Sintermeertencollege is a catholic school in Heerlen, The Netherlands that offers four levels of education. Those four levels are: gymnasium, pre-university education, higher general secondary education and lower secondary education. Classes in the school are provided in a modern building with excellent facilities. The school is one of twenty Dutch ELOS schools, which means that these schools offer internationally oriented and high quality teaching.
There are about 1500 students from age 12-18 that go to Sintermeertencollege. The school building is big and classes in the school are provided in a modern classrooms with excellent facilities. Each class takes 45 minutes and students are given a short break between classes to change classrooms. The students get two lunch breaks, one is 15 minutes and the other is half an hour and when the school bell rings everyone must go to class. Most students come to school by their bike, even though they have to ride their bike for 30-40 minutes.
Sintermeertencollege offers three main study lines. One focuses on languages, one on economies and other on geography. In the end of the school year all students that study on same level take the big final exam that every student in the Netherlands has to pass.
The school provides a library, big cafeteria and a sport hall where all kinds of sports can be played. In 2004 the school was the first Dutch school to be certified as a “sport active school”. A “sport active school” is constantly busy optimizing physical exercise and extracurricular activities. The school also has a student council that plans all kinds of entertainment for the students at the school, such as senior prom, talent show and more.
by Stefanía Lilja Arnardóttir