Ressu Upper Secondary School

Ressu Upper Secondary School
Ressun lukio

The façade of Ressu from Lönnrotinkatu
Finnish: "Tee työsi ilolla, velvollisuutesi kunnialla."
Address
Kalevankatu 8-10
Helsinki, Uusimaa
Finland
Coordinates 60°10′01″N 24°56′18″E / 60.16694°N 24.93833°E / 60.16694; 24.93833Coordinates: 60°10′01″N 24°56′18″E / 60.16694°N 24.93833°E / 60.16694; 24.93833
Information
Type Upper Secondary School
Established 1891 (1891)
Principal Ari Huovinen
Grades 10-12
Number of students 680
Newspaper Pärskeitä
Website www.hel.fi/hki/ressul/fi/Etusivu

Ressu Upper Secondary School (Finnish: Ressun lukio) is a school located in central Helsinki, Finland. Founded in 1891, Ressu is one of the oldest Finnish speaking schools and considered to be one of the most prestigious schools in Finland. Ressu is one of the most difficult upper secondary schools to gain entry to in Finland, with admission typically requiring grade point averages above 9.3 on the Finnish scale of 4.0 (the lowest) to 10.0 (the highest). Students in Ressu have a reputation of moving onto illustrious careers in further education, in a range of top universities both in Finland and abroad. The current principal is Ari Huovinen from Helsinki.

History

The school was founded in 1891 at which time it was called Helsingin Suomalainen Realilyseo (the Helsinki Finnish Real Lyceum), at which point it only taught male students. The teaching concentrated on broadening the previously strict and narrow subject areas, that were held mostly in Latin, to also include other languages as well as a selection of sciences. Gradually the school's name changed. In 1914 it became "Helsingin Suomalainen Lyseo," and in 1950, due to pressure from the school's Swedish-speaking minority, it was changed to simply "Helsingin Lyseo." When governorship of the school transferred from the Republic of Finland to the city of Helsinki in 1977, the school was told to choose a name based on its geographic location. However, due to large-scale student campaigning, the school was officially named after its long-standing nickname: Ressun lukio.[1]

Campus

The campus of Ressu Upper Secondary School consists of a single building in central Helsinki. It is situated on Lönnrotinkatu, across the road from the Old Church of Helsinki. The building is divided into four floors, with the lowest floor lacking dedicated classrooms and instead hosting other facilities for students, such as the school's cafeteria "Papa Huovinen's" (facetiously named after the school's principal), the school's library, two computer rooms, and the offices of the school's doctors.

Curriculum

Ressun lukio offers the Finnish upper comprehensive programme held in Finnish, as well as the English IB Diploma Programme since 2002. Their first IB graduates graduated in 2005.[2] About 120 of the 700 students are in the IB section, and the rest are taught in Finnish. The International Baccalaureate students tend to continue their education in Higher Education abroad, typically the United Kingdom and the United States.

Students of the International Baccalaureate in Ressu have the option to study the following subjects:[6]

Extracurricular activities

The Ressu Chess Club is one of the top-performing chess clubs in the Helsinki regional area. In their second year the students also have the possibility of partaking in Wanhojen tanssit (resembles the U.S equivalent of prom), and perform traditional ballroom dances in the White Hall (Valkoinen Sali) in the center of Helsinki, near to the Home of the President on Helsinki Esplanad. Other extracurricular activities include the school choir, debate club, and the school newspapers.

Ressu Traditions

Ressu legend holds that upon graduation, the graduating class of students compose a Bingo game, made up of the catch-phrases that the Principal is expected to say upon his congratulatory speech and printed onto sheets of paper which are distributed to the audience. Any student who attains a Bingo must stand up and shout out 'Bingo' in front of the graduating class. Two students are said to have attained Bingos, one of them was rebuked, but went onto an eminent career in education and ultimately became Principal of the rivalling school SYK, bringing its scores higher than those attained at Ressu in 1994.

In front of the Ressu Upper Secondary School building is a statue of Elias Lönnrot, a prominent cultural figure in Finnish history. Legend has it that during the period in which Ressu was an all-boys school, male students found a small crevice in the hollow base of the statue and hid a bundle of influential writings from the time of the Finnish Declaration of Independence in 1917. The Helsinki Cultural Society has declared the statue a protected landmark, and the issue cannot be investigated. However, popular belief holds that the papers are written by General Gustav Mannerheim and addressed to his mistress in Paris.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ http://www.hel.fi/hki/ressul/fi/In_English/School_s_history
  2. ↑ "Ressu lukio". International Baccalaureate Organization.
  3. ↑ http://www.hel.fi/hel2/tietokeskus/data/helsinki/koulutus/Helsingin_lukioiden_yhteishaun_tulokset.xls
  4. ↑ http://www.edu.vantaa.fi/lansimaki/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Lukioiden-keskiarvot-ja-pisteet-2013.pdf
  5. ↑ http://www.hs.fi/kaupunki/a1305835634693
  6. ↑ http://www.hel.fi/hki/ressulib/en/Studies
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