24 Østerbro International School embraces full IB transition

24
SCHOOLS
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
7 - 13 November 2014
Østerbro International School embraces full IB transition
Allison White, the co-ordinator of the IB Diploma Programme, and Nedzat Asanovski, the headteacher
City establishment to become one
of only two schools in Denmark to
offer all three IB programmes
co-ordinator, Allison White
(AW), to discuss the school’s
progress.
CHRISTIAN WENANDE
How is the transition to
becoming a full IB school
progressing?
NA: At the moment we are
considered a candidate school
for all three programs of the
IB: the Primary Years Programme (PYP – kindergarten
to grade 5), the Middle Years
Programme (MYP – grades 6
to 10) and the Diploma Programme (DP – grades 11 and
12).
AW: We have a grade ten
class right now who are starting
their final year of the MYP and
will be transitioning into the
diploma courses next year.
J
UST OVER five years ago,
the Østerbro International
School in Copenhagen
opened its doors for the first
time to 60 students. Now the
school has 280 students and
recently announced that it is
opening a high school that
will enable the school to offer
the entire International Baccalaureate (IB) education, from
kindergarten to graduation.
The Weekly Post sat down
with the head of the school,
Nedzat Asanovski (NA), and
the IB Diploma Programme
How important is it for
the students to be able to
complete the full IB course
at ØIS?
NA: In the past, our students
had to go to other IB schools to
finish off their IB studies after
the ninth grade, but then the
parents expressed an interest
for the school to open a high
school as well because it wasn’t
optimal that our students had
to transfer to other schools after the ninth grade.
The school is quite new,
having opened its doors as
recently as 2009. How far
have you come?
AW: We’ve made a lot of progress in a very, very short
amount of time with the
implementation of two IB programmes along with a third
starting this year. Our school
is almost completely full at the
moment, and we are looking at
possibly expanding in the future.
NA: Yes, and we just opened
our new library and media
centre and embrace the use
of technology. All of our 10th
grade students have Apple
MacBook Airs, while the middle-year students have iPads.
What are the benefits of being able to offering a full IB
education?
AW: It’s very important to
us. We will be one of only
two schools in the whole of
Denmark to offer all three IB
programmes. So this will so-
lidify our position as being one
of the best options for international students in this country.
And it’s very positive that the
students have a group of teachers that move up with them
through the years because you
have continuity and develop
close relations between the students and teachers.
What makes the IB such a
valuable education platform?
AW: The IB education is designed to be globally mobile.
So you know it will be the same
or close to the same in other
cities. Students who do well in
their IB Diploma exams can often take those results and skip
the first year of university in
those subject areas.
HALLOWEEN
AT NGGID
On Thursday 30 October NGGID
celebrated Halloween.
I
N THE AFTERNOON,
the NGGID Primary students enjoyed spooky, scary
activities and competitions
including one for the best and
most original Halloween outfit
and the best Halloween cake!
In the evening, the NGGID
Secondary students danced
their way into Halloween with
a spooky Halloween Disco.
Bewitching cake magic displayed by Toni Bird
The wicked bride in white
The Good, the Bad and the Naughty