at Ranum. It’s part of our DNA not to pigeonhole pupils. We’re delighted that pupils and teachers are working together to find the activities and communities that strengthen pupils’ personal development and boost their self-esteem.
This week, we have also welcomed visiting pupils from Guadeloupe and opened the school to more young people from other parts of the world. This strengthens intercultural diversity, and it is through this lens of diversity that we best understand ourselves – for example, as Danes. Over the coming weeks, pupils and staff will be invited to suggest future cultural subjects, which we will then develop and present in outline form to parents on 12 September at the Vilsted Sø Sponsored Run and Family Day.
We are Denmark’s largest and only international efterskole, where pupils from all over the world are brought together across languages and cultures. This diversity also fosters a greater awareness of what is happening in different parts of the world. This week, the natural disaster in Nepal has resonated with us, and at our whole-school assembly we agreed that part of the funds raised through the Vilsted Sø Sponsored Run should go to two partner schools in Nepal, which have been terribly affected by the floods. Buildings and roads have collapsed, and the camp we visit every year has also suffered extensive damage. The situation makes it very clear to the young people that we in Denmark can also do something – albeit from a distance – to help with the reconstruction efforts in Nepal.
I would therefore like to encourage you to make use of this link to sponsor a pupil’s participation in the Vilsted Sø Sponsored Run. Please feel free to share the link with your whole family and friends.
This weekend we’re holding our Water Sports Weekend, and even though there’s plenty of rain coming down from above, we hope that lots of pupils will have a great time surfing, wakeboarding, SUP’ing and, of course, sailing.
Yours sincerely
Olav Storm
Principal
It happens:
Calendar
- Water Sports Weekend 29 August 26
- Outdoor Weekend 5 September 2026
- Lecture by Mikkel Storm Jensen 7 September 2026
- Concert by Niels Lan Doky 7 September 26
- At the form tutor’s home 10 September 26
- Family Day at Vilsted Lake Charity Run 12 September 26
- EMI WIDE Concert 22 September 26
- Efterskolernes, 27 September 26
- Specialist Study Trips 03/10/26
- Autumn half-term 12 October 26
- Alumni Day for former pupils 24 October 26
- Performance weekend 31 October 26
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