School Nr.12 - Baia Mare, Past and Present

School 12 was founded in 1968 in a district of over 30.000 inhabitans, covering up to 1985 a number of 1600-2000 students. From 1985 the population diminished to approximately 900 students. The population in the district is heterofeneous, ethnically and socially. So, 80% of the students came from working class families, out of which 30% have become unemployed for theree years. They worked at "Romplumb", the surrounding nains, the Cotton Cloth Factory, while 20% of the students come from families of intellectuals. Ethnically round 12% of the students are Hungarians, Romas and Germans. In spite of this social structure we are proud of our hardworking and ambitious students who, and the last 15 years achieved good and very good results at the national competition in Chemistry, Phiysics, Geography and Maths. Here are some of these : 

  • Geography, First Prize 1986 
  • Physics, First Prize 1987 
  • Chemistry, First Prize 1985,1987 
  • Choir, First Prize 1995 
  • Geography, Second Prize 1991, 1993 
  • Chemistry, Second Prize 1989,1992 
  • Maths, Special Award 1992 
  • Chemistry, Special Award 1991, 1995 
  • Geography, Special Award 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
There were good results achieved by the students of our school at the high-school entrance examinations and the graduating one in 1999. Before the 1999-2000 schoolyear started , at the parents and the "Inspectorat" 's request we offered room for eight classes of students studying in German and for a Waldorf class, added to the existing 27 classes studying in Romanian. We start the 3rd Millenium with 36 classes of students having morning courses. We have been using all the 9 labs as classes as well, alternatively, depending on the timetable for Physics, Chemistry, Biology, foreign languages, Music, History and Computer Science. The arranging of the Computer Science lab was initiated in 1991 when four HC computers were bought from a then reorganizing unit. Although obsolete, these systems helped us raise our students' interest as well as that of the teachers and parents in using computers for teaching purposes. Being useless and having no funds, we asked the help of the "Inspectorat". It was only in 1994 that we were given a 386 PC. In 1995 we asked our students parents to help us buy two new computers. We succeeded to purchase only a 486 PC in 1996 so on two computers, 300 5-8th graders could work. In 1999 the Procter and Gamble Programme ensured us 5 300 GL IBM PC's. According to the teaching reform and the National Curriculum, the school Board decided that the students can choose optional subjects. Most of the parents and students inclined to choose computer science from the 2nd to the 8th grade. We were taken by surprise by the great nimber of requests. We tested the financial possibilities of the parents which proved to be very low. The solution to our problem came with the Procter and Gamble 2000 Project. With a great amount of effort our school and the 5th grade parents, we edited a school Magazine in 1998-1999 containing the literary creations of the most gifted students. The magazine had 32 copies, out of which two are still as the school library. It had a great impact on our students. The use of computers would immensely facilitate the conscious learning of German for the eight classes that study German as their mother tongue. Childrean are interested in making their school better known and in the geographical region and the history of our town. They even initiated on interschool contest with the topic "The school and city I study in." This goal could be achieved creating a website for all the schools and highschools included in the Procter and Gamble 2000 Programme and others as well. Though this website we wish that our work and our students be better known. We would also like to continue publishing our magazine in the virtual variant as well.