The European Day of Languages inspired by C.K. Norwid

 
An important event was held in our school on 24 September  celebrating the European Day of Languages.This is an important date when our school praises the Day of Norwid- the school’ patron. In 2001 the European Day  of Languages was initiated  by the Council of Europe  and it has been anually commemorated since that time on 26 September.

The students of classes VB and IIA prepared two multimedia presentations accompanied by a beautiful Frederic Chopin’s music, Norwid’s friend.

The presentation in English acquainted the students with Norwid’s journey to the United States of America and showed his poems inspired by his life and problems he encountered overseas.

The presentation in French was about the last years of his life in Paris and his traces in the French capital city like : a beautiful monument, a square of Cyprian Kamil Norwid placed next to the wonderful library of Francois Mitterand and a plaque commemorating Norwid’s death in L’Oeuvre de Saint-Casmir.

Then the students interpreted  our Patron’s poems translated into English and French by students  from III Secondary School of Cyprian Kamil Norwid in Zamość. The audience in the school assembly hall  listened intensely to the poetry sounding beautifully even in foreign languages.

A great 19th century philosopher Henri Bergson said- ‘’Norwid was a great Pole- fervent  and pure soul uniting the love for the fatherland and the conviction that loving this fatherland is the desire for the greatest goodness of humanity”. This quote  can be considered as a motto of the ceremony.

The unusual way of commemorating the Day of School Patron received a great recognition of the whole school community. I would like to thank all the students who prepared the event, diligently studied English and French phonetics and were actively engaged in the public presentation which was obviously doomed for success.

Thanks to the students, who were actively involved in preparing the celebration, diligently studing French and English phonetics and were really worried about their public appearence which was obviously doomed for success.

Izabela Matyaszewska