The Transcarpathian Hungarian Lyceum opened its first school year
This year the Transcarpathian Hungarian Lyceum opened its doors in five locations – Beregszász, Nagyszőlős, Péterfalva, Nagydobrony, Kisgejőc – to the 9th and 10th grade graduates to provide them with education in their mother tongue. Within the walls of the Lyceum, students can obtain their high school certificate through specialised training that aligns with their interests.
The first ceremonial opening of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Lyceum took place on 16 September in the Roman Catholic Church in Nagyszőlős.
The event began with an ecumenical service aimed at establishing tradition. Sermons were given by by Márió Weihrauch, parish priest of the Roman Catholic Church in Nagyszőlős, Lóránt Molnár, pastor of the Reformed Parish in Nagyszőlős, and Augustin Szokol, chaplain of the Greek Catholic Church.
After the singing of our national prayer, Dóra Kóré, the director of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Lyceum, welcomed first the students and teachers.
“It is a great honour for me to welcome you here today, at the first opening ceremony of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Lyceum. Our Lyceum will be a special place for our students. In our institution, students will have the opportunity not only to acquire knowledge, but also to develop their self-confidence and creativity, which will define the person they want to become”,
she said.
In his speech, István Gyebnár, the temporary chargé d’affaires of the Consulate of Hungary in Beregszász, stressed that even in this difficult, war-torn situation, the motherland is helping to preserve mother-tongue education in Transcarpathia.
Afterwards, the orchestra of the Béla Bartók Music School in Nagyszőlős was invited to perform a violin duet.
“He who founds a school or chooses one for his child looks to the future. And those who found a Hungarian school and choose a Hungarian-language institution for their child believe that there is a future here in Transcarpathia,”
said István Csernicskó, rector of the Ferenc Rakoczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian College of Higher Education, and thanked the parents for their confidence in enrolling their child in the newly opened lyceum.
Then the students of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Lyceum in Nagyszőlős performed a poem by János Bódás entitled “Ki van jelölve a helyed“.
Following the oath, the director Dóra Kóré, deputy directors Tünde Hidi, István Nagy, Anikó Karmacsi, and on-site organizers Eleonóra Bogáthy and Mónika Nyibilevics greeted the first-grade students with a handshake.
Afterwards, the Hangraforgó band gave a performance.
Ildikó Orosz, president of the Rákóczi College, in her speech quoted the refrain of the song “I dreamed up a world” by the EDDA művek band: I dreamed up a world for myself/ I’m standing in front of it’s gates/ Give me strength to enter/ I have faith in front of these high walls.
“These few lines are true for the lives of today’s first graders. We know that it takes faith to make a dream come true. Besides, the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein says: my knowledge is based on faith. If I don’t believe in fundamental truths, eternal doubt works in me, and I never reach the end of anything. Today, this is especially true because those who founded the institution and those who will be its students dreamed of a world. And today, from the house of God, they can embark on realising this dream with faith,”
she emphasised.
Finally, the representatives of the historic churches asked for God’s blessing on the lives and works of those present.
The ceremony ended with the singing of the Szózat.
Anita Kurmay
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