Romanian language and literature is a mandatory subject at Avenor High School, with two hours of study for 9th and 10th grades, and one hour of study per week for 11th and 12th grades.

The Romanian course for our high school students is based on an “Avenor” curriculum that divides thematic content into three units throughout each level of study. It does not have a national or international evaluation format, but rather one created internally. Thus, at the end of each year of high school, students have the following forms of assessment:

  • At the end of 9th grade, students have to present a personal project (individual or group) inspired by the studied works.
  • At the end of 10th grade, students will participate in a debate on a given motion.
  • At the end of 11th grade, students will read and write an essay on a given topic.
  • At the end of 12th grade, students will give a final speech titled “Me in Ten Years”.

“Evaluation is like a mirror in which students and their Romanian teachers look at the end of the year with emotion and smile. It’s that smile at the end of a journey where reading, writing, imagining, making connections between works, authors, contexts, discussing ideas, and expressing emotional reactions to the characters in the books studied all took place. It’s the moment both students and teachers needed to demonstrate that in an international context where all subjects are taught in English, those two hours of Romanian per week have a final product that we can enjoy. After all, the Romanian language is part of their identity,” says Mihaela Stancu, Curriculum Leader and Romanian Language Teacher.

 

The quality and variety of projects demonstrate the year-on-year progress in studying this subject which harmoniously completes the Avenor learner profile.

”The study of Romanian language and literature is a mandatory component of the national curriculum for primary and secondary education, which Avenor College has chosen to follow. In addition to the mandatory curriculum, we place significant emphasis on promoting Romanian cultural heritage through dedicated activities and events. As per the Avenor Learner Profile, we prioritise certain values and present-day concerns during the study years, such as the ability to deliver a speech, monthly age-appropriate book reading, proper spelling and punctuation, and memorising a poem each month.

The study of Romanian language continues for all four years of high school, as part of the Avenor Curriculum. While the number of hours is less compared to high schools from the national education system, the lessons are designed to expand students’ cultural knowledge, connections with other literatures and art forms.” says Dana Papadima, Educational Director.

 

Our grade 9 students took the final exam in the Romanian language, which consisted of completing an individual or group project, that had as a theme one of the literary works studied during the school year.

Although they start with the thought ‘I have no idea!‘, they manage to create extraordinary projects.

This year, 9th-grade students surprised us with the diversity of their projects, demonstrating that imagination accompanies them at every step. Some imagined a musical piece with diverse tones that depicted different moments from Robert Louis Stevenson’s literary work ‘Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.’

Others created a photography exhibition showcasing locations in Bucharest where scenes from a possible adaptation of G. Călinescu’s novel ‘Enigma Otiliei’ or Stevenson’s novella ‘Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde‘ could be filmed.

There were students who organized a photography exhibition titled ‘Mântuleasa Street – then and now‘ (then, during Eliade’s time, during teacher Zaharia Fărâmă’s time, and now, in the year 2023). Some imagined an interview with Mircea Eliade.

Others compared Caragiale’s novellas ‘La Hanul lui Mânjoală’ and ‘Kir Ianulea.’ A fashion magazine was created to reveal how Mona would have been dressed according to the vision of other characters from Mihail Sebastian’s comedy ‘Steaua fără nume.’ Some engaged in a role-playing game, imagining a meeting between the characters Dănilă Prepeleac, Marin Miroiu, and Abdul from the literary works ‘Dănilă Prepeleac’ by Ion Creangă, ‘Steaua fără nume’ by Mihail Sebastian, and ‘Pe strada Mântuleasa’ by Mircea Eliade.

One student created a 3D model of the Jewish Theater in Amsterdam, a location featured in Monica Hesse’s novel ‘The Girl in the Blue Coat.’ A student wrote a poem about Mona’s destiny, the character from Sebastian’s comedy. Another student created a booklet titled ‘The Duality of Being in the Fantastic Novella‘.

 

Our grade 10 students’ final exam in Romanian Language consisted of participating in a debate, on topics chosen by them, by voting.

 “Individual happiness is more important than the common good” and “Young people discover their place in the world by denying the ideals of previous generations” were the two motions debated by students from the Alfa and Omega classes. 

The quality of argumentation and counter argumentation, the quality of the evidence brought in, the method of presentation and attitude are the skills that students demonstrated they developed throughout the school year.

 

During the 11th grade, our students practice essay writing as a written communication skill, continually refining their personal style so that at the end of this course they can write and deliver a full essay in front of their class and tutors. 

“About me and the world I live in” and “About vulnerability” were the theme choices made by the students from the Alfa and Omega classes, who managed to give us introspection, emotion or maybe even existential dilemmas through their personal and deep essays.

 

Romanian Language Final Speeches Ceremony of grade 12 students conclude this extraordinary journey in which teachers and students, shoulder to shoulder, make during high school.

During this past year, they studied public speaking and prepared to deliver their speeches in front of an audience and jury, thus marking the end of the Romanian Language course.

Our high school has celebrated its 8th anniversary. Each generation of high school students had to deliver a speech on the topic ‘Me in Ten Years‘ but this year marked the first generation that also had to deliver such a speech at the end of 8th grade. And the theme four years ago was ‘Me in Four Years‘. That is why this year, there were speeches that built upon the ideas expressed back then, creating an interesting exercise of reflection. It was like a bridge across time that brought together words, desires, aspirations, accomplishments, shifts in perspective, and things rearranged by time.

The final speeches with the theme “Me in 10 years” were held on the stage of the Țăndărică Theater and represented true demonstrations of effective speech organisation, communication skills, introspection, theatrical methods, but also ethics and eloquence.

They surprised us with the maturity they showed in preparing and giving their speeches, in which they talked about their future plans, but they also nostalgically recalled their high school years and the choices made during this period.

”Every year, our high school students approach this evaluative event with excitement and end up conveying a great deal of emotion. I believe authenticity is the key word that describes our students during the delivery of these speeches. They reveal themselves as they truly are, as young individuals who have reached the maturity to understand the power of words and have the courage to tell their story as they have lived it, as they are living it, and as they want to continue living it.

Many speak about this experience as the moment that marks their high school graduation.” says Mihaela Stancu, Curriculum Leader and Romanian Language Teacher.

The recording of the ceremony can be viewed on the school’s YouTube page.