Starting from today, the Gdańsk University High School set up by the University of Gdańsk, is named after Paweł Adamowicz, the late Mayor of Gdańsk.  The first patron ceremony and oath ceremony took place on 10 January 2020 at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Gdańsk, where the Gdańsk University High School is located. The school received a symbolic flag, which reads, “ respect-openness-tolerance”. The late Paweł Adamowicz, the Mayor of Gdańsk, was the alumnus of the University of Gdańsk, the youngest vice-rector for student affairs ever in Poland and one of the Gdańsk University High School originators and initial proponents. The high school began operation in September 2019 and the use of the University of Gdańsk infrastructure and academic staff’s potential makes it the education institution in a class by itself.

The ceremony was attended by the wife of the late Mayor Adamowicz, Member of the European Parliament and the lecturer at the University of Gdańsk, dr hab. Magdalena Adamowicz; brother of the late Mayor of Gdańsk, a journalist and columnist, Mr. Piotr Adamowicz; the current Mayor of Gdańsk, Ms. Aleksandra Dulkiewicz; the University of Gdańsk authorities, headed by His Magnificence, Professor Jerzy Piotr Gwizdała, Rector of the University of Gdańsk; the representatives of local authorities, Pomeranian Education Office and academic community, recently enlarged with the students of the high school.

The overarching principle and objective, recorded in the mission and vision of the school, is a

comprehensive student development, that includes raising individuals that are decent, law-abiding,

ethical, well-mannered, tolerant and respectful of cultural diversity.

Professor Jerzy Piotr Gwizdala, Rector of the University of Gdańsk stated in his opening speech that the university feels obligated by naming the school in honor of the late Mayor of Gdańsk, Mr. Paweł Adamowicz. It is also a way of fostering the values he cherished: the idea of social service, patriotism and the love for our Little Homeland, the Pomorskie Region, of which we are an integral part:

-On the eve of the first anniversary of Mr. Paweł Adamowicz’s death, fulfilling educational mission, our high school adopts His name with great honor and privilege. He was a skilled Mayor, a good Polish citizen, but most of all a great citizen of Gdańsk. I still cannot come terms with having to use past tense when speaking of our Paweł Adamowicz. The disturbed order of things is difficult to be accepted. I am strongly convinced, that our school will be the testimonial in his honor and the idea he originated and implemented will find its completion here – said Rector of the University of Gdańsk.

Dr hab. Magdalena Adamowicz, Member of the European Parliament and the lecturer at the University of Gdańsk emphasized that making the late Mayor Paweł Adamowicz the high school’s patron is the utmost tribute to her tragically deceased husband: Paweł would not want Bronze monuments, he believed in education, he believed it was the key to create open, tolerant and smart society. She recalled the late Mayor’s merits for the modern education and announced establishing the research institute in his name.

-It is a joyous day but shadowed by the tragedy. You are the hope to make the name of Mayor Paweł Adamowicz timeless – Mayor Aleksandra Dulkiewicz addressed the students. She stated that, Mayor Adamowicz, by all means,  deserves to be the honorary patron of the school, because he highly respected the subject matter experts and people of grand ideas, he believed in the development of men through reading and had courage to introduce changes even during difficult times. Mayor Dulkiewicz presented Principal Waldemar Kotowski with the Paweł Adamowicz portrait, based on the photo taken by Renata Dąbrowska.

The Principal of the Gdańsk University High School, Mr. Waldemar Kotowski reminded everybody how organizationally challenging it was to establish the school and emphasized that the brilliant teachers had been brought in.

The late Mayor’s brother, Piotr also took the stage and shared anecdotes from their university days.

Mr. Waldemar Krawiec, Head of the Department of Sport and Education from the Marshal Office of the Pomorskie Voivodeship read the congratulatory letter on behalf of the Marshal of the Pomorskie Voivodeship and presented the Principal with the statuette of Pomeranian Griffin.

 The congratulatory letter, on behalf of The Pomeranian Education Superintended, was presented by Ms. Beata Wolak.  

The official school flag being granted by Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Education, Professor Arnold Kłonczyński and student oaths were the highlights of the ceremony.

The high school Parents Council representatives,  chairman Piotr Przybyłek and deputy chairman Mariusz Musiał, presented the Gdańsk authorities, the university authorities, school management and the late Mayor’s family with the high-school statuettes and congratulatory letters.

The ceremony was hosted by the students themselves, who also prepared the artistic performance in memory of the school patron. Maciej Czernikowski, the Chairman of the Student Government spoke on behalf of his fellow students.

The Gdańsk University High School was set up by the University of Gdańsk with the support of the

Gdańsk City Council and the Education Office of Pomerania. The inaugural school year opening

ceremony (for 2019/2020) was held on 2 September 2019. Ninety six students started their secondary education in four classes with extended math-science and biology-chemistry curricula. The classes bear the names of their respective patrons. Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit and Johannes Hevelius for classes with extended curricula in Math, Physics or Geography and Informatics with English language; Arthur Schopenhauer and Placotomus for classes with extended curricula in Biology, Chemistry and English language. Next year, Carl Gottlieb Ehler and Johan Adam Kulmus will become patrons for newly established classes. Krzysztof Celestyn Mrongovius wiil be a patron for classes with extended curricula in Polish and English languages, History, Social Studies; Jerzy Zalewski for classes with extended curricula in Math, Geography and Economy.

The use of the University of Gdańsk infrastructure, together with the academic staff’s potential makes it the one of a kind education institution. The Gdańsk University High School is located at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Gdańsk, the majority of classes are also held there. Laboratories in Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Informatics take place at the appropriate university faculties. The High School is a public secondary school with branches carrying oud three-year and four-year education cycles. Mr. Waldemar Kotowski is currently the Principal of the institution.

The Gdańsk University High School website: liceum.ug.edu.pl

Beata Czechowska-Derkacz, the University of Gdańsk Spokesperson

Translation: Adam Myzyk