| Gymnasium Erasmianum | |
| Location: | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Coordinates: | 51.9121°N 4.4687°W |
| Principal: | Jacques van Hoof |
The Gymnasium Erasmianum is a school in Rotterdam (also known under its Dutch name "Erasmiaans Gymnasium").
Founded in 1328, it is the second oldest school in the Netherlands with recorded date of establishment (after the Johan de Witt-gymnasium in Dordrecht, established 1253).Stedelijk Gymnasium 's-Hertogenbosch first mentioned in 1274 and Stedelijk Gymnasium Leiden first mentioned in 1323 may also be older, but their exact date of establishment is unrecorded. The privilege to found a Latin school was granted to the town of Rotterdam before Rotterdam received full city rights and therefore the school predates the city status of Rotterdam by nearly twenty years. It was renamed in 1842, after the famous Rotterdam theologian and humanist Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536). The school is more than a century older than its namesake, and it is unclear whether he attended it.
The school was located at the corner of the Coolsingel and the Laurensstraat until 1937, nowadays C&A, a clothing store, is located at that place, and the school at the Wytemaweg. In May 1940, the center of Rotterdam was bombed during the German invasion of the Netherlands, but the school building survived as it was outside the focus of the bombing and subsequent fires. After Dutch surrender, the occupying German troops used the building as one of their headquarters.
In the Netherlands, there are several levels of secondary education, with most theoretical vwo being pre-university secondary education. Many secondary provide wide-scope community schools, sometimes with middle school like classes. Some gymnasia, including the Gymnasium Erasmianum maintained its profile as separate school. Like all Gymnasia, Latin and Ancient Greek are mandatory courses in the curriculum of Gymnasium Erasmianum.
The school is widely known for its large number of students with non-Dutch roots. There are more students with non-Dutch roots at the Gymnasium Erasmianum than at any other Gymnasium in the Netherlands.
The school serves 1,170 students[1] and 80 teachers. The school's motto is "Ex Pluribus Unum", meaning "unity through diversity".
The RGB (Rotterdamse Gymnasiasten Bond) is the school's society, organized by the students for the students. Every year the RGB organizes parties, theater, music and dance evenings and several cultural events.
The RGB has its own anthem in Latin:
Vivat haec societas
Gaudium quae paret.
Semper floreat et crescat,
Longe et late clara fiat,
Vivat haec societas
Erasmi Alumnorum.
Vivant semper Socii
In sodalitate.
Vivant tutor et fautores,
Virgines et amatores,
Vivat haec societas
Erasmi Alumnorum
Every year the students elect a new board for the Bond. Any senior student on the school can be elected. The board consists of several functions, with a Latin name:
Praeses; president
Quaestor; treasurer
Ab-actis; secretary
Vice-Praeses; vice-president
Cultus; organizer of cultural events
Sporticus; organizer of sport events
Assessor; creates posters, memberships cards, and event tickets
Other than the RGB, there are several active organizations on the Gymnasium Erasmianum, organised by the school's board, teachers and students alike. Some examples are;