History of the Exchange
Why Sorø?
The visits to Sorø Akademi began a decade ago when Virginia Satterfield, MPH’s Upper School head at the time, met Sorø’s headmaster at an international conference. Sorø's American Studies class was looking to do a cultural exchange with a school in the US and it was decided that MPH was a perfect match. Peter Wozniak, head of MPH’s History Department at the time, was given the task of making it work. Peter and his Danish counterparts did a lot of hard work and laid the groundwork that has allowed the exchange to be so successful for so long.
The Visits
Every other year MPH visits Sorø during our Winter Break in February, and Sorø makes the return visit to Syracuse during their break in March of the following year. It is traditional, though not absolutely necessary, that MPH students who travel to Denmark act as hosts for the Danes when they visit MPH. Sorø is a town of 8,000 people about 60 miles southwest of the Danish capital of Copenhagen. MPH students visit Sorø Akademi and live with a Danish family during their visit. They attend classes, visit castles and Viking sites, explore Copenhagen, immerse themselves in Danish culture, and experience life as a Danish teen. The Danish students later visit MPH and live for a week as American teenagers. In many cases the friendships that are formed last a lifetime.
Sorø Akademi
Sorø Akademi traces its history back to the 12th century when a monastery was established on what is now the site of the school. In 1536 the monastery became a school, and the Akademi was established in 1624 by King Christian IV. The main wing of the school was rebuilt in 1827 after a devastating fire swept the campus, and classes are still held there. There are also many modern buildings, including a recently completed state-of-the-art science building. The school currently has 450 students, of which approximately a third are boarders and the rest are day students from Sorø and surrounding towns.
Here's the main web page of the Akademi. The original is in Danish, and the link is to a machine translation via Google Translate:
https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=da&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soroe-akademi.dk%2F
Overview
Trip Details
Miscellany
The visits to Sorø Akademi began a decade ago when Virginia Satterfield, MPH’s Upper School head at the time, met Sorø’s headmaster at an international conference. Sorø's American Studies class was looking to do a cultural exchange with a school in the US and it was decided that MPH was a perfect match. Peter Wozniak, head of MPH’s History Department at the time, was given the task of making it work. Peter and his Danish counterparts did a lot of hard work and laid the groundwork that has allowed the exchange to be so successful for so long.
The Visits
Every other year MPH visits Sorø during our Winter Break in February, and Sorø makes the return visit to Syracuse during their break in March of the following year. It is traditional, though not absolutely necessary, that MPH students who travel to Denmark act as hosts for the Danes when they visit MPH. Sorø is a town of 8,000 people about 60 miles southwest of the Danish capital of Copenhagen. MPH students visit Sorø Akademi and live with a Danish family during their visit. They attend classes, visit castles and Viking sites, explore Copenhagen, immerse themselves in Danish culture, and experience life as a Danish teen. The Danish students later visit MPH and live for a week as American teenagers. In many cases the friendships that are formed last a lifetime.
Sorø Akademi
Sorø Akademi traces its history back to the 12th century when a monastery was established on what is now the site of the school. In 1536 the monastery became a school, and the Akademi was established in 1624 by King Christian IV. The main wing of the school was rebuilt in 1827 after a devastating fire swept the campus, and classes are still held there. There are also many modern buildings, including a recently completed state-of-the-art science building. The school currently has 450 students, of which approximately a third are boarders and the rest are day students from Sorø and surrounding towns.
Here's the main web page of the Akademi. The original is in Danish, and the link is to a machine translation via Google Translate:
https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=da&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soroe-akademi.dk%2F
Overview
- Trip is during MPH's February break
- Depart MPH by coach bus for Newark for overnight flight to Copenhagen
- Sorø is about 60 miles southwest of Copenhagen
- Students stay with host families
- Visit sites like Kronborg Castle in Helsingor (setting of Hamlet), the Viking Museum and Cathedral in Roskilde, and spend a day in Copenhagen
Trip Details
- We can take a maximum of 30 students
- Preference given to previous hosts, seniors, and juniors (in that order) but sophomores may also go if there is room
- Participants should be willing to host a Danish student, if possible, during their return visit to MPH in March 2018
- Passport needs to be valid through August 2017
Miscellany
- Denmark is 6 hours ahead of the US East Coast
- Danish currency is the krone, with a current exchange of $1.00 = 6.81 kroner (1 krone = 15 cents)
- Prices are comparable to a large US city
- English is compulsory in schools, so everyone speaks a little and most people are fluent.
- Danish weather in February is comparable to March weather in Syracuse: generally chilly, but with the potential for both really warm or cold days. Dressing in layers is the way to go.