At Raoul Wallenberg School in Skövde, there are 514 students. Two of them, Amanda Lindqvist (Grade 8) and Jacob Aldén (Grade 9), are both very satisfied with their choice of school. In this feature, they offer us a glimpse into their school day and warmly recommend RWS to others.
When the option of “Student’s Choice” was removed from the national curriculum this year, many schools eliminated the opportunity for students to select their own weekly activities. RWS took a different path, maintaining this possibility by introducing a system called “profile choice,” which has been greatly appreciated.
Amanda and Jacob both chose the sports and health profile, focusing on handball and ice hockey respectively.
Quick Feet
It’s just before 8 a.m., the thermometer reads -7 degrees, and December darkness blankets Skövde. However, Amanda’s warm smile brightens the morning as she strides confidently with her training bag over one shoulder and school laptop in hand.
Amanda, who has attended RWS since preschool, is enthusiastic about her experience at the school. She loves the community, the teachers, and especially the profile choice program.
“Starting my day with handball is fantastic,” Amanda says, beaming.
Coach Krister Billström, who has extensive experience coaching handball at the national level, leads the training for handball students across all three grades at RWS. Training sessions take place three mornings a week, and Krister sees this as a wonderful opportunity for students to pursue their sport intensively already in secondary school.
“The students learn to think critically about their sport and adapt to training several times a week,” Krister explains.
For an hour, students diligently practice various individual offensive techniques, showing focus and motivation throughout the session. Krister concludes with a summary following RWS’s structured lesson routine. The students leave the sports hall smiling, ready to continue their school day after a refreshing shower and a bus ride back to campus.
Precise Moves at Billingehov
At Billingehov, frost sparkles on the asphalt as the thermometer hovers below zero. Skövde is still waking up just after 7 a.m., but inside the hockey arena, warmth and upbeat music greet us. Jacob is already there, warmed up and ready for profile training. He chats casually with Kristina, the equipment manager, who is always on-site during hockey practices.
Jacob switched to RWS from a municipal school at the start of secondary school.
“The main reason was the profile choice program, allowing me to play hockey, my biggest passion, during school hours,” he says.
It’s clear hockey is Jacob’s passion—he’s already played in TV-pucken and signed a contract with HV71 for his high school years. Despite the early hour, Jacob is energetic as we head to the locker room, where Coach Oskar Back briefs the students on today’s training session. Since many have games later in the evening, the focus is on short, intense exercises during the session.
“It was a fun practice with lots of challenges and shooting drills,” Jacob summarizes before heading to the locker room to change, shower, and refuel before catching the bus back to school.
Structure and Community
Back at school, I meet Amanda and Jacob again to discuss their thoughts about RWS. Both emphasize how much they value the profile choice program, which allows students to explore their interests weekly.
Amanda appreciates the structured lesson routines, which she says create a calm environment and make it clear what each lesson will cover. Jacob highlights the strong sense of community at the school and praises the clear rules that ensure everyone knows what’s expected.
Both also mention their appreciation for Admentum, the digital tool that provides access to lesson plans, communication with teachers, lunch menus, weekly tests, assignments, and more.
Amanda and Jacob are very happy with their choice of school and conclude by warmly recommending RWS to others.
