‘Other people with their differences can also be right’

IB Cap Ceremony 2020 at Grenaa Gymnasium

On June 25th 2020 Grenaa Gymnasium celebrated this year’s 33 IB graduates with the tradition-bound Cap Ceremony. Because of the corona situation world wide some of the students’ next of kin attended the event online and also some of the students did from countries like Spain, India, France and England. Others had returned to Denmark for the event after the lifting of Covid 19 restrictions.

To many of the students this was their reunion with their class mates since the lockdown took effect on March 11th, and this year’s Cap Ceremony was therefore perhaps even more joyful, solemn and filled with gratitude and relief.

Three students, one of them online, gave the student speech reflecting on the joys, challenges and learnings of their IB years at Grenaa Gymnasium and our Boarding School.
“We all moved here to study but walked out with so much more, although I am not a student nor a person who interacts with every classmate or every person at the boarding school. Quite frankly I am exactly the opposite, but I do feel the presence of every individual here as I’ve learnt to accept – not even understand but accept the fact that we are all so wonderfully different,” said Indre Morkute among other things in her part of the speech.

IB Coordinator Eike Strandsby commended the students for their ingenuity and entrepreneurship. “When I look back at what you engaged yourselves in, I find that you have been truly creative, active and helpful towards others in need. Let me give a few examples: The first ever Model United Nations Coference held at Grenaa Gymnasium, TEDx with speakers from in and outside this school, musical with singers, dancers and actors, a great study trip to London, International days where we were able to taste the foods and drink from cultures represented amongst our students and also innovative art work – one example of that can be seen today in the Science Exploratorium.”

These examples were of course all activities that took place before the corona lockdown and Ms Strandsby also commented on a challenge that came up for some with online learning. “People react differently to change and to uncertainty. Some remarks can be harsh in the ear of one person and almost a joke to another. Online communication enhances this and requires you to be very cautious,” she said and continued: “My advice to you in these strange times is to stand guard for your friendship. The friendship and care for one another that I clearly saw again on your truck drive yesterday, and to gentle your interactions, where you can. As the IB mission states: Other people, with their differences, can also be right”

Below are a large selection of pictures from the ceremony. We hope you will enjoy them.