Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík
Encyclopedia
Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík (often abbreviated MR; official name in English: Reykjavik Junior College) is the oldest gymnasium
(Icelandic
: Menntaskóli
) in Reykjavík
, Iceland
.
The school traces its origin to 1056, when a school was established in Skálholt
, and it remains one of the oldest institutions in Iceland. The school was moved to Reykjavík in 1786, but poor housing conditions forced it to move again in 1805 to Bessastaðir
near Reykjavík. In 1846 the school was moved to its current location, and a new building was erected for it in Reykjavík. This was the largest building in the country at the time and can be seen on the 500 Icelandic krona
bill. It was used initially when Alþingi began to meet again in Reykjavík after a few years hiatus and thus it is in this building where Icelandic independence leader Jón Sigurðsson
led the MPs in their famous phrase, 'Vér mótmælum allir'.
The school had previously been known as "Lærði skólinn" (The Learned School), "Latínuskólinn" (The Latin School) or by the Latin
title "Scholae Reykjavicensis", but received its present name in 1937.
Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík offers a four-year course of study. It usually ends with a degree (stúdentspróf) which gives the graduating student the right to advance to an Icelandic university.
Many Icelandic politicians, including former Prime Minister
Davíð Oddsson
and the current President of Iceland
, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
, attended MR. Almost every Prime Minister of Iceland has been educated at the school apart from Halldór Ásgrímsson
, Ólafur Jóhannesson
and Þorsteinn Pálsson
. Geir H. Haarde, Davíð's successor as chairman of the Independence Party
and former Prime Minister, also took over from him as chairman of the student body ("inspector scholae"). The current President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
, was also the president of the other student body, Framtíðin.
Some notable Icelandic authors have also attended MR, amongst them Tómas Guðmundsson
, Guðmundur G. Hagalín
, and Davíð Stefánsson
. Halldór Kiljan Laxness, a Nobel-prize winning author, also attended the school for some time but dropped out. Another attendee, Niels Ryberg Finsen
won the Nobel Prize
in medicine.
Noted Icelandic scholar Sveinbjörn Egilsson
served as the first rector
of the school from its founding in Reykjavík in 1846.
cloaks and painting their faces. The seniors then march around the school and gather the newcomers out to the school grounds where they then thrown high into the air. The tradition of throwing newcomers into the air is old - but the part of dressing up in toga was added by seniors in 1991 (graduating in 1992). On this day (and the next few days after) students tend to sing the song "De Brevitate Vitae
." The following night a freshmen ball is held.
, inspector scholae . It is now an annual event for graduating students.
, an annual quiz show for gymnasiums on the Icelandic national television. MR has won the quiz show 14 times out of 23, including an eleven-times winning streak 1993-2003. MR is the current holder of the trophy Hljóðneminn (2009). An annual quiz competition is held, for which each class sends in one or more teams to compete against others. This competition is called "Ratatoskur", named after the famous squirrel from Nordic mythology.
MR offers two separate "paths" which students choose when enrolling in the school. These are a natural science path and a language path. The natural science path divides into a biology department and a physics department on the third year, while the language path divides into modern language department and a classical language department. MR is the only school in Iceland which teaches mandatory Latin in some form.
In earlier years the school offered a six years course of study before it was shortened into four years. Thus the first year is called "third form", the second year is called "fourth form" and so on.
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...
(Icelandic
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
: Menntaskóli
Menntaskóli
A Menntaskóli is an Icelandic equivalent to a gymnasium , although it works differently from other countries.In Iceland grade school goes from 1st to 10th grade, which are the only mandatory school years in Iceland...
) in Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
.
The school traces its origin to 1056, when a school was established in Skálholt
Skálholt
Skálholt is an historical site situated in the south of Iceland at the river Hvítá.-History:Skálholt was, through eight centuries, one of the most important places in Iceland. From 1056 until 1785, it was one of Iceland's two episcopal sees, along with Hólar, making it a cultural and political...
, and it remains one of the oldest institutions in Iceland. The school was moved to Reykjavík in 1786, but poor housing conditions forced it to move again in 1805 to Bessastaðir
Bessastaðir
Bessastaðir is today the official residence of the President of Iceland and is situated on Álftanes, not far from the capital city, Reykjavík.- History :...
near Reykjavík. In 1846 the school was moved to its current location, and a new building was erected for it in Reykjavík. This was the largest building in the country at the time and can be seen on the 500 Icelandic krona
Icelandic króna
The króna is the currency of Iceland. The króna is technically subdivided into 100 aurar , but in practice this subdivision is no longer used....
bill. It was used initially when Alþingi began to meet again in Reykjavík after a few years hiatus and thus it is in this building where Icelandic independence leader Jón Sigurðsson
Jón Sigurðsson
Jón Sigurðsson was the leader of the 19th century Icelandic independence movement.Born at Hrafnseyri, near Arnarfjörður in the Westfjords area of Iceland, he was the son of a pastor, Sigurður Jónsson. He moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1833 to study grammar and history at the university there...
led the MPs in their famous phrase, 'Vér mótmælum allir'.
The school had previously been known as "Lærði skólinn" (The Learned School), "Latínuskólinn" (The Latin School) or by the 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...
title "Scholae Reykjavicensis", but received its present name in 1937.
Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík offers a four-year course of study. It usually ends with a degree (stúdentspróf) which gives the graduating student the right to advance to an Icelandic university.
Many Icelandic politicians, including former Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Iceland
The Prime Minister of Iceland is Iceland's head of government. The prime minister is appointed formally by the President and exercises executive authority along with the cabinet subject to parliamentary support....
Davíð Oddsson
Davíð Oddsson
Davíð Oddsson is an Icelandic politician and the longest-serving Prime Minister of Iceland, holding office from 1991 to 2004. He also served as Foreign Minister from 2004 to 2005. Previously, he was Mayor of Reykjavík from 1982 to 1991, and he chaired the board of governors of the Central Bank of...
and the current President of Iceland
President of Iceland
The President of Iceland is Iceland's elected head of state. The president is elected to a four-year term by universal adult suffrage and has limited powers. The president is not the head of government; the Prime Minister of Iceland is the head of government. There have been five presidents since...
, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson is the fifth and current President of Iceland. He has served as President since 1996; he was unopposed in 2000, re-elected for a third term in 2004, and re-elected unopposed for a fourth term in 2008. He is the longest-serving left-wing president in the history of...
, attended MR. Almost every Prime Minister of Iceland has been educated at the school apart from Halldór Ásgrímsson
Halldór Ásgrímsson
Halldór Ásgrímsson is an Icelandic politician, formerly Prime Minister of Iceland from 2004 to 2006 and leader of the Progressive Party from 1994 to 2006.-Education and early life:...
, Ólafur Jóhannesson
Ólafur Jóhannesson
Ólafur Jóhannesson was the fifteenth Prime Minister of Iceland for the Progressive Party on two occasions. He was a member of the Progressive Party, serving as party chairman during the 1980s.-Career:...
and Þorsteinn Pálsson
Þorsteinn Pálsson
Þorsteinn Pálsson or Thorsteinn Pálsson is a former Prime Minister of Iceland for the Independence Party. He served from 8 July 1987 to 28 September 1988...
. Geir H. Haarde, Davíð's successor as chairman of the Independence Party
Independence Party (Iceland)
The Independence Party is a centre-right political party in Iceland. Liberal conservative and Eurosceptic, it is the second-largest party in the Althing, with sixteen seats. The chairman of the party is Bjarni Benediktsson and vice chairman is Ólöf Nordal....
and former Prime Minister, also took over from him as chairman of the student body ("inspector scholae"). The current President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson is the fifth and current President of Iceland. He has served as President since 1996; he was unopposed in 2000, re-elected for a third term in 2004, and re-elected unopposed for a fourth term in 2008. He is the longest-serving left-wing president in the history of...
, was also the president of the other student body, Framtíðin.
Some notable Icelandic authors have also attended MR, amongst them Tómas Guðmundsson
Tómas Guðmundsson
Tómas Guðmundsson was an Icelandic author. He was known as Reykjavík's poet ....
, Guðmundur G. Hagalín
Guðmundur G. Hagalín
Guðmundur G. Hagalín came from the sea-girt Western Fiords of Iceland, where he was a fisherman before attending secondary school. Later, he lectured on Iceland in Norway for a few years , and became a superintendent of public libraries. His home was fairly near Reykjavík...
, and Davíð Stefánsson
Davíð Stefánsson
Davíð Stefánsson from Fagriskógur was a famous Icelandic poet and novelist, best known as a poet of humanity....
. Halldór Kiljan Laxness, a Nobel-prize winning author, also attended the school for some time but dropped out. Another attendee, Niels Ryberg Finsen
Niels Ryberg Finsen
Niels Ryberg Finsen was a Faroese-Danish physician and scientist of Icelandic descent. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology in 1903 "in recognition of his contribution to the treatment of diseases, especially lupus vulgaris, with concentrated light radiation, whereby he has...
won the Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
in medicine.
Noted Icelandic scholar Sveinbjörn Egilsson
Sveinbjörn Egilsson
Sveinbjörn Egilsson was an Icelandic theologian, classicist, teacher, translator and poet. He is best known for the work he did during his time as the rector of The Learned School of Reykjavík , particularly his translations of Homer's Odyssey and Iliad into Icelandic.-Life:Sveinbjörn was born in...
served as the first rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the school from its founding in Reykjavík in 1846.
Culture and traditions
Due to the high age and long history of the school, many traditions have evolved between the students. For example: The hall fight and singing of the Brevitate Vitae. Six dances are held every year, including the costume-ball and the freshman-ball. Many clubs have been founded in MR, these include: An Art club (with five divisions for: Visual art, music, dancing, literature and films), Herranótt acting guild (the oldest theatric club in northern Europe), Computer academy and a Nerd club (which merged and became known as The Academy), Traveller's club, Sport's club, Riding club, Science club, Novelist club, Chess club and the Rowing club (which was historically a club for rowing, but is now a male-cheerleading team).The Hall Fight
Every year at the end of spring semester the students of MR organize a fight in the halls of the main building. A bell is placed on the ground floor of the building and the seniors aim to reach that bell and ring it while other students try to fight them and prevent them from doing so. Should the seniors succeed their task, the younger students are to attend next class. During the fight, some or all senior students are covered in dirt. This event was cancelled permanently after the current Inspector Platearum (a senior student who is responsible for ringing the school bells and is furthermore the leader of the seniors in the Hall Fight) broke his neck in the fight.The Freshmen Day
One day in the first weeks of school is a special day for newcomers (Icelandic: busadagur), this day is held in all junior colleges in the country and is not only the tradition of Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík, although the traditions regarding this day vary greatly between schools. The day starts with the seniors dressing up in white togaToga
The toga, a distinctive garment of Ancient Rome, was a cloth of perhaps 20 ft in length which was wrapped around the body and was generally worn over a tunic. The toga was made of wool, and the tunic under it often was made of linen. After the 2nd century BC, the toga was a garment worn...
cloaks and painting their faces. The seniors then march around the school and gather the newcomers out to the school grounds where they then thrown high into the air. The tradition of throwing newcomers into the air is old - but the part of dressing up in toga was added by seniors in 1991 (graduating in 1992). On this day (and the next few days after) students tend to sing the song "De Brevitate Vitae
De Brevitate Vitae
"De Brevitate Vitae" , more commonly known as "Gaudeamus Igitur" or just "Gaudeamus", is a popular academic commercium song in many European countries, mainly sung or performed at university graduation ceremonies...
." The following night a freshmen ball is held.
The Violin Dance (Fiðluballið)
The violin dance is by many described as a fancy promenade ball where live violin music is played and students wear their best garments while dancing elegantly. The tradition was started in the 60's and was meant to be an iconoclasm to the hippie culture at the time. Reverend Geir Waage is rumored to have been the originator of the dance. It was only held once, although in 1992 it was resurrected by Dagur B. EggertssonDagur B. Eggertsson
Dagur Bergþóruson Eggertsson M.D. is an Icelandic politician who became the mayor of Reykjavík in 2007. He is the current vice-chairman of the Social Democratic Party. He was first elected to the city council of Reykjavík in a 2002 election and became the mayor on October 16, 2007...
, inspector scholae . It is now an annual event for graduating students.
Publications
The two student bodies maintain a number of periodic publications. Amongst them are:- Skólablaðið Skinfaxi - Articles about the past year; published annually. Originally two publications, Skólablaðið and Skinfaxi, respectably, but merged in 2009.
- Menntaskólatíðindi - A newspaper about daily life and events in the school; published roughly once every month by Skólafélagið.
- Loki Laufeyjarson - A similar publication to Menntaskólatíðindi, but published by Framtíðin, a second student body.
- De Rerum Natura - A scientific magazine published by the science club every year. Named after Lucretius'LucretiusTitus Lucretius Carus was a Roman poet and philosopher. His only known work is an epic philosophical poem laying out the beliefs of Epicureanism, De rerum natura, translated into English as On the Nature of Things or "On the Nature of the Universe".Virtually no details have come down concerning...
De Rerum Natura. This magazine has not been published recently due to low funding. - Yggdrasill & The Novelist News - Two magazines published by the Novelist club every year.
- Vetur - An annual photographic newspaper with pictures of stundents, daily life and social life in MR.
- Businn - A monthly newspaper for freshmen, written by juniors for juniors.
- Idus Martii - An annual magazine about history, ancient languages and classics. Published by 3rd year students of the classical language department on the Ides of MarchIdes of MarchThe Ides of March is the name of the 15th day of March in the Roman calendar, probably referring to the day of the full moon. The word Ides comes from the Latin word "Idus" and means "half division" especially in relation to a month. It is a word that was used widely in the Roman calendar...
. - Morkinskinna - Published annually in the beginning of autumn. A handbook containing information about the school and its students and a study diary. Named after MorkinskinnaMorkinskinnaMorkinskinna is an Old Norse kings' saga, relating the history of Norwegian kings from approximately 1025 to 1157. The saga was written in Iceland around 1220, and has been preserved in a manuscript from around 1275....
.
Debating
MR is a member of Mælsku- og rökræðukeppni framhaldsskóla á Íslandi (MorfÍs, The Icelandic Junior College Debating Society), which holds an annual debating competition between Icelandic junior colleges. Since its foundation in 1984, MR has won the finals five times. The students of MR regularly hold debating competitions among themselves. These competitions are held very often and a lot of traditions have evolved around them. "Framtíðin" is a debating society for MR students and it is also one of the oldest clubs in Iceland (founded in 1883). Sólbjartur is an annual debating competition in which each class of MR is free to send one or more teams to debate. The winning team receives the title "Sólbjartur" (Literally: Sun-bright) and the best debater of the winning team receives the title "Orator Scholae" (Latin: Spokesman of the school). Another annual competition is held, called "Orator Minor" (Latin: The next-best spokesman). Orator Minor is a competition where people debate about randomly selected subjects in one-on-one battles and only have ten minutes to prepare their speeches. However, Orator Minor, from the year 2007, is held more than once every year, even up to five times.Quizzing
MR is greatly renowned for its excellent results in Gettu beturGettu betur
Gettu betur is an Icelandic team quiz show, broadcast on public television channel RÚV. Each team consists of three students from each of Iceland's gymnasiums. Two teams play against each other in each episode. Two preliminary rounds are broadcast on radio station Rás 2, followed by televised...
, an annual quiz show for gymnasiums on the Icelandic national television. MR has won the quiz show 14 times out of 23, including an eleven-times winning streak 1993-2003. MR is the current holder of the trophy Hljóðneminn (2009). An annual quiz competition is held, for which each class sends in one or more teams to compete against others. This competition is called "Ratatoskur", named after the famous squirrel from Nordic mythology.
MR-VÍ
One day in October each year, the students of MR and its rival school, Verzlunarskóli Íslands (Commercial College of Iceland), meet in the "Hljómskálagarður" park in down-town Reykjavík, where various games and competitions are held. These include: sprinting, soccer, rowing, giant-chess (later replaced with ordinary chess), screaming, tug-o-war, competitive eating, arm wrestling, car stuffing and the infamous Mexican-run. The night of that day, a debating competition between the two schools is held.Education
MR is renowned for its traditional and classical style of education.MR offers two separate "paths" which students choose when enrolling in the school. These are a natural science path and a language path. The natural science path divides into a biology department and a physics department on the third year, while the language path divides into modern language department and a classical language department. MR is the only school in Iceland which teaches mandatory Latin in some form.
In earlier years the school offered a six years course of study before it was shortened into four years. Thus the first year is called "third form", the second year is called "fourth form" and so on.
Housing
The number of students has grown rapidly since the founding of the school. This has led to the expanding of the school's housing. The flagship and main building of the school is still the front house, Gamli Skóli (literally: The Old School), which was built in 1846. Several houses and additions have been built since. These buildings include:- Íþaka (IthacaIthacaIthaca or Ithaka is an island located in the Ionian Sea, in Greece, with an area of and a little more than three thousand inhabitants. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It lies off the northeast coast of Kefalonia and...
) is the library and study hall of MR. It was built in the year 1867 as a gift to Icelanders from Charles Kelsall, a wealthy English merchant. It takes its name form both the legendary island of Ithaca, Greece and Ithaca, New York, the home of Charles Kelsall. The ground floor is a reading hall and an historical archive. The upper floor is the oldest library in Iceland. - Fjósið (The Cowshed) is a small wooden house with two classrooms. It was originally used to store fire-fighting equipment and later used to house the rector's cows.
- Íþróttahöllin (The Sports-Palace) is the oldest sports hall in Iceland and for a long time it was the biggest one, although it is thought to be very small and outdated by today's standards. It was the site of the first international sporting event in Iceland, a handball game between Iceland and Denmark.
- Þrælakistan (The Sweatshop) is a very small building connected to the Sports-Palace. It is a small gym and currently contains modern weight-lifting equipment but has historically contained antiquated equipment.
- Casa Christi (Latin: House of Christ) is an old building with several classrooms. It is relatively big compared to other houses in the area. This building was once used by the Reykjavík YMCAYMCAThe Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
, thus the name "Casa Christi". It is thought to be ugly and in bad condition and has been noted by the students and faculty as smelling distinctly of chlorineChlorineChlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...
. The building is due for demolishing in near future for a new and better building to be constructed. - Casa Nova (Latin: New House) is a relatively young building and the largest one in the complex. It has many classrooms and is also the center for the students' social gatherings. A comfort lounge and a cafeteria is located in the basement of the building. It was originally built in the 1960s but underwent major restoration in 2006.
- Villa Nova (Latin: New Apartment) is the groundskeeper's shed and a storage room for the school. It also used to house the offices of the student bodies before Amtmannsstígur 2 was taken into service.
- Elísabetarhús (Elizabeth's House) also known as "Minni Elísabetar" (Memoirs of Elizabeth) is the latest addition to the school's housing. It has several classrooms, including some of the most perfect educational laboratories in Iceland. Known as Casa Subuculae before it was fully taken into service. It was a gift from the former owner of the house, whose wife, Elísabet, had recently died.
- Amtmannsstígur 2 is the teachers' lounge. It also houses offices and serves as a meeting place for the student bodies.
- Menntaskólaselið or simply selið, built 1938, is a house far outside of Reykjavík, close to the southern town of Hveragerði. It is a rural dwelling used for student trips and vacations. It was most recently used in 2011 after having not been used for 10 years due to bad state.
Rectors from 1846
1846-1851: Sveinbjörn EgilssonSveinbjörn EgilssonSveinbjörn Egilsson was an Icelandic theologian, classicist, teacher, translator and poet. He is best known for the work he did during his time as the rector of The Learned School of Reykjavík , particularly his translations of Homer's Odyssey and Iliad into Icelandic.-Life:Sveinbjörn was born in...
1851-1867: Bjarni Jónsson
1867-1872: Jens Sigurðsson
1872-1895: Jón Þorkelsson
1895-1904: Björn M. Ólsen
1904-1913: Steingrímur ThorsteinssonSteingrímur ThorsteinssonSteingrímur Thorsteinsson was an Icelandic poet and writer. He translated many works of literature into Icelandic, including Arabian Nights and the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen.-External links:**...
1913-1928: Geir Zoëga
1928-1929: Þorleifur H. Bjarnason
1929-1956: Pálmi Hannesson
1956-1965: Kristinn ÁrmannssonKristinn ÁrmannssonKristinn Ármannson was the rektor of Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík from 1956–1965. He is the author of Latin Grammar, a book still used in all schools that teach Latin in Iceland.-References:*...
1965-1970: Einar Magnússon
1970-1996: Guðni Guðmundsson
1996-2001: Ragnheiður Torfadóttir
2001-Present: Yngvi Pétursson