Froggy 2023

Dear reader,

You are looking at the 10th edition of Froggy, our school magazine. In this issue you can get an insight into what our younger students did at English classes. Our older students wrote about places in Slovenia, superstitions, they gave advice to new students, wrote some ghost stories and biographies.

You will also find some interesting interviews in this issue.

Enjoy reading it!

Petra Kajzer editor in chief

On 9 May, we celebrated eTwinning Day with pupils from European club. We enjoyed several fun activities, songs and even a videoconference. We met pupils from Poland, Spain and Turkey. It was fun talking to them and getting to know their culture.

With pupils from European Club, we marked the European Day of Languages with the English tea party. We talked about cultures and languages and found out which country is famous for tea. We have also learned tea party etiquette and ate delicious cookies.

Petra Šlankovič and Manca Žuna

Our geography teacher is Mr Ernest Pirnat. He has got a farm with cows and other animals. Every day, he drives one hour to school. I like him because he makes us laugh every hour we spend with him. He likes to travel around the world and he spends a lot of time telling us stories about his adventures.

Mr Brane Muhič is our janitor. He wakes up very early and finishes his work very late. Everyone knows he likes his job. He repairs things which are broken, he cleans the outside of the school and he helps everyone. He is our favourite employee of our school. Nik Kozelj, 9b

Mark: How long ago did you start working at this school?

Mr Trojar: 31 years ago.

Mark: Why did you decide to study sports?

Mr Trojar: I've been living in sports my entire life. When I was young I also trained football and handball.

Mark: Did you first want to be an athlete or did you want to be a sports teacher?

Mr Trojar: Already at the start when I saw my sports teacher, I decided what I was going to do in my life.

Mark: What is your favourite sport?

Mr Trojar: Tennis.

Mark: Who is your favourite tennis player?

Mr Trojar: Roger Federer.

Mark: Have you already played in any competitions?

Mr Trojar: Yes, handball and football matches.

Mark: In which sport are you the best?

Mr Trojar: I would say tennis.

Mark: What is your favourite part of your job?

Mr Trojar: When I see a kid in 6th grade who isn’t that good at sports and then I see how he/she evolves into a good sportsman.

Mark: What do you do in your free time?

Mr Trojar: I sing, dance, and I go hiking.

Mark: Thank you for your time.

Mr Trojar: You’re welcome.

Mark Ilešič, 7c

o When and where were you born?

I was born in 1947. For the first four years of my life, me and my family lived in a school where my mother worked, in Zalog. Later we moved to Ljubljana, where our grandmother used to live with us.

o Can you describe what life looked like then?

I can't say that life was harder or easier, because it was different. In those times you couldn't get every single food you wanted from stores so we were less picky. We were lucky to have a radio but we didn't have a television, so we used to read newspapers every day. My mother worked as a teacher, and my father worked as a teacher of the deaf, so their working hours weren't much different from today.

o What was school like?

The primary school which I went to, was in places where Gymnasium Bežigrad is now so I had a 20 minute-walk to school. After primary school, I went to Gymnasium Bežigrad. I think that in my childhood teachers had bigger authority and kids weren't as cheeky as they are now.

o Do you have any special memories of your childhood?

Yes, a lot of them. I remember that every New Year's Eve, my dad used to play the violin because we didn't have a television. Everybody used to sing along. I also remember that we sometimes used to make dough for bread at home, and in the morning, we took it to the bakery so they could bake it for us.

o Do you think children were happier in the past?

I think mostly yes, but in a different way. I remember some families were really poor and those kids had a harder life, but they still used to play a lot more. We used to play all the time, and every single child from our street came to play. Špela

Košir, 9c

I interviewed my grandma Alenka Primožič. We talked about her childhood.

Interview with my grandma

o Where were you born?

I was born in small village Vnanje Gorice near Ljubljana in 1951.

o What was life like for you in those days? I had two brothers and one sister. Even though we didn’t have a lot of money we were really happy and we had a good relationship as family. I remember how we sing in the evenings and how my brothers played guitar and accordion.

o What’s your most vivid childhood memory?

My most vivid memory I think is in the winter when I and my siblings went on our neighbors’ hill and me and my sister where sledding, our brothers built a ski jump and they let as try to jump few times, but we weren’t very successful.

o What do you particularly remember about that time?

I remember helping my mother on the field. We also had a cow, goats, sheep, pigs, hens and geese. But not all at the same time. One of geese was so friendly and she acted like our pet, mom even let her sleep with as children.

o Do you think children were happier when you were young?

Yes, I think even though the families where bigger and we lived simpler lives we were able to live happy. We told each other stories and we played a lot of kinds of games with kids from the whole village.

Zarja Merzel

Interview with my grandma

• Where you were born?

I was born in Ljubljana Maternity Hospital.

• Do you remember any special moment from your childhood days?

One Monday morning, when I was 6 years old, I came in the kindergarten and all the teachers were crying, because the president of Yugoslavia Tito died.

• What was life in Ljubljana in your childhood days like?

I grew up in the socialism, when people were happy and were smiling all the time. Life was peaceful, neighbours helped each other, there was not so much jealousy as it is today. Everyone had a job. Doctors took a lot of their time for patients, because people were not just numbers. People gathered more, on union’s parties and at fetes.

• Did you have a good time in primary school?

No, because I couldn’t sit still and I didn’t have focus on the teacher’s explanation, I had a few learning problems. But I had good relationships with my schoolmates. A few of them are still my friends.

• What did you do in your free time when you were in primary school?

We played a lot outside. We played football, basketball, a game called “Indians and Cowboys” and rode bicycles. There were no mobile phones, no internet, no computer games, … Only rich families could afford one of the first computers called Spectrum or Atari. There were only two TV programmes. The first TVs only produced black and white colour. On the TV we watched a lot of films about partisans. But when there was CIK CAK commercial (bunnies brushed their teeth), we had to go to sleep. That was about 7:30 pm. Nik

Kozelj

The book Zrakzazajtrktalks about losing weight. The main character is Serafina. She thinks she’s fat but actually she’s tiny. In the end of the book Serafina ended in hospital because she weighed only 37 kilos.

I think the book is very interesting. I recommend you read it.

The book LeonStrah mojemladostiis very instructive, interesting and it will keep your attention. Once you read it, you will want to read it again. I really recommend this book to you.

I liked one Turkish TV series the most. The Youknockonmydoor . It is so interesting and exciting. I watched it for a year and a half.

Lara Ilić, 9d

Maida Tukić, 9d

It Ends with Us

A story of love, heartache, betrayal and personal decisions, It Ends with Us follows a young woman named Lily. When Lily meets Ryle, a successful surgeon, she thinks that her dreams have come true. In a life far away from her small-town upbringing, Lily knows the tides have changed in her favour. However, Lily soon discovers that Ryle isn’t the perfect man. Despite the fact that Ryle is charming and clever, he has a difficult time with relationships. This unsettles Lily and she find out that her thoughts are occupied by her old love, Atlas. When Lily gets the chance to reconnect with Atlas, her new life with Ryle is under threat. Lily’s experiences are very connective and relatable. Lily’s life is a solid representation of many women’s right now, in the past and in the future.

ItEndswithUs is a damaged love story. There is so much heartache to experience in this one! Hoover seems to excel in this department as this umbrella theme underpins the whole novel’s narrative direction. Hoover explores the tussle in the love stakes with the two male leads, Ryle and Atlas well. This perceptive writer also delves into Lily’s world, giving us a good insight into this woman’s emotional pain, conflicting emotions and fluctuating feelings. A novel with a vital underlying message accompanying themes of power, choice, depth, personal strength and emotional sway, It EndswithUsis a universal feel novel that will easily find a way into your heart.

PERSONAL NOTE:

The book is worth reading even if you don't like romance type of books. It really shows you how growing up in an abusive household is and the consequences that come with it.

Maja Kova

The Fault in Our Stars

TheFaultinOurStarsis a novel written by John Green in 2012. It is a story about 16-year old Hazel Grace who has an uncurable form of thyroid cancer. She has very loving and caring parents who are also very protective. Hazel is almost always inside reading her favourite novel, talking about cancer, An Imperial Affliction written by Peter Van Houten. Because of this, her parents worry that she is depressed, so they make her go to a support group, held in the basement of her local church. One day when there, she meets Augustus Waters, who she falls in love with immediately. Augustus, also referred to as Gus, is a cancer free 17-year old who had his leg amputated because of cancer. After being close for a couple of weeks, Augustus suggests him and Hazel go to Amsterdam, to visit Peter Van Houten, because this is Hazel's biggest wish. After some planning the trip becomes a reality.

I really liked the book, because it showed the realistic side of the world. It showed that the world is not a wish granting factory and that it can be very cruel and unforgiving. The book altogether was very sad and emotional but also showing the real world of cancer patients. It didn't end happily with everyone healthy, happy and together, but rather one dead, the other one lonely and sad, and everyone else, not knowing what to say. I also found it interesting that the book TheFaultinOurStarstalks about a girl with cancer who liked a book that talks about a girl with cancer. I strongly recommend this book to anyone wanting an interesting reading in their free time, because it really is an eye-opening experience giving insight into the world as not all sunshine and rainbows.

Leon Svit Škulj, 9a

Moving to another school can sometimes be very stressful. But new students are always welcome at our school. Here’s some advice from our students:

This school is very big but with the help of the teachers and the students here you won’t get lost. If you need help for homework, ask your teachers or classmates. You’ll be O.K. and I think you’ll make lots of friends here.

Haris Husarević, 7c

At our school there’s lots of fun. You can’t get lost because it’s not very big. You will find a lot of new friends. You have to be very nice to the teachers for them to be calm. I welcome you with all my heart,

Nia Prosen, 7c

Kajetan Kisel

Hello! Welcome to our school. We have our own lockers and you’ll like that for sure. Although in my opinion the food is not the best, you will never be hungry. If you ask me, this school is better than my previous one.

Mark Ilešič, 7c

If you can’t remember the numbers on each classroom, you should stick with your classmates, because even if the school is small, there are quite a lot of classrooms.

Our school is probably very big. Maybe you’ll get lost but don’t worry. The students are friendly, they’ll help you. Although some students can be problematic. So, the teachers sometimes get crazy… Just be like an angel and everything will be fine.

Bejda Baljinac, 7c

Miha Koren, 7c

Kajetan Kisel

Are you a superstitious person?

Here’s what our students told us…

In my culture there are many superstitions, but I wouldn’t say I believe in all of them. Some of them are small; for example: If your nose always itches, someone is thinking about you. If you have the hiccups someone is talking about you behind your back. But there is one superstition in my family, that if you don’t take a shot of homemade Rakija on New Year’s, you will get sick throughout the year. That’s more of a tradition than a superstition though. All though I do catch myself knocking on wood (meant to banish evil and/or negativity) and crossing myself when there’s a certain topic or if something bad has happened. I would say it depends on the person if they are superstitious or not and how they were raised into it plays a big role too.

Maja Kovačić, 9d

Friday 13th is one of the most known superstitions. People think that Friday 13th is an unlucky day and something bad will happen to them on that day. I don’t believe in this superstition because I think it’s all made up. I don’t really know of Slovenians are superstitious people. It probably differs from person to person.

One of the superstitions I know is that if you walk under a ladder, you will have bad luck. It is overrated to that point that it will fall on you. Yes, many people believe in this superstition. I don’t believe in it yet, but when something happens, I will. Yes, many people believe in it and there is a simple good reason behind it. We are slaves. The culture in Slavic nations is pretty strong and superstitions are a part of it. I know a lot of superstitions. The most basic one is the black cat one. People say that if a black cat goes in front of your car, it’s bad luck. I know a lot of people who believe in this. I’m not a really superstitious person.

A strange dream

I had a strange dream last night. The dream began when I woke up. At first, everything was normal but then someone knocked on the door, but when I got up to check who it was, there was no one. As I was walking back to my bed I saw a shadow of a person in the window. It was strange, so I decided to go check it out. As I was getting closer to the window, the shadow began to disappear, but when it completely disappeared, the window broke and glass fell on the garden. While I was looking at how glass was falling so slowly, I realized that there was a dead body under my window. Although it was so scary, I decided to go check downstairs. When I was walking through the hallway, I heard footsteps, but I didn’t see anybody, so I thought I was just terrified and I heard something that wasn’t even happening. But as I was walking upstairs, something patted my arm. As I turned back, I saw an old lady from my neighbourhood who had committed suicide years ago. Finally, I woke up and I remember that as soon as I woke up I checked if my window was broken because I was so terrified. But on my way to school I saw some glass on the floor.

Nina Milovanović, 9a

GHOST STORY

Last week I went to France on a trip through the country. But when I stopped at Marseille, I started hearing screeching sounds and the sky turned grey in a matter of minutes. I didn’t think a lot about it, so I went into the museum of medieval times. It wasn’t guided or anything. I was completely alone. I went into the execution chamber. That’s when I heard someone walking. Just to be clear I was alone in the room. There were voices saying »Oh, the executioner has come«. It was 8 PM and a ghost jumped out of its mascot. I was quite scared. Then there was a voice saying »Oh somebody wants to join us«. The ghost went back into the mascot and I ran out and locked that door shut. I left that museum immediately.

Mark Ilešič, 7c

Let's take a quiz…

1. Who won the most Olympic medals?

a) Usain Bolt

b) Michael Phelps

c) Mark Spitz

2. Which country has the most islands?

a) Sweden

b) Indonesia

c) Canada

3. What is the most common surname in the USA?

a) Black

b) Smith

c) Jefferson

4. Who was the ancient Greek god of sun?

a) Zeus

b) Hermes

c) Apollo

5. How many minutes are there in a full week?

a) 69,420

b) 7,540

c) 10,080

6. What country drinks the most coffee per capital?

a) Norway

b) Sweden

c) Finland

7. Which planet has got the most moons?

a) Mars

b) Jupiter

c) Saturn

8. What is the capital of the USA?

a) New York

b) London

c) Washington D.C.

Miha Koren and Luka Praprotnik, 7c (answers are on the next page)

Ich liebe dich, weil du so… attraktiv beschäftigt charmant dumm euphorisch freundlich großzügig herzlich interessant jung klug lustig muskulös neugierig