National Young Historians Competition Last Saturday, 29 March 2025, our students Nia Cencič Petar, Vitan David Šinigoj, and Daisy Diana Thorne Mrak (all from class S7S), together with their mentor Lara Oštrbenk, participated in the national stage of the Young Historians Competition , which is organised annually for secondary school students by the Slovenian History Teachers' Association. This year's competition focused on Changes to Slovenia’s Western Border after the First and Second World Wars, a topic the students had already explored during the school-level competition in January. Their excellent performance at that stage secured them a place in the national competition, which, in keeping with this year’s theme, was held at Koper Secondary School. At the competition, the students demonstrated their knowledge in both the theoretical section and the fieldwork section, where they explored the historical landmarks of Koper. Although they did not win any new awards at the national level, we commend them for their dedication, for deepening their understanding of Slovenian history, and for gaining valuable competition experience. We are confident that they will continue to nurture their passion for history in the future.

International Francophonie Day in Nova Gorica On Thursday, 20th March 2025, we celebrated the International Francophonie Day. This day is dedicated to celebrating our commitment, not only to the French language, but also to the rich and diverse Francophone culture. More than 150 students from different schools in Slovenia, including the European School of Ljubljana, were welcomed by Gimnazija Nova Gorica to learn more about the ancient culture of France through the theatre plays that each school prepared 🎭. Our students, under the guidance of French language teachers Alexandra Chaigne and Aicha Meštrović Boughazi, prepared a wonderful play with hand-made costumes about famous French figures: Voltaire, Joan of Arc, Leonardo da Vinci, and Louis XIV. As part of the International Francophonie Day, students also went on an excursion to the Franciscan Monastery of Kostanjevica, a sanctuary housing the crypts of the last members of the Bourbon family. They also visited an old library with ancient books and a garden filled with many Bourbon roses. We are grateful for the organization of such unforgettable events, which give students the opportunity to showcase their artistic skills.