High school Poljane
Encyclopedia
The Poljane Upper Secondary School is located in Ljubljana
, the capital of Slovenia
. It is a coeducational nondenominational state secondary general education school for students aged between 15 to 19. It prepares them for university, which they can enroll at after successfully passing the matura
(leaving exam).
as the language of instruction. Its initial name was "Second State Gymnasium
". In 1900, it was expanded to include 15 to 19-year-olds as well. In the present building classes started in 1907. In 1918 the building was renovated and German was replaced by Slovene as the language of instruction. By 1921, the Poljane Grammar School was the largest secondary school in Slovenia. Several school reforms changed the curriculum
and the name of the school. These names included "Upper Secondary School No. 2", "Upper Secondary School No. 5", and "Vida Janežič Upper Secondary School" (the last name refers to the Communist-era hero Vida Janežič, 1914-1944). In 1990 the school was renamed the Poljane Upper Secondary School.
. A change introduced three years ago is European classes, in which the general program incorporates the latest trends: project approach, authentic interdisciplinary learning, team teaching of foreign languages with the aim of increasing the intercultural competence of students.
The Poljane Upper Secondary School offers its students the possibility to choose among a broad range of foreign languages. All students in school study at least two foreign languages, some study three or even four. In addition to English
or German
as the first foreign language (starting at an intermediate level), they can pick one or two at a beginner level, choosing from German, French
, Spanish
, Italian
, Russian
and Classical Greek in the classical program. The second foreign language is studied for all four years, the third one for two or three. In the classical program, Latin is a compulsory subject with a focal role in the curriculum.
Famous students:
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, the capital of Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. It is a coeducational nondenominational state secondary general education school for students aged between 15 to 19. It prepares them for university, which they can enroll at after successfully passing the matura
Matura
Matura or a similar term is the common name for the high-school leaving exam or "maturity exam" in various countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia,...
(leaving exam).
Short history
The Poljane Upper Secondary School was founded in 1889 as a lower secondary school with GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
as the language of instruction. Its initial name was "Second State Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
". In 1900, it was expanded to include 15 to 19-year-olds as well. In the present building classes started in 1907. In 1918 the building was renovated and German was replaced by Slovene as the language of instruction. By 1921, the Poljane Grammar School was the largest secondary school in Slovenia. Several school reforms changed the curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
and the name of the school. These names included "Upper Secondary School No. 2", "Upper Secondary School No. 5", and "Vida Janežič Upper Secondary School" (the last name refers to the Communist-era hero Vida Janežič, 1914-1944). In 1990 the school was renamed the Poljane Upper Secondary School.
Main characteristics
The school's curriculum consists of two programs: the general program and the classical program , in which one of the foreign languages is LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
. A change introduced three years ago is European classes, in which the general program incorporates the latest trends: project approach, authentic interdisciplinary learning, team teaching of foreign languages with the aim of increasing the intercultural competence of students.
The Poljane Upper Secondary School offers its students the possibility to choose among a broad range of foreign languages. All students in school study at least two foreign languages, some study three or even four. In addition to English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
or German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
as the first foreign language (starting at an intermediate level), they can pick one or two at a beginner level, choosing from German, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and Classical Greek in the classical program. The second foreign language is studied for all four years, the third one for two or three. In the classical program, Latin is a compulsory subject with a focal role in the curriculum.
Quality of education
The Poljane Upper Secondary School has a reputation as one of the best Slovenian general secondary schools. There are very few, if any, dropouts, and the academic performance of students is very good. This is shown annually in the results of the leaving exam. Every year, the average results of students are high above the national average, and the number of students who pass with distinction is among the highest in the country.Famous people
Famous professors:- Franček Bohanec, author and literary historian
- Božidar JakacBožidar JakacBožidar Jakac was a Slovene Expressionist, Realist and Symbolist painter, graphic artist, art teacher, photographer and filmmaker. He produced one of the most extensive oeuvres of pastels and oil paintings , drawings and, above all, graphics in Slovenia...
, painter - Andrej Karlin, prelate, bishop of TriesteRoman Catholic Diocese of TriesteThe Italian Roman Catholic diocese of Trieste, in the Triveneto, has existed since no later than 524, and in its current form since 1977. The bishop's seat is in Trieste Cathedral...
- France KoblarFrance KoblarFrance Koblar was a Slovene literary historian, editor and translator.Koblar was born in Železniki in what was then Austria-Hungary and is now in Slovenia. He studied Slavic languages and Latin at Vienna...
, art historian - Ferdo KozakFerdo KozakFerdo Kozak was a Slovenian author, playwright, editor and politician.He was born as Ferdinand Kozak in an upper middle class family in Ljubljana, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire...
, author and politician - Juš KozakJuš KozakJuš Kozak , also known under the pseudonym Jalanov, was a Slovenian writer, playwright and editor. He is most famous for his autobiographic novels, such as "The Cell" on his experience as political prisoner, and "Wooden Spoon" on life during World War II.He was born in a wealthy middle class...
, writer - Dragutin MateDragutin MateDragutin Mate is a Slovenian diplomat and politician. Between 2004 and 2008 he served as Minister of Interior in the centre-right government led by Janez Janša....
, diplomat and politician - Simon RutarSimon RutarSimon Rutar , was a Slovene historian and geographer. He wrote primarily on the history and geography of the areas that are now part of the Slovenian Littoral, the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and the Croatian counties of Istria and Primorsko-Goranska.- Biography :Rutar was born in a...
, historian - Oton ŽupančičOton ŽupancicOton Župančič was a Slovene poet, translator and playwright.Župančič is regarded, alongside Ivan Cankar, Dragotin Kette and Josip Murn, as the beginner of modernism in Slovenian literature...
, poet - Fran ZwitterFran ZwitterFran Zwitter was a Slovenian historian. He is considered, together with Milko Kos, Bogo Grafenauer and Vasilij Melik, the co-founder of the so-called Ljubljana school of historiography.- Life and work :...
, historian
Famous students:
- Igor Bergant, sports commentator
- Marjeta Blinc Pesek, psychiatrist
- Alenka GotarAlenka GotarAlenka Gotar is a Slovene soprano singer, born in Rodica pri Domžalah in 1977. With the song “Cvet z juga” , she represented Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki, Finland...
, singer - Tamara Griesser PečarTamara Griesser PecarTamara Griesser Pečar is a Slovenian historian.-Early life and education:She was born in Ljubljana, then part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. She attended high school in Ljubljana, Koper and Portorož and later in New York City and in Vienna...
, historian - Zoran JankovićZoran JankovicZoran Janković may refer to:*Zoran Janković , footballer*Zoran Janković , formerly chair of Mercator retail chain, and currently mayor of Ljubljana...
, manager and politician, mayor of Ljubljana - Zmago Jelinčič Plemeniti, politician
- Taras KermaunerTaras KermaunerTaras Kermauner was a Slovenian literary historian, critic, philosopher, essayist, playwright and translator.- Life :...
, literary historian, philosopher and essayist - Ernst MallyErnst MallyErnst Mally was an Austrian philosopher affiliated with the so-called Graz School of phenomenology. A pupil of Alexius Meinong, he was one of the founders of deontic logic and is mainly known for his contributions in that field of research.- Life :Mally was born in the town of Kranj in the Duchy...
, Austrian philosopher - Vasilij MelikVasilij MelikVasilij Melik was a Slovenian historian, who mostly worked on political history of the Slovene Lands in the 19th century.He was born in Ljubljana as the only son of the renowned geographer Anton Melik...
, Historian - Boris A. Novak, author
- Alenka PuharAlenka PuharAlenka Puhar is a Slovenian journalist, author, translator, and historian. She is known for her columns in the Slovenian journal Delo, for her writings on the dissident movements in Socialist Slovenia and Yugoslavia, as well as for her book "The Primary Text of Life" , a combination of...
, journalist, author, and human rights activist - Vasko SimonitiVasko SimonitiVasko Simoniti is a Slovenian historian and politician. Between 2004 and 2008, he served as the Minister of Culture of Slovenia...
, historian and politician - Matjaž ŠinkovecMatjaž ŠinkovecMatjaž Šinkovec is a Slovenian diplomat, politician, translator, journalist and science fiction writer. He was one of the co-founders of the Slovenian Democratic Party.- Early life and career :...
, diplomat and politician - Gregor StrnišaGregor StrnišaGregor Strniša was a Slovenian poet, playwright, and songwriter. He is considered as one of the most important Slovene language poet of the second half of the 20th century...
, poet - Igor TorkarIgor TorkarIgor Torkar was the pen name of Boris Fakin was a Slovenian writer, playwright and poet, most famous for his literary descriptions of Communist repression in Yugoslavia after World War II.- Life :...
, writer - Vladimir Truhlar, poet and theologian
- Dane ZajcDane ZajcDane Zajc was a Slovenian poet and playwright. He served as president of the Slovene Writers' Association , and was awarded the prestigious Prešeren Award for lifetime achievement...
, poet and playwright