Letkajenkka, pulkkamäki and Karelian pies - Harjunrintine school is the most international in Riihimäki

Harjunrinne School is the most international school in Riihimäki, as Portuguese, Lithuanian or Turkish languages ​​can regularly be heard in the school corridors. The school is involved in several international projects, through which pupils, parents and teachers from Riihimäki host guests from elsewhere.

The morning of the guests is always spent with the student staying at the school in regular lessons and working on projects. In the afternoons on excursions.

"Guests are often invited to Riihimäki in winter so they can experience the snow. We always go to Hirvijärvi in ​​Kotaniemi to take a sauna and take a dip in the open air. Winter swimming is a new experience for many people from Riksho too! We also try skiing, ice skating and the sledding hill with the guests," says Vesa Vanhanen, the history and social studies teacher who leads international activities.

The home hosts of foreign guests can be found easily when Vanhanen sends a query with a Wilma message first to the ups and downs, then to the downs and downs. The guests become positive and broadening experiences for the students, and the parents appreciate the activity. Some families have even become friends.

"When we have guests, it is the evening for the hosts and the young people before the guests arrive. In the same way, before our students' trip, there is a parents' evening, to which the students also come."

Twin Cities School

The international activity started more than 15 years ago, when Vanhanen contacted the middle school of Riihimäki's friend town, Olainen, Latvia. Soon, 20 students went there to visit, and the people of Olaine came for a return visit. The students stayed in homes.

"Thanks to the good experiences, the operation began to expand. Next came the international program between the Nordic countries and the Baltic countries, during which the students have a project, which in our school is often related to robotics or environmental issues."

In January, 20 middle school students from Slovenia, Turkey, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal will come to Harjurinte, focusing on environmental issues. They stay in homes.

"Together with the guests, we do carbon footprint measurements and a video dictionary of climate-related words in different languages. In the clothing tuning workshop, flea clothing is made even better."

Guests of the previous sustainable development project had to search for a virtual well in Riihimäki through an augmented reality application for mobile phones. When the old-fashioned pump well appeared on the mobile phone, they had to answer the related questions.

"When the Maltese and Italians visited us last year, they were able to bake Karelian pies under the guidance of a Karelian grandmother. Most countries have no home economics education at all, and our well-equipped home economics class is always admired.”

Internationality is the school's positive everyday life

Pupils from Riihimäki regularly visit Slovenia from the robotics team, and pupils who are fond of robotics are selected there. The school has an active robotics club, where students design a robot in small groups. It must be able to do the given task either with remote control commands or programming.

"At the beginning of February, we have finished the Robotics Championship in Riihimäki. With six students and two teachers, we are going to Slovenia at the beginning of the year for the robotics competition as administrators and also to participate in the competition."

With international guests and trips, students are encouraged to speak English. Especially on the trip, according to Vanhanen, they speak boldly, even if at home they doubt their social abilities and language skills. They find that they speak English well and are often more outgoing than students from many other countries.

"Students need to be encouraged to perform on the trip and lead groups here as well. One student, who was not very outgoing, pulled a hose reel in Malta as a warm-up game for about 50 people. In other words, at best, they find new traits in themselves."

In the spring, Harjurinte students go to visit Slovenia, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Malta. First, we always try to choose the oldest, i.e. first graders and those going on a trip for the first time.

"This is a great and equal opportunity for students, because leaving is not about money. Erasmus+ is EU money, so students do not pay anything for exchanges. Many students have been on a plane and abroad for the first time."

Many kinds of projects

• Within the framework of the Erasmus+ program, millions of European young people and students can study and practice abroad with the support of the program. Erasmus+ is EU money, so students do not pay anything for exchanges. In 2023, Harjurinte School will participate in several Erasmus+ projects.
• The Board of Education has granted the Harjunrinne school Erasmus accreditation from February 1.2.2022, 2022. It is a promise of funding for international operations for the years 2027–XNUMX.
• Scope is Sustainability Connects Europe, i.e. a sustainable development project focusing on environmental issues. It has students from Slovenia, Turkey, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Finland.
• ARTse, i.e. Augmented Reality Enhanced Toolkit for sustainable Education, is a Maltese-led project in which students are taught about sustainable development through augmented reality. The Artse team includes Italy, Malta and Finland.
• NordPlus is an international program between the Nordic and Baltic countries, whose project at our school is often related to robotics or environmental issues.

Reija Ypyä