Elementary School LEONA ŠTUKLJA MARIBOR, Slovenia

At a time when new residential neighbourhoods were being built on the southern outskirts of Maribor, our school opened its doors. The opening took place on Pioneers' Day, 29 September 1983. Initially, it was a unit of the Velko Vlahović Primary School and both buildings were the most modern school buildings in the city at that time, as well as the largest in terms of the number of children. After nine years, the two units were split and became independent as Tabor I and Tabor II Primary Schools. In 1999, Tabor II Primary School decided to join the nine-year primary school programme, and ploughed the way for the renewal of the school curriculum. Our teachers were involved in a mentoring network and shared their experience with colleagues in schools that decided to introduce nine-year education later. We also started thinking about a new name for the school, as there was confusion between Tabor I and Tabor II both locally and nationally. The wish to name our school after an important personality, an Olympian and an honoured fellow citizen, soon came true. Mrs Lidija Pauko, daughter of Leon Štukelj, agreed to name the school after her father, based on our great wish and request. On 23 February 2009, the Maribor City Council adopted a Decree on the establishment of the Leon Štukelj Maribor Public Educational Institution. Thus, the school year 2009/10 started with a new name. The memory of Leon Štukelj lives on. Every year, on his birthday, we organise an event to welcome the first-graders into the school community with a cultural programme and lay flowers on his grave. We are still the youngest school in Maribor, but we are approaching our 40th anniversary. The building has not been spared by the ravages of time, so we were particularly pleased to see the energy renovation. In spring 2019, construction work began (renovation of the façade and joinery) and the renovation was completed for the 2019/20 school year. The building now looks nicer and more modern, and the climatic conditions are better. Our traditional theatre event From Stage to Stage, which transcends national boundaries, our membership of the International UNESCO Association of Schools, our titles as a Cultural School, a Symbiosis School, a Healthy School and our many projects, all speak of the richness of the content and values we live by. The oldest pupils take under their wing the youngest, who have barely crossed the school threshold. With the diligent guidance of their teachers, pupils achieve success in competitions in knowledge, sport and research. The many green spaces offer many opportunities for recreation and outdoor learning. Let me conclude with a thought from one of our pupils, written for the school magazine: "I like coming to this school because the pupils or classmates are great. The best thing for me is that we have special school holidays, like Language Day, Stucco Day, Theatre Day... But what I like most is the Stucco has Talent competition, where we can prove ourselves again every year. Even though I don't like some subjects, the teachers do their best to explain the material again. I also like that our school has a lot of space. We have sports fields, playgrounds for younger students, a garden, a rock garden...".