Few could possibly have missed the rumours that spread like wildfire this morning. It is likely to have started with someone hearing that the IB classes would be moved from Kungsholmens Gymnasium to The International School of the Stockholm Region (ISSR). These rumours soon escalated, to the point where it was assumed that the entire international section, along with the choir classes, would be removed from Kungsholmen. Some went as far as stating that Kungsholmen was going to become a completely Swedish natural science school named “Västra Real”. As a response to all this, the school has now sent an email to all the students, answering and clearing the confusion of most of the rumours.
According to the email, the director of Stockholm’s gymnasiums, Jan Holmqvist, has proposed that Kungsholmen will not accept any new IB students next year. All future IB classes will instead be moved to ISSR (International School of the Stockholm Region). In the mail it is also written that Holmqvist will meet with the school management along with a few teachers and students to discuss the matter next Tuesday. Later on during the same day he will meet with any teachers who wish to to talk to him or hear what he has to say. It is stated in the mail that the school management is strictly against Kungsholmen’s IB classes being moved to ISSR.
The rumour claiming that current IB students at Kungsholmen would have to move to ISSR is not true. Only future students starting next year or later would be affected, should the proposition become reality and be put into action. The statement about the school changing names has also turned out to be false.
As a reaction to the proposal of the IB-classes being moved from Kungsholmen, there will be a conference tomorrow (17/10) at 16.00 in the auditorium where both teachers and students will be able to participate in a discussion about the proposition. According to our sources, one of the principals has encouraged Kungsholmen’s teachers not to invite students, although this is an encouragement that has been ignored. Despite the fact that current students will not be affected, many students would like the IB classes to stay, as they see them as a natural and important part of both the international section and the school as a whole. If Kungsholmen loses its IB classes, a great deal of its character and diversity would be lost with them. For example, the “internationalism” of Kungsholmen may be questioned if the IB moves, as students attending EN or ES classes are mostly Swedish and must have a grade in Swedish to attend. Therefore all the non-Swedish students of Kungsholmen, and the powerful international presence of the school, may be lost if the IB classes are removed.
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There have been speculations about the effect that the IB’s removal will have on the school’s prolific and famed association life, an effect that will without a doubt be a negative one. IB students are required to do a certain amount of Creativity, Action and Service, otherwise known as CAS, to meet the requirements for their diploma. All of the work must be voluntary, which is one of the reasons for why many IB students are active in Kungsholmen’s association life. Without their participation, the drive and passion behind many associations may be lost, signalling a huge loss for the school as the associations play a crucial part of what makes Kungsholmen unique.
This might be a time which really will tell how strong the students’ voices are able to become. It may be stated that the students, who recognise the importance of the contribution that the IB classes make to the school, will not accept the removal of these classes without taking action. After all, this is Kungsholmen, and it is hard to believe that the students would allow the director of Stockholm’s gymnasiums, Jan Holmqvist, to suddenly change the fundamental foundation of our school.
For all of us as students at Kungsholmen: Come to the meeting and show your support. For the sake of the future of our school. For Kungsholmen to live on as the school you first applied to. For future students to choose Kungsholmen for the same reasons as you did, because they want to be part of the culturally, racially, and socially diverse environment that will only disappear when the IB does.