Against the backdrop of the massive depopulation of Bulgarian villages and school closures in remote areas in the Balkan Mountains, among the ancient forests, majestic peaks and crystal streams, life continues undisturbed at the Vasil Levski School. "The mountain is our classroom" is the school motto.
This school for mountain guides, the only one in Bulgaria and the second in Europe, is in the heart of the Troyan Balkan in the village of Cherni Osam. This year marks the 145th anniversary of its founding.
The local people call Cherni Osam the little Switzerland. And the surrounding nature is your best teacher in order to train for such a calling - the peaks of Ambaritsa, Kupena, Botev, Severen Djendem (where the school has a training base), Beklemeto.
A unique "village" institution
Educational work in the village of Cherni Osam during the centuries of Ottoman rule was connected to the spiritual hearth of the Troyan monastery. This is how the present vocational secondary school in the village of Cherni Osam came to be founded as a cell school in the monastery.
Immediately after the adoption of the Tarnovo Constitution and the change in education, which became secular, the school was moved to Cherni Osam. There, it was first housed in the building of the Turkish Konak in the village center.
The following years saw the construction of new buildings for the school, and the one that still houses it was built in 1956.
Until 2000 the school existed as a comprehensive primary school. The onset of demographic problems, as well as school closures, also threatened the one in Cherni Osam. So, in an attempt to save it and preserve the life of the village, its headmaster Minko Zankovski, then one of the few Bulgarian mountaineers to have conquered several eight-thousand metre peaks, turned it into a vocational school. The only class in the country with a tourism specialty was established and children began training to be mountain guides.
"The mountain guide profession is actually a very old profession, which has been known in Europe since the 18th century," says the current director of the school Rumiana Veleshka. "In Bulgaria, there are no traditions in this professional field, which is one of the reasons why the school was profiled in this direction," the principal adds.
Nature as the best teacher
The children and their parents choose the school in Cherni Osam on account of their love of nature and the mountains. Here, the students and teachers become friends, experiencing different emotions and difficulties together. The older ones supervise and help the younger ones, especially at ski camps, orientated by the stars in winter and by the sun and moss during the summer.
"By studying with us, the children acquire unconventional and specific skills, such as high altitude climbing," says Victoria Dundeva, who is their English and Italian teacher. "Here children learn to be responsible. They become individuals with character and ideas," she adds.
Students acquire much of their knowledge from practical classes in special subjects, which take place at the North Jandem training base, below Mount Botev and near the Pleven hut.
In addition to all general education subjects, the children also study various profile subjects such as orientation, topography, mountaineering, sport climbing, speleology, caving, mountain guiding, mountain medicine, pre-medical care in the mountains, nutrition, and marketing. "All this helps the children to be well-prepared for life, not just in the mountains," says the principal Rumyana Veleshka.
High school students can work as ski teachers, guides, tour operators, mountaineers, high altitude workers, animators, and mountain rescue services on graduation. For example, in the Mountain Life-Saving Service of Troyan, 17 out of 28 people are graduates of the school.
The school is the only one in Bulgaria to have three climbing walls. The two outdoor walls were funded by projects and the indoor one was entirely built with donations. Waltopia donated the sails and handholds, and the wall was constructed by volunteers - former students of the school.
Supporters of a higher purpose
The high school owes much of its existence to mountain-lovers while events organised for educational purposes are made possible through the school's patrons.
One such supporter is Pamporovo AD, which provides the children with ski training every year. The company has a partnership agreement with the school for mountain guides and trains children in the winter and summer. "We are a warm supporter and sponsor of the school because the children are wonderful, and we believe they are the best ambassadors to promote the benefits of interacting with nature. The youngsters are highly motivated, responsible, enthusiastic, and active. We are impressed by the level of the education in our communication with them. The benefits of our cooperation are undoubtedly an additional opportunity for the children to express themselves and increase their responsibility," said Mariyan Belyakov, CEO of Pamporovo AD, in a response to Capital.
The school also manages to participate in a number of projects through which it acquires high-end alpine equipment.
The children and the mountain
So far, more than 160 students from the 8 graduating classes have received secondary education and a third vocational qualification. Today, the school has 200 students from 1st to 13th grade. Out of these, there are 90 pupils who came from all over Bulgaria, including Burgas, Sofia, Simitli, Dobrich, Plovdiv, Kazanlak, and Ruse.
In fact, the percentage of children who are not from the region is significant. Students form lifelong friendships, learning spirit, commitment, solidarity and responsibility. There, in the mountains, the children and their teachers survive and thrive.
"You have to be a leader, have a strong psyche, be responsible and in control of your actions, as you are leading a group of people who rely on your skills. You have to anticipate dangers, and in the mountains, they are not insignificant," say the teachers, some of whom are former graduates of the school, and others from the National Sports Academy.
"By studying with us, children learn empathy, resilience, and mutual help through a healthy lifestyle in the mountains, away from the influence of screens," says Ms Dundeva.
Against the backdrop of the massive depopulation of Bulgarian villages and school closures in remote areas in the Balkan Mountains, among the ancient forests, majestic peaks and crystal streams, life continues undisturbed at the Vasil Levski School. "The mountain is our classroom" is the school motto.
This school for mountain guides, the only one in Bulgaria and the second in Europe, is in the heart of the Troyan Balkan in the village of Cherni Osam. This year marks the 145th anniversary of its founding.
