Which secondary school will I go to?
A tough question that many ninth- and eighth-grade pupils are racking their brains over. Leaving primary school and starting secondary school is one of the more demanding times in many of our lives. Pupils face an important decision, which will shape their future for at least the next few years.
Pupils facing these tough decisions matter to us and we want to be helpful. That is why we prepared an event for the ninth-graders from both of our primary schools that could help them decide. With the help of young volunteers, we introduced 5 secondary schools from our region to small groups of pupils.
The living library method became a tool for sharing experiences from our young volunteers with their younger peers – future secondary school students. Volunteers – students, school-leavers and secondary school graduates – introduced their schools and the fields of study those schools offer, and told their listeners about their experiences, adventures and opportunities for personal growth.
Represented were SOŠ Kukučínova Poprad (secondary vocational school) in the field of digital media graphic design, SPŠ techniky a dizajnu Poprad (secondary technical school) in the fields of electrical engineering and construction, Gymnázium Kukučínova Poprad (grammar school), SOŠ Hotelová Horný Smokovec (secondary hotel school) in the field of cooking, and Škola umeleckého priemyslu Kežmarok (school of applied arts) in the field of photographic design. Through descriptions of photos from school, the volunteers gave an authentic picture of life at the individual secondary schools. The small age gap between listeners and presenters helped create a relaxed atmosphere and encouraged the curious ninth-graders to ask interesting questions and get answers to everything they wanted to know.
We believe this event was inspiring and helpful for future secondary school students. From the reflection held after listening to all the books, we know that for some ninth-graders the students' stories confirmed their decision, while others are still thinking about their secondary school. Dear ninth-graders, we are keeping our fingers crossed for you and wish that the decision you make is the right one for you.
