Prohaszka Ottokar Catholic High School, Budakeszi - Hungary

Our school is an eight-grade secondary school for boys and girls aged between 10 to 18. It was founded in 1990 by the Budakeszi Roman Catholic Parish Community. On 1st September, 1991 the school started in the building reclaimed from the state for the church. In 1995 a new wing was added compising classrooms, an assembly hall and a canteen. The school is situated in the centre of Budakeszi, a town with a population of about 13,000, on the outskirts of Budapest, capital of Hungary.

We are a Catholic School aiming to develop the personality and skills of the 502 pupils to their full potentials working together in a family athmosphere inspired by the teaching of the Gospels: Jesus Christ came so that they 'may have life and have it to the full'.

We strive to fulfill our mission in a way that our students will be ready to take on social responsibility in their later professional lives.

Each year has two coeducated classes of about 30 pupils. In the first four years our students study Latin and either German or English. Then they take up their second foreign language: English or German. Religious Studies are compulsory. There are extracurricular French classes as well. There is a very wide range of other extracurricular activities acedemic, arts, drama, choir and sports.

Most popular team sports at the school are handball, football, volleyball, floorball, and table tennis. There are hiking tours and bike tours regularly. There are three PE lessons a week.

We like to celebrate together. There is a strong tradition in commemorating our important national days, staging heartwarming presentations by students.

School-leavers have a spectacular ball at the end of November. There are common prayers at the beginning of each week and we celebrate the holy mass on important Catholic holidays.

We like to be together: from fancy dress parties to talent shows, class outings and summer camps, many fun activities are organized. International links are important: Fliegen/Flying, a recently-finished three-year European project was a great succes. Also, students from the age of 13 have been taking part in exchanges with Germany, Austria, and Ireland.

And a bit of history of our region

When Turkish occupation was over (at the end of the 17th century), German settlers came to the deserted village of Budakeszi. They soon built a church and started a boys’ school (early 1700s). Later, in 1927, a girls’ school was started which is part of the present day school building. The German community was strong and also proud to be Hungarians. However, after the Second World War, in 1946, communists deported many German families to Germany and gave their homes in turn to Hungarians who were forced to leave neighbouring countries. In 1950 the nuns had to give up the girls’school to the state. These issues are still delicate but also add a multicultural taste to our town.

Fuer Kontakt:kokolelebi@aol.com