For the second consecutive year, students from “Prof. Ivan Apostolov” High School have had the opportunity to attend the Erasmus+ European program and earn certificates for their participation. Last year, the training was held in Spain, and this year it was hosted in Greece. Ten students from 10th and 11th grade at our school were selected for the program, based on their contribution to school life and activities. In July, they spent two weeks in Athens together with their Bulgarian Language and Literature teachers – Mrs. Lozanova and Mr. Nikolov. The subject of the training was “Drama in Education”, and the goal was to enhance students’ skills of self-expression, communication, emotional intelligence, imagination, and artistic interpretation, all of which serve as useful tools both in our school environment and outside.
“At first, we were a bit skeptical about the program, but on the very first training day, our instructor Ersi fascinated us with her innovative and creative teaching methods. We realized right away that we would not just learn useful tools and applicable techniques during the course, but enjoy ourselves and have an unforgettable experience filled with many special moments. We were introduced to relaxation exercises, warm-up sessions, breathing techniques, and games for boosting our confidence and concentration. Then, we challenged ourselves by engaging in a debate and taking positions we would not otherwise support. We expressed different emotions without the use of words, practiced improvisation and acting skills, and wrote poems. We even created our own play, integrating all the exercises and techniques we had practiced so far, and performed it before an audience just like real actors. We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to attend this program because it helped us improve our skills and learn something new about ourselves.”
Dara Paneva, Alina Boshniakova and Kalina Chakarova, 12th grade
Ivelina Petrova, 11th grade
Translation: Victor Denev 12th grade
