Just last weekend one of our Year 13 students, Marcel took fifth place in Polish sailing championships. We are very proud of Marcel’s achievement and we wish him lots of success at the European championships next June. This result is particularly important as it comes at a time when Year 13 students face an incredible pressure of various deadlines and assignments to be completed. It shows that combining academic success in the demanding IB programme with high achievements in sport is possible after all. When my father was reaching for the Polish championship in ski jumping in the mid fifties, while completing his university degree, it seemed almost impossible that the two could be combined successfully. Well, it turns out that it is not such a “mission impossible”, back in the fifties or now.
Marcel is not alone as we also have other students who combine success in sports with academic progress. Ioana, another Year 13 student, ranks in the top 60 junior female tennis players in the world but strives to achieve high scores in her IB Diploma. This dual success is not limited to sports as many of our IB students excel in other areas such as music and dance while working hard towards academic success in their IB programme. Marketa, yet another Year 13 student, is a world class ballroom dancer who combines academic success with many hours of dance practice. The three examples of our students reflect well the “be ambitious” motto described in the last newsletter and demonstrate that the idea of being ambitious extends far beyond our typical understanding of this term. The principle idea of renaissance multi-dimensional “Da Vinci” type education combined with an ancient Greek belief of educating both body and mind, finds it’s reflection in the IB Learner Profile and the overall objectives of the IB programme.
Dr Jacek Latkowski
Deputy Principal