Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket


Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket is a coeducational independent school for boarding and day students between the 7th and 12th grades. Located in Sigtuna, Sweden, it is considered as one of the most prestigious secondary institutions in Europe. Highly noted for its emphasis of Swedish education with international characteristics, it has educated generations of the Swedish elite as well as children of Swedes living abroad. International students around the world and local families in Sigtuna or nearby suburbs with children performing at an exceptional level have also been enrolled to SSHL.
As a non-profit private boarding school, management of the SSHL's financial and physical resources is jointly overseen by Sigtuna Skolstiftelse, the Sigtunastiftelsen and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, all are trustees drawn from citizens of Sigtuna and the school alumni. Day-to-day operations are headed by a school director and a principal, who is appointed by the trustees.
Many of SSHL's alumni go on to attend prestigious Swedish or foreign universities. Among the alumni of SSHL include the current King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf and Olof Palme, the former Prime Minister of Sweden. Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket is a member of the global G20 Schools group.

History

Dating back to the mid-1920s, there existed two elite boarding schools within the town of Sigtuna. Sigtunastiftelsens Humanistiska Läroverk, which the current campus is now positioned on was founded by bishop Manfred Björkquist, and Sigtunaskolan, the other boarding school was founded by Theologican Harry Cullberg.
The two schools merged in 1980 to form Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket on where Sigtunastiftelsens Humanistiska Läroverk used to stand, a hill on the western side of Sigtuna.

Education

Classes at SSHL are held Monday through Friday. Boarding students are often offered to attend lectures and educational interventions on specific Sundays, known at the school as "Academic Sunday." Emphasizing on the school's primary principle of offering a Swedish educational experience with international characteristics, the school offers programs both in Swedish as well as English.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

As one of the first schools in Sweden to offer the IB Diploma Programme, SSHL offer students from 7th to 10th grade to attend the IB Middle Years Programme and final year students to undertake the highly rigorous two year Diploma program. The school offer a variety of subjects to cater to the diverse body of students taking the program at SSHL and offer support CAS, a central emphasis of the iB program by organizing service trips to Laos, Nepal and Kenya. Students at SSHL studying the iB achieve a point average of 31.

Business Management and Economics (Ekonomiprogramet)

Offered in both Swedish and English, this three-year course is available for those wanting a career in business, finance, marketing, leadership and management. Established in 2011 at SSHL, the course provides a modern and good theoretical basis for further business studies in Sweden or abroad.
The course centers on the following topics; entrepreneurship and business economics, private law, modern languages, psychological business, entrepreneurship and business development, and business economics.

Social Science Programme (Samhällsvetenskapsprogrammet)

One of the signature courses at SSHL, the Social Science Program is only available in Swedish and is a three-year program that cater to students who has yet been able to formulate a clear path in what they want to become in the future by offering an experience similar to liberal art colleges, however, with an emphasis on social sciences such as politics and history.

Swedish middle school (Grundskolan)

Offering education similar to schools around Sweden with an international emphasis, this course is the alternative to the iB Middle Years Programme for students who wish to partake in a more Swedish educational experience. Starting in 7th grade and ending in 9th grade, the Grundskolan is a compulsory course for students not doing the MYP.

Campus facilities

Academic facilities

Each of the six high school boarding houses can house up to 30 boarding students every school year, and possess house traditions in a manner that can be related to traditions found in fraternities and sororities in American universities.

Boys

Students who go to SSHL are required to wear the school uniform on Wednesdays, which is a suit for boys and a blazer & blouse for girls. For the rest of the week, there is no formal dress code and students can dress the way they see fit if it is appropriate.
One of the main aspects of social life at SSHL is the variety of school sports. The school organizes an annual sports competition, the Hemseries, between boarding homes, where boarders compete in different sports across different events. The competition runs from September to May of the following year and continues to remain essential to maintaining Sigtunan traditions. SSHL is also a member of NECIS, the Northwest European Council of International Schools, where it takes part in sports competitions held between eleven international schools in Northern Europe.
SSHL has over 20 active student organizations for students to participate in throughout their time at school. Examples include SRK, which organizes formal parties for last-year students; ARCU, which organizes themed events throughout the year and the annual ARCU-Galan; or the Kenya Project, which organize annual charity trips to Kenya to support local students.
Every boarding home has a Hemråd, a House Committee that consists of a Prefect, a Vice Prefect, a Sports Advisor and a Home Advisor. Positions in the Hemråd are decided through a campaigning and election process within the home and the term length of each Hemråd spans one school year. Each home continues to maintain its distinct secret traditions and rules as observed by the Hemråd.
The school has some 550 to 600 students. Day students make up the majority of the population in middle school, while the reverse is true for grades 10 to 12, the equivalent of high school. Overall, half of the student population are boarders.

Alumni

Famous alumni include: