Ressu Upper Secondary School

Ressu Upper Secondary School (Finnish: Ressun lukio), also known internationally as Ressun lukio IB World School, is a secondary school (or gymnasium) located in central Helsinki, Finland. Founded in 1891, Ressu is one of the oldest Finnish speaking schools and considered to be one of the most prestigious schools in Finland.

Ressu Upper Secondary School
Ressun lukio
The façade of Ressu from Lönnrotinkatu
Address
Kalevankatu 8-10

Helsinki
,
Uusimaa

Finland
Coordinates60°10′01″N 24°56′18″E
Information
TypeGymnasium
Upper Secondary School
MottoFinnish: "Tee työsi ilolla, velvollisuutesi kunnialla."
Established1891 (1891)
PrincipalAri Huovinen
Grades10-12
Number of students680
Color(s)  Green,   Gold
NewspaperPärskeitä
Websitewww.hel.fi/hki/ressul/fi/Etusivu

Ressu is one of the most difficult upper secondary schools to gain entry to in Finland, with admission typically requiring grade point averages above 9.3 on the Finnish scale of 4.0 (the lowest) to 10.0 (the highest). Students in Ressu have a reputation of moving onto illustrious careers in further education, in a range of top universities both in Finland and abroad. The current principal is Mr. Ari Huovinen.

History

The school was founded in 1891, at which time it was called Helsingin Suomalainen Realilyseo (the Helsinki Finnish Real Lyceum) and at which point it only taught male students. The teaching concentrated on broadening the previously strict and narrow subject areas, that were held mostly in Latin, to also include other languages as well as a selection of sciences. Gradually, the school's name changed. In 1914, it became "Helsingin Suomalainen Lyseo", and, in 1950, due to pressure from the school's Swedish-speaking minority, it was changed to simply "Helsingin Lyseo". When governorship of the school transferred from the Republic of Finland to the city of Helsinki in 1977, the school was told to choose a name based on its geographic location. However, due to large-scale student campaigning, the school was officially named after its long-standing nickname: Ressun lukio.[1]

Campus

The campus of Ressu Upper Secondary School consists of a single building in central Helsinki. It is situated on Lönnrotinkatu, across the road from the Old Church of Helsinki. The building is divided into four floors, with the lowest floor lacking dedicated classrooms and instead hosting other facilities for students, such as the school's cafeteria "Papa Huovinen's" (facetiously named after the school's principal), the school's library, two computer rooms, and the offices of the school's doctors.

Curriculum

Ressun lukio offers the Finnish upper comprehensive programme held in Finnish, as well as the English IB Diploma Programme since 2002. Their first IB graduates graduated in 2005.[2] About 120 of the 700 students are in the IB section, and the rest are taught in Finnish. The International Baccalaureate students tend to continue their education in Higher Education abroad, typically the United Kingdom and the United States.

Entry requirements 2000-2021
Year GPA
(National
curriculum)		 Points total
(IB DP)		 Available
placings
2000–2001 9.09
2001–2002 9.18
2002–2003 9.09 15.23
2003–2004 9.18 16.09
2004–2005 9.11 16.24
2005–2006 9.18 15.06
2006–2007 9.21 15.26
2007–2008 9.31 14.86
2008–2009 9.23 14.85
2009–2010 9.38 14.75
2010–2011 9.33 15.09
2011–2012 9.29 15.85
2012–2013 9.42 13.48 210[3]
2013–2014 9.17[4] 15.34 210
2014–2015 9.50[5] 15.40 215
2015–2016 9.50[6] 15.34[6] 210
2016–2017 9.33[6] 15.32[6]
2017–2018 9.42[6] 15.22[6]
2018–2019 9.31[7] 15.10[7]
2019-2020 9.38 13.28
2020-2021 9.69 n/a

Students of the International Baccalaureate in Ressu have the option to study the following subjects:[8]

  • Group 1 (Language A): English A Language and Literature, Finnish A Literature (or a self-taught language A literature)
  • Group 2 (Language B): Finnish, French (or another language A from group 1)
  • Group 3 (Human Sciences): Economics, Environmental systems and societies, History, Psychology
  • Group 4 (Experimental Sciences): Environmental systems and societies, Biology, Chemistry, Physics
  • Group 5 (Mathematics): Mathematics analysis and approaches, Mathematics applications and interpretations
  • Group 6 (Electives): Another subject from groups 2, 3, or 4

Extracurricular activities

The Ressu Chess Club is one of the top-performing chess clubs in the Helsinki regional area. In their second year the students also have the possibility of partaking in Vanhojen tanssit (resembles the U.S equivalent of prom), and perform traditional ballroom dances in the White Hall (Valkoinen Sali) in the center of Helsinki, next to the Presidential Palace. Other extracurricular activities include the school choir, debate club, and the school newspapers.

Traditions and student life

Among students, Ressu has a constant, good-natured rivalry with two other schools in Helsinki: the Normal Lyceum of Helsinki (Norssi) and, to a lesser extent, Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu (SYK). An annual sporting day pits students of Ressu and Norssi against each other in physical competition.

Students of Ressu often use the Peanuts character Snoopy as an unofficial symbol for the school and its students, as the Finnish name for Snoopy is "Ressu". Despite this usage, the school is not affiliated with Peanuts or its creator.

Ressu legend holds that upon graduation, the graduating class of students compose a Bingo game, made up of the catch-phrases that the Principal is expected to say upon his congratulatory speech and printed onto sheets of paper which are distributed to the audience. Any student who attains a Bingo must stand up and shout out 'Bingo' in front of the graduating class. Two students are said to have attained Bingos, one of them was rebuked, but went onto an eminent career in education and ultimately became Principal of the rivaling school SYK, bringing its scores higher than those attained at Ressu in 1994.

Notable alumni

References
  1. http://www.hel.fi/hki/ressul/fi/In_English/School_s_history
  2. "Ressu lukio". International Baccalaureate Organization.
  3. http://www.hel.fi/hel2/tietokeskus/data/helsinki/koulutus/Helsingin_lukioiden_yhteishaun_tulokset.xls
  4. http://www.edu.vantaa.fi/lansimaki/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Lukioiden-keskiarvot-ja-pisteet-2013.pdf
  5. http://www.hs.fi/kaupunki/a1305835634693
  6. https://www.hel.fi/static/liitteet/opev/pukipk/alimmatkeskiarvotlukioihin2017.pdf
  7. https://www.hel.fi/static/liitteet/opev/poropk/alimmat+keskiarvot+lukioihin+2018.pdf
  8. http://www.hel.fi/hki/ressulib/en/Studies
  9. "Koulun historia". hel.fi. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  10. "Henkilöhaastattelussa Johannes Koroma – Vuoden ressu 2012" (pdf). Pärskeitä 3/2011–2012. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  11. "Mike Monroe: elossa ja potkii". Apu-lehti. 10 November 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  12. "Ressun lukion 125-vuotisjuhlaviikon ohjelma". Helsingin kaupunki. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
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