Zoë (student)

“Creative and technical projects are the most fun”

Ela, Zoë, and Elize are in their first year of TVWO, the bilingual VWO program. This is a new class at Sondervick College, designed specifically for students looking for an extra challenge. Classes are taught in English, and in addition to the regular subjects, students take “Skills for Life” classes, participate in project afternoons, and take the “Research & Development” course. It’s a combination of thinking and doing!

For Ela, Zoë, and Elize, it quickly became clear that they wanted to attend Sondervick College. They had been recommended for the VWO track and were eager to pursue a bilingual education. Elize: “I think it would be really cool to be able to speak English fluently. You get used to doing everything in English very quickly. Sometimes, when we’re biking home, we accidentally end up speaking English with each other.”

Conducting Research

The bilingual VWO program offers several elective courses. For example, there are “Skills for Life” classes, where you learn important skills such as planning and giving presentations. There’s also a course called “Research & Development.” “It’s a combination of technology and research,” says Zoë. “For example, we designed and built a gripping hook ourselves. It’s fun because you get to be creative. We also researched the perfect bike bag and then designed it ourselves. In addition, we investigated what technology the police might use in 2050 and what their work would look like then. So, very diverse topics.”

Collaborate

Finally, there are special project afternoons, during which students work in small groups on challenging projects. “The stop-motion project was fun,” Elize says enthusiastically. “We wrote a short story and made clay figures that acted out the story step by step. We also had drama classes, where we performed for other classes. It’s a great learning experience if you suffer from stage fright.” “You learn to work well together during these projects,” says Ela. “We always have a lot of discussions, but we manage to work things out. I think the extra project courses are really beneficial.”