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Malechowo Gymnasium

 
Grammar – school in Malechowo

Our school was established in 1999. We are the only grammar - school in this area. This year there are 29 teachers and 352 students in 15 classes. They can use 2 computers laboratories, a huge gym, 14 classrooms and laboratories for different subjects. (f. e. chemistry, history). After lessons our students can attend so called “afternoon classes”, where they enlarge their knowledge.

Malechowo Commune

Malechowo Commune lies on the east of The Zachodniopomorskie Province in a Sławno administrative district, not far from Baltic see, near the road Nr 6 Szczecin – Gdańsk. Malechowo Commune has an area of 22663 hectares, where there are 44 villages and 6500 inhabitants. Much of the region is covered by arable lands ( 60%) and forest (31 %).

Till 10 years ago maintenance base commune inhabitants were agriculture. Bad situations in agriculture and break down of industry in region caused large unemployment – till 30%.

Our school

The Grammar – school in Malechowo is located in a building, where in the past, was a primary school. The students have a lot of things at their disposal, f.e. : a well – stocked library and spacious classrooms, two computers laboratories, canteen and day – room, beautiful gymnasium, colorful and light halls.

The main aim of our school is to educate a young man in order to help him to find a job in future, united Europe. We hope that our students will be well – brought up and honest citizens.

To achieve those aims, we draw our attention to:

  • well – educated staff,
  • teaching languages ( obligatory – English, facultative – German and Russian)
  • using computers ( access to the Internet),
  • cooperation with other schools, also with an advisory service for trouble and weak children.
We wish our all students to be successful, so we update our teaching methods. Our teachers have used active methods for many years, they have based their teaching on understanding rather than on learning. We pay our attention on creative and wise students, not forgetting about those who have problems with learning. For them there are special lessons, where they can always ask their teachers for help. For students who want to know more, there are art, theatre, history, chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics trainings.

Our successes

Some of our teachers took part in preparing of development strategy of our commune and some project connected with the strategy. One from them was called “Malechowo in Europe”. We presented the history and customs of Austria, Germany and Greece. In frames of this project some of our teachers took part in excursion to Lower Austria to get to know there with experiences of Village Regeneration programme. We organized also all-Polish seminar under the name “Cultural Heritage in village development”. We set up a meeting for Polish and German farmers in order to let them exchange knowledge and experiences.

We have also sports- successes: especially girls and boy’s football and draughts. We have organized The Draughts Polish Championship.

Our special projects realized in last three years

Tele - cottage

This project was party financed by The World Bank; we altered the old cloak-room into modern class with connection into the Internet. The new equipment (10 computers) was bought, the walls were painted, and new people were welcomed into our school. In that way we wanted to open the school for all inhabitants of our village. It has worked for 2 years, and we are planning to do our best to educate better adults. We have started from computers courses and English lessons. Now Tele - cottage works as a help to get any information and it is a promotion for us. Tele cottage is accessible (open) for inhabitants of village from Monday to Saturday, from 2 pm. to 8 pm. Every day from Tele cottage services profits about 30 persons. Tele cottage basic equipment is 10 computers connected to Internet. Main attraction of Tele cottage is possibility of Internet using. Many Tele - cottage customers have founded here e-mail connection. From Tele - cottage profits most often young people. However more and more often come here adults. Among adult most of all, about 65 %, are the women. Customers of Tele - cottage in more and more greater degree use it for professional aims.

For Mr. Jacek, which is black smith Internet became source of inspiration. He finds on WWW pages examples of smith's - works and compares one's own skills and technologies with these, which sees in Internet. Thanks Internet he can also to get to know about prices of smith's – services and articles. Similar possibilities see in Internet some farmers from Malechowo commune.

Tele - cottage follows also schooling in computers and Internet using. On seminar, which will be from March 2003, will apply already 40 adult inhabitants of commune. More than half from them are women. For them it is possibility to go out from home and help in realization of ambition and extend of horizons.

With tradition into the future

This project was financed by The Polish- American Liberty Foundation. Aim of this project is discovering of craftsman and preparation them to earning in new times. It was task for grammar-school teachers and schoolboys. Our teenagers found people from our commune who are manually- talented and they presented their work. Craftsmen became invited to participation in cycle of workshops, which aim was teaching them activities in new realities of economy. Then they were promoted by the exhibitions, pamphlets and website address (www.zawody.malechowo.com). They taught other people and pupils from our school. Thanks Internet craftsman from commune recognize also market, on which they should work.

Creative people have a chance

This project shows that juggling is a way of living. This project is realized in frames of program of Polish Children and Youth Foundation. His target is elevation of educational and social chances of grammar school and of elementary schools pupils from commune Malechowo. Juggling helps in synchronization of the brain hemispheres, thanks to what grows enlarges susceptibility on accepting of knowledge and increases creativity. Juggling is also possibility of linking of contacts with world: at every greater American universities act jugglers clubs, it is organized lots of festivals and of competitions of jugglers, act many associations of jugglers.

In February 2003 took place in Malechowo juggling festival and beating of record in quantities simultaneously juggling. And because of that we needed balls. This became opportunity for work for our craftsmen. In that way we cooperated with inhabitants from our commune and gave them a chance to earn some money. Thanks to project we taught to juggle about 400 of children from our commune.

Our plans

The Village Regeneration high school

At present we create an association called “The Village Regeneration” and for next year we plan to found a high school with the specialization of village regeneration. We will open also an evening classes to help people to obtain necessary qualifications connected with new job opportunity on the basis of village regeneration.

The Play Centrum

The play can develop people’s manual and intellectual abilities. Idea of the Play Centrum is connected with juggling and didactics of play. The Play Centrum will be a place for organization of workshops and trainings connected with didactics of play and also a place to which we will invite people to play and to learn through play. We are thinking especially about games and plays, which enlarge creativity.

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