General History
Did you know that Norra Latin’s history stretches all the way back to the 19th century? That’s almost 200 years ago! So let’s delve into its history.
In 1880, it was founded as a high school for upper-class boys. While this was originally not intended to be the case, the location of the building made it convenient for officials and upper-class citizens. Eventually, the school started bringing in boys from other neighborhoods. As for girls, they were granted entry to Norra Latin in 1961, around the time when women started getting an education in higher fields like medicine. However, the school closed down in 1982, after 102 years of instruction, as the ownership was transferred to the Swedish Trade Union Confederation. Finally, in 1989, it was renamed City Conference Center (CCC), reopened its gates, and became a place where conferences and meetings were held.
Today, as we all know, Norra Latin is used by middle and upper school SIS students and teachers. The history of Norra Latin only continues and we are a new part of that history.
More about the building
Famous Swedish architect Helgo Zettervall was hired to design the school in a palace-like Renaissance style. We’ve all seen the beautiful paintings on the walls of each floor, right? The cost of all the furnishings, building, and the land exceeded SEK 1,135,00, which is well over SEK 20,000,000 today. The building has over 30 rooms of different sizes which were used as meeting rooms and are now being used as our classrooms. Not to forget that there is also an auditorium which can accommodate 400 people.
Future plans for the building
Wondering when you will be able to see the auditorium, or as it is referred to in Swedish, the ‘Aula’? While the renovation of the Aula was supposed to be done by the start of this school year, a crack that was found in the wall, which is an important part of the structure, delayed these renovations significantly. Right now, there is no concrete date of when it will be safe to use.
Aside from the Aula, students can expect to gain access to many new rooms like a soundproof recording studio, a music room, a cafeteria, etc. These will all be located on the first floor and hopefully be available to the students from October break onwards.
What about the fifth floor? The fifth floor will be mainly offices. The student health will be located there as well and students can have privacy when meeting with the counselors or the nurse. In addition, Upper School students will be able to use the balcony area of the Aula where there will be study areas and seating areas with cushions.
One last question: have you heard all the commotion going on outside? Well, the school is currently in the process of building a playground. There is a lot of digging going on because the ground will soon freeze with winter rapidly approaching. When everything is done, students can expect to see a football field, a basketball court, ping pong tables, and hangout areas by the trees.
As you can see, there are many plans aimed towards creating a better school environment for the students and teachers. Let’s hope that the renovations go smoothly and we will gain access to all these areas by the start of the second semester.
