New school year in “Syrokomlówka”: hopes for a gymnasium

Władysław Syrokomla Secondary School in Vilnius in this new school year has 860 students, 36 completed classes and two groups responsible for preparing 6-year-olds. Currently it is the biggest Polish school in Vilnius. During the new school year’s inauguration the director of the school Danuta Silienė informed that the institution is trying to achieve the status of so called prolonged gymnasium with classes from first to the ones with school-leaving examinations.

The inauguration of the new school year took place at the square in front of the school. While greeting the students, the director of Władysław Syrokomla Secondary School, Danuta Silienė, said that this will be a year of intensive, diligent work, a year of effort in order to achieve the status of gymnasium. “A commission for the Ministry of Education and Science has already begun the process of inspecting the level of school’s preparations towards achieving the status of gymnasium”, she informed.

Józef Kwiatkowski, member of the Lithuanian Seimas and president of the Polish Schools’ Teachers Association “Macierz Szkolna” (Schools Mothercountry) congratulated the parents and students on choosing this institution which is one of the best Polish schools in Lithuania and is also highly placed in the Vilnius’ schools ratings, even above some of the Lithuanian schools. Jarosław Czubiński, the Polish ambassador in Lithuania who was present at the inauguration, underlined in his speech that “school time is a time of obligations and rights”. One of those entitlements is the possibility of education in the Polish school and maintaining Polishness.

Freshmen of Vilnius’ “Syrokomlówka” received gifts funded by “Wspólnota Polska” Association (“Polish Community” Association) – backpacks with school equipment, just as every freshmen in every Polish school in Lithuania.

Władysław Syrokomla Secondary School greeted its students after being renovated. On the ground floor, just next to the entrance, visual arts teacher, Jolanta Śnieżko, together with a group of students made a beautiful mural representing Władysław Syrokomla with Vilnius in the background.