“Would you like milk and kleinur?”
Headmaster Erla Ragnarsdóttir and Icelandic teacher Símon Jón Jóhannsson celebrate the 50th anniversary of the school’s first graduating class with the publication of a new book. mbl.is/Ásdís
Headmaster Erla Ragnarsdóttir and Símon Jón Jóhannsson, editor of the new anniversary book for Flensborgarskólinn, sat down with a reporter to discuss the school’s history and the forthcoming publication, which will be released early next year. This year marks fifty years since the school’s first class of students graduated—a group of thirty. The book, richly illustrated with photographs from school life, traces the school’s development and features around twenty former students reminiscing fondly about their time there.
Everyone wrote warmly about the school
Several anniversary events have been planned to mark the occasion, Ragnarsdóttir says.
“One idea that came up was to create a sort of memory book, because so many people have stories to tell about the school. I encounter that often in my work. The idea came from Símon Jón Jóhannsson and Guðjón Eiríksson, the publisher at Hólar, and I gladly agreed,” Erla says.
“I also realised this was an opportunity to capture the school’s history—which the book does,” she adds.
“I wrote an overview of the history, covering it in broad strokes from 1877 to the present day. It’s approaching a 150-year story. The school was originally founded in that year as a folk school and was later reclassified as a combined folk and lower secondary school by regulation in 1882,” Símon explains. He has taught Icelandic at the school for forty years.
First-year students line up outside the school for the freshman orientation. mbl.is/Brynja Eldon
Twenty-two former students contribute their memories to the book. The oldest is Guðmundur Árni Stefánsson, a member of the school’s very first graduating class, who is now celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of his graduation.
“The youngest contributor, Aðalbjörg Emma, graduated this spring,” Jóhannsson says. She chaired the student union and completed the school’s open pathway and social life track.
“It was a lovely surprise that everyone wrote warmly about the school—that’s not always the case,” Jóhannsson notes, adding that some share stories of pranks they pulled.
“Guðmundur Árni [ Stefánsson] once made some mischief with his friend Tryggvi, who was the headmaster’s grandson. The headmaster reprimanded them, and while they were sitting in his office, Tryggvi’s grandmother walked in. She said, ‘Oh, there you are, darlings—would you like to come and have some milk and kleinur ?’ And just like that, all the fury drained out of the scolding,” Jóhannsson recalls.
He adds that anyone who subscribes to the book in advance will have their name inscribed on a tabula inside it.
