Special edition - Studniówka 2022

Special Edition

THE

IB TIMES

Editor: Amelia Schmalz Vice-Editor: Oliwia Wilkowska Proofreading: p. Justyna Sawicka, p. Małgorzata Dubrawska, p. MS; Authors: Kinga Kuberska, Julia Goryś, Olga Ryczkowska, Wiktoria Wysocka, Amelia Schmalz, Oliwia Salwocka, Bartosz Kozłowski; Graphic design: Bartosz Kozłowski; Cover photo: Natalia Rogucka; Photos in this issue were provided by 2LOTV's photographers: Natalia Rogucka, Bartosz Kozłowski and Martyna Szumowska.

This issue was created in collaboration with 2LOTV.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 01

/ Student's thoughts - interview with Lena Przybyłowska

02 /

The Studniówka Chronicles

03 /

History of Studniówka

04 /

Studniówka around the world

05 /

Poloneza czas zacząć - wywiad z prof. Dorotą Bondar [PL]

3

FROM STUDENTS, FOR STUDENTS.

4

STUDENT'S THOUGHTS Interview with Lena Przybyłowska Prom is believed to be an extremely important

event

in

everyone's

life.

What do you think of that?

Well, from my experience, since we didn’t have the whole formal thing during the sophomore year of high school, this was the

only

students

party from

we

could

other

have

classes.

with

In

my

opinion it was crucial for us to have it because it’s kind of a tradition for every single student to have prom and to mark that ‘end of era’, to mark that we will only

What prom customs do you like and why? Have you practiced any of them?

Garters. Me and my friends did order them, but they didn’t come in time.

We

really

wanted

to

join

the

have 100 days to study and prepare before

tradition, but we couldn’t. I also

our

have heard that there is the custom

matura

exams.

I

think

that

the

saying that if you dance with the

importance of prom is understandable.

principal, you are supposed to pass What do you think of the symbolism

the exams well, but I don’t think

of that event, have you actually felt

anyone danced with him.

that there were a hundred days left?

I felt it, but not during the prom itself.

How did the choice of your outfit

I

go?

was

too

busy

having

fun

and

Was

it

time

consuming

or

enjoying the moment that I didn’t

rather easy?

have

it

Honestly, I started to wonder, like a

meant. But after all that, especially

couple months before prom, which

since our class got closer together, I

outfit I wanted to go with. There’s

started to feel like I’m running out of

this

time to enjoy high school. And that we

whether you choose a dress or a

have only 3 months left together… that

suit, what color, what length… And I

really hit me after the prom.

had to think about it really hard,

time

to

think

about

what

pressure

on

women

now,

because I wasn’t sure if I wanted a dress or a suit. I went along and

5

changed midway. But it was really hard. Almost every dress looks exactly the same and I really wanted to stand out, so I had to look for it for weeks!

How

did

you

like

the

overall

organization of the event? Did you enjoy the food? Did the DJ play your preferred

type

of

music,

did

you

dance?

I'd say I’d have had the DJ changed because it was…umm… I really don't want to say that the music was a major flaw, but it was. Because the music just did not suit us, but I think it

was

kind

of

an

individual

experience, like what a person can do to

enjoy

prom

more.

Personally,

I

really enjoyed it but I know that some people did not.

Could you see the teachers on the dance floor?

Of course I could! Our class teacher had so much fun! She kept talking to us, so it was amazing! I know that our principal pulled off some really good dance moves! I think he also had fun.

There were not that many teachers but still I think they enjoyed it as well.

Was the night memorable for you or do you consider it just one of many celebrations in your life?

For sure! I had so much fun during the party!

QUESTIONS FOR THIS INTERVIEW WERE PREPARED BY JULIA GORYŚ AND KINGA KUBERSKA. THIS INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED BY BARTOSZ KOZŁOWSKI.

6

Olga Ryczkowska

THE STUDNIÓWKA CHRONICLES ‘Studniówka’ is a traditional Polish pre-graduation ball held for high school seniors one hundred days before their final exams, hence the name.

The

celebration

is

an

opportunity for the graduates to acknowledge their hard work and accomplishments, spend fun time

1950s – 1960s

with their friends, and make new

In

memories before they move on to

introduced and the girl and boy

the next chapter of their lives.

schools

Let’s revisit some of these special

previous girl gymnasium building

festivities through the eyes of our

was damaged during the war, the

students!

students

1995

coeducation merged.

moved

Warszawska

1930s The

due

first

mention

of

a

pre-

to

reform

street.

the

Since

to

Soon

school

the

current

education

the

was

after, system

officially

graduation ball in our school dates

transformed into a combination

back

The

of a seven-grade primary school

school at the time was an all-girls

combined with a four-year high

to

February

institution Państwowe

under

1st

1932.

the

name

Gimnazjum

of

Żeńskie

Anny Jabłonowskiej. The building was

located

at

Mickiewicza

street.

was

Zofia

Mrs.

Unfortunately,

not

present-day The

principal

Kossakowska. much

more

school.

In

that

school

took

same

the

year

name

the and

number it is known by today.

1960s is also the first time the traditional

polonez

dance

was

information can be found about the

mentioned as a part of the pre-

ball itself.

graduation celebrations.

7

CHRONICLE ENTRY: On

February

students

12th

from

1966

11th

the

grade

celebrated the traditional ball set precisely a 100 days before their

final

exams.

There

was

plenty of work and preparations – decorating the classroom and corridors, arranging the artistic performances, and many more organising

dilemmas.

The

ceremony began at 7pm. The principal,

Kazimierz

gracefully

led

Witasiak,

the

opening

polonez dance.

school’s 9th graders in the form a

band

called

‘Boys

with

guitars’. The party lasted until 9pm. The closing act belonged to the principal as well – he completed the ceremony with an

appeal

ethic

right

to

In October 1970 the school has transferred to a new building which

remains

its

current

location at Narewska 11.

The music was provided by the of

1970s

students’

before

exams

work and

promised that the teachers will wholeheartedly support them.

CHRONICLE ENTRY: The

pre-graduation

ball

of

January 1976 – there was no end to dancing, jokes and laughter.

The party went on until dawn.

The tables were folding under the weight of all the food and beverages. playing

The

band

without

Everyone’s

attire

excellently.

The

members

of

was

respite. presented

teachers the

and

Parental

Committee were plenty amused as well. According to them, our school

has

not

seen

wonderful ball in ages.

8

such

a

1980s The ball of the school year 1980/1981 was the first one to not be held at school itself, but rather at a party club. It was also the first time students were allowed to invite a plus one to the celebration.

CHRONICLE ENTRY: This years pre-graduation ball took place on February 3rd 1981 at the city club ‘Krąg’. Everyone brought a person ‘dear to one’s heart’ to spend this merry time together. We danced the traditional polonez, in which the first pair consisted of the school’s principal together with our tutor Mrs. Danuta Sochor. After that came time for the waltz, and after that – the party lasted until dawn!

Even long after the last chronicle entry, the tradition still prevails!

For those interested in our school’s long and fascinating history (not only for the party experience) – the full chronicles are available in our library, and more photographs and entries are displayed at the exhibition on the first floor corridor. We would highly recommend giving them a look!

9

OLIWIA SALWOCKA

HISTORY OF STUDNIÓWKA Studniówka is the most important event of high school life. Beautiful outfits, makeup and hairstyles are the signature elements of it. But studniówka didn’t always look like it does today, as I’m sure your parents

and

grandparents

told

you. So, let’s look at studniówka from the very beginning.

It’s not really known when the first studniówka

took

place.

Some

scholars say it was as long ago as 1788 and others favour even 1932.

As you can see the time span is rather large: 144 years. But if we decide on 1788, we can say that the tradition of studniówka is as old

as

matura

itself.

In

1788

Wilhelm von Humboldt reformed the

education

system

and

implemented the final exam we know

today

as

matura.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many records of those early studniówkas, the first records and photos start in the 1930s, so let’s start with that.

From the 1930s to the 1970s there were two balls taking place. The first

one

was

studniówka

in

January or February, the second one was komers - the ball after matura.

10

The first one was usually the lesser ball; it was taking place in the school gym with no outside guests.

Komers

was

much

grander - after all this was the final school event and the first one of adult life. At these balls, we

could

see

the

simple

elegance of the times. Students were dressed like adults for the first time in their lives. When you look at the photos of that time,

you

can

feel

the

atmosphere of that era. You can find those photos on the walls of the corridors in our school.

In the 1980s traditions started to change.

Komers

disappeared

and studniówka started to gain on

importance.

The

location

changed from the school gym to nearby

restaurants

previous

menu

and

the

consisting

of

self-made sandwiches and other snacks Studniówka balls after the Second World

War

those

before

Students whole

were

different

and

were

them.

preparing

event

Besides

after

from

by

the

themselves.

decorating

the

gym,

students had to prepare food and beverages as well as provide live music.

The

moment

of

most the

important

event

was

the

artistic part. Besides the polonaise and sometimes also waltz, each class prepared their segment in which

they

could

make

fun

of

school or even teachers. The goal was

the

students

integration and

between

teamwork.

The

outfits also were different. Black, navy blue and white were the only acceptable colours to wear. Boys wore

dark

suits

and

girls

wore

white long-sleeved shirts and dark skirts that reached below the knee.

was

restaurant

replaced

dinners.

by

The

the dress

code was getting less and less rigid and everyone could invite a

plus

one.

replaced famous

Live

music

was

by

recordings

western

artists.

of

From

this point, studniówka started to resemble the modern one. The latest fashion was dictating the outfits

and

getting

the

more

locals

were

and

more

distinguished.

What are your thoughts about studniówkas Would

from

you

the

rather

past?

organise

everything by yourselves in the name

of

integration

school with

spirit your

and fellow

students, or do you prefer the way it is done today? I hope it was or will be one of the best nights of your lives.

More extravagant girls wore dark dresses or polka dot shirts.

11

WIKTORIA WYSOCKA

STUDNIÓWKA AROUND THE WORLD In every Polish student’s life the event happening 100 days before the final graduating exams is one of the most important celebrations in their school life. But such practice is also seen in other countries all over the world. The big dance has its long history and certain traditions but those differ between places and each country has its own unique way to celebrate that last dance of high school.

United States The equivalent to studniówka is the American prom, although the latter is organised after graduation. Over the years

prom

has

gained

such

significance that it has become an industry almost as important as the wedding

business.

The

whole

occasion is taken very seriously by students and an event of revealing a “prom queen” and a “prom king” is an ever-present and a hugely popular American practice. Another tradition associated with proms in the United States

is

a

“promposal”,

which

includes a student asking another to go to the prom with them using some

most

method. nature,

Due

often to

very their

promposals

elaborate flamboyant

have

become

quite popular on social media and many photos or videos of them can be found on social platforms.

12

Germany Students in Germany celebrate the graduation from high school with Abiball, which is quite similar to a polish Studniówka. The difference between those two is that the German celebration is held already after the final exams, known as Abitur. The Abiball most often follows a particular order that includes a welcome, introductions, an award ceremony for students, and sometimes a demonstration of all of the artistic activities of the students and staff. Similarly as in Poland, the party is opened with an official dance, in Germany’s case, with a waltz.

Russia Russian

proms,

called

vechеr"

(Выпускной

"Vypusknоi

вечер),

take

place after students complete their state

exams.

The

graduation

celebration is typically held from the 18th to the 20th or the 23rd to the 25th of June. The reason why this event

is

never

organised

on

the

21st/22nd is because those days mark important dates for the history of Russia.

Usually

after

receiving

diplomas, students start the party with the school waltz. A tradition unique for Russian proms is a walk to watch the sunrise in the morning.

Finland In Finland, the party similar to studniówka is not for the graduating class, but rather for the class a year behind them. Seniors leave the school in February to prepare for their final exams in March. That is when the new seniors celebrate with a ball called Vanhojen tanssit.

The event is quite different that typical proms because during the ball students perform traditional dances, such as waltz or folk dances, but if they want to take part in a dinner or an after-party, then they have to arrange one on their own.

13

POLONEZA CZAS ZACZĄĆ Wywiad z prof. Dorotą Bondar Studniówka

jest

uznawana

za

niezwykle istotne wydarzenie w życiu człowieka.

Jak

Pani

Profesor

to

postrzega?

Zdecydowanie

zgadzam

się

z

tym

zdaniem. Wracając do mojej dalekiej

wszyscy maturzyści i tego poloneza

przeszłości

w

i

mojej

studniówki,

to

pierwszej

parze

prowadzi

Pan

uważam, że to były naprawdę piękne

Dyrektor. W tym roku gościliśmy na

chwile.

studniówce

Bal

studniówkowy

to

jest

Prezydenta

Miasta

przeżycie dla młodego człowieka, bo

Białegostoku,

Pana

to w końcu pierwszy prawdziwy bal i

Truskolaskiego,

który

myślę, że współczesna młodzież też

Sapieżanką,

tak do tego podchodzi. Dziewczęta

poprowadził korowód par krokiem

ubierają

poloneza.

się

w

piękne

suknie

i

w

Tadeusza razem

pierwszej

z

parze

wyglądają jak księżniczki, zaś panowie

Jeśli chodzi o inne studniówkowe

w odświętnych garniturach prezentują

zwyczaje, to nie pamiętam, żebyśmy

się bardzo elegancko.

nakładały czerwone podwiązki, które obecnie

są

Czy nasze zwyczaje studniówkowe są

garderoby.

takie same jak na Pani balu?

Poza

Bal studniówkowy to tradycja, która

odbywały

się

jest

obecnie

są

przekazywana

z

pokolenia

na

tym

obowiązkową dawniej w

eleganckich

się go teraz. Może z tą różnicą, że

lub restauracjach.

nie

tańczyło

się

poloneza

pokazowego. Był tylko polonez, gdzie tańczyli wszyscy uczniowie. W naszej szkole tradycją jest, że najpierw jest polonez pokazowy, a po nim tańczą

14

studniówki

budynku

szkoły,

organizowane

pokolenie. Polonez był kiedyś i tańczy kiedyś

częścią

salach

w

bankietowych

Istnieje

również

taki

pomylenie

kroków

tańczenia

poloneza

przesąd, w

że

trakcie

gwarantuje

powodzenie na maturze. Jak ogólnie poszło

uczniom?

Czy

zdarzały

się

jakieś większe pomyłki? Czy dzięki próbom

byli

jednak

doskonale

przygotowani?

Jestem

pewna,

że

nasi

maturzyści

zdadzą maturę bardzo dobrze, mimo iż

nie

pomylili

kroków

poloneza.

Jestem dumna z wykonania poloneza pokazowego, który wzruszył mnie, i nie tylko, do głębi serca.

Jak przebiegały przygotowania?

Od października ruszyliśmy z próbami.

Spotykaliśmy się raz w tygodniu na półtorej godziny. Na początku bywało różnie, czasem niełatwo, ale z zajęć na zajęcia

było

końcowy

coraz

lepiej,

ujrzeliśmy

a

efekt

podczas

studniówki.

Podczas studniówek uczniowie zwykle królują

na

parkiecie.

Czy

wśród

bawiących się byli także nauczyciele?

Oczywiście,

że

nauczyciele

też

tak. „ruszyli

Dyrekcja w

tany“

i i

bawili się doskonale.

Dziękuję za udzielenie wywiadu.

PYTANIA DO WYWIADU PRZYGOTOWAŁY JULIA GORYŚ I KINGA KUBERSKA. WYWIAD PRZEPROWADZIŁA AMELIA SCHMALZ.

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