On 27th 1880, Queen Zofia’s State Lower Secondary School for Boys was established in Sanok. It was modelled after other Galician and Austrian educational facilities that used to function in the former Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy. The primary objective of Lower Secondary School was to prepare students for academic studies. Latin, Greek, German and Polish were the subjects that constituted the core syllabus.
Other subjects such as Polish History, Gymnastics, Singing and Drawing were considered optional. 63 students attended the first grade and Mr. Mieczysław Jamrógiewicz, MA was appointed the school’s head teacher. Originally, schooling took place at the mayor’s Cyryl Ładyzynski’s home, then it was moved to a district building.
In 1889, 27 school graduates took the first end-of-school exam, the so-called Matura exam. The number of students totalled 295, and it consisted of 192 Poles, 82 Ukrainians, 20 Jews and 1 German student.
In 1896, the State School Council obliged youth to wear uniforms resembling the ones worn by Austrian army officers.
In 1905, an evening reading room was established for upper grade students on the initiative of one of the teachers, Stanislaw Basiński, MA.
Between 1914 and 1915, the school was closed due to the outbreak of WWI.
On 1st September 1915, schooling was resumed and Adam Pytel, MA became the head teacher. Regrettably, the main building served as hospital premises for the army.
After Poland had won her independence and the Austrian troops had left, the school building again came into ownership of its legitimate owners. The school’s classic profile was replaced by a humanities profile (teaching Greek was abolished).
In 1922, the school adopted the name of Queen Zofia’s State Lower Secondary School. Increasingly the institution began to attract girls. In 1905 there were 9 girl students, and in 1920 the number of them reached 86.
In 1927, the school had 150 girls, therefore private courses for females were organized in addition to the already functioning lower secondary school for males.
In 1929, the school was transformed into Private Lower Secondary School.
In 1933, the school system was reorganized. Educational authorities introduced four-year lower secondary schools with a broad syllabus, and the final exam called “minor Matura exam’, along with two-year secondary schools ending in “major Matura exam” that enabled further education at university. Different types of secondary schools appeared, some specializing in the Arts, others in Sciences.
On 9th September 1939, German troops entered Sanok and began to occupy the school premises. The school break enforced by those circumstances lasted five years. During the occupation, The so-called Commission of Education and Culture organized a clandestine system of underground education for 350 people. Students were enabled to take their final examinations. Thus, 36 male and female students passed the major Matura examination and 44 people passed the minor Matura examination.
In 1944, in turn, Soviet troops entered Sanok and the school building was occupied by them. In those days secondary education system was being shaped. The enrolment procedures were carried out at the local Franciscan Church and they involved 1200 people. Later on the troops were obliged to leave the school premises so that learning could be resumed. The teaching conditions were very difficult because nothing had been left from the pre-war period except for some books and maps.
In 1947, Jozef Pohorski, MA, who became the head teacher, initiated the four-year lasting rebuilding of the school.
In 1951, the army returned the dormitory building as well. Two years later Jozef Penar, MA became the school’s head teacher. The full name of the school was “Primary School and Secondary School for Males”.
Between 1954 and 1958, two classrooms were conjoined and thus the school was enriched with a gymnasium.
In 1965 and 1966, the school was divided into Secondary School and Primary School No.4 (the current Lower Secondary School No.2).
In 1972, the construction of a new school building was under way.
On 3rd September 1973, the new school premises were opened and since then The Commission of National Education Secondary School No.1 has had its seat there.
At the turn of 1975 and 1976, the school’s anthem was written by a music teacher Stefan Olbert, MA.
At that period of time, each class had a broadly based curriculum. Additionally, the 4th grade students attended extended syllabus classes of their choice, in Pedagogy, Humanities, Geography and Economy, Biology and Chemistry, Mathematics and, and since 1976/77, Information Technology class as well. Introducing the French Language into the syllabus was a welcome novelty back then.
A number of organizations worked in the school in those years:
- the Communist Party Youth Movement ZMP OH which in later years was transformed and renamed to Polish Scouting and Guiding Association, ZHP
- Young Rationalists’ Club,
- Poetry Reciters’ Club,
- Theatre Lovers’ Club,
- Music Lovers’ Club,
-Photographers’ Club,
-Stamp Collectors’ Club.
From 1980 to 1999, The Commission of National Education Secondary School No.1 in Sanok, along with Medical School and State Higher Vocational School constituted a school complex.
In 1986, Kazimierz Serbin, MSc was appointed the school’s head teacher. His years in office coincided with the collapse of the communist system in 1989 and a virtual breakthrough in the system of education. The local self-government reform restored the Poviat’s administrative and financial prerogatives over Secondary School No.1, and essential oversight was conducted by Local Education Authority.
In 1987, our school was admitted as a member of The Creative Schools’ Club. As a result, it was possible to organize two learning camps; a Mathematics and Computer Science camp and a History camp. Furthermore, our youth participated in numerous camps held all over Poland, among others, for those with interest in: Geography (in Poznan), Arts (in Cracow), History (in Rzeszow), Biology (in Pulawy), Mathematics (in Karpacz), English (in Rybnik), Computer Science (in Szczecin) and Medicine (in Lodz).
The 1990s were characterized by spectacular learning achievements giving credit to a high teaching level in The Commission of National Education Secondary School No.1. It is here that the most notable residents of Sanok attended. Among them were:
-Bronislaw Prugar-Ketling – a Polish general honoured twice with The Order of Virtuti Militari and The Order of Polonia Restituta (Polish highest orders),
- Marian Pankowski - an outstanding prose writer and a translator,
- Janusz Szuber - an outstanding local poet and a member of The Polish Writers’ Association,
- Zdzisław Beksiński- a world-renowned Polish painter, photographer, and sculptor who is best known as a fantasy artist,
- Michal Walczak – a theatre director,
- Jacek Maczka, PhD - a poet, currently working in the school as a Polish teacher.
Such a myriad of impressive successes can be attributed to both the inflow of intellectually gifted young people, and highly qualified and devoted teaching staff working here, who have stimulated students to extracurricular work and organized various classes for them.
Between 1990 and 2004, the following extracurricular classes were available for the-then students:
- in Biology, run subsequently by Elzbieta Zmarz, MSc, Anna Burczyk, MSc and Robert Rybka, MSc;
- in Social Studies, run by Barbara Olowska, MA;
-in the Polish Language, run subsequently by Wieslawa Jozefczyk, MA, Halina Drwięga, MA, Krystyna Wojtowicz, MA and Jacek Maczka, PhD;
- in the Russian Language, run by Bogumiła Krzywdzik, MA and Maria Ryba ,MA;
- in the English Language, run by Aleksandra Olszewska, MA, Danuta Penc, MA and Agata Kuczma, MA;
- in the French Language, run by Irena Gubińska-Śniezek, MA;
- in the German Language, run by Krystyna Witwicka, MA;
- and in History, run subsequently by Andrzej Olejko, PhD and Piotr Kita, MA.
Between 1990 and 2004, as many as 124 students of Secondary School No.1, commonly known as “Jedynka”, were distinguished as winners or finalists of subject competitions held at the national level.
In 2001, “Jedynka” was 14th in Poland, and 1st in the region according to Polish Secondary Schools Ranking List.
Currently, our school boasts “ A School Friendly for Highly Able Students” title, given to us this year by Jacek Wojtas, the Regional Chief Education Officer. It proves that maintaining the highest possible level of educating and upbringing has always been a priority for Secondary School No.1.
Nowadays, Robert Rybka, MSc, an outstanding Biology teacher, is the school’s head teacher. Our students continue to excel spectacularly, even abroad. Agnieszka Grzyb and Pawel Stapinski enjoyed truly world-class achievements as the winners of International Biology Olympiad held in Mumbai, India in 2008. Pawel Bondaruk, in turn, is a twice-winner of The Olympiad of the Polish Language and Literature.
For years our school has been involved in Feniks, a project aiming at popularizing and supporting the development of Physics. As part of the project, our students can participate in extracurricular classes held at our school and at the University of Rzeszow.
Additionally, thanks to the financial support of the association Stowarzyszenie Inicjatyw Wychowawczych im. ks. Wiesława Siwca, every few years a small collection of our creative students’ poetry is professionally published.
It must be emphasized that the above mentioned institution fulfils a very important role in our school. Firstly, it supports students’ valuable initiatives. Secondly, it provides financial aid to students in need, and last but not least, it does charity work for the local community. Every year, around 6th December, a group of our boys and girls dress up as Santa Clauses and their helpers, and together they visit poor local families and deliver small gifts to their youngest members. The donations needed for this noble purpose are collected during the yearly organized Charity Concert that precedes 6th December. Our students’ multiple talents, skills and interests are fully displayed during this widely anticipated event.
Currently, the school offers a full time daily course. In addition to compulsory subjects, students participate in extended syllabus classes (6h in the 2nd grade and 8h in the 3rd grade). Students can opt for modular courses in extended:
- Biology, Chemistry and Physics
- Biology and Chemistry
- Mathematics and Physics
- Mathematics and Geography
- Polish , History and Social Studies
- Polish, History and English
- Polish and Biology
- History and Social Studies
“Jedynka” has been involved in a youth exchange programme for two years now. In April 2009, we hosted a group of students from the French city of Chambéry in Sanok. In October 2009, our youth went to Chambéry. This year, the French arrived in September, and a month later they hosted us. Needless to say, the experience is very valuable for all. Our youth make friends with foreigners and practice their linguistic skills.
Similar benefits result from annual visits of foreign students (some from very exotic places) who participate in the Project PEACE Cross-cultural Understanding organized by AIESEC – an international student-run organization based at The Warsaw School of Economics (SGH).
As the school’s history illustrates, Secondary School No.1 is a unique institution with very rich tradition. It is here where the young take their first steps into adulthood, have an opportunity to test their potential and develop their multiple talents. The year 2010 is a jubilee year for our school, since we are celebrating the 130th anniversary of its establishment. We are proud to be a part of its history as well. It is our hope that the next hundred years will also be exceptional and rich in learning achievements of our Alma Mater’s students and graduates.