Naríthjábæk Academy

**Colors** |          Black and silver

**Naríthjábæk Academy** (Velkanian: *Akademi Naríthjábækrath*, referred to as simply **Akademi**) is a public upper secondary gymnasium in Naríthjábæk. The Academy is the newest gymnasium in Naríthjábæk, first being established as a state-of-the-art education center in 1985; it has since gone under frequent renovations and technological upgrades, making it the most technologically innovative school in the Velkanian Isles, and one of the most in the world. The school has been run by headmistress Unnur Eyríkursdætr since 2010.

Like all other gymnasiums, the Academy offers all five academic programs of study, having done so since its inception in 1985. The school educates students in grades 11, 12, and 13. Since its foundation, the Academy has been considered one of the most-desirable gymnasiums in the country. It has been the most-applied to public school in the Velkanian Isles since 1994, and had an acceptance rate of 28.5% in 2018.

## Admissions

The Academy has been ranked as one of the most exclusive gymnasiums in the Velkanian Isles. In addition to primary school grades, the school's admissions department also requires applicants send in teacher recommendations and a personal essay. In 2018, the school's acceptance rate was 28.5%, making it the second-most exclusive gymnasium in the nation.

## Curriculum

Like all other public gymnasiums, the Academy offers programs in social sciences, natural sciences and mathematics, literature and modern languages, business and law, and general academics. All students must complete the nationwide academic requirements of three credits of Velkanian language studies, three credits of mathematics, three credits of history or a social science, three credits of a natural science, two credits of a foreign language, one credit of physical education, and one credit of health. These general education requirements are typically completed within the first three semesters. In addition to the national education requirements, the Academy requires students additionally have one credit of art, one credit of music, one credit of computer science, and one credit of interdisciplinary arts (which can be satisfied through classes such as photography, drama, creative writing, and others) in order to graduate. Students need twelve credits in their chosen program in order to graduate; some of these credits can be double-counted as both a general requirement and a program requirement. This typically leaves students with room for several elective credits in their final two semesters; most students choose to fill this elective space with art, music, or a foreign language.

The Academy follows the nationwide six-credit semester schedule; students enroll in six credits per semester, for a total of twelve credits per academic year. Each course is worth one credit; a one-credit course meets every-other-day on an alternating schedule. This leads to students having three-courses everyday; each class lasts an hour and a half-long, meaning school lasts four and a half hours everyday. Students cannot graduate without at least 30 credits, meaning most students have enough credits to graduate after finishing the first semester of their third year. However, students cannot graduate early, as the school requires at least six semesters of study.

### Timetables

A typical timetable over the course of a student's six semesters at the Academy may look like this:

     – Required course

## Student life

Numerous clubs and extracurriculars are available for students to join at the Academy. The school additionally participates in the annual *tímihratnáfötúlnaristath* celebrations.

Unlike at some other schools, the Academy does not have a thriving athletics department. The only sports offered at the school are boys football, girls football, boys handball, girls handball, and coeducational track and field. The school competes amongst other other upper secondary schools in Naríthjábæk, and there are no championships or tournaments. The Academy has a thriving arts community. There are numerous clubs devoted to different mediums of art, such as illustration, art history, ceramics and pottery, dance, choir, jazz band, photography, and drama. The drama club puts on several shows throughout the year, typically a musical, a drama, a comedy, and an original that is written and directed by a Grade 13 student.