The Warsaw High School Times

Graphic by Sonia Bajorek

Let me ask you, probably a high school student, a question – how significant or sentimental is your school to you? Does it somehow playing a large role in your life? That was the question we – students of the Słowacki high school in Warsaw – had been asking each other during this educational establishment’s 101 year anniversary.

Over 101 years ago, on 15.12.1922, our school received its great patron – Juliusz Słowacki. Even though the school had existed since 1860, firstly as a girls-only school, this is the date we are celebrating each year. Let me then describe to you how this grand event looked this year.

The day consisted of a two-hour event for all grades in the school assembly hall. First of all, our head of the student council introduced us to the high-school’s history and our patron’s biography.

After this part we had an opportunity to learn about our two graduate students, who fought in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, and they were presented to us as role models of dedication and devotion.

Next, our well-known singing student sang the “Smutno Mi Boże” poem (the version presented by Sanah). And then, three winners of the recitation contest were able to recite their poems. Those were three of the less known poems of Słowacki: “Stokrótki”, “Sumnienie” and “Pieśń Legijonu Litewskiego”. All of them were recited with passion and carefulness.

Following the recitation, I had the opportunity to, alongside the vice-president of the student council, host a quiz about the history and interesting facts connected with Słowak. We included some quite difficult questions, for example which of the teachers in our school had not graduated from Słowacki, or a question about the name of the cat of one of the teachers.

The final attraction during this event was a display of the play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, written by William Shakespeare. It was prepared meticulously for a year in advance by the second graders from our drama class. It lasted for about 40 minutes. Actors received great and loud applause for their hard work and engagement.

That is how our school celebrated its 101 anniversary. Events like this are quite important, as they create opportunities to look at your school outside the school schedule. Is it similar to events in your high schools? Or, do you have any interesting traditions connected to your schools’ anniversaries?