Teach For Bulgaria’s Summer Academy Opens with Over 800 Students This Year

Teach For Bulgaria’s 9th Summer Academy was officially opened in the presence of formal guests, parents, and students

The official opening of the Summer Academy at 125 Secondary School “Boyan Penev” in Mladost neighborhood

Over 800 students from 1st to 12th grade are going to take part in this year’s 9th Summer Academy for Fun and Success. They are going to spend three weeks of their summer vacation developing useful skills, getting ready for the upcoming school year, getting involved in exciting extracurricular activities, and making new friends. Admission is open and free of charge.

The official opening of the Summer Academy was on July 29 and it took place at 90 Secondary School “Gen. José de San Martín” in Lyulin neighborhood and 125 Secondary School “Boyan Penev” in Mladost neighborhood. Some of the official guests this year were Deputy Mayor of Sofia City Todor Chobanov, Head of the Regional Management of Education for Sofia City Vanya Kastreva (Lyulin), and other representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, Sofia Municipality, the Bulgarian Union of Teachers, and partner organizations.

Teach For Bulgaria’s 9th Summer Academy aims to improve students’ motivation to learn, provide them with additional academic support, and help them advance in their studies during the long summer break. The academy is also the practical stage of the intensive preliminary summer training of the new participants in Teach For Bulgaria’s program who are going to start teaching at partner schools in 11 regions of the country in September of 2019.

For the first time this year the students of 125 Secondary School are going to work on a blog called 125 Blog. They are going to be journalists, editors, and photographers in order to capture the most interesting moments during the three-week academy. Their blog is going to be a great opportunity for parents to get an exclusive peek behind the curtain and learn more about everyday activities at the academy.

The teachers are experts in different subjects and come from diverse professional backgrounds. They are all trained in alignment with the internationally recognized model called Teaching as Leadership which has been developed to ensure that every student is successful in the classroom.
Our participants teach classes especially designed for the students of the academy, tailored to their individual needs and interests. Teachers also work with a team of coordinators – experienced professionals – who observe their classes, give feedback, and provide guidance, so that teachers improve their performance in the classrooms.

The academy is free of charge for all students. This is possible thanks to the support of the America for Bulgaria Foundation, Bankia Mineral Water, Dundee Precious Metals, Titan Zlatna Panega Cement AD, the International Women’s Club of Sofia, BreakTime, Lidl, individual donors, and supporters of Teach For Bulgaria. The Summer Academy is also supported by many NGO partners such as Caritas Bulgaria and the Health and Social Development Foundation.

Take a look at some photos from the opening ceremony: