To mix adult students and 16-19 year olds in the same classes was not always easy but at the end of the pilot project the whole system was working smoothly. One feature of this project was that one third of every course should be individual project based studies for each student. This meant that we had to develop links to the community outside school and it also meant that we had to develop our library and the co-operation between the librarians and the teachers and the students.

The latest national high school reform that came into effect in 1994 was to a large extent inspired by this pilot project at Bobergsgymnasiet.

Bobergsgymnasiet is an upper secondary school, which means that our students generally are between 16 and 19 years old. We have two main feeding secondary schools, where the pupils are 13-15 years old: Minervaskolan in Ånge and Fränstaskolan, situated in Fränsta, 30 kilometres from Ånge. The school currently has about 35 teachers and 450 students.

The study programmes at Bobergsgymnasiet

The policies

Bobergsgymnasiet has two major policies, one policy against bullying and one against drugs.

The policy against bullying says that any form of violence, threat, bullying or harassment is forbidden. No one should feel bad about going to their school. Everyone, students as well as staff, have to take their responsibility and report any sign of bullying to someone in the student care group.
At any sign of bullying, two persons from the student care group talk to the target of the bullying and the bully and inform the principal and the teachers. The bully has to talk to his or her parents, who have to call the school within a week. If they don’t call back the school will book a meeting. If the bullying continues the bully can get suspended for two weeks or get reported to the police.

The policy against drugs says that it is forbidden to possess or be influenced by alcohol or other drugs. The school will apply the current legislation within the field. Every student has to sign a form where they approve to being tested for drugs.
If there are signs that a student is using drugs, it has to be reported to the student management. After that the school talks to the student, the parents are informed, the student has to make a drug test, and a report is sent to the social services who also attend when the results are delivered.
Bobergsgymnasiet’s student care group consists of the principal, the study counsellor, the school nurse and the student counsellor.

Profiles

Bobergsgymnasiet has the profile ”Enterprise Education” to further the cooperation between the school, the economic life and the local community. It is all about that you, as a student, are going to be more noticed in the community. You learn things in a practical way through different projects, but as well cooperation with different companies. We hope that you, by that, gain a better self-confidence and dare to try something new in the working life.

You get the possibility to study reality-based by paying educational visits both in Sweden and other countries. The school is also visited by guest lecturers from different companies, societies and organizations.

The opportunity to create an own company along with your friends is given. This is done with an organization called Ung Företagsamhet (Young Enterprising).

Our teachers and supervisors are educated in how to run and own company, so they are able to give you the best possible teaching. With us, you get the chance to be active, take your own initiatives and your own responsibility.

Internationalization

In Bobergsgymnasiet all students are able to choose the course BIV (Bobergsgymnasiet’s International Activities). In this course, students can start their own humanitarian project or join the project Global Classroom Partnership (GCP). GCP is a global network between schools in Sweden (Bobergsgymnasiet), Germany (Graf-Friedrich-Schule, Diepholz), Scotland (Anderson High School, Lerwick, Shetland), Japan (Nara Women’s University High School, Nara), South Africa (South Peninsula High School and Cape Academy of Maths and Sciences, Cape Town) and the Czech Republic (Gymnázium Zlín, Zlín).

Every year a conference is held in one of those countries. The students have to raise money for the journey, and also prepare the presentation of their country and their opinions in the given topic. Some of the topics in previous years have been globalisation, values and citizenship and sharing past and shaping futures. The conference is about 10 days long and the purpose is to exchange connections and experience with people in other countries. The GCP also gives the opportunity to be an exchange-student for 3 up to 9 months. Another international project is Learning School where groups of students and former students are researching about different forms of education and students’ learning in the different schools.

Relevant web pages:

• www.globalclassroom.cz
• www.learningschool.org
• ice-breaker.net.pl

Principal: Birgitta Burmeister: 0690-250 239, birgitta.burmeister@ange.se
Bobergsgymnasiet, Box 116, SE-841 22 ÅNGE, SWEDEN