10 years of European School Copenhagen
European School Copenhagen opened its doors in August 2014, which means that this month marks the 10th anniversary of our school and community. We will take our time this week to celebrate with students and staff and appreciate how much the school has grown and developed the past decade!
The first steps towards a European School
For a while, it had been a major wish among politicians and many industries to establish a European school in Copenhagen in order to help attract international workers to the city by also ensuring school places for their children. In 2012, this led to Københavns Kommune applying for establishing a European School in collaboration with the Ministry of Children and Education.
It was finally decided in 2013 to establish ESCPH in organisational connection with Sankt Annæ Gymnasium (another school under Københavns Kommune that has Folkeskole and Gymnasium under the same roof) with a shared Campus board and a board for each school.
Skolen i Sydhavn
In 2014, the European School Copenhagen could open its doors to their first students ever. At that time, the school was located at Skolen i Sydhavnen (and later at Kirsebærhavens Skole in Valby) while the school’s own buildings were still under construction in Carlsberg Byen.
We opened with two Nursery classes and two Primary 1 classes. Today, we have grown to have a full school all the way from Nursery class to Secondary 7 with over 900 students in our Danish, English, and French language sections.
Moving to Carlsberg Byen
In November 2018, we held the official opening ceremony for our new state-of-the-art facilities in Carlsberg Byen in the heart of Copenhagen. Our students welcomed HRH Princess Marie to the new school building with an avenue of flags from all over the world. The programme included a performance of songs and a speech by our Primary students and a speech by HRH Princess Marie. The ribbon was cut, and the building was officially open – and HRH Princess Marie was given a tour of the new school as seen below.
Another milestone – The Upper Secondary
In August 2020, the first students started in the Upper Secondary in the Danish and English language section – another milestone for the school. The occasion was marked with a welcome assembly for all new Upper Secondary students where EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager came to greet the students with a speech.
Vestager’s own children have attended a European school, so she was the right keynote speaker to encourage the new Upper Secondary students on their journey towards a European Baccalaureate diploma and talk to them about international relations and the EU – also adding her own insights on European education.
Our first European Baccalaureate graduates
In June 2023, we sent off our first European Baccalaureate graduates into the world after years of hard work and dedication to their studies. The Proclamation celebration for these students was a very special day, and included band performances, sing-a-longs, and a wonderful and encouraging speech by Kira Marie Peter-Hansen (MEP and chairperson of ESCPH Board).
The class of 2023 has helped define the Upper Secondary at ESCPH by establishing fun and meaningful traditions to the benefit of all classes to come. They were also active in creating exciting committees and participating in the Student Council – an important place for our students to voice their opinions.
Following the graduation of the class of 2023, we have also established the ESCPH Alumni Association to keep our graduates connected with the school, the community and each other through different events and initiatives.
Becoming our own school
In August of 2023, the school separated from Sankt Annæ Gymnasium and the shared Campus board was therefore dissolved – which means that we are now legally our own organization with our own school board. Our identity as a whole school community is further strengthened by the way students of all ages, from nursery to upper secondary, come together for events such as Sustainability Day.
This milestone marks a new chapter in our journey; one that reinforces our mission to provide a multicultural and multilingual learning environment of the highest academic standard. At the European School Copenhagen, we are committed to developing lifelong learners and responsible global citizens, instilling in our students the values of respect, commitment, collaboration, responsibility, curiosity, and empathy.
Just as Marcel Decombis envisioned for the early European Schools, we believe that by educating our students side by side, untroubled by divisive prejudices and enriched by the diverse cultures they encounter here, we are nurturing a generation that feels deeply connected to both their own heritage and the broader European community.
10th anniversary celebration
Our 10th anniversary marks an exciting time for the school with new director Øzkan Güleryüz on board. The school opened after the summer holiday on Monday, and we welcomed our New Nursery students on Tuesday. In 2014, we welcomed 80 students and for our anniversary this year, we are welcoming back 900 students; it is safe to say that the school has grown.
Today, we will celebrate our anniversary with our dedicated staff and students who make up the European School community.
Sources:
Principles and objectives (eursc.eu)
Photo of HRH Princess Marie: Kristian Brasen