The two schools made a preliminary plan and submitted it to the International Baccalaureate in February 2000. After several video conferences and visits to Oulu and Rovaniemi, a pilot project was launched with Oulun Lyseon Lukio, the provider school, and Lyseonpuiston Lukio, the partner school.
Both schools were set to benefit from the partnership. The Lappish students at Rovaniemi would gain access to the same high-quality international education as their counterparts in the Oulu area and would embark on the IB Diploma Programme with the support of an experienced IB World School. By the end of the pilot project, Lyseonpuiston Lukio at Rovaniemi would become an IB World School and continue to work in cooperation with Oulun Lyseon Lukio in order to maintain the provision of a wide range of subjects in Rovaniemi. For Oulun Lyseon Lukio, the pilot project would enable native English speakers to be employed as full-time teachers in several subjects and to increase the range of subjects on offer to their students.
