Farewell to school

One of the most beautiful traditions carefully cultivated in the Polish School of Remembrance. General Casimir Pulaski in Harwood Heights, IL is a ceremonial presentation of certificates to eighth grade students who complete their learning of Polish as a foreign language at the elementary level.

On that day, all eighth-graders were festively dressed in blue gowns and birets.

In this important ceremony, primary school graduates were accompanied by their older colleagues from the matura class on the basis of honorary distinction.

They, too, were festively dressed in white gala costumes and birets.

As always, the graduation certificates were handed over to high school graduates, similarly this time during a solemn evening banquet.

This joint celebration of not only the end of the school year, but also specific stages of language learning in a Polish community school, is an exemplary model for younger students showing that only passing the maturity exam will be the fullness of their success.

The morning ceremony began with a Mass.

Into the interior of the church of St. Rosalie, shortly before its commencement, along with the school’s flagship post, students of both classes entered and took honorary places in the first rows of pews, reserved exclusively for them.

Both the program of the end of the school year and the part of the Holy Mass in which the faithful take part was prepared exclusively by eighth grade students.

It was they who had the task of finding the right texts of the liturgical readings, carefully preparing for them, arranging the prayer of the faithful, so that then its individual phrases could be read by the disciples appointed for this purpose.

In this beautiful ceremony, graduates and high school graduates, in addition to teachers, colleagues from younger and older classes, were also accompanied by their parents, loved ones, school authorities, members of the school board, catechists and parish priests associated with the school.

The Mass was followed by the proper part of the celebration.

At the very beginning, book awards were presented to those students who in the last half of the eighth grade had special achievements in areas not related to their academic performance.

The first of the awarded people was: Natalia Czachorowski for participation in the “Spelling Bee” competition and worthy representation of the school.

The second – Robert Raszewski, who took second place in the school competition “For the most beautiful Christmas decoration” – in the category: Christmas nativity scenes.

From among this year’s graduates, it was difficult to select and award a group of the best students.

Therefore, their choice was determined not only by very good ratings and behavior or successes of the last year, but by their exemplary efforts and efforts over the last few years.
The group of the best included: Natalia Czachorowski, Natalia Liszka, Robert Raszewski, Natalia Soja and Sabrina Tylka.

Exemplary graduates of primary school leaving certificates and book awards were personally presented by Mrs. Agata Michalkiewicz, the school’s headmistress.

A moment later, the remaining certificates were solemnly handed out to the eighth grade students.
In addition to congratulations and wishes for further success in learning, everyone also received a commemorative photo of their class.

During the ceremony, short speeches were given by: the school’s director Agata Michalkiewicz and the eighth grade teacher, Jolanta Plesiewicz.

Robert Raszewski, a student of the eighth grade A, thanked all those present, in particular teachers and parents for their care and patience, effort of teaching, friendly atmosphere at school, while expressing the hope that only pleasant memories will remain in the memory of each of us.

A very important element of this ceremony was the handing over of the school’s banner by high school graduates to the flag post office from class II of high school.

A joint photo commemorating the throwing out of the birets as a sign of joy ended the morning ceremony of handing over certificates to eighth grade students.

High school graduates, their parents and loved ones, the teaching staff, the school authorities and invited guests met again that day, in the evening at the matriculation banquet.

The matriculation banquet began with a ceremonial entrance to the hall of this year’s high school graduates.
All high school graduates were festively dressed in white gowns and birets.
Each of them was presented to the gathered guests by name.

After the presentation, the high school graduates took their seats at a table specially reserved only for them, displayed in the hall in such a way that they could remain in the center of attention of the guests gathered at the banquet throughout the duration of the event.

During the banquet, the teacher of the matura class, Mr. Wiesław Sawicki, discussed the matura papers of his students in an extremely interesting way, emphasizing the most interesting elements related to the topic chosen by each of them.

In an unconventional way, he also spoke about contemporary patriotism, the beautiful attitude of promoting Polish traditions in exile and the pride of his pupils from their own roots, which was reflected in their matriculation works.

During the banquet, short speeches were also given by the ladies: Agata Michalkiewicz, the school’s headmistress and Agata Wozny, the president of the school board.

An equally interesting and awaited by everyone point of the evening banquet was the author’s artistic program, for the first time in the history of the school independently prepared by this year’s high school graduates.

That evening we had the opportunity to watch the school version of the “Got Talent” program, which has been very popular in Poland for some time.

This time it was an edition of a program specially prepared for Chicago residents from the Polish Pulaski School in Harwood Heights.

The report from the imaginary studio in Krakow was conducted by: Ewelina Pachel and Mateusz Strojny.

The jurors of the school version of “Got Talent” were: Joanna Najdala, who easily played the role of Agnieszka Chylińska, Mateusz Walczak in the role of the controversial Kuba Wojewódzki and Ewelina Pachel as Małgorzta Foremniak.

The rest of the class played the role of the participants in the program, presenting not only their skills of efficient use of the Polish language, but also other numerous talents: dance, instrumental and vocal.

In order to make the performance for the performance credible, the high school graduates engaged Piotr Biel, the younger brother of one of their colleagues, in their artistic undertaking.

Congratulations, joint photos of high school graduates with their parents, educator, Mr. Wiesław Sawicki and former teacher of this class Mrs. Anna Rosa, a commemorative photo show and a festive dinner ended the long, last day of the school year.
Jola Plesiewicz

Photos: Dariusz Piłka