Niels Steensens Gymnasium

Niels Steensens Gymnasium

• High professional standard and reflection

• International profile

• Chinese classes for all students in the primary school and a Chinese study program in the high school

Niels Steensens Gymnasium (NSG) is a private school with a primary and a high school department. Students are admitted from the 6th class. NSG is part of a worldwide network of Jesuit-schools with more than 1 million students from universities, high schools and primary schools in more than 69 countries. All are characterized by Catholic values, a high professional standard and the development of students to become reflecting individuals that take care of their fellow human beings.

High professional standard and care for others

NSG values a high professional standard where the students use their abilities in the best way possible and obtain a solid basis for their further education. NSG aims at helping to shape the students so they, at a later stage in life, can use their abilities for the benefits of society – at a local and a global level.

The NSG classes have a size that leaves more time for the individual student. NSG emphasizes both to consider students who start out with a need for further development of their qualifications, and to challenge students with special abilities.

Concern for other people, locally and globally, is a value that characterizes many school activities, including joint classes and the educational subjects, for example development strategies, environmental challenges, climate changes and refugees and integration. In addition the students in high school must participate in a 20 hours social practice program where they for instance assist in a nursing home or disability centre and become exposed to aspects of life that they otherwise might not have met.

Science

NSG places great importance on providing the students with a solid background within natural sciences. The education, both in primary and in high school, takes place in modern well equipped facilities; and a significant part of the education is based on experiments and practical exercises. In addition the natural science classes, like other classes, have out of school activities, for example visit at the Polytechnical University, Copenhagen University, Novozymes and other companies.

Sports

Sports play an important role at the school. There are yearly sports arrangements across classes such as Christmas-volley and the physical exercise day at one of the natural preserves in North Zealand.

The school also hosts the yearly NSG cup where we receive visits from students from our partner schools around Europe, and where the guests stay in the homes of our students. Every year a number of our students receive invitations to participate in international sports arrangements at our partner schools. In that way the students spend some active days with a lot of physical exercise and establish relations to students all over Europe.

Reflexion

NSG supports that the students reflect about who they are and on the values that form the basis for their life. This is part of the daily educational programs and the subject of the regular retreats. All students attend a two days retreat every year at a retreat centre in Northwest Zealand. Here the students have the peace and quiet that allows them to focus and reflect on subjects that are relevant for their age and educational level, for example human relations, community, conflicts and future possibilities for education. NSG has received very positive feed-back on the retreats that also serve to improve the team spirits of the classes.

Strong community

There are other across class activities than sport at NSG, for example visits at the partner schools and the yearly NSG show where more than 100 students participate. This in combination with the size of the school means that NSG is a school where students know each other and spend a good time with each other – across classes and courses.

International activities

The international dimension is an important part of the NSG profile and the school aims at providing the students with an international perspective with respect and understanding of other cultures and religions.

The students are exposed to the international dimension during education, but also by interacting with teachers and staff from many different countries. In addition, the students have diverse national, religious and cultural backgrounds. They take part in study tours and are invited across classes to visit some of NSG’s partner schools in Germany and France. In addition, they can participate in two-week exchange programs at schools in Kentucky and Ohio during the 2nd year in high school.

During the summer vacation preceding the 3rd year in high school, students are selected for participation in Global Young Leaders Conference in Washington and New York where students selected around the world receive training for some weeks to develop leadership and management skills based on dialogue and international understanding

Chinese at NSG

Chinese culture is of special importance for NSG as a Jesuit school. The Jesuits were present early in China and made significant contributions to the exchange of science and culture between east and west. Inspired by this work, and in order to provide the students with optimal qualifications, everybody in primary school attends Chinese classes. We are proud to say that our school is among the most experienced in Denmark in providing Chinese and that we are the Danish school with the highest number of students attending Chinese. The NSG high school section offers Chinese both at the basic and at the advanced level and additionally, in cooperation with the Confucius Institute at Copenhagen Business School (CBS) a course that includes Chinese A, social science A and mathematics B and an exchange program with The High School Affiliated with Renmin University in Beijing.

Students from the 8th grade to the last year in high school have the opportunity every year in the winter vacation to take part in a Beijing tour where one of NSG’s Chinese teachers serves as guide.

NSG has established a good cooperation with a number of organizations and institutions working with Chinese language and culture. This makes it possible for our students to become part of an active and stimulating educational environment with many exciting activities including study trips to China, participation in international Chinese contests, for example the yearly Chinese Bridge Competition, participation in an internationally recognized diploma test in Chinese  various cultural arrangements and guest lectures.

For further information you can contact Niels Steensens Gymnasium, phone + 45 39 16 23 40, for a talk with the deputy for the primary school or the NSG principal.

Lise Baadsgaard Jepsen

Principal