International school opens children’s eyes_Part 1

Studying at Stockholm's oldest international school gives children not only a rigorous academic education, but also a unique understanding of other cultures.

"If adults could treat each other as the students do, we would have no more wars," says Rune Svaninger, Director of Stockholm International School. As I arrived at the attractive school building in central Stockholm, the children were just coming in from their morning break.

Laughing and playing as they ran up the stairs, kids of every ethnicity were milling about on their way back to their classrooms. Stockholm International School educates 550 students from over 50 different countries. From the United States to Uzbekistan, from Sweden to Singapore. "We usually say that this is like a miniature United Nations," says Rune Svaninger, now in his third year as the school's Director. He describes one of the school's most cherished traditions.

Every year on October 24, Stockholm International School celebrates UN Day (see video below). All the students, some in national costume, line up by nationality, and waving their respective flags set off on a colourful parade around the park just across the street. "It's just a fantastic event," he says. Stockholm International School receives children between the ages of three and 19.

From its humble beginnings as a small kindergarten class, over half a century ago, to today's internationally accredited school. This term sees the school celebrating its 60th anniversary, making it the oldest International school in Scandinavia. The school, a non-profit foundation, is an authorised member of the most popular international programmes, from the lower grades' International Primary Curriculum (IPC) to the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme, all the way through the challenging IB Diploma Programme for high school students.

Source: http://www.thelocal.se/36462/20110930/