School start with a focus on well-being - community is the foundation at Birkerød Gymnasium.

Therefore, the students' well-being is a central focus at the start of school this year. This applies both to the meeting with the new students and to the school's work to create the best possible framework for learning. As part of the start, the teachers at Birkerød Gymnasium were visited by Professor of General Education Ane Qvortrup, who focused on what academic well-being actually is, and why the concept is far more nuanced than we often think.

Ane Qvortrup's research shows that well-being is not just about being happy or about everything having to be easy. Well-being is also about being able to handle adversity, challenges and situations where learning requires perseverance and courage. At the same time, she points out that well-being is developed through the communities we are a part of.

She works with three forms of well-being: emotional, social and academic. Emotional well-being is about having self-esteem, self-confidence and experiencing joy in everyday life. Social well-being is about feeling that you belong and that your commitment is recognized in the community. Academic well-being arises when students experience that they have a place in the academic community, where their participation and contribution are valued. It is precisely in school, she emphasizes, that social and academic communities are particularly important for young people's well-being and development.

This understanding also characterizes the introductory course at Birkerød Gymnasium, where well-being is built into the very first day of school. Through a series of well-being modules, the new students work with activities that help them get to know each other, build trust and create strong communities in the class. The goal is that everyone feels like they belong and gets a safe start to high school life.

But the community does not stop at the classroom door. In the middle of the introduction process, students from all three of the school's programs, STX, HF and IB, meet in joint activities that strengthen relationships across both school types and year groups. The introduction week culminates in a large speed-dating activity, where all of the school's students have the opportunity to meet each other in a variety of ways. The ambition is to create a school where community extends far beyond the individual class.

The first introduction week ends with the first Friday café of the school year, where all of the school's students are invited to games, fun and festive get-togethers. The Friday café helps to support the relationships that have arisen during the week, and gives students the opportunity to experience that community also lives outside of classes. The introduction process itself ends with a class competition in week 2. A wide range of team-building exercises test the students' cooperation and trust in each other, in a fun and inclusive way.

At Birkerød Gymnasium, well-being is not an end in itself, but the foundation for students to develop academically, socially and personally. Therefore, the work on well-being at the start of school is only the beginning. During the year, interaction modules and a wide range of academic and social activities are included across grades and school types.

The desire is that all students experience that they belong, can contribute and have the courage to face the challenges that high school offers.

Text and photo by Michael Kirkeby Salbo