Finland

Hatsala Classical School, Kuopio, Finland

Hatsala Classical School is a lower secondary school in Kuopio, Finland. It is located close to the city centre but we still have a lot of nature around us. There are good links to many sporting facilities such as the swimming hall, baseball stadium, Kuopio hall and the Puijo recreation area.
Our school has 650 pupils aged 13-16 in grades 7-9. Class sizes average between 20-24 pupils. There are approximately 50 teachers and 5 school assistants. Most of the pupils live in the local area. However, pupils who attend one of the school’s specialized streams may come from anywhere in the Kuopio area.

In addition to the many ordinary classes, there are also five specialized streams at Hatsala:  art, bilingual teaching, Latin and two separate P.E. streams. These streams are all selective except for the Latin stream. Pupils who attend the specialized streams come from all around the Kuopio area.

In our school we have lots of different events. These events – school musicals, festivals and concerts – enable the whole school to come together. School performances are very popular and pupils are very keen to perform.

The international activities play a significant role in the life of Hatsala Classical School. We are actively connected with various European schools, St. Peter’s School in Panchgani, India and the schools in Shanghai, as the Chinese metropolis is twinned with the city of Kuopio.’

This year is a very special to our school for in 2015 Hatsala will celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Kuopio – the city of lakes

Kuopio is located in Eastern Finland, more precisely in Norther Savonia. Kuopio came to a city in 1775. Kuopio has 111 000 inhabitants. Our city’s area is about 3000 km2 . Kuopio is a harbor city with various reliefs, like Puijo and Tahko. Kuopio is surrounded by lake called Kallavesi. In Kuopio we have about 5000 km2 coastline.

Our city’s market place is the centre point of Kuopio and in Kuopio there is lot of parks and launder streets, which looks beautiful in the summer time. We have a really nice main chapel called Tuomiokirkko. We also have lots of different kind of parts in Kuopio, for example Keskusta, Saaristokaupunki, Petonen, Jynkkä and Puijonlaakso.

Theatre, dance and music and various museums are a big part of Kuopio’s cultural life. In Kuopio we also have one of the biggest Universities in Finland and also Kuopio University Hospital. Sports are very important part in the everyday life of the inhabitants of Kuopio. Surrounding waters, forests and various activities keep the people moving.

Summary in finnish

Hatsalan klassillinen koulu on kuopiolainen yläaste. Koulu sijaitsee lähellä keskustaa, mutta silti luonto ja monipuoliset urheilumahdollisuudet ovat aivan käden ulottuvilla.

Koulussamme on 650 terävää 13–16-vuotiasta teiniä. Parhaimmillaan kymmenellä rinnakkaisluokalla opiskelee 20–24 oppilasta kussakin opetusryhmässä. Tätä joukkioita ohjaa 50 opettajan ja viiden kouluavustajan muodostama tiimi. Koulun oppilaat tulevat pääasiassa keskusta-alueelta, mutta etenkin painotusopetuksen luokille oppilaita tulee hyvin laajalti eri puolilta Kuopiota.

Hatsalan koulussa on viisi painotetun opetuksen ryhmää: kaksikielisen opetuksen ryhmä, kuvataide-, latina- sekä liikunta- ja urheiluluokka. Latinaryhmää lukuun ottamatta kaikkiin opetusryhmiin oppilaat valitaan pääsykokeiden kautta.

Kouluarkea piristävät erilaiset tapahtumat, kuten musikaalit, konsertit, juhlat ja teemapäivät. Näiden suosittujen tilaisuuksien lisäksi kansainvälinen toiminta kasvattaa jatkuvasti suosiotaan. Hatsalan koululla onkin yhteistyötä paitsi lukuisten eurooppalaisten koulujen, myös intialaisen St. Peter’s Schoolin sekä Kuopion ystävyyskaupunki Shanghain koulujen kanssa.