Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu
Encyclopedia
Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu, commonly abbreviated SYK, is a free Finnish
private school located in the district of Etelä-Haaga in the city of Helsinki
. SYK is the oldest Finnish-speaking school in Finland and considered to be one of the most prestigious.
lycée for female students in order to further the education of women in Finland. By the time that this group had raised enough funds to actually found the school, the ideal of coeducational schools had gained so much ground among the members that the school that was founded in 1886 became a coeducational one. This was a very important event in the history of Finnish schools, as SYK was the first Finnish-language coeducational school in Finland.
SYK is noted for its internationality. It is one of the 15 schools in Finland which offer the IB Diploma Programme
in the equivalent of the 11th and 12th grades. After the PISA
(2004 and 2005) results came out, Chinese headmasters have been a familiar sight in the corridors. Traditionally, SYK has a big rivalry with another school, Helsingin normaalilyseo
, that was originally situated in central Helsinki.
Unlike other schools in Finland, SYK recruits its students from all over the Helsinki capital area. There are only a limited amount of places so second graders have to pass entrance tests to get in. Later, the students are required excellent academic standards to get into the equivalent of year ten.
, German
or Russian
as their first foreign language. In year five it is possible for them to start English
. Two years later, 7th graders take on Swedish
as the mandatory second domestic language. There is also a possibility to begin learning a fourth language in year eight (French, German or Russian). As well as fifth and/or sixth languages in high school.
Another special task the school has is to take in repatriating children, offering English teaching that matches their level and possibly giving special tutoring in Finnish or other subjects. Most of these children take French as their second language in year 5 instead of English.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
private school located in the district of Etelä-Haaga in the city of Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. SYK is the oldest Finnish-speaking school in Finland and considered to be one of the most prestigious.
History
SYK was founded in 1886. Its roots trace back to a group of notable Finnish intellectuals whose aim was to found a Finnish-languageFinnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
lycée for female students in order to further the education of women in Finland. By the time that this group had raised enough funds to actually found the school, the ideal of coeducational schools had gained so much ground among the members that the school that was founded in 1886 became a coeducational one. This was a very important event in the history of Finnish schools, as SYK was the first Finnish-language coeducational school in Finland.
SYK today
Even today SYK is a highly respected educational institution. It offers education from 3rd to 9th grade as well as the three high school years. The matriculation examination results have been the best in Finland for several years. According to a 2010 survey, compared to most other secondary education institutes, a disproportionate amount of alumni continue with university-level studies, especially in fields such as engineering, economics or legal studies.SYK is noted for its internationality. It is one of the 15 schools in Finland which offer the IB Diploma Programme
IB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...
in the equivalent of the 11th and 12th grades. After the PISA
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
(2004 and 2005) results came out, Chinese headmasters have been a familiar sight in the corridors. Traditionally, SYK has a big rivalry with another school, Helsingin normaalilyseo
Helsingin normaalilyseo
Helsingin normaalilyseo is a school in Helsinki, Finland, consisting of the upper part of primary school and secondary school ....
, that was originally situated in central Helsinki.
Unlike other schools in Finland, SYK recruits its students from all over the Helsinki capital area. There are only a limited amount of places so second graders have to pass entrance tests to get in. Later, the students are required excellent academic standards to get into the equivalent of year ten.
Language education
SYK highlights language education. 3rd graders begin with FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
or Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
as their first foreign language. In year five it is possible for them to start English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. Two years later, 7th graders take on Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
as the mandatory second domestic language. There is also a possibility to begin learning a fourth language in year eight (French, German or Russian). As well as fifth and/or sixth languages in high school.
Another special task the school has is to take in repatriating children, offering English teaching that matches their level and possibly giving special tutoring in Finnish or other subjects. Most of these children take French as their second language in year 5 instead of English.
Notable alumni
Over the years the school has contributed to the cultural and economical life of Finland through some of its well known alumni. Some of these are:- Esa-Pekka SalonenEsa-Pekka SalonenEsa-Pekka Salonen is a Finnish orchestral conductor and composer. He is currently Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London and Conductor Laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.-Early career:...
(orchestral conductor) - Erkki TuomiojaErkki TuomiojaErkki Sakari Tuomioja is the Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs. He is currently a member of the Finnish Parliament.Tuomioja is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Finland, although his political views are thought to be more to the left than the party line. He is also a member of ATTAC...
(Minister of Foreign Affairs) - Matti WuoriMatti WuoriMatti Ossian Wuori was a lawyer, Finnish politician and was a Member of the European Parliament for the Green League 1999–2004...
(lawyer and member of the European Parliament) - Henrik TikkanenHenrik TikkanenGeorg Henrik Tikkanen was a Finnish author, known primarily for anti-war literature. Several of his works are either autobiographical or semi-autobiographical. Though Finnish, he published primarily in the Swedish language. He was born and lived much of his life in Helsinki, and died of...
(author and artist) - Olli MustonenOlli MustonenOlli Mustonen is a Finnish pianist, conductor and composer.- Biography :He studied harpsichord and piano from the age of five with Ralf Gothóni and then Eero Heinonen. He studied composition with Einojuhani Rautavaara from 1975...
(pianist) - Pentti LinkolaPentti LinkolaKaarlo Pentti Linkola is a radical Finnish deep ecologist, polemicist, and fisherman. He has written widely about his ideas and is a prominent thinker in Finland, but, at the same time, is also an extremely controversial figure. He lives a simple and austere life. Linkola was occupitional...
(philosopher, activist and author) - Saima HarmajaSaima HarmajaSaima Rauha Maria Harmaja was a Finnish poet and writer. She is known for her tragic life and early death, which are reflected in her sensitive poems....
(poet) - Suvi-Anne SiimesSuvi-Anne SiimesSini Maaria Suvi-Anne Siimes is a former chair of the Finnish Left Alliance. She quit the party in 2006 because she did not want to support the party's former taistoists ....
(politician)