Students from GS No. 2 presented two scenes from the life of a modern family in the preventive performance “A Difficult Art, or a Story About Communication,” directed by Ewa Ołenicz-Bernacka. In the first, they showed parents who, preoccupied with their work and problems, paid no attention to their own child. The second scene told the brief story of a girl whose father was an alcoholic, and the only “person” the child could turn to in order to be heard was God. This scene was extraordinarily moving. It showed how children can be lonely within their family, at school and among their peers. It showed that an unhappy person often encounters alienation and ridicule rather than help.
Another stage production was the musical performance “The Message of the Unwanted Guest,” directed by Rev. Janusz Diament. It began with a beautiful introduction by the priest, who said that Christmas is wherever there is love and two people who feel.
The ceremony, held in the Forum cinema hall, was a celebration for the entire Gimnazjum im. Polaków Zesłanych na Sybir—for students and teachers alike. The completed project required effort and financial resources, as well as a willingness to cooperate, work together and help one another.
“I would like to thank the parents, President Piotr Roman and the officials from the education department who supported us,” said headmistress Maria Subik. “We could not have completed this project without friends. That is why, during the Christmas holidays, I wish everyone many friends.”
The workshops held at the school were intended to teach students and teachers effective communication. In her project summary, therapist Jadwiga Soboń wrote to the school headmistress, congratulating her on her excellent teaching staff: people open to new experiences, creative and ready to support one another in their educational work.
Maria Subik also read out the students’ opinions about the communication workshops. They were sincere and very interesting statements that perfectly emphasized how important and effective the training had been: “I remember what safety means,” “The classes made me realize that words can hurt others,” “I liked it; I learned how to talk to another person,” “Today’s workshop was a torpedo,” “It was fun, we want more!”
The president congratulated them on completing the project. “Writing a project is an art, but it is even more important to implement it excellently—and that is exactly what happened here,” praised Piotr Roman. “Project-based thinking is an excellent way to manage things, an antidote to the ‘Somehow it will work out’ method; it means designing your future and your life. This was a difficult project: only one in ten proposals received funding. All the more reason to congratulate Gimnazjum Samorządowe im. Polaków Zesłanych na Sybir.”