THE SPLOT STORY

The story of Zespół Szkół Społecznych (SPLOT) began just after the fall of communism in 1989. The Educational Society for Malopolska (MTO), was created in 1988 with two goals: to support innovative teachers and teaching methods that would work towards an open and tolerant Europe, and to create an independent school that would put those teaching methods into practice. In pursuit of this first goal, workshops and teacher training in a variety of social service venues have been instituted in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. As a result of its second goal, SPLOT was created as an independent school in 1989, and remains the cornerstone of MTO and the vehicle through which the first goal is achieved.

The independent high school in the city of Nowy Sącz, SPLOT is one of the first non-state, independent schools in Poland. In the late 1970’s, Alicja Derkowska, a theoretical mathematician with a doctorate from the University of Łódź, Poland, relocated with her husband and two sons to Nowy Sącz. As a result of martial law, the couple lost their teaching positions and were forced to leave the teaching profession. Believing in educational freedom, with some 15 like-minded professors, scientists and pedagogues, Mrs. Derkowska met regularly in Warsaw to form one of the first, then illegal, Solidarity (underground) groups called the National Board of Education. In 1988 the group decided that the first step in making a change in the educational system of communist Poland was to create local education associations. The Educational Society of Malopolska was officially registered in 1988, just before the birth of a democratic Poland. The society consisted of parents, teachers, and others who were dedicated to change and eager to move ahead. When the government fell in 1989, the group was ready to develop an independent school which would support innovative and creative teaching methods, apply the philosophy of democratic ideals to the curriculum, and open students to the idea of risk taking, ready to be members of a free market economy. SPLOT opened with 14 students; today it has 100.

That first year the school was housed in a two-room apartment. The school had to apply for the accreditation afforded public schools and most of all convince the local community that this non-state education was worthy of their trust. The school's biggest advantages were the freedom to design one's own curriculum (as long as it met the minimum required by the State system) and the involvement of the whole school community (parents, students and teachers) in solving problems that arose.

CORE CURRICULUM

The academic program focuses on two main areas which are especially relevant to Poland's new political atmosphere: foreign languages as a way of relating to the countries of the West and the creation of a democratic environment at school as a means of creating the basis for being active and enlightened citizens in an open and democratic society.

Languages: Every SPLOT student is required to take English and either German or French each year of middle and high school. Other languages have been offered upon the request of students. Some of the third languages have been: Swedish, Russian, Dutch, Italian, Latin and Esperanto. Our students receive internationally recognized certificates for language proficiency in English, German, French and Computer Literacy. Languages are particularly important given the number of foreign exchanges and trips SPLOT students are involved in. There are regular class trips to Sweden, Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine. Language fluency is also essential as Splot receives many visitors from United States, European Union, the Balkans and Former Soviet Union. Although Poland is a very homogenous country, SPLOT has managed to attract students from Moldova, Ukraine, Greece, Yemen and Canada as well as a Roma (Gypsy) student from Nowy Sącz.

Democracy: The first students eagerly became involved in the process of building the school's character and took active roles in creating the rules and rights that are followed at SPLOT today. Classes are active and engaging. Students are encouraged to voice their opinions and student initiatives are instituted. A committee of students and teachers wrote a school constitution, which in effect created a school parliament; in 1995 the school received fourth place in the prestigious nationwide competition for the best school constitution. A diploma for this competition was awarded by Polish dignitaries: Professor B. Gieremek, Professor A. Zoll, and future President Aleksander Kwaśniewski.

SPLOT is a member of the International Democratic Education Network and was invited to share its experiences at the Tokyo conference in 2000.

SUPPLEMENTARY PROGRAMS

The well-qualified teaching staff are passionate about their subjects and strive to communicate their passion to the students. They enthusiastically convey knowledge, interact, guide, and offer friendship to the students. Many teachers are authors of their own teaching programs: Public Achievement and Street Law are two examples. Their dedication has resulted in student participation in many academic competitions, which they regularly win. Several have been finalists in the National School Olympics in various subjects.

SPLOT students have been involved in an American program called Creative Connections which connects schools worldwide with one another at the classroom level. In an effort to encourage SPLOT students to be more aware of their responsibility to the world around them, SPLOT was the first school in Poland to make participation in a community service program a graduation requirement. Many are also part of the St Nicholas Team which provides Christmas presents to children of poor families in the Nowy Sącz region.

“SPLOT's Quill” is a prestigious local literary competition for young poets and writers in Malopolska. In 2004, the literary efforts were published in book format for the first time. For many students, this was their first published work. The literary successes have generated a partnership with the Tischner European University in Krakow and the cooperative program is an achievement that has brought attention and honor to the school.

Additional Honors

In 2006 SPLOT was among the highest ranked schools in Poland. The publication, Gazeta Wyborcza, ranked the school fourth in Malopolska Province and first in the city of Nowy Sącz. SPLOT students continually place in athletic competitions, some have earned membership in the Malopolska swim and ski teams. SPLOT organizes inter-school competitions in skiing, and the “SPLOT Cup” awarded for skiing competition is recognized and sought after in Nowy Sącz. SPLOT alumni have achieved success in their public and professional lives; the school counts many PhD's, politicians, lawyers, doctors of medicine, businessmen and businesswomen, as well as managers in international corporations such as France-Telecom, among its graduates.

The sixteen graduating classes represent a cadre of educated individuals who are self-confident, resourceful, and able to adapt their skills to the circumstances they find themselves in. The school continues to improve facilities with rebuilding and renovating projects. A computer laboratory, an audio-visual auditorium, and a beautiful library are some of the results of these endeavors.

The Thomas Jefferson School and SPLOT partnership

Charles E. Merrill, Jr., one of the founders of Thomas Jefferson School (TJ) in St Louis, Missouri, USA, was instrumental in bringing these two institutions together. The partnership began 1997, when Eliza Wasilewska became the first SPLOT student to attend TJ. Since then, a SPLOT student has lived and studied at TJ each year. The remarkable story of each school is a testament to the founders and a lesson in democracy.

The TJ/SPLOT partnership begins with Charles E. Merrill, Jr.; the educator, writer, and philanthropist experienced what he describes as a “conservative boyhood” in New York. He attended Harvard and then served for two years as an infantryman in Italy. In 1946, he joined Robin McCoy and Graham Spring in starting a new boarding school, Thomas Jefferson, on what was then a country estate outside St. Louis, Missouri. He taught at the school for nine years, leaving in 1955 with his wife Mary and their five children for two years in Paris, where he wrote his first novel; he has written six books — the novel, Emily's Year, has appeared in eight different languages. Upon returning to the U.S., he started the Commonwealth School in Boston and served as its Headmaster until his retirement in 1981. From TJ’s very early years, Mr. Merrill brought international students from various countries to study at the school. He continues to do so today: Mr. Merrill’s personal and financial support of MTO in Nowy Sącz has brought SPLOT and TJ together: two schools with similar goals, size, and academic excellence. Each year, Mr. Merrill pays the tuition for a SPLOT student to attend TJ and he has also paid for a Moldovan student to attend SPLOT. The schools’ mission statements echo the natural partnership he has brought about, and underscores why the partnership succeeds:

The mission of Thomas Jefferson School is to give its students the strongest possible academic background, responsibility for their own learning, a concern for other people, and the resources to live happily as adults and become active contributors to society. We recognize the profound impact of education upon the student’s intellect and values. We will balance the challenges posed by the school’s high standards for academic, personal, and social development with support from a nurturing community.

The mission of MTO is to spread and promote democratic values in societies striving to create responsible, functional and participatory communities. The school recognizes that education is the key. SPLOT is a place where the art of asking questions is valued more than quick answers, where curiosity meets experience, where theory meets practice, dreams become reality and where hard work is rewarded. The mission is reflected by promoting a democratic school environment, innovative teaching methods, and responsible citizenship.

Through Mr. Merrill’s efforts, Lawrence Morgan, TJ’s Headmaster Emeritus and friend to Mr. Merrill, moved to Nowy Sącz for a year and taught English at SPLOT; Morgan also helped to prepare young people for the Matura in the spring, and brought his own “TJ style” of teaching to SPLOT. Working with Beata Budzik, Alicja Derkowska, and Julie Boudreaux, Mr. Morgan was able to identify the characteristics needed by a SPLOT student that would assure success at TJ.

Mr. Merrill is truly a friend of Poland: in recognition of his tireless support of the country, he was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Republic of Poland in 2003. His philanthropic initiatives often involve him in grass-roots projects such as personally funding a student. The TJ/SPLOT project has been a success from many perspectives: TJ students learn first-hand about an Eastern European culture, SPLOT students live as an American teenager for a year and then return to SPLOT consistently at the top of the class, and both institutions benefit from this international outreach.

SPLOT’s courageous beginning just after the fall of communism has had far-reaching effects. The original impetus for SPLOT was the desire to create a student-centered approach to education in Poland. The number of non-state schools since then has increased exponentially. The Polish Ministry of Education regarded the spread of these schools as an experiment. It has observed the practices that are successful in these innovative schools and has slowly begun to apply them to the state system. Instead of a trickle-down effect there has been a trickle-up effect. These grassroots initiatives have slowly become part of the mainstream. The TJ/SPLOT partnership brings together two schools who fundamentally agree that education is a key element in true democracy. The challenge is to insure that students from half way across the world continue to have the opportunity to live and work together.