19 High school Elin Pelin, Sofia

19 School “Elin Pelin” offers primary and secondary advanced learning of entrepreneurship and business education, as well as languages: English, German and Norwegian, in particular. We are the first and only school in Bulgaria teaching Norwegian and Danish languages. We have a  partnership with different NGOs and organisations such as PACSH, Goethe Institute, Cambridge, America for Bulgaria Foundation, Junior Achievement Bg, Telenor, and  Greco. We comprise around 1100 students aged 7-18 years and about 90-100 teachers and staff. Our school is one of the first innovative schools approved by the Ministry of Education and Science in Bulgaria. Last year, 2020, we won the “Global School Award 2020”  for global education and sustainable development.

Our aim is to train young leaders having a wide range of competencies for  entrepreneurship and business activities. That is why we do our best to engage the students in creative participation not only during the classes but also in the course of extracurricular activities which cover a wide context and areas of performance. Our students are motivated young learners who have a clear vision for their future and strive to be competitive enough in the long term to meet the needs of the society they live in. The conviction of our teachers at 19  School “Elin Pelin”  has led to foreign languages and entrepreneurial skills being taught at a high level in order to eliminate many barriers that can be faced between people, allowing them to communicate, work together to increase their mobility. As we believe that each language is a tool for new opportunities, new friends around the world to get acquainted with as well as other cultures. By learning languages, one can increase their self-confidence and obtain prerequisites for a successful career. More than half of the teachers are young, motivated to implement new methods for teaching and use innovative approaches. The main objective at the high school for the teachers is to allow students to obtain knowledge and skills to allow them to actively interact with their social environment and for it to be a prerequisite when they are exposed in a market economy.

This will include the following:

•  Mastering the fundamentals and laws of human knowledge;

• Knowledge  of universal and national values, virtues and culture;

• Development of individuality and stimulate creativity;

• Spiritual, physical and social development and a healthy lifestyle;

• Building a free, moral and enterprising personality;

• Promoting entrepreneurship skills and  foreign language learning;

• Explore the culture of the EU.

 In the past few years, we have implemented the Google G-suite in all spheres of activity at 19  High School: from administration to google classroom. Thus we are teaching our students using ICT in a variety of technologically equipped classrooms, interactive boards,STEM laboratories, blended learning at our school. All teachers and students, employees have created school emails/domains and we all work or study in a secure learning environment – a virtual classroom of Google. Under the circumstances created in the last year, it contributes to better communication and implements the learning process without problems from a distance, by sharing documents, forms, presentations from home. Last few years, 19 High School entirely deals with an electronic diary called “School”.

The learning environment at 19.SU is traditional, synchronous and asynchronous depending on the real situation in Bulgaria. Our school combines traditional methods for our educational system with modern ones, using new technologies, such as – inverted classroom, learning by doing, learning by playing in group or individual activities on different platforms and sites, encouraging them to use digital technologies in time.

At the center of the educational process is the student with his individual characteristics and learning styles. The aim is to develop the potential of each child and his talents. We pay special attention to the positive atmosphere in the learning process and the creation of joyful experiences for children during their stay in school. You can see our YouTube channel where this atmosphere is in every video of our school (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxgYgDb8_oUcyn3R87PgG0Q) and the school website: https://19su.bg/

The school is managed by a traditional management staff, Principal and deputy principals. A team of highly qualified specialists is provided: teachers, psychologists, resource teachers, pedagogical advisors, speech therapists.Оur training department is technically secured with a perfect internet connection with hot spots and we have our own server.