Herlufsholm School

Infobox Secondary school
name =Herlufsholm School and Estate
native_name = Herlufsholm Kostskole og Gods

established =1565
address = Herlufsholm Kostskole
city =Næstved
country =Denmark
campus =
type =Public School
affiliation =
affiliations =
founder = Herluf Trolle & Birgitte Gøye
chairman = Colonel Jens Greve
headmaster = Klaus E. Jakobsen
head_label =
faculty =
students =550 (approx.)
grades = 6th to 12th
district =
oversight =
accreditation =
mascot =
colors = Blue and white (Gøye family)
Yellow and red (Trolle family)
colours =
newspaper = Diplen
yearbook = Diple og Hørere
website = [http://www.herlufsholm.dk/ www.herlufsholm.dk]
footnotes =
picture =

Herlufsholm School and Estate (Danish: "Herlufsholm Kostskole") is a private day and boarding school for boys and girls (co-educational since the 1950s), founded in 1565 by Admiral Herluf Trolle and his wife Birgitte Gøye.

The school is located on the River Suså near Næstved, about 90 minutes south of Copenhagen, capital of Denmark. As the oldest boarding school in Denmark, the school takes pride in an array of unique traditions. "Trolle-morgen" (at which Herlovians commemorate the birthday of the founder Herluf Trolle) and "Fugleskydning" ("bird-shooting"), when old and new students visit the school with their families, are the two biggest events of the year.

Today it is the only school in Denmark with a compulsory school uniform, and has roughly 450 students. The number of boarding students is roughly equal to day students. Although the majority of boarders come from Denmark, a fair share come from abroad, particularly those studying for the IB diploma.

History

Peder Bodilsen founded the Benedictine monastery Skovkloster ("forest monastery") on the River Suså in 1135. The monastery was dissolved in the Reformation and taken over by the Danish Crown estate. The Danish naval hero and admiral Herluf Trolle traded his estate at Hillerødsholm (now Frederiksborg Palace) for this estate, the name of which he changed from Skovkloster to Herlufsholm in 1560. Trolle died in 1565 and his wife, Birgitte Gøye, founded the school here according to their mutual wish for the Danish youth "of noble and honest heritage".

chool Buildings

The modern campus campus retains a general Gothic appearance thanks to the former abbey church which dates from the early Middle Ages. Adjoining the church is what was the old monastery building, of which the only original part remaining is the cellars; the present "Klosterbygningen" ("The Monastery Building") stands on the site. "Klosterbygningen" consists of the church (in which the students gather in the morning), the two dining halls, the "festsal" (ballroom) and other amenities. In the mid 19th century there was also a dormitory for the youngest students. [known in the school slang as "vuen", a portmanteau of "vuggestuen", "The kindergarten". When the dormitory moved into its own building the name followed and the formal name of the dormitory for the youngest boy students is still "Vuen"] .

The second largest building is "Skolebygningen" ("The School Building") which contains two dormitories and some classrooms. Up until the middle of the 20th century most of the teaching took place here, but now less then half the school's classrooms are located here.

The third most important building is "Mygningen" ("The Museum Building"), which contains another two dormitories, the science department, the biology department and the school's collection of historical scientific apparatus and specimens of animal species, many now endangered; the collection dates from the 1870s.

Herlufsholm also has a separate library (one of the oldest in Denmark), a small hospital, the principal's house, a few house for teachers and various other service and administrative buildings.

The rest of the classrooms are located in "Nye Skolefløj" ("New School Building"), connected to the principal's office, the staffroom and "Helenhallen", which is the second largest gymnasium, also containing a stage.

Recently the school erected a new modern gym in order to accommodate the growing number of students, named "Trollehallen" after the founder.

The school's other dormitories are:"Skolebygningen" ("Skygningen"); "Museumsbygningen" ("Mygningen"); "Vuggestuen" ("Vuen"); "Egmontgården"; "Lassengården"; "Birgitte Gøye-gården"; and "Pernille Gøye-gården". The newest dormitory "Bodil-gården" is under construction.

Teachers and Students

Jens Fink-Jensen
Niels Ryberg Finsen
Jákup Jakobsen
Corfitz Ulfeld

chool spirit

The school has continually been home to students since its foundation. Possibly because of its origin as a monastery the pupils are called disciples. Students are also called Herlovianere (Herlovians) and former students are Gammelherlovianere (Old Herlovians). Until recently the school was an all boys boarding school but to meet the standards of the new century the school gradually opened for day students and girls. In the 90's the board implemented the International Baccalaureate. Herlufsholm is the only school in Denmark with a compulsory uniform.

The Uniform

The uniform is centered on the blue shirt with Birgitte Gøyes crest on the chest which every student 6th-12th grade, boarding as daystudent must wear at school - except at gym class of course. Generally students wear charcoalgrey or blue pants - light color variations are banned and so is black. Students in 12th may wear white pants - supposedly a reference to the navy. Over the shirt students often wear a pullover in either grey or blue. All students are opt to buy the two school ties - which they are only obliged to wear when wearing their blazer. Boys in middleschool, 6th-9th, may wear a double buttoned blazer, boys in the preparatory class (between 9th and 10th grade) may wear a normal blazer and boys in 9th-12th may wear the school blazer with the Gøye crest on the chest. Prefects wear the Trolle crest instead.

"Herlovianersproget"

A unique thing about the school is that the students have their own mini-language called the "herlovianersprog". Words are obtained by simply taking the first and last syllables of a word and making a portmanteau of the two. So for instance, "skolebygning" ("school building") becomes "skygning". Only imagination limits the possible words. Even though the language is exclusively utilized by the students some words have been adapted into Danish, for instance "svælling" is herlovian for Svane + Ælling (Swan + duckling). So far two dictionaries have been published.

Traditions

Herlufsholm has a long list of traditions. The two biggest events of the year are:

Trolle-morgen

"Trolle-morgen" January 14, the founder's birthday, is a major event, as many old students return to the school on that day to commemorate their founding father in the dark hour of early morning.

Fugleskydning

"Fugleskydning" ("bird-shooting") in mid-August starts the new school year. It is a tradition dating back to the latter part of the 19th century. Old and new students meet at the school to shoot down a wooden bird on a pole with bows and arrows.

Students march out of the old school building, "Skygningen", to the front of the principal's house where he gives the big wooden bird to 3G, and the little wooden bird to the 9th graders. The procession then continues around the "Klosterbygning" where the "Forstander" (provost) cries out a hurray for the "fugleskydning". The procession then continues into "Nyhave" ("New Garden") where a square is formed and the "Fugleskydning" song is sung, accentuated by firecrackers simulating cannonfire.

External links

* [http://www.herlufsholm.dk School's Web page]
* [http://www.herlovianersamfundet.dk/ Herlovianersamfundet]