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Forestry Schools in Goraj consist of a four-year Secondary Technical School of Forestry,
and a two-year Post-Secondary School of Forestry.
Since 2001 the Schools have also included: a three-year extra-mural post-vocational
Technical School of Forestry and an extra-mural Post-Secondary School of Forestry.
The Technical School of Forestry is the only school of this type in the province
of Great Poland (there are 13 such institutions in Poland altogether).
The Post-Secondary School of Forestry is one of the two schools of this type in Poland.
The school is situtated among beautiful beech forests 6km away from Czarnków
in the so-called Czarnków's Switzerland. Its buildings are an historic palace complex.
The castle was built at the beginning of the 20th century by the count
Hochberg of Pszczyna. Currently the castle provides accomodation and board
for 225 boys and girls. Beside the regular lessons, the students have a chance to take
part in additional activities after lunch, such as: sports club, German, English, IT,
botany, hunting, bee-keeping, shooting. Such organisations as PTTK (tourism),
HDK (blood donation), LOP (environment protection),
and the Scout's Orienteering Club also have their units in the school.
A Hunting Signals Bands which ranks as one of the best in the country is affiliated
with the school. You can find more about the band at
http://www.muzyka.mysliwska.pl/zespoly/goraj/ .
he school has well-equipped classrooms, among them two computer rooms (one of them
has ten PCs connected to the Internet), a big gym, and a well-stocked computerised library.
Education of foresters in Goraj began in 1945. This is when the State School for Foresters
was founded. The first organiser of the school in Goraj's castle was Stanisław Hasny,
who had to leave Goraj for family reasons after spending just a few months here.
However, he managed to do most of the jobs necessary to prepare the castle to serve
its new function. In August 1945 Bronisław Paszyński became the first headmaster.
The first teachers' meeting took place on 18th and 19th August 1945.
The conditions of and standards for the first entrance exam were discussed then.
50 candidates took the exam, out of which 43 were admitted. On 1st October 1945
following the instruction from the Minister of Forestry the name of the school was
changed into the Centre of Forestry Education. In January 1946 the first group
of 40 learners complete the course for foresters. Since February 1946 the school ran
crash courses for foresters, forest managers and secreataries in state forest districts.
By 1948 360 learners left the Centre.
On 20th June the Centre was replaced by Lower Secondary School of Forestry.
On 1st December the Lower Secondary School was turned into a Secondary School
of Forestry of the first level, whose headmaster was Stefan Warkocz.
On 1st September 1951 the Secondary School was turned into the Secondary Technical
School of Forestry in Goraj. The first alumni with their maturity certificates and
forester's diplommas left the school in May 1952. On 15th August 1952 headmaster
Stefan Warkocz went on to work in the Regional State Forest District in Poznań.
Zygmunt Sokołowski was transferred from the Technical School of Forestry
in Białowieża to become headmaster in Goraj.
In 1955 the State Forest District Goraj left its building on the premises of the castle
and moves to Krucz. The building was taken over by the school. Both the school
and boarding-school were in the castle then. At the end of August 1963 a new
school building was built. The number of students rose to 338. The castle only
provided board and accomodation. On 1st December the extra-mural faculty was open
and it functioned until 1984. On 28th September 1968 the school was named after
Jan Kloska, a prominent forester and educator. On this occasion a new standard was given
to the school. First year students have been taking an oath on this standard to this day.
Each year 28th September is the Jan Kloska Day. On this day first year students are sworn
in to be future foresters. The event includes the ceremonial taking of the oath,
performances, quizes and a bonfire with sausages, bigos and singing.
Since 1979 a ceromonial Christmas Eve dinner for all the students and teachers has been
organised two days before each Christmas. Traditional Christams dishes are served,
Christmas bread is shared, wishes are offered, and carols are sung. All of this takes place
in the unique atmosphere of the Goraj castle.
A week before the end of the first semester two very important ceremonies are held:
the school-leavers' ball (Studniówka) and the middle-school ball (Połowinki).
Studniówka is organised in the gym which is decorated by the students themselves,
it is begun by the dancing of the polonaise, followed by an artistic performance and
revelries both at table (where mainly venison is served) and on the dance floor.
The atmosphere is truly unforgettable.
Połowinki, which takes place the following day, is nearly as wonderful.
In November St Hubert's Mass is performed by the Hunting Signals Band
in St Mary's Sanctuary in Lubasz.
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