RCN – RESPONSE TO COVID-19 – March13th

2020-03-27T15:07:59+01:00March 17th, 2020|

UPDATE – FRIDAY, MARCH 13th

After careful consideration and consultation we have decided to keep campus open for both generations of students should they choose to remain.

As far as we know, to date, no current UWC RCN student or staff member has been infected with the Covid-19 virus. All measures put into place by our College are purely precautionary and follow the advice given by the health authorities.

Our prime concern has been, and will continue to be, keeping our student community safe and healthy. In order to be able to do so, we must minimise the risk of any current member of our community being infected and, at the same time, provide safe spaces should any community member fall ill.

We have asked all first-year students to contact their parents immediately and make a decision if they would want to remain on campus or if they want to return home for the rest of the term. We will make arrangements to support them with online contact with their class and teachers if they decide to go home. As travel is becoming more restrictive in many parts of the world these days, they should plan for the journey to happen immediately. We will provide support for the travel arrangements.

If a 2nd year student should prefer to go home for the rest of the term, following consultation with their family, they would also be granted permission and given help for travel arrangements. However, they should be aware that they would not be allowed to come back to campus given the current health advice in our part of the world. We would support them in attempts of finding an alternative IB centre for taking their examination, but are not in a position to guarantee this.

Stringent precautionary measures are being put into place on campus for the coming period to ensure the continued health of our students. Some of the most important are:

  • Visits to campus are limited to the strictly necessary
  • All programs at our centre for visitors have been cancelled, both to minimize risk of infection and to free up capacity for isolation units in case of needs
  • Students should stay on campus
  • Physical contact between students and staff who live outside should be kept to a minimum

Beyond this, we keep on stressing the normal health advice emphasising good hand hygiene, coughing to the shoulder etc.

We keep regular contact with our local health authorities and receive good advice from them. Updated information about the situation in Norway with regard to Covid-19 can be found in English here.

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Message from our students

2020-03-19T07:49:21+01:00March 17th, 2020|

One of our students made this great video with a snap shot of life on campus. UWC Red Cross Nordic might be isolating around itself. But life goes on…

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Friluftsveka 2020

2020-03-19T07:48:57+01:00March 11th, 2020|

White mountains, fjord and high spirits. That’s what Friluftsveka (Outdoor Week) is all about. Some of our students never saw snow before. Now they found themselves on skis on a steep slope and all were looking toward spending a night outside in a sleeping bag.

It was a great experience to see the students evolve. Some, that weren’t able to stand on their skis when we arrived, rocketed down the hills on the last day.

In their reflections, students often describe Friluftsveka as the experience of a life time – surely that goes for this one as well.

   

 

 

   

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Appointment of new Rektor

2020-02-13T14:51:42+01:00February 13th, 2020|

We have appointed Hege Myhre as the new Rektor for the College, starting in the school year beginning August 2020. There were many well qualified applicants for the position from all over the world. After several rounds with interviews and visits to the school, we are happy to now have Hege Myhre in place. She is currently Rektor at Kongsberg International School and has extensive experience and competence within international education. She is the first woman to be appointed in a permanent position as Rektor at UWC Red Cross Nordic and also the first Norwegian. Deputy Rektor Jo Loiterton will be acting Rektor until Myhre is in place at the beginning of the next school year.

After accepting the position, Hege wrote the following:

Thank you to each and every one in the UWC RCN family for allowing me to join your forces and take part in the myriad of opportunities ahead of us!

Taking on the role of the new Rektor is both a privilege and an honour. Privilege as I know the College houses a highly diverse student and staff body, who both represent resourcefulness and excellence in multitude ways. The level of student agency and student engagement has impressed me in all my encounters with the College, as has staff dedication and motivation. It is a privilege to be asked to build on the strengths already present on campus while seeking out the next steps for development. Further, to push for distinction of the UWC mission and values, which resonate completely with my own set of beliefs, is an honour. The bold idealism expressed in the mission is not only a mere description of hope for the future, but it is a promise and a pledge that I as an educator can commit to and should always see to role-model.

On top of this, the three pillars of RCN are connecting my sincere interests with the passion for international education. Having specialized in holistic education, I am excited about the vast opportunities the collaboration with Red Cross is bringing to the table. A residential, inclusive campus is an amazing starting point in itself for holism, but the ‘Survivors of Conflict project’ is just one great example of how the Red Cross generate additional focus on humanitarian values such as compassion, tolerance and peace. I am looking forward to seeing how the students will shape and develop their personal identity in connection with their community, having the unique opportunity to get a mini sample from the world in the beautiful scenery of Flekke.

Because beautiful it is. Breathtakingly so!

The more I have travelled the world, the more I have learned to appreciate and love the natural environment and scenery of our Norwegian nature. And Flekke with its surroundings are no exception to this admiration. Outdoor life activities in variety is an important aspect of my life, which not only enable me to stay reasonable fit, but also balances levels of stress during hectic periods. Alongside this love of outdoor life and the concern for the environment which this has manifested, and making use of my understanding and experience of this together with the College community is something I am truly looking forward to.

But what I most eagerly await is to meet you all in person. Whether you are a student, staff member, board member, alumnus, member of the national committees, member of the larger UWC family, local partner of collaboration, national or international collaborator, politician, external expert, IB professional, the list could go on. But in short – I am looking forward to meeting all stakeholders to UWC RCN. Your investment and heartfelt care for the college has in unison built the legacy of the college, and so will inform my lead when we together will embark upon the strategic development of the coming period. The excitement of the possibilities coming true is beyond any description.

With all sincerity, Hege

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