Norra Latin welcomes its first students
Director Marisa León declares the new campus open
15 AUGUST 2023
A simple snip of a ribbon marked the start of a new era for SIS, as it signalled that the School’s new Norra Latin campus was ready to invite students through its doors.
Speckles of rain, that arrived just as the inauguration was taking place, were not enough to dampen the enthusiasm of students and their families as they flowed into the building. Inside, they discovered their classrooms; admiring the high ceilings, generous open spaces, and impressive staircases. Features of the building such as the aula, painted murals, and other architectural features grabbed the attention of visitors as they experienced Norra Latin for the first time.
In his remarks prior to the opening, Jahn Henry Lövaas, Chair of the SIS Board of Trustees, reflected on what the new building means for SIS:
‘I’m sure the SIS founders, who started in 1951 with around 30 students in a small building out on Djurgården, could not have imagined that one day the School would occupy one of the most significant and characterful buildings in central Stockholm.
‘Yet here we are, an international community of over 800 students and about 200 staff, representing around 60 nationalities. Truly at the heart of our city, truly part of the fabric of the region, truly educating the world in Stockholm.’
SIS Director Marisa León also picked up on the theme of change. She noted how things that were cutting edge or even non-existent in 1982 when Norra Latin closed its doors as a school, were now commonplace. Norra Latin would be crucial to SIS in continuing its educational mission:
‘In our role as educators, we are not just sharing with students what we know, we are equipping them to think critically, to reflect, to embrace change. We are preparing them for careers and opportunities that may not even exist yet.’
After months of refurbishment, installation of utilities, movement of classroom resources and furniture, and organisation by our teaching staff, it was immediately clear that Norra Latin now had the final missing ingredients: our students and our community.
The next chapter of the SIS story has well and truly begun.
