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A book, a school yard, children, a school bell ringing, a song, tears in the eyes, lots of flowers, crowds, desks… We can easily put all of these words in a logical order by using only one sentence and it is: ’Back to school! Good luck!’

After the hot sun of one hectic summer the school bell is ringing again. For some of the pupils it is a new start, those first steps to that huge building, called school where you can have all the knowledge given to you by a kind Mrs. For other students this is the last year at school and the last hearing of the school bell. They are expecting to visit even a larger school building soon after graduating where a lot of obscurities are waiting for them

It is well known that the beginning of the new school year is exciting not only for the students. Parents, teachers and all the people working ‘for the future of our children’ have directed countless expectations for the upcoming 2011-12 academic year. Except the children’s smiles (this is in fact what all we work for) there are some not so wonderful things with which we want to deal or at least to change. We all know that the educational system is a ‘heavy structure’ which can not always respond adaptively to the rapidly changing reality. The old fashion teaching method ‘in front of the desk’ can not motivate and involve the students in to the matter of the education. It seems this issue to be more complicated especially in those schools where the students have different ethnic origin.

We, the team of Amalipe Center, do realize a wonderful 3-year national program designed to retain, motivate and engage children of different ethnicities with a focus on Roma – to make them stay at school, build a sense of respect for diversity and to increase their success. The program is funded by ‘America for Bulgaria’ Foundation and the 2011/12 academic year is the second year of its realization. According to the implementation of this project Amalipe turned into a tradition the opening of the new school year inviting official guests in those schools which have a lot to show about their work in multicultural environment. On one hand, this shows the good examples – that in one school there can study pupils with different ethnic origin by integrating the culture of the different ethnics. On the other hand – the visit of ministers, ambassadors and celebrities motivate children, parents and teachers all together to work harder on that direction.

Amalipe Center has organized official visits in several schools participating in the project ‘Prevention of Roma children drop-out of school’:

‘Hristo Botev’ school, Kocherinovo municipality, Kyustendil district

In the small picturesque mountain town of Kocherinovo, only 30 km from Rila Monastery, the school bell rang for the first time for 32 first-graders in ‘Hristo Botev’ school.  The school yard was full with students, their parents, grandparents and all the official guests. All attendees were greeted by Deputy Minister of Education and Science Milena Damyanova who brought the school bell as a ‘Good luck’ gift. ‘Good luck’ in the new school year wished also Stuart Peters – Deputy UK Ambassador to Bulgaria. The presence of both the head of the Regional Educational Inspectorate Mrs. Novakova, the mayor of Kocherinovo and of the chairman of the local Municipality Council proved once again that achieving good results at school means also a good partnership between the institutions.

‘The most beautiful flowers are not those we hold in our hands today, but those which are shining on your faces on this festive day, my dear children!’ said in her address Teodora Krumova – Deputy Chair of Amalipe Center. She encouraged the children to work hard during the new school year and to pursue their dreams through education. The school principal Mrs. Nadya Kuyumdziyska proudly announced the school’s achievements. There is already a four-year tradition in the school teaching ‘Roma Folklore and Culture’ classes which involves children from Bulgarian and Roma ethnic origin together at school. This is the first year for the school being part of Amalipe Center’s project ‘Prevention of Roma children drop-out of school’ as a mentoring school which will transmit its experience and best practices to other pilot schools in the program. It was great to see the school’s innovative approach – during the short program all the children had the opportunity to show their best. The small first-graders crossed for the first time the school tress hold in a very unusual way: by squeezing the happy 6 (6=A- excellent) woven of beautiful autumn flowers. ‘This is a symbolic message to them’ Mrs. Kuyumdziyska said. They must know that not everything will be easy but their efforts will be deservedly rewarded’. Applying this approach the educational team was able to turn the whole building, which has a unique architecture, in one of the most attractive places, regardless of its poor physical condition. On all the school corridors you can see rising suns and flowers, racing dolphins painted by the children themselves and bringing back the memory for the passed summer…and not only. Class rooms are even friendlier – recreating the atmosphere of an old Renaissance house or bringing the children into a magical fairytale atmosphere. And all of this made by the hands of teachers and students.    

But this is exactly what make the children to come back and back to school every day – there in these art activities they have put a piece of themselves. To support students’ endeavors in their first day of school in the organizing of the program also took part the Roma students in Medicine – Hristina Velcheva and Rostislav Kalchev. They shared with the audience about their life journey and how following their dreams they managed to become university students in Medicine.

‘Vasil Levski’ Primary school, village of Vidrare, Sofia district

In a small rural school nestled in the foothills of the region this school year started a little bit different than usually. Guests of the opening of the new school year in ‘Vasil Levski’ primary school in Vidrare were Mrs. Susan Sutton – Deputy US Ambassador to Bulgaria, Mr. Evgeni Todorov and Mr. John Salts from the Political Office of the Embassy. On the opening attended also Mrs. Mariya Balkandzhieva from Amalipe Center and Mr. Nikola Petkov – representative of the National Council of Ethnic and Integration Issues to the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria. Although it is a small school it has and it has shown its achievements. Its development is a proof that in achieving good results the government participation is not the only important thing and that with a motivated and hard working team things are going to the right direction.  This is the school’s second year of participation in the program. At the beginning Vidrare applied to Center Amalipe as a pilot school which needs a help to prevent the student’s drop out of school and also to include the parents in the school activities. Only for one school year ‘Vasil Levski’ school in Vidrare decreased the number of dropping children with more than 80 %, reduced to a minimum the admission of absenteeism, established a School Board and created a Student Parliament and Parent Club. After finishing the first school year of the project the school showed that it has accumulated a good experience in working in a multicultural environment. Experience that can be shared with other schools. Therefore during the second school year of the project this has become a mentoring school and it’s going to teach other pilot schools on good practices.

Mrs. Sutton was impressed when she saw how Roma and Bulgarian children were performing traditional songs and dances both from Bulgarian and Roma culture. To our greatest surprise we found out that this school year except Bulgarian and Roma children, there are also other children coming from other galaxies, so called ‘aliens’. Their representative visited the school and after thorough investigation decided that it wanted to be enrolled in first-grade. The alien said there are others of its ‘kind’ who would be willing to enter the class room tooJ. Children and parents were delighted by the attention they were paid because unfortunately in the ‘spotlight’ always large urban schools fall. The purpose of Amalipe Center is to show those who managed to succeed and inspire the other through creativity, challenge and individual approach to each child, create a different reality: A School for all!

Good luck!

‘Gr. Tsamblak’, 106th primary school, Sofia city

The opening of the new school year was also official in ‘Gr. Tsamblak’, 106^th primary school in Sofia city where an official guest was HE Leszek Hensel – Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Bulgaria. The opening was attended by Mr. Petar Atanasov – a representative of NCEII, Mrs. Teodora Krumova – Vice-Chair of Amalipe Center, Mr. Momchil Baev from Amalipe and the head of

the education in the municipality of Poduyane. ‘Gr. Tsamblak’ 106^th school is located at the end of the Roma neighborhood ‘Hristo Botev’ in the city of Sofia. Being at the end of the Roma neighborhood and probably at the beginning of a Bulgarian one that school keeps a lot of dreams and hopes of Roma parents and children. In the smiling morning of September 15, the school yard was full with dressed and smiling first-graders holding flowers in their hands, and a lot of people having their own different stories. One of the mothers smiled to us: ‘Who are your pupils?’ – We asked her. ‘Oh, my kids are too young for school. They are at home now. But I am looking after three more kids because they don’t have someone to do that – they are alone. Look at them how beautiful they are’ – and pointed one of the first graders visibly worried and a smiling girl, grade three. – I want all of them to learn, to graduate, and to become like you.

I studied only up to grade 7 but now I will study with them – to take the eighth’. Students were greeted by the official guests who wished them into their school bags to carry also a love to the knowledge, perseverance and most important: the children’s freedom! ‘When I was your age I didn’t want to learn languages and now I know eight!’ – shared with the kids the Polish Ambassador, Mr. Hensel. He wished one day they to become ambassadors too. ‘Our symbolic gift to you is that geographical encyclopedia. We wish everyone of you to find in it the place where you want to go and to visit it but then to come back to Bulgaria because we need young and educated people’ – turned to the student Mrs. Krumova. Carrying flowers and slightly intimidated by their first steps at school, the first-graders were congratulating their teachers. This is the school’s first year being part of the Amalipe’s project ‘Prevention of Roma children drop-out of school’. During the years this school showed a lot ofresults on keeping children in the classrooms and active work with parents. The principle of the school, Mrs. Irena Mileva-Tsukeva declared she would not stop these efforts because she believes in the children and their success. The opening of the school year was also attended by Roma university students in Medicine.

Yordanka Govedarska, Ivan Dimitrov, Hristina Velcheva and Rostislav Kalchev welcomed the students and showed them how with hard work and strong faith each of them one day can cross a university threshold. After the official opening the Polish ambassador discussed with the school teaching staff and other guests the problems they face and the approaches they use in their work: intercultural education and intercultural teaching methods. On the meeting was discussed also the possibility for school exchanges between Bulgaria and Poland. ‘One of the priorities of the Polish Presidency of EU is the use of human resources. The Roma community has a great capacity – this is a huge, underestimated and non-utilized human resource’ underlined Ambassador Hensel.

‘Hristo Smirnenski’ primary school, Byala Slatina municipality

‘Hristo Smirnenski’ primary school in Byala Slatina was visited by Mr. Gary McDougal – President of the Board of directors of ‘America for Bulgaria’ Foundation and Mrs. Sarah Perrine – Social’s Program Director. Other guests of the solemn opening of the new school year were Mr. Deyan Kolev – President of Amalipe Center and Mrs. Spaska Mihaylova – Chairperson of the Association ‘New road’.  The celebration began with the rising of the Bulgarian flag and with speech of the principal: Mr. Evgeni Angelov.

The program was conducted with a lot of emotions and positive mood. It was attended by student from 1-4 grades. For the first graders in ‘Hristo Smirnenski’ school in Byala Slatina, September 15 was a very important day. They were greeted by the official guests, by their new teachers and classmates. Welcoming on behalf of the parents was given by Tanya Biserova – mother of a first grader. The fun was additionally established by two dances implemented by the children attending on ‘Roma Folklore’ classes. With a lot of ‘good luck’ wishes, bread and honey, the teachers welcomed their new students on the school threshold.

‘Ivan Vazov’ high school, Varshets municipality

Center Amalipe visited ‘Ivan Vazov’ high school in Varshets too. The celebration there was double because the principle of the school, Mrs. Ani Angelova welcomed the first graders in a brand new school-corpus, part of the school building. This is how it becomes a European school model. On the celebration for the first school day greetings were given by the mayor of Varshets – Mrs. Boryana Boncheva and Mrs. Tanya Vanova from Center Amalipe.

Old and young, everyone was welcomed by the school brass bend and smiling cheerleaders. Everywhere around were poems, flowers and smiley faces. The lovely yard of the school was full. Could not remain unnoticed the pride in the parents’ eyes, the teachers’ excellence and the guests’ admirations! This is the second year of ‘Ivan Vazov’ high school being a basis school in the Program of Amalipe. The school is continuing showing high results and excellent work with the community, particularly with the Roma parents. ‘Dear parents, thank you!’ – said the principal Angelova greeting all the parents and wishing a new successful school year. Calling for unity, togetherness and friendship was given in her speech by Tanya Vanova from Amalipe Center.

The opening of the first school day in all the schools included in Amalipe Center’s program ‘Prevention of Roma children drop out of school’ was combined by wisdom and beauty from all the different cultures and ethnic groups and a hope for a new successful school year. In some of the school this day became even sunnier because the attending of the Roma university students in Medicine – the real proof that change can be achieved!