About Hólabrekkuskóli

Summary of the school's history

Hólabrekkuskóli started operations in the fall of 1974. It was not until September 1973, that the Reykjavík Education Council (I. fræðsluráð) discussed the construction of the school, which was initially called Hólaskóli but was later renamed Hólabrekkuskóli, probably to distinguish it from the Agricultural School (I. Bændaskólinn) in Hólar. Gunnar Hansson, architect, designed the first three phases of the school, while Gylfi Guðjónsson, architect, designed the fourth. The first phase of the school was opened in 1974 and 1975, the second phase in 1979, the third phase partly in the fall of 1984, and was fully operational by New Year's Eve 1984/1985. The fourth phase was opened in 2002, 28 years after the school operations started. Initially, it was planned that the fourth phase would include a sports hall. However, to make room for the school, it was decided to build general classrooms instead and direct students to the Austurberg sports hall for physical education and to the Breiðholt swimming pool near Austurberg for swimming lessons. The total area of the school is 6,697 square meters.

The outdoor artwork, "Upphaf," near the school's entrance, was created by visual artist Einar Hákonarson while the artwork inside the entrance was contributed by students from 9th and 10th grades. The theme was inspired by Steinn Steinarr's poetry collection "Tíminn og vatnið," (Time and Water) commemorating Reykjavík's status as a Cultural City of Europe in 2000.

In its first year, the school enrolled 208 students in the elementary school and 128 in the secondary school. An additional 91 students, slated for grades 5 through 8, attended Fellaskóli. This brought the total student count to 427 for the school's first operational year, reflecting the already high child population in the Fella and Hólahverfi neighborhoods. During the 1981-1982 school year, 45% of all primary students in Reykjavík were enrolled in the five Breiðholt primary schools.

Tenth-grade students who chose visual arts participated in a Nordic school project during the 1995-1996 school year called "Ný öld – norræn framtíðarsýn” (New Century – Nordic Future Vision). They produced large-scale paintings displayed at the National Gallery of Iceland and Øksnehallen in Copenhagen, which now decorate the school's walls.

The school principals have been as follows: Sigurjón Fjeldsted served from 1974 to 2004, temporarily succeeded by Arnfinnur U. Jónsson during his study leave in 1979-1980. Hólmfríður G. Guðjónsdóttir was principal from 2004 until December 31, 2021, and Lovísa Guðrún Ólafsdóttir has held the position since January 1, 2022.

 

Hólabrekkuskóli staff