30 Oct Reunion weekend, exciting lectures and new cultural subjects

Dear reader,

This week started with Reunion Day, we have had 2 exciting lectures and then we have started the new cultural subjects. The transition to winter time has gone smoothly, our guests from Indonesia, India and Thailand did find it strange and dark in the afternoon. The first student party organised outside the school was a success, also judging by the number of boyfriends at school. It's getting colder and it's time for students to move closer together and clubs to move inside the sports hall, Design, music and cinema. Tuesday saw the start of new electives and then we had 2 exciting talks this week. Today, Friday, we have the first contact teacher - parent talks of the year, and then it's sibling weekend, so we're expecting about 200 siblings during the afternoon and evening.

School Year 2019/20 Reunion Day

This weekend we had a reunion day for all former teams. Amazing to witness so many people's great joy at being back and seeing their friends.
The collection included a student memorial film for 2014-15, which showed all the best things about an afterschool year. You can watch it again here.

Groundbreaking for the Apple Orchard.

With the big garden project, it's time to plant our own apple trees. We have therefore bought about 80 apple, plum and pear trees and they have now been planted by Peter's Danish team, who have just been working on the myth of the Fall. The trees are along the path between Ranum House and the Seminary dining hall. Therefore the path will now be called the Apple Path. We hope that for many years to come we will be able to harvest the fruits for the enjoyment of the students. The work of planting the fruit trees was led by former teacher Erik Knudsen, who also helped start Ranum Afterschool in 2004. He is an expert in grafting fruit trees, and in his large garden there is a tree with about 10 different fruits on the same trunk.

2 exciting talks: one on drugs and one on helping each other and becoming world champions in your own life. 

On Tuesday, Martin Fritzen gave an exciting and somewhat frightening talk about his life as an addict, and how he took up the fight and formed new friendships and got free of the hashish, etc. It was very quiet in the banqueting hall and sometimes it almost hurt to listen to Martin's story.
On Wednesday, we were visited by Anders Kofoed from Travelape, who gave a lively and powerful talk about daring to be yourself and about being good to each other! All the stories spiced with travel stories and a very lively presentation that almost shocked the students. Some of Anders' mottos are "Be yourself... Everyone else is already taken" or "Dare to be an Original", which fits in perfectly with Ranum Efterskole College's motto "Non Videre - Sen Esse", which translated from Latin means "Not to think, but to be". The students took the lecture to heart and we know that Anders makes a big difference for students who are still a little unsure about being away from home. 

Thank you for visiting Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia

Our fantastic guests from Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia have gone home after 4 eventful weeks in Ranum, Copenhagen and with their host families. They started at the school together with the 20 Chinese guest students and they have stayed in different rooms above the school. The international guest students have made a really nice mural in the Seminary House, as a reminder of a really nice visit and stay. As is tradition, all visiting students receive a certificate and gifts are exchanged. The yellow scarf is from Indonesia and the flag from Thailand. 

Nice fitness visit by two Danish champions

We were visited by the Junior Danish Champion in Body Fitness Mie Paulsen and the Danish Champion in Athletic Fitness Thomas Nordal. It was a day full of tips on training, diet and motivation. More than 25 students fought hard to keep up with the two experts and realised that practice makes perfect.

Siblings weekend

This weekend is sibling weekend. The theme is Halloween and there will be fun and spooky experiences all over the school. We have asked several former students to take part in the event and they know exactly how to make a really nice afterschool weekend.

In the coming week & good weekend

Week 46 is the first real Culture Week, when all the teams start their preparations for the big expeditions in January. A lot of energy is put into combining the academic programmes and the activities in the cultural subjects, so that the students can use their academic toolbox in several areas. Several teams also have some physical training in preparation and in the next few weeks we will see the Nepal trekking teams, among others, put on their hiking boots. In freediving, students will be trained mentally and physically to hold their breath and there is an amazing concentration and calmness in the lessons. The many students going to Hawaii have also started their preparations and it is always exciting when it is a brand new profile subject. 

Best regards and have a nice weekend

Olav Storm Johannsen
Principal