Gymnasium Erasmianum
Encyclopedia
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
(also known under its Dutch name "Erasmiaans Gymnasium").
History
Founded in 1328, it is the second oldest school in the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
with recorded date of establishement (after the Johan de Witt-gymnasium in Dordrecht, established 1253). The privilege to found a Latin school was granted to the town of Rotterdam before Rotterdam received full city rights and therefore the school predates the birth of the city itself by nearly twenty years.
It was re-named in 1842, after the famous Rotterdam theologian and humanist Desiderius Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus , known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, and a theologian....
(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
C&A
C&A is an international chain of fashion retail clothing stores, with its European head offices in Vilvoorde , Belgium and Düsseldorf, Germany...
, a clothing store, is located at that place, and the school at the Wytemaweg. In May 1940, Rotterdam was heavily bombed by the German aggressor, but the school building survived miraculously. During the war, the occupying German troops used the building as one of their headquarters.
Profile
In the Netherlands, there are several levels of secondary education, the highest being the vwoVoorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs
Voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs or pre-university secondary education is the highest variant in the secondary educational system of the Netherlands. After leaving elementary school students are enrolled in different types of secondary schools, according to their academic ability...
, 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
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
, 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
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean 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 1,045 students and 80 teachers. The school's motto is "Ex Pluribus Unum", meaning "unity through diversity".
Students
- Ida GerhardtIda GerhardtIda Gerhardt was a classicist and Dutch poet of a post-symbolist tradition.-Life:In her hometown Rotterdam Ida Gerhardt attended the Erasmus Gymnasium, where the poet J.H. Leopold was her Classics Teacher. He made an indelible impression on her. There she also met her future life partner Marie H....
, a student of Leopold and poet as well - E.H. KossmannErnst KossmannErnst Heinrich Kossmann was a Dutch historian. He was professor of Modern History at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. His magnum opus is The Low Countries. History of the Southern and Northern Netherlands....
, historian - A. Kossmann, writer
- Robbert DijkgraafRobbert DijkgraafRobertus Henricus "Robbert" Dijkgraaf is a Dutch mathematical physicist and string theorist.Robertus Henricus Dijkgraaf was born on 24 January 1960 in Ridderkerk, Netherlands. He currently lives in Amsterdam, Netherlands...
, scientist - Ramsey NasrRamsey NasrRamsey Nasr is a Dutch author and actor of mixed descent .He is Dichter des Vaderlands since January 2009.-Filmography:*Frans en Duits *Thuisfront...
, poet and actor - Edsger W. Dijkstra, computer scientist
The 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:
- Praeses; president
- Quaestor; treasurer
- Ab-actis; secretary
- Vice-Praeses; vice-president
- Cultus; organizer of cultural events
- Sporticus; organizer of sport events
- Assessor; 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 year