New school song for Hvaleyrarskóli's 30th anniversary

Courtesy | Responsibility | Collaboration – that's Hvaleyrarskóli 

Last school year was Hvaleyrarskóli's 30th anniversary. Last spring, we were planning to hold theme days in early April to celebrate this major milestone. Due to the situation in the community, the celebration was postponed and it was decided to link the anniversary to the end of the Friendship Week held at the school last week. Stricter measures continued to affect school activities and, consequently, the joint celebrations. Friendship was, of course, celebrated throughout the week, and the opportunity was taken to premiere Hvaleyrarskóli's new school song. Happy birthday, Hvaleyrarskóli! 

Friendship Week, appropriate for the premiere of the school song 

The school song was composed by Guðrún Árný Karlsdóttir, a music teacher at Hvaleyrarskóli. She enlisted the help of Páll S. Sigurðsson, a former pupil of Hvaleyrarskóli who now works as a school and leisure assistant at the school, for the lyrics.  They completed this project in the spring, and since then the song has been sung by the Hvaleyrarskóli Choir. Pupils have also sung the school song during assembly times, both in the spring and in the autumn. It has proved challenging during the Covid-19 pandemic to find a suitable occasion to premiere the song for as many people as possible. During Friendship Week, it was decided not to postpone the premiere any longer, but to seize the opportunity and use the week for the launch, as few things could be more fitting.  Guðrún Árný created a video for the song, and it is students from Hvaleyrarskóli's Vocal Arts elective who perform the song, accompanied by Guðrún Árný.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_hPu1hOpYs

Hvaleyrarskóli School Song 

Let's all remember to give thanks for it.
that we are given, no matter what.
With positivity and humility.
What improves our lives is courtesy.

We at Hvaleyrarskóli stand hand in hand
Nothing will sever our bonds of friendship.
Together we shine brightly like a candle
because my school is my guiding light

We always help each other
Name the time and place,
I'll bring it then.
and I stand with you.

The environment – let's take good care of it. 
And we look after each other, just as well.
We are bound by the bond of friendship.
What improves our lives is responsibility.

We at Hvaleyrarskóli stand hand in hand
Nothing will sever our bonds of friendship.
Together we shine brightly like a candle
because my school is my guiding light

We always help each other
Name the time and place,
I'll bring it then.
and I stand with you.

We offer help if there's anything wrong.
and pay close attention, think about it.
There's a lot to get on with in the hustle and bustle of the day.
What improves our lives is cooperation.

We at Hvaleyrarskóli stand hand in hand
Nothing will sever our bonds of friendship.
Together we shine brightly like a candle
because my school is my guiding light

We always help each other
Name the time and place,
I'll bring it then.
and I stand with you.

Music: Guðrún Árný. Lyrics: Palli (Páll S. Sigurðsson) and Guðrún Árný.

The history of the school 

Hvaleyrarskóli opened in the autumn of 1990 and was the youngest primary school in Hafnarfjörður until 2001. The school building was constructed in phases and is on one storey, except for the final phase which was opened in the autumn of 2004. That section is on two floors due to the slope of the site. The school building is bright and beautiful, and has high ceilings. The school was designed by Ormar Þór Guðmundsson and Örnólfur Hall. Hvaleyrarskóli was selected for a book called 'Schools for today and tomorrow' along with three other schools representing Iceland, but the foreword to this book states: „This book contains a selection of the best-designed schools in the world today. They have been chosen by an international panel selected by the OECD to inspect the buildings that house educational institutions. The schools reflect many of the best ideas that have emerged from the work of this international panel (PEB) over the past five years.“. 

The school has twenty-one general classrooms. There are also art, woodwork, textiles, home economics, science, computer, music and special education rooms. The school also has an assembly hall and a canteen where pupils eat at lunchtime. The school has a library and a health centre. The school grounds are beautifully landscaped, well-designed and well-suited for play. Building projects have kept pace with the increase in the school's student population. In the first year, there were 140 pupils in nine classes from Year 1 to Year 5. Today, there are around 450 pupils at the school and the staff number just over 60. The school building is used for various purposes other than traditional school activities. The youth club, Verið, operates in the school during the winter and is a great boost to the students' social life. In the summer, courses for children are held at the school, organised by Verið and ÍTH.

Hvaleyrarskóli places an emphasis on targeted language development, which includes pupils receiving structured training in public speaking and expressing their opinions throughout their time at the school. All classrooms are equipped with a lectern to support this work. Hvaleyrarskóli places an emphasis on health and fitness and offers a wide range of arts and crafts subjects. Hvaleyrarskóli is a SMT school, which involves a focus on reinforcing positive student behaviour and improving communication within the school.
In the 1995-1996 school year, the first pupils graduated from Hvaleyrarskóli. The school had by then become a comprehensive primary school with pupils in years 1-10. In 2004, Hvaleyrarskóli became a single-storey school for the first time, making it the last primary school in the country to do so. In 2010, the school's 20th anniversary was celebrated with great pomp and circumstance.