What does a year at school look like when learning goes beyond the textbooks? At Prof. Ivan Apostolov Private English Language High School, the 2025/2026 academic year was marked by a wide range of initiatives, projects, competitions, and experiences that gave students the space to experiment, create, and grow. From entrepreneurial ideas and scientific projects to art, sports, international programmes, and travel, the year brought together a diverse range of opportunities — and even more reasons to be proud.
Innovative Learning with Real-World Application
At the heart of success at Prof. Ivan Apostolov Private English Language High School is the STEAME model – a modern educational framework that combines science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, and entrepreneurship. Through this approach, together with the “Company Programme” developed by our partners at Junior Achievement Bulgaria, students develop real business ideas through student-run companies and present them at national and international forums. Here are the key entrepreneurial achievements of the 2025/2026 academic year:
– BioBliss – the student start-up founded by Alexandra Klyaneva, Viktoria Koleva, and Sofia Nikolova continued its impressive development this year. Following numerous national and international awards, the team appeared on “Social Network” on NOVA, while two of the students received recognition in the national “20 Under 20” programme by Capital and the U.S. Ambassador’s Youth Council: Viktoria Koleva was a finalist in the “Science and Technology” category, while Sofia Nikolova was a semi-finalist in the “Entrepreneurship” category. The most important step forward this year, however, was BioBliss’s transition from a student company into an officially established start-up, with patent agreements with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) and partnerships with other companies and start-ups.
– RainReborn – the team of Boris Stoyanov, Aleksandar Isakov, Viktor Simeonov, Dariya Tancheva, and Iva Peychinova achieved a series of outstanding successes with their AI-powered system for intelligent rainwater management. The project won first place in the SDG Dragons category at the national competition “Best Youth Start-up in Bulgaria – 2026”, and then went on to triumph on the international stage, winning the grand prize, “The Best Company of International Student Company Festival 2026,” at the international festival in Riga, competing against 138 student companies from across Europe. RainReborn also represented Bulgaria at the Junior Achievement Austria – Marketplace Vienna, where the team attracted significant interest in its student-developed system for collecting, filtering, and intelligently using rainwater.
– ZeroLoop – the team of Borislav Dimov, Mihail Lalev, Aleksandar Chepishev, and Stelin Kushev won second place in the SDG Dragons category at the national competition “Best Youth Start-up in Bulgaria – 2026” with their app designed to reduce waste through partnerships with restaurants and incentives for using reusable personal containers. The team also earned the opportunity to participate in the EIT Jumpstarter Grand Final, along with professional and mentoring support, and later presented the project at the international festival in Riga.
– Tech Desk – Special Award at the Junior Achievement Bulgaria Final: The school company Tech Desk won the Schneider Electric Award for Technological Entrepreneurship at the national Junior Achievement Bulgaria final. The team – Viktor Kolev, Konstantin Kosev, Vanessa Dyakova, and Yana Larionova – presented an idea for a school platform designed to facilitate access to educational materials in a digital environment and reduce the need for students to carry heavy school bags.
– Scenthea – Katrin Todorova, Kristina Chervenyakova, Darina Krasteva, and Silvia Kralevska presented their eco-friendly roll-on perfume at the international Marketplace Vienna, where they made their first sales and initiated an international partnership with Mozaick Fragrances Vienna. The team also reached the final of the national “Best Youth Start-up in Bulgaria – 2026” competition, competing against more than 600 participants from across the country.
– Octolio/FinQuest – with their educational game designed to develop financial literacy through interactive simulations and real-life decision-making, the team also reached the final of the national “Best Youth Start-up in Bulgaria – 2026” competition. They also represented the school at the international festival in Riga.
– ReGenCycle – the team of Georgi Ivanov, Simona G. Pisin, Aleksandar Aleksandrov, and Kaloyan S. Stoyanov won the Innovation Award at the International Student Company Festival Riga 2026 with their smart accelerated composting system, which uses AI to optimise the biodegradation process.
– ScoutVerse – Laura Kaneva, Boris Dushanov, Magdalena Borisova, and Mina Logofetova also took part in the school’s international representation in Riga with their sports talent discovery platform, connecting young athletes with scouts, teams, and sports organisations.
Academic and Scientific Achievements
The 2025/2026 academic year brought new successes in mathematics, computer science, English, and international academic competitions.
- World Scholar’s Cup: Two teams of 11th-grade students from the Debate Club represented the school at the global final in New Haven, USA, following successful performances in the qualifying rounds in Sofia and Ljubljana. The competition brought together more than 1,400 students from over 60 countries. Neda Zlateva, Nia Ivanova, Yuliana Dimitrova, Radost Krumova, and Konstantin Kosev won a total of 13 medals – 10 silver and 3 gold. Among the achievements were a gold medal for Radost Krumova in Collaborative Writing, a silver medal for Neda Zlateva in Scholar’s Challenge – Literature, as well as awards in team debates and the Scholar’s Bowl. The students were coached by Momchil Benov.
- National English Language Olympiad: Maya Stoykova from 10th grade, Class “V” won third place in the third competition group, continuing the school’s tradition of prize-winning performances at the national stage of the Olympiad.
- UChIMI and UK’26: Students from the school presented six projects at the 26th Winter Student Conference of UChIMI. Nia Nietrista received a medal and a certificate for excellent performance with her project Coinfinity, while Konstantin Kosev and Viktor Kolev received a special award for TechDesk. Teodora Kyoseva with AmphiReach, Martina Kokoshkarova with Ethos, and Vanessa and Elena Rasheva with CareerCompass were awarded certificates for very good performance. The students were mentored by Anastasia Lyudmilova, Computer Science teacher.
- Spring Conference of the Bulgarian Mathematical Society: Students from the school also took part in the 26th Student Section of the conference in Tryavna. Nia Nietrista’s Coinfinity received a medal and a certificate for excellent performance, while Techtron by Viktor Kolev and Konstantin Kosev, Ethos by Martina Kokoshkarova, and CareerCompass by Vanessa Dyakova received certificates for very good performance.
Culture and Arts
This year, the school’s cultural and creative life expanded with new stages and new spaces for expression – from theatre and photography to the big screen, journalism, and student podcasts.
– The Theatre Group presented Dobri Voynikov’s The Misunderstood Civilization (Krivorazbranata tsivilizatsiya) on the school stage – a production the students worked on throughout the academic year under the guidance of Mariana Dikova, who adapted the play for the stage. The actors were joined by both dance groups led by Polina Dimitrova – the folk dance group and the modern dance club.
The group also performed the production at the National Multilingual Theatre Festival “The Word – Power and Boundlessness” in Velingrad, where, among 51 theatre companies from across the country, it received the festival’s highest distinction – the Grand Prix in the “Bulgarian Language – Grades 8–12” category. Sofia Petrova also received the award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Anka.
– “Pogled” – the first student photography exhibition in the school’s history. The Photojournalists’ Club presented the first student photography exhibition at Prof. Ivan Apostolov Private English Language High School. It featured 49 photographs by 29 authors, including landscapes, portraits, animals, architecture, details, and artistic photography. The students from the Photography and Journalism Club were responsible for the organisation and presentation of the exhibition, working on the selection, composition, and overall display of the photographs. A large part of the photographs and catalogues were sold, with the proceeds supporting the organisation of a future exhibition.
– Publication in the newspaper Duma: Ninth-graders Ekaterina Miteva, Irena Dimitrova, and Irena Ivanova, members of the Journalism and Photography Club, published their first interview in the newspaper Duma. The three students accompanied the theatre group to the “The Word – Power and Boundlessness” festival in Velingrad, where they interviewed the event’s organiser, Filip Filipov.
– Yoana Kapitanova on the big screen: Yoana appeared in the new Bulgarian feature film “Wild Strawberries” (Divi Yagodi), playing the role of Monica. The film, Tatiana Pandurska’s feature-film directorial debut, was screened across Bulgaria and received international recognition.
– Bozhidar Lalov and “The Children of Bulgaria”: Ninth-grader Bozhidar Lalov and the team behind the national student podcast “The Children of Bulgaria” won the Organisers’ Special Award at the first edition of the youth podcast festival “Noisy Youth” in Shumen.
– The school newspaper “APOSTOLoff TIMES” published two new issues – in January and June – featuring a refreshed design and new sections dedicated to student achievements, creativity, and school life. The issues were produced by the Journalism and Photography Club. An archive of previous editions is available on our website.
– Erasmus+ once again took students and teachers beyond the classroom. In July, 10th-grade students spent two weeks in Porto, Portugal, as part of the STEAME Summer School 2026 at Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP), where they worked on topics including text mining, programming, data, and digital arts.
Sports
Our sporting year was filled with medals, championship titles, and strong performances, both by our school teams and by students competing at national and international level.
Team Achievements
– Basketball: champions in the Studentski District in the Grades 11–12 category, third place in Grades 8–10, and silver medals for both teams at the regional stage; champions at the private schools tournament as well.
– Volleyball: silver medals for the boys’ teams in Grades 8–10 and 11–12, and bronze for the girls at the regional stage.
– Badminton: championship title for the boys and silver for the girls at the regional stage; bronze for the boys at the city championship.
– Football: silver medal in the Studentski District.
– Handball: bronze for the boys at the regional stage and for the girls at the city championship.
– Athletics: fifth place for the boys and seventh for the girls at the city championship.
– Table Tennis (Grades 8–10): silver medals at the Studentski District championship.
Individual Achievements
– Boris Fuskov (8th grade) – European champion in athletics in the 60 m and long jump, as well as Bulgarian national champion in the long jump.
– Matey Sarastov (11th grade) – three Bulgarian sailing championship titles and European champion in IRC2.
– Teodora Kyoseva (11th grade) – leader of the national ITRA ultramarathon league for athletes under 18, completing 9 races and a total of 423 km during the season.
– Samuil Peshev (12th grade) – Bulgarian national tennis doubles champion in the Under-18 category for the seventh consecutive year.
– Dobromir Manolov (11th grade) – Bulgarian national tennis doubles champion in the Under-18 category and singles runner-up, with finals appearances at international ITF Junior tournaments.
– Preslav Popov (8th grade) – Balkan volleyball champion with the U17 national team and Bulgarian champion with the Under-16 team.
– Ivayla Meschekova (11th grade) – Bulgarian national figure skating champion in junior ice dance solo, placing eighth at the international DS Cup. She also played a key role in the performance “A Ship in the Heart” at the State Opera Burgas and at Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia, featuring poetry by renowned Bulgarian poet Hristo Fotev.
– Viktor Pekhlivanyan (8th grade) – three silver swimming medals at the international Briz tournament.
– Viktoria Kasabova (8th grade) – gold and silver medals in rhythmic gymnastics at the international Golden Pirin Cup.
– Ventsislava Yordanova (8th grade) – two gold medals in sports and Latin American dancing.
– Aleksandar Penev (11th grade) – competed in the Sofia Marathon, completing the 42.195 km distance with a personal best of 4:40:34.
– Eduard Doychev (8th grade) – bronze medal in 3×3 basketball at the international NIKE KIDS Sofia Open 2026.
Civic Engagement and Volunteering
– The Student Council chose to support “Operation: Teddy Bear” by setting up donation boxes, with students, teachers, and parents all contributing. The BGN 1,700 raised was used to purchase more than 100 gifts, including essential items for the “Svetlina” Day Centre for Adults with Disabilities in Blagoevgrad.
– The Halloween Charity Bazaar raised BGN 725, which was donated to Generation Programme Foundation in support of vulnerable children and young people who have grown up without parental care or in foster families. The Christmas Charity Bazaar raised BGN 2,460, which was donated to Eyes on Four Paws, the organisation behind Bulgaria’s only guide-dog school for people who are blind. The Spring Charity Bazaar raised EUR 1,000 in support of young families with newborn children in need of medical assistance through the Our Premature Children Foundation.
– Students from Grades 9, 10, and 11, members of the Volunteering Club, took part in the volunteer kitchen run by “St. George’s Volunteers”, where they prepared hot meals for people in need together with the organisation’s team.
Looking Ahead
Behind every achievement this year was the curiosity to try, the courage to take on a challenge, and the people who supported our students along the way. From the classroom to the stage, from the sports field to international competitions, and from school initiatives to causes that make a real difference, our students once again showed just how much they can achieve when given the space to act, create, and grow.
We are closing a dynamic and inspiring academic year with gratitude to all the students, teachers, parents, and partners who made it possible!
