The aim of the project carried out under the motto “Saving from Oblivion – Following in the Footsteps of St. Martin” was to engage and encourage children and young people to take on social challenges, showing what a wonderful experience teamwork can be and what useful results it can produce, as well as how important the involvement of the school community in activities for the benefit of others is.
The project consisted of three stages. The first part was titled “History and Secrets of the Oldest Church in Our City.” During religion lessons, pupils from grades II–VIII had the unusual opportunity to visit the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary—the oldest church in Bolesławiec, built in 1270. During these educational trips, the pupils listened with interest to the history of the church’s origins and admired the Baroque altar, baptismal font, sculptures and other valuable historic monuments. The young people also listened with great interest to an account of the latest discovery: a crypt uncovered in the church cellars containing the remains of residents of the area from many centuries ago. The pupils also cleaned up the old cemetery next to the church and prayed for the deceased buried there.
As part of the second stage of the project, titled “School Celebrations of St. Martin’s Day,” the Student Council, together with its supervisors Adrianem Banysiem and Agnieszką Markowicz, prepared a special meeting with class 1B on November 12, 2021. The pupils learned, both in Polish and German, about the most important events in the life of St. Martin. During the meeting, they watched a multimedia presentation and even a fairy-tale version of the legend of St. Martin, which everyone followed with great attention and interest. Eighth-grade girls then introduced everyone to the history of St. Martin and the traditions and customs associated with the holiday. The children were shown a recipe for St. Martin’s croissants. They also had the opportunity to see what this genuine pastry filled with white poppy seeds looks like, traditionally prepared in Poznań and some parts of Greater Poland for St. Martin’s Day.
The workshops developing the pupils’ talents also included musical accompaniment: children from class 3a, under the direction of religion teacher Haliny Rudzik, performed the songs “The Smiling Saint” and “Set Out with Us, Lord.” During the art workshops, pupils from class 6a created works depicting, among other things, the story of St. Martin, as well as lanterns and recipes for croissants in German. St. Martin’s Day (German: “Martinstag”) is a much-anticipated celebration at the school; it heralds the Christmas season and creates an atmosphere of mystery and faith in doing good.
The third stage of the project was titled “Everyone, Like St. Martin, Can Help Others.” As part of this phase, the school community joined for the fifth time in preparing Christmas packages and greeting cards for Poles living in Zbarazh, Ukraine, as part of a volunteer campaign organized by the Society of Friends of Lviv and the Southeastern Borderlands. The gifts were collected over four days. Their large quantity was thanks to the school’s pupils and parents. During art workshops, the pupils also made beautiful Christmas greeting cards. On November 17, 2021, the president of the Bolesławiec Society of Friends of Lviv and the Southeastern Borderlands, Barbara Smoleńska, together with representatives of the organization, collected the gifts prepared by the school; in December, they will be delivered to compatriots living in Ukraine.
The main aim of the “Saving from Oblivion – Following in the Footsteps of St. Martin” project was to introduce the student community to important places connected with our culture and traditions and to make young people aware of the importance of joint activities and cooperation, through which it is possible not only to gain knowledge but also to help others.