School | The village of Tserova Koria

PRIMARY SCHOOL
“PETKO RACHEV SLAVEYKOV”

Petko Rachev Slaveykov Primary School, Tserova Koriya has a 225-year tradition in which the struggle for education is equivalent to the struggle to preserve the Bulgarian identity. It helps for the rapid spiritual development of the people, and has awakened and educated several generations and confidently continues its course today as a municipal, central school for education of children from Tserova koria, Pchelishte, Mindya and Kapinovo.
The school building is modern and the base is modern. It includes a garage for the school bus, a dining room, a gym, local heating and two computer rooms.

Petko Rachev Slaveykov Primary School, Tserova koria village is the heir to a 225-year tradition in which the struggle for education is tantamount to the struggle to preserve Bulgarian identity. Contributing to the rapid spiritual construction of the nation, it has awakened and nurtured several generations and continues its course today, as a municipal, central school with a training area for children from Tsero Koria, Pchelishte, Mindya and Kupinovo. The school building is modern and the base is modern. It includes a school bus garage, canteen, gym, local heating, two computer rooms.

In 1969, at a village assembly, the Enlightenment Department at the ONS – Veliko Tarnovo declared the school a champion and proposed to be named “Petko Rachov Slaveikov”. And today the school bears that name. In the spirit of the new requirements, the teaching staff opens students’ classrooms, additional teaching aids are provided. During this period, the work of the director Ivan Minchev, the teachers Stefka Baklicharova, Vesela Decheva, Peter Petrov and Stefka Popova has been fruitful. From September 1, 1976, Stefan Kostov Slavchev was appointed as a director, who shows persistence and consistency for the reconstruction and intensification of the educational process. A very good material base is being built with all the necessary training and technical tools and aids. In addition to the subjects, there are numerous extracurricular forms. The main organiser is the literature teacher Dimitrinka Hr. Doneva. The dance troupe is also ranked first in the reviews in Veliko Turnovo. On December 1, 1984, it celebrated 200 years of education and 140 years of public schooling with a secular way of education. The school was awarded with the Order of Cyril and Methodius – 1st degree for its great achievements in the development of the education. Today, students from the villages of Pchelishte, Kapinovo, Mindya and Tseria Koria study at the school in Tserova koria. On September 1, 2010 Tanya Genova Valcheva was appointed head teacher.

Extracurricular activities

Most of the extracurricular activities at the school are closely connected with the community centre in the village of Tserova koria, which supports the financing of some of the activities. The children’s dance group “Easter” led by Peter Petrov presents the school annually at the municipal review of dance art in Veliko Tarnovo and Balkanfolk. He gives concerts in Tserova koria, Kapinovo, Pchelishte and Mindya on the occasion of various anniversaries and celebrations.

The children’s theater studios “Buratino” with the head Dimitrinka Doneva are also very popular. Her performances are always greeted with great interest by both children and adults. With the realised productions the children’s studios appear on local scenes as well as on the municipal holiday “The Little Prince”, which takes place in the village of Samovodene. Particularly successful are the dramatisations of the stories “The Unborn Girl”, “Snow White”, “The Pomegranate with Ruby Grains” and “Red Riding Hood”. Children are very happy to embody the roles of fairy-tale characters and some of them have been awarded prizes at the children’s theatre festival. The Modern Ballet Group is set up at the initiative of the children. They dance to their favourite songs, receiving the support of the school and community centre for costumes and use of musical techniques, as well as providing a choreographer-consultant. With the dances “Rainbow”, “Pippi”, “Cowboy dance” and many others, the band has always received well-deserved applause when performing on stage. For the last two years the group has also participated in the Municipal Review of Modern Dance Art in Veliko Tarnovo, where it has a decent performance.

Vocal group “Slaveyche” is led by the young teacher Christina Lazarova. The repertoire of the group is large and the children willingly perform the learned songs at the organized school celebrations and concerts. The students from the school are also included in the group for spring folklore at the Chitalishte “Razvitie” in the village of Tserova koria, which regularly participates in the municipal review of folk art, held in the village of Resen.

History

From the spark to the triumph of the Bulgarian education

The beginning of the educational work in the village of Tserova Koriya is connected with the teaching of Slavic writing to awaken boys from the village. The spark of education in the village of Tserova Koriya was ignited by the priest Ivan Mihov in 1784. His followers are Ivan Chantov, Moyan Kanchev and priest Stoyan Milev.
After the proclamation of the Hatisherif in 1834, education in the Bulgarian lands took on a general character of development through the construction of churches and cells attached to them. The society covers all the expenses, including the teacher’s salary. During this period the teacher in the cell was Mihail Pop Ivanov, son of the first teacher.

From the spring of 1845 to 1870 the mutual teaching methodology was successfully introduced by Petko Rachev Slaveykov and Nikola Zlatarski – father of the future professor Vasil Zlatarski. The golden period of the Revival school in the village of Tserova Koriya is connected with the work of Atanas Kochanov from Elena, who turned the school into a full-fledged school in 1870. In 1873 a new two-storey building was erected, consecrated by Metropolitan Ilarion Makariopolski.
Until the Liberation of Bulgaria, this school was taught by Marin Bachvarov – future professor and lecturer at Sofia University and Ivan Tserov – future mayor of Varna. Years of prosperity and decline followed, periods of difficulty and success.

The class school in Tserova koria, built in 1873. Photo from the book *” From the past of Tserova koria “* – *Цанка Съчкова*

After the Liberation of Bulgaria, the restless spirit of several generations passed through the classrooms of the school, searching for the source of knowledge, from which it leads to quench their thirst for education and progress. In 1937 the new school building was built, giving wider opportunities for educational success.
The pride of our school are the many doctors, teachers, architects, engineers, clergy and politicians who have had a successful start in it. Ivan Tserov has been the mayor of Varna for many years.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Stambolist Dobri Petkov was chairman of the National Assembly in 1907/08. and Minister in 1914-1918. He is a big donor to the school. At the head of the citizens of Tarnovo in welcoming General Gurko is Archimandrite Stefan from the village of Tserova Koriya.
Panayot Hadjiradkov – a former student and teacher of our school is the first district governor in Veliko Tarnovo. Hadji Stoyan Hadjipanov was one of the 129 deputies in the Grand National Assembly in 1879. The church activist Ilarion Penchev is the rector of the Edirne seminary, a teacher at the Thessaloniki Boys’ High School and finally the Metropolitan of Nevrokop.
During the bloody years for Macedonia – 1894-1913 – Bishop Flavian / in the 30s and 40s of the 20th century / holds the spiritual positions – abbot of the Rila Monastery, rector of the Plovdiv seminary and vicar of the Metropolitan of Sofia. Petko Mihailov – longtime mayor of the village is chairman of the Horticultural Society in Bulgaria.

Our patron

Petko Rachov Slaveykov is a Bulgarian poet, publicist, folklorist and politician.
One of the leaders of the Liberal Party after the Liberation, he was chairman of the National Assembly (1880) and minister in several cabinets (1880-1881, 1884-1885).
Petko Slaveykov is the father of a total of eight children, including politicians Ivan Slaveykov and Hristo Slaveykov, publicist Racho Slaveykov and poet Pencho Slaveykov.

He was born on November 17, 1827 in Veliko Tarnovo, in the home of Racho Kazandzhiyata. His mother, Penka, died in childbirth, and the child was miraculously saved.
Petko Slaveykov’s grandfather, Racho Chehlarya, is from Bansko.
Because of the murder of a Turk, who forced him to carry him on his back across the Glazne River, he was forced to flee and move to Tarnovo. Petko’s father is also called Racho, but he is a potter. He is poorly educated, but has a proud Bulgarian spirit.
In his mother’s village, Vishovgrad, Petko sees nightingales that impress him so much that he changes his surname to Slaveykov.
P. R. Slaveykov studied successively in Veliko Tarnovo, Dryanovo, Tryavna and the Transfiguration Monastery. Nevertheless, he intensively educated himself with a lot of reading in the libraries of the monasteries around Veliko Tarnovo.
His acquaintance with Paisii Hilendarski’s “Slavo-Bulgarian History” also played a major role in his education. Later he studied in Svishtov (under Emanuil Vaskidovich), expanded his knowledge of Greek and became acquainted with works of Serbian and Western European literature.
His first literary work – “Akathist of three saints” – is preserved. In 1843 he became a teacher in Veliko Tarnovo. But for the written “Tarnovo became famous with glorious Greek bishops” he was expelled and successively became a teacher in other villages and towns – Vidin, Vratsa, Pleven, Berkovitsa, Lyaskovets, Byala, Elena and others.
He teaches the mutual teaching method, continuing to read. He developed important cultural and educational activities and by 1847 collected 2263 songs, proverbs and sayings.
N. Mikhailovsky introduced him to Russian poets and writers. From 1852 he published his first books – “Mixed Wrist”, “Songbook”, “Fairy Tale”. He wrote the poem “Boyka Voivoda” (1853) under the influence of the revolutionary events around the Crimean War (1853-1856) and many rebellious songs.
After the unsuccessful uprising of Grandpa Nikola in Tarnovo, PR Slaveykov focused his efforts on awakening the national consciousness. As a teacher in Targovishte he published the Bulgarian satirical newspaper “Gaida”. After working for some time in Varna, he went to Constantinople, invited to edit the Bulgarian translation of the Bible by the Bulgarian Bible Society, along with A. Long, El. Riggs, Hr. K. Sichan-Nikolov.

In Constantinople PR Slaveykov published the newspaper “Gaida” (1863-1867), the newspaper “Macedonia” (1866-1872), the magazine “Ruzhitsa” (1871), the magazine “Pchelitsa” “(1871),” Chitalishte “magazine (1872-1873),” Zvanchatyi glumcho “(1872),” Shutosh “newspaper (1873-1874),” Kosturka “(1874). Slaveykov emerged as the most famous Bulgarian writer at that time in Constantinople.
He publishes more than 60 books, newspapers and magazines (original and translated). He took part in the church struggle and became one of its leaders. Later he became a teacher in the Bulgarian Exarchate.
1873 created the famous poem” The White-legged Spring “. In 1874 he founded a Bulgarian high school in Edirne, where he fought against the Greek influence on the Bulgarians. Later he was a teacher in Stara Zagora. He wrote martial poems (1876), was chained and imprisoned after the April Uprising.
In the fire that broke out in Stara Zagora, he lost his manuscripts and the 15,000 proverbs he had collected.
During the Russo-Turkish War of Liberation he became close to the Russian wars, and led General MD Skobelev’s detachment across the Balkan Mountains, witnessed the Shipka victory and accompanied them to San Stefano.

After the Liberation he fought for a democratic constitution together with Petko Karavelov as a deputy in the Grand National Assembly. He became chairman of the National Assembly (1880) and Minister of Education and the Interior (1880-1881). He published the newspaper “Osten” (1879), the newspaper “Tselokupna Bulgaria” (1879), the newspaper “Nezavisimost” (1880-1883), the newspaper “Tarnovo Constitution” (1884), the newspaper “Istina” (1886), Sofia Diary (1886) and Pravda (1888). He was arrested for outspoken democratic ideas and participation in political struggles, banned from teaching and his pension reduced. Deeply saddened, he died in Sofia on July 1, 1895.