Mankola comprehensive school in Jyväskylä offers basic education for pupils in grades 1–9. The school is located in Mannila on an isthmus between two lakes, about four kilometers from the centre of Jyväskylä. The school started operating in 2013, but the history of the buildings is longer. In 2024, there will be 750 students and about 80 staff.
We have summed up our school's vision in three words: boldly, sustainably, together. It describes how we want to act as adults and what kind of being we guide children towards. We are diverse, but we still work together and learn to rejoice in differences. We teach well-being skills and build everyday school life that promotes well-being. We strive to ensure that our operations reflect the transmission of our values, well-being, a sustainable future and inclusion.
The school's immediate surroundings offer opportunities for diverse learning. The lakes and nearby nature are right next door, the city center is within cycling distance. The schoolyard offers opportunities for a variety of activities, such as ball games, parkour, disc golf and forest games.
Our school's specialty is a school vegetable garden and a large greenhouse. Pupils grow seedlings, cultivate products for household lessons, and care for rabbits. A Seedling Academy will be built around the greenhouse, where students will learn entrepreneurial skills.
School buildings are part of a nationally significant built cultural environment. The educational institution milieu has been established on the Mankola military official farm. The oldest of the school's buildings dates back to 1932, it was built as a hostess school. As the business expanded, a new main building was built in 1966. It was expanded in 1995. The renovation and new building were completed in 2013, when Mankola comprehensive school started its operations. The extension with a new canteen and gymnasium was completed in 2019.
Our school is a school for hundreds of children. At the same time, it is a workplace for about 60 teachers and 20 other employees. We believe that adults' ways of collaborating and boldly seeking solutions are also a model for students. We have participated in the national annual working hours trial 2019–2022. In the 2019–2020 school year, our school switched to a new daily rhythm, where lessons last 90 minutes and the day includes two 30-minute breaks; This has brought calmness to the days and opportunities to delve deeper into teaching.
