- Gymnasium Erasmianum
The Gymnasium Erasmianum is a school in
Rotterdam (also known under its Dutch name "Erasmiaans Gymnasium").History
Founded in
1328 , it is the second oldest school inthe Netherlands . The privilege to found a Latin school was granted to the town of Rotterdam before Rotterdam received fullcity rights and therefore the school predates the birth of the city itself by nearly twenty years. It was re-named in1842 , after the famous Rotterdam theologian and humanistDesiderius Erasmus (1466–1536). The school is more than a century older than its namesake, and it is unclear whether he attended it.The school was located at the corner of the Coolsingel and the Laurensstraat until 1937, nowadays C&A, a clothing store, is located at that place, and the school at the
Wytemaweg .Profile
In the Netherlands, there are several levels of secondary education, the highest being the VWO, pre-university secondary education. In the past decades, many schools have merged with schools of higher or lower levels to form wide-scope community schools. Some gymnasiums, such as the Gymnasium Erasmianum are among the few remaining high-level-only schools, and has managed to avoid merging because of its high number of students. Another special property of Gymnasia is that they offer compulsory classes in the ancient languages
Latin andAncient Greek .The school is widely known for its great number of foreign students. There are more foreign students at the Gymnasium Erasmianum than at any other Gymnasium in the Netherlands.
The school serves approxomately 1,000 students and 80 teachers. The school's motto is "Ex Pluribus Unum"
Notable people
Teachers
*
J. H. Leopold , Dutch poet
* H.B.G. Casimir, physicistStudents
* Ida Gerhardt, a student of Leopold and poet as well
* E.H. Kossmann, historian
* A. Kossmann, writer
*Robbert Dijkgraaf , scientist
* Ramsey Nasr, poet and actor
*Edsger W. Dijkstra , the father of structured programmingThe RGB
The RGB (Rotterdamse Gymnasiasten Bond) is the school's society; by the students for the students. Every year the RGB organizes parties, theater, music and dance evenings and several cultural events.
The RGB has its own song in Latin;
:Vivat haec societas:Gaudium quae paret.:Semper floreat et crescat,:Longe et late clara fiat,:Vivat haec societas:Erasmi Alumnorum.
:Vivant semper Socii:In sodalitate.:Vivant tutor et fautores,:Virgines et amatores,:Vivat haec societas:Erasmi Alumnorum
Every year the students elect a new board for the Bond. Any student on the school can be elected. The board consists of several functions, with a Latin name:
:Preases; president:Quaestor; treasurer:Ab-actis; secretary:Vice-Preases; vice-president:Cultus; organizer of cultural events:Sporticus; organizer of sport events:Assesor; creates posters, memberships cards, and event tickets
Other organizations
Other than the RGB, there are several active organizations on the Gymnasium Erasmianum, organised by the school's board, teachers and students alike. Some examples are;
* De Tolle lege; the school's own newspaper.
* Koinothrex; A group of students who arrange a camp for the first class once a year.
* Debatingsociety Pro et Contra; The society organizes debates available to the whole school. Every year they go to several tournaments.
* The LLR; The Leerlingenraad is an organization in which students are given the possibility to have a say in the decisions made at the school
* The MR; the medezeggenschapsraad
* Semper Floreat; a society for alumni
* The Ouderraad; an organization which grants parents the possibility to make some changes to the school.
* De Techniek; De techniek is a group of students that's responsible for the technical support of a lot of events on school.
* The Remix-Crew; A group of students that organize a musical event called 'Remix' twice a yearee also
*
List of the oldest schools in the world External links
* [http://www.erasmiaans.nl www.erasmiaans.nl]
* [http://www.erasmianen.nl Educative students' initiative]
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