Polish IDEA school in Athlone celebrates tenth anniversary
The Polish IDEA School in Athlone celebrated its tenth anniversary recently.
The school was first founded in 2014, and originally included an early school group I-III and combined grades 4-8.
Over the past decade, the school has extended its offering as it rented five school buildings, had over 20 qualified teachers working, and over 1100 students.
Those involved have made lots of memories, completed projects, had successes, but also challenges, such as distance learning.
The celebration began with a ceremonial introduction of the banner and singing the Polish National Anthem.
Headmistress Magdalena Seetal thanked the IDEA teachers for their enormous contribution to work, commitment and great heart put into preparing Saturday's classes.
Each of the ladies received a commemorative statuette, which is to remind us that a teacher is like a star in the firmament, illuminating the paths of education, leading and always watching over. Ms Seetal said each of the teachers is simply an ideal star with nothing to add, and nothing to take away.
Special thanks were addressed to Kinga Kubien, co-founder of the school and long-time guardian of the dance club.
A letter of congratulations, emphasising the role of the school as the heart of the Polish community, was also presented to the Principal by Jolanta Oliwiak, Vice President of the Polish School Association, of which the Athlone school is a member..
Aneta Zawacka-Uveges, Principal of the Polish School SEN in Dublin, with whom the IDEA school in Athlone has been working closely since the very beginning, expressed her appreciation for the staff, students and parents, emphasizing the invaluable role of bilingualism and the chance it gives children for the future.
The teaching staff of the Polish IDEA School in Athlone also expressed their heartfelt thanks to the Principal, Magdalena Seetal, presenting her with a symbolic ten-year-old apple tree and wishing her to bear fruit beautifully for many years to come, as well as to blossom every year and take deep roots in the Irish soil.
The celebration continued with the announcement of the results of the "IDEA Birthday Card" Competition. Students prepared truly unique birthday cards to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the school.
The students on the podium received prizes, including a gimbal, camera, speaker and beautiful albums about Poland.
It was difficult to choose the best, so all the students of the Polish IDEA School received commemorative medals in white and red.
The ceremonial Pledge of Class 1 took place as well. After singing a theme song and taking an oath, the first graders were officially accepted into the group of students of the Polish school. Parents gave their children cones with sweets to sweeten the commitment given to the Principal to do their homework, listen attentively to the class teacher.
The second part of the programme was a fun history of the school: all classes and class teachers presented themselves, attendees sang the Klanza song "We are here together, we are here all", the IDEA School Hymn was sung.
At the end, together with the parents and friends of the school, attendees danced the Polonaise in a procession, and at the end, after singing "Sto lat" there was a birthday cake.