English Version

I was a student of the Gymnasium of Pierre de Coubertin in 2014-2018. Even though it has been 3 years since finishing high school I can still remember the kindness and the dedication of my teachers that accompanied me the whole 4 years of my stay at Gymnasium. Whenever any problem arose, I could come to my teachers and ask for help, never being rejected. Speaking about the level of education, I could not praise my alma mater more. This school gave me a lot, taught me a lot, not just in regular subjects, but also morals thanks to the dedicated teachers, who showed me on their own life, how to treat people, work, studies. Right now, I am a college student, my major is Chinese Language. I am very thankful for the four years I could be a student of the Gymnasium of Pierre de Coubertin. It has taught me, that it does matter how I treat people and how I treat my studies. My major is a four-year major. I have been enabled to spend two of these years as an exchange student at two very good Chinese Universities. I studied at Shanghai International Studies University for a year and now I am an exchange student at Beijing Language and Culture University. Thanks to Gymnasium, I was driven for ambition, wanting to study abroad and such. All four years at Gymnasium I was encouraged by my teachers to aim higher, to try better and go for goals. Going to college, I was afraid of new way of teaching and studying, but I was able to get used to the teaching process pretty quickly, which is also thanks to the work of my teachers getting me ready for another step in my student life. Since it was four years, it was not all just about studying, we were able to go on trips with our teachers and enjoy culture with them. I am very grateful for all four years of my life I was able to spend attending this Gymnasium. I cannot imagine a better high school than the Gymnasium of Pierre de Coubertin.

Thank you, Gymnasium for fulfilling four years of my student life and giving me all you could.

Eva Vráblová, alumnus

 

In my third grade at Gymnasium, I decided to spend a year abroad. I felt a desire to catch the vibe and atmosphere of American high schools, we see on TV. Surely, I also wanted to meet new people, enhance the language, and become more independent, what I believe tremendously helped me to build confidence. I ended up in a very generous family close to lake Michigan in Grand Rapids. They were very supportive in each direction. They took me to explore the States with them and we managed to do a lot of road trips together. During my stay, I tried to always stay occupied, so I managed to join a couple of high school sport teams where I met a ton of amazing people. The system in school was very wise. There were different levels of classes to choose from, so you could manage the difficulty of your studies as you wished. Thanks to my strong language base, I gained in bilingual class, I had no problems communicating or studying, so I could solely focus on my interests. What really caught my attention was the spirit and rivalry schools bear. When any event happens, the whole school has a feast. Mascots, cheerleaders, dance teams, orchestra, fully packed stadiums are parts of every school-to-school match. A year abroad has opened my eyes in a way of gaining several new perspectives on life, you certainly cannot pick up by sitting and worrying on your comfortable chair at home. Without having that experience I would hardly choose to continue my further education abroad. I have chosen to study logistics in Denmark, where my exploring journey will continue. 

Michal Boor, alumnus

 

Hello! To start with some background about myself My name is James Williams and I attended Gymnázium Pierra de Coubertina in the 2017/18 academic year. I was in the 3rd of 4 years for the Gymnázium as an exchange student in Slovakia from the United States! I had a wonderful time there! The students in my class really accepted me and once we got to know each other I really felt that the students and I fostered a connection that I will cherish forever! The teachers were knowledgeable and according to my classmates taught their respective courses well! Many of the teachers enjoyed being with students and teaching their courses. I also think that the school did a good job providing extracurricular activities for their students with sports events and other events so students could have fun outside of school. I remember representing the school in a few local basketball tournaments! Other event included a regional Floorball tournament, badminton tournament, mathematics events, and language proficiency events! Overall, I had a wonderful time at Pierra de Coubertina and I’d recommend it for students!

James Williams, exchange student

 

At the beginning, I spent time to get used to the life in Piešťany, that is because it was not only my first time to leave my country for a long time but also English level was not good enough. I had to learn Slovak language and overcame culture shock at the same time. For example: Taiwan or Asian countries use chopsticks and spoon. SK or western countries use fork and knife.

I appreciated the teachers and classmates who I met and were very kind to help and make friend with me. I really enjoyed the life at school even though I didn’t understand what teachers were talking about. Most of high school students in Taiwan usually have to stay at school for hours (8:00～17:00) then go to cram school until 21:00 or 22:00. In SK, students have a lot of free time. Finally, I would like to say many thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Urbanová who are my host family as well as the teachers of Gymnázium Piešťany.

Kris Chu (祝澄羲), exchange student from Taiwan

 

As a student of the first bilingual class at Gymnazium Pierra de Coubertina, I got to work on my language abilities while also getting a valuable general education. The school provided me with a sense of community as well as with many unique opportunities. For instance, I spent my third year at a high school in the USA, which not only helped me improve my English skills but also gave me an unforgettable experience of living in another country, the so-called melting pot of cultures, and a chance to interact with exchange students from all over the world. This has opened many doors for me as it allowed me to be a part of a network of international exchange alumni. Today, I am studying at a university in the United Kingdom, no doubt thanks to the great level of education I received at this school, which prepared me not just to study my chosen subject, but also to attain a certificate of English proficiency needed to apply for British universities. Therefore, I would thoroughly recommend this school to anyone looking to expand their horizons beyond their home country while also gaining a first-rate upper secondary education.

Petra Jarošová, alumnus