Odense International School has a focus on building bonds between classmates. At the start of the school year, the entire school, along with Henriette Hørlücks Skole, have an outing to the amusement park Tivoli in Copenhagen. Every four years this trip is replaced by a week-long trip to the camping grounds of Sletten in Jutland.
Within the first few weeks of the school year, S10 and S11 go on an overnight “survival trip” on Funen. Activities include long hikes, setting up and sleeping in tents, and cooking dinner over a campfire.
In March 2019 OIS hosted students from the Lycée Saint-Francois-Xavier school, from the Brittany region of Vannes, France. In exchange, the S10 and S11 students, as well as students from Years 8 and 9 from Henriette Hørlücks Skole, spent a week being hosted by students in Vannes that October.
Our students got to visit the Valley of No Return, the Gate of Secrets, the Forest, see a Rugby match complete with bagpipe music, an art museum, and feast on delicious sweet or savoury crepes in the heart of Vannes and fresh oysters after a ferry ride to L’île d’Arz.
This exchange has become a new tradition at OIS.
A week-long trip to London at the beginning of the school year has traditionally been enjoyed by students in S11 and Year 9 from Henriette Hørlücks Skole.
This trip will test one’s walking skills, as it involves exploring the sights of Buckingham Palace, The Mall, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, 10 Downing Street, Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus, the Imperial War Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Tate, the British Museum, Camden Town, Speaker’s Corner, and the Royal Observatory at Greenwich.
Students also enjoy theatrical and musical performances, most recently The Mousetrap, The Lion King, and Thriller, as well as a showing at Royal Albert Hall.
From S8, students participate in multi-day Model United Nations programmes with students from Henriette Hørlücks Skole and other schools in the Danish International School Network. In February 2020 Odense International School hosted the first Model United Nations with international students from across Denmark.
Students learn how the United Nations works by acting as delegates from specific countries. They take part in committee work, debate, lobby, and learn how to write UN resolutions. The event culminates with a general assembly where resolutions are presented and voted on.
The Danish International School Network Athletic Conference (DISNAC) supports various sporting events for international schools across the country throughout the school year. The team sports include volleyball, football, basketball, rugby, cricket, and track & field.
Students enjoy days out competing, cheering on each other, and making new friends in their own community and beyond.
At OIS, we all do our best to welcome new students, both those who join us at the start of the school year in August, or throughout the year. Lower Secondary students are paired with a 'buddy' who helps navigate the new student over the first few new days.
Students enjoy seeing each other after school hours. We strongly recommend that parents supervise parties at home and that efforts are made to include everyone in their class.
We encourage two parents from each class to volunteer as class representatives. These representatives are encourages to arrange class events and parties or support other social initiatives at OIS. Parents are always welcome to offer their support on special events, such as when OIS hosts the DISNAC Primary Cross Country and Touch Rugby tournaments.