Another school named after Irena Sendler!
During the session, Sandra Lato – the chairwoman of the student government of the Secondary School no. 2 – presented to all the assembled the unique figure of Irena Sendler, activist of the underground Council to Aid Jews “Żegota”, who saved 2,500 children during the Second World War. The chairwoman emphasized that the decision to chose this patron – a hero, who risked her life to save Jews during the Second World War – was made by the students and by the whole school community. The last cycle of preparations started in 2008. For two years the students of the Secondary School no. 2 had been learning about the Righteous during special classes and educational lessons. In the end Sandra Lato stressed that the deeds of Irena Sendler “have timeless value”.
In the last years, the Righteous Among the Nations arouse more and more interest of the public opinion in Poland. The heroes of the Second World War are gradually becoming heroes of the social conscience. New films and exhibitions devoted to them are created and research projects are conducted in order to preserve their stories. More and more schools decide to choose Irena Sendler as their patron. On June 18th, 2010 in Opole took place the ceremony of naming the School Complex of the Society of Alternative Education (“TAK”) after the Righteous. The director of the School Complex “TAK” is Beata Maliszkiewicz, who in 2009 received the Irena Sendler Award “For Repairing the World”. This award was created on the initiative of the Association of “Children of the Holocaust” in Poland and the American “Life in a Jar” Foundation. In this event, apart from the former and present students, friends of the school and teachers, participated Janina Zgrzembska, daughter of the Righteous. More about Irena Sendler.
