School festival becomes a neighbourhood festival

Cultural days that attract attention beyond the school district and add a fun touch to the community.

Ásland School yesterday received the 2016 recognition from the Hafnarfjörður Education Council for its annual cultural days, which are based on the active participation of all pupils, teachers and parents. The cultural days have evolved from being a school festival into a neighbourhood festival, where all interested parties are welcome to open performances by all classes and to a canteen run entirely by Year 10 pupils, who handle the production, service and running of the event.

The Culture Days at Áslandsskóli were held for the thirteenth year in a row in mid-March, and this year the project was: Hafnarfjörður – my town.  The days become more extensive with each passing year, as a large number of visitors come to the school during the three days the cultural days are held to view the work the students have produced under the dedicated guidance of the school staff. This year, the students„ interpretations were very diverse and the forms of presentation varied, but the execution and interpretation were carried out in collaboration by the students themselves. This year's musical, “Do You Believe in Weird Tales', was the brainchild of the school's music teacher, Diana Ivarardóttir, and naturally had a direct connection to Hafnarfjörður, drawing on old stories, Hafnarfjörður jesters, tricksters and famous residents, to name but a few. It is safe to say that the musical was a hit, directed by its creator who was ably assisted by the students and their Year 3 form tutor. The Culture Days add a fun dimension to school life and the community in Áslandið, and today's guests are not only drawn from the ranks of proud parents.

Recognition by the Education Council for pedagogical development and collaboration in school practice

It was Fanney D. Halldórsdóttir, Director of Education and Leisure Services for the City of Hafnarfjörður, and Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, Chair of the Education Committee, who presented Ásland School with the Education Committee's award for the Culture Days. The head teacher and deputy head teacher of Ásland School, Leifur S. Garðarsson and Unnur Elfa Guðmundsdóttir, accepted the award on behalf of the school's staff. They then passed the award on to Diana Ivarsdottir, the music teacher, to emphasise the important contribution of all the school's staff to the project. The citation for the award reads: „Ásland School's Culture Days are a few school days each year where a diverse range of learning takes place through various teaching methods on a variety of topics. In addition, the cultural days are a celebration in the school, which concludes with an open house where parents and other guests are welcome to see the results of the work. The festival makes the students“ learning visible to others, giving them an opportunity to share their own learning and perform in various ways, for example, in singing, drama, and presentations. The award is a token of appreciation and encouragement for the school, highlighting the importance of opening up its work to the community. It also gives pupils the opportunity to learn in a more diverse way, performing in public as part of the school's activities."

Since 2008, the Education Committee of the City of Hafnarfjörður has awarded 1-3 awards each year to individual school projects that are considered exemplary and characteristic of creative school work in Hafnarfjörður. In recent years, numerous projects have received the award, projects that have been guided by initiative, professionalism and responsibility, and which promote collaboration, application and development in school activities and pedagogy. The aim is to highlight the value and importance of school activities in Hafnarfjörður.