Vörå samgymnasium-idrottsgymnasium is an upper secondary school, specializing in sports, which is located in the scenic municipality of Vörå in Ostrobothnia in Finland. The education is comprised of two programmes; one based on the curriculum for general upper secondary education in Finland and the other more focused on sports. The school is one of Finland’s 15 upper secondary sports schools. Vörå is, however, providing upper secondary education in Swedish.
For more than half a century
Vörå samgymnasium has long traditions. Its predecessor Vörå samskola was founded in 1945 and began offering upper secondary education in the 1960s. Students have graduated from Vörå samgymnasium for over 50 years! It was also one of the first four sports schools in Finland. This special task was awarded to Vörå samgymnasium, Mäkelänrinteen lukio, Kuortaneen lukio and Sotkamon lukio in the early 1970s.
Vörå samgymnasium-idrottsgymnasium has grown remarkably throughout the years. At present, the general upper secondary constitutes a third of the students, whereas the number of athletes has grown to nearly a hundred.
The school is located at Campus Norrvalla. After moving to the campus four years ago, the upper secondary received modern, architect-designed premises and several new cooperation opportunities. Folkhälsan Utbildning is located under the same roof, which means that it is easier for the students to e.g. combine their studies with vocational courses.
Vörå samgymnasium
Vörå samgymnasium-idrottsgymnasium invests in well-being and versatility in combination with high-class education. Digitalization provides the students with solid IT skills. Trips, guest lecturers, theater visits, theme days and lively tutoring activities give the education added value. The general upper secondary follows the same national curriculum as other Finnish upper secondaries, whereas the sports upper secondary has a separate curriculum. However, they share many of the courses. Most of the students in the general line come from Vörå, whereas athletes from all over Finland can apply to the sports line.
Vörå samgymnasium-idrottsgymnasium is nowadays known for its good study and sports results and an overall good atmosphere. Several generations of Vörå youth as well as athletes from all over Swedish Finland have graduated at Vörå samgymnasium-idrottsgymnasium. It is a lively and dynamic upper secondary school in a municipality that views education and excellent sports opportunities in a positive light.
Idrottsgymnasiet
The sports upper secondary specializes in football (soccer), cross-country skiing, biathlon, orienteering and athletics. In addition, students can devote themselves to e.g. ski-orienteering, mountain bike orienteering and American football.
Students at the sports upper secondary adhere to a sports curriculum, meaning that training and sports education are a part of the school day and included in the course curriculum that is required for graduation. This offers more choices and greater flexibility for the athlete, as well as more time to invest in sports. A sports upper secondary takes the athlete’s overall situation into account. The students are given tools to combine studies and sports in the best possible way – from a detailed daily schedule, nutritious food three times a day, training buddies with similar goals to all the knowledge and expertise that the school’s coaching team has to offer. Living in a sports environment during one’s upper secondary years is of great significance in terms of the development into an elite athlete.
Vörå has excellent training conditions. The ski center with its demanding and well-maintained tracks in the hilly terrain has hosted several Finnish Skiing Championships. Artificial snow efficiently prolongs the training season. The recently completed roller ski center has quickly become popular with visitors from near and far. For footballers, the municipality has both the Adidashallen arena as well as an artificial turf field right next to the school. For athletes, there is a central sports field and all-weather tracks in the vicinity and Botniahallen only 25 minutes away. For orienteers, the municipality offers diverse terrain with updated and completely new maps only a short drive away. Campus Norrvalla houses a gym, a large sports hall and an indoor swimming pool.
Many athletes from the Vörå sports upper secondary have reached both national and international success. In a sports upper secondary, it is easier to combine studies with e.g. national team duties and long training camps in other regions or countries.
Contact details:
Firstname.surname@edu.vora.fi
Principal Pia Hildén 06-3821781, 050 3839244
Study Secretary Sofia Brännäs (off duty), Johanna Jåfs 06-3821782
Sports Coordinator and Head of Athletics Johan Nordmyr
Guidance Counsellor and
Head of Cross-country skiing Roland Villför
Head of Football Marko Uusitalo
Head of Orienteering Pernilla Tunis