Maria Skłodowska-Curie High School No. 2 is a secondary school located in Sanok, Poland.
Building In the mid-1890s, the decision was made to establish Nowa Street (later renamed ), where a plot was purchased from for the construction of the school building. In 1896, the tender for the construction of public schools was won by entrepreneur . Initially, architect , visiting Sanok on 6 June 1896, proposed a triangular arrangement of the school building, the Sokół movement building in Sanok, and a restaurant at the entrance to the park (now ). The building, designed by city architect in 1896, was constructed in the city gardens. It was originally two stories high and shaped like the letter C, listed under conscription number 311. By 1931, the building, then known as the St. Jadwiga School, was located at 9 and 11 Adam Mickiewicz Street.
During the Polish People's Republic, a fence along Adam Mickiewicz Street was removed. Before the 1975/1976 school year, the building's façades were repainted with assistance from the Municipal Housing Management Directorate. In 2008, through efforts by Sanok County authorities, the building's original façade, as designed by Beksiński in 1896, was restored, including the reconstruction of attics that had existed until 1970–1972. A major renovation was completed in 2011.
In the 1990s, the building housed the Sanok branch of the .
History
In 1898, marking the 50th anniversary of Franz Joseph I's reign, the Sanok City Council decided to dedicate the building to house public schools. Consequently, the Emperor Franz Joseph I Public School for boys was established. It is believed that the emperor may have donated 1,000 guilders for the building's construction. In 1901, the Women's Higher Scientific Institute (also known as the Women's Higher Scientific-Educational Institute) was established at the school. On 11 November 1912, the five-grade Queen Jadwiga Girls' School No. 1 was established, with as headmaster until 1927. She was succeeded by , who served until 1934.
By a resolution of the City Council on 2 January 1919, the Emperor Franz Joseph I Boys' Departmental School was renamed the King Władysław Jagiełło School. During the Second Polish Republic until 1948, the building housed two institutions: the King Władysław Jagiełło Boys' School No. 2 (the largest in the city, led by ) and the Queen Jadwiga Girls' School No. 4. The girls' gymnasium also used nearby buildings at 8 Emilia Plater Street and 36 Tadeusz Kościuszko Street (from 1932 to 1939, the site of the Emilia Plater Private Polish Girls' Gymnasium, later used as a dormitory until 1999). Before 1914, the building also housed the Industrial Supplementary School, led by .
After Poland regained independence and the established the Second Polish Republic, in the 1922/1923 school year, the Women's Higher Scientific Institute was replaced by the Sanok Municipal Private Women's Teacher Training Seminar. Initially located at 20 Rynek Street near the Franciscan Church, it later moved to Tadeusz Kościuszko Street and then to the Queen Jadwiga School building at Adam Mickiewicz Street. Its headmasters included (1923–1929), (1929–1930), Adam Potapiński (1930–1932), and (1932–1934).
During the Second Polish Republic, many girls attended the at 5 John III Sobieski Street. To establish an independent girls' school, on 22 March 1928, the Lviv Curatorium decided to create the Emilia Plater Private Girls' Gymnasium. From 1932, the school gained public status, allowing students to take the matura exam. The student body included girls from various social and religious backgrounds. Due to strict discipline, including a uniform requirement and a 1931 educational program, the gymnasium was colloquially called a "convent", a nickname that persisted for decades. However, a 1935/1936 Lviv Curatorium inspection identified irregularities and criticized the gymnasium's operations. Consequently, headmaster resigned after the school year, and in October 1936, , previously from the in Lviv, took over, implementing strict disciplinary and educational measures until 1939. Following the Jędrzejewicz reform, the school operated as the Emilia Plater Private General Education Gymnasium and High School in Sanok. By the 1938/1939 school year, it held the status of a state general education gymnasium and high school.
During World War II, the building served as a German field hospital. During the German occupation of Poland, teachers, including Zofia Skołozdro and , organized underground education. After the war, the building was devastated.
The 1961 education reform reorganized schooling, extending primary education to 8 grades and reintroducing 4-year general high schools. In Sanok, in 1965, Primary School No. 5 and II High School were established at Adam Mickiewicz Street, while Primary School No. 4 and I High School were set up at 5 John III Sobieski Street.
During the Polish People's Republic, the school was supported by the Sanok Modernization and Construction Plant. On 8 March 1977, the school was named after Maria Skłodowska-Curie and received a banner adorned with the Meritorious for Sanok Badge.
On 19 July 1984, a reunion celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Sanok Municipal Private Women's Teacher Training Seminar (1924–1984) and the 50th anniversary of its last matura (1934–1984).
On 2 April 1996, a scientific session marked the school's 50th anniversary, during which classroom 28 was named after Zofia Skołozdro, and the biology laboratory in classroom 30 was named after Ludwik Romaniak. The 75th anniversary was celebrated in March 2003. The 80th anniversary was celebrated on 28–29 June 2008, with approximately 1,200 alumni attending, including a Mass led by 14 priest-alumni and the oldest participant, a 91-year-old who graduated in 1935. Approximately 4,800 students had graduated over the 80 years.
In 1991, the school began a partnership with a secondary school in Sanok's sister city, Östersund, Sweden. The 50th anniversary was marked in 1995 with a scientific session on 2 April and official celebrations on 30 April.
The 2011/2012 school year was declared the Year of Maria Skłodowska-Curie at High School No. 2, coinciding with Poland's designation of the year. In November 2012, the school received the "Solidarna Szkoła 2012" title in the category for secondary schools in cities with over 20,000 residents.
Headmasters Sources: (Queen Jadwiga Girls' School No. 1) (until 1926), (1933–1939) (King Władysław Jagiełło Boys' School No. 2) Dr (until 30 November 1928) Dr Wincenty Jasiewicz (1 December 1928 – 31 August 1929) Dr Józef Hukiewicz (1929–31 August 1931) (1 September 1931 – 31 August 1936) Dr (18 October 1936 – 31 August 1939) Dr (1944–1945) Dr Zofia Skołozdro (1946–1970) Stanisław Obara (1 September 1970 – 31 August 1999) Marek Cycoń (1 September 1999 – 2019) Joanna Połdiak (2019–2020) Marek Cycoń (2020–2025) Magdalena Dziuban (2025–)
Teachers Source: , , Father , – teachers at King Władysław Jagiełło Boys' School No. 2. Father – catechist at Queen Jadwiga Girls' School No. 4. Emilia Plater Private Polish Girls' Gymnasium and Sanok Municipal Private Women's Teacher Training Seminar: Dr (history), (history, geography), (mathematics), (Latin), (physics, chemistry), Dr Józef Hukiewicz, (both German), (Ruthenian), (hygiene, biology), (exercises), (physical education), (course supervisor), Father , Father (Roman Catholic catechists), Father (Greek Catholic catechist), . Nestor Lenczyk (1901–1969, father of Orest Lenczyk) – mathematics, physics, astronomy teacher. Emilia Słuszkiewicz (1887–1982) – teacher from 1918 to 1923. Helena Kosina (1900–2000) – Polish teacher from 1946 to 1957. Maria Hrycaj (1911–2007) – biology and geography teacher from 1946. Dr – history teacher from 1959. Jadwiga Kubrakiewicz (1907–1978) – Polish teacher from 1946 to 1970. (1912–1994) – Latin teacher from 1945 to 1954. – teacher and deputy headmaster in the 1960s and 1970s. – physical education teacher. – historian, publisher. (1930–1990) – biology teacher. – history teacher. (born 1962) – biology teacher.
Students and alumni Sources: (1900–1940) – State Police officer, victim of the Katyn massacre (graduate of Emperor Franz Joseph I Public School). (1900–1920) – scout, second lieutenant in the Polish Army, died in the Polish-Soviet War, awarded the Virtuti Militari Order (attended Emperor Franz Joseph I Public School). (1900–1971) – labor, socialist, and communist activist, Sanok County starosta, MP in the Polish People's Republic Sejm (completed grades 5–7 of a higher public school). (1918–1946) – infantry non-commissioned officer, major in the National Armed Forces, commander of the (graduate of King Władysław Jagiełło Boys' School No. 2). Maria Hrycaj (1911–2007) – teacher, including in secret education, active in the Home Army under the codename Azalia Pontyńska, wife of (graduate of Emilia Plater Girls' Gymnasium in 1931). (1913–1993) – teacher (graduate of Emilia Plater Girls' Gymnasium in 1932). (1914–2017) – pediatrician (graduate of Emilia Plater Girls' Gymnasium in 1932). Maria Stok – daughter of , liaison for the of the Home Army, died in the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944 (graduate of Emilia Plater Girls' Gymnasium in 1934). , née Opariwska (1917–1977) – wife of Stepan Bandera, athlete, member of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists and Ukrainian organizations (graduate of Emilia Plater Girls' Gymnasium in 1936). (1920–2019) – participant in the Warsaw Uprising, co-organizer of the Women's Action Union (graduate of Emilia Plater Girls' Gymnasium in 1938, obtained matura in secret education in Sanok on 2 January 1942). Paweł Kosina (1927–2013) – judge, genealogist, co-founder of the Dunin Family Association, son of (graduate of the high school in 1947). – diplomat (attended the public school before 1945). , née Najsarek (born 1936) – philologist, cultural institution activist (graduate of High School No. 2 in 1954). (born 1944) – painter, illustrator, lecturer at the Rzeszów University of Technology (graduate of High School No. 2 in 1961). , née Wojtowicz (born 1949) – professor of legal sciences, academic, administrative law specialist, judge at the Supreme Administrative Court of Poland (graduate of High School No. 2 in 1966). (born 1948) – professor of humanities, academic, specialist in modern Polish and world history (graduate of High School No. 2 in 1966). (born 1950) – politician, trade unionist, senator in the 3rd and 4th terms (graduate of High School No. 2 in 1968). (born 1953) – political scientist, professor of social sciences (graduate of High School No. 2 in 1972). (born 1952) – artist, art conservator (graduate of High School No. 2 in 1972). Anna Hałas, née Kafara (born 1955) – local government official, mayor of Gmina Sanok (graduate of High School No. 2 in 1974). (born 1956) – cultural sociologist, anthropologist, journalist, documentarian (graduate of High School No. 2 in 1975). (born 1957) – regional historian, local government official (graduate of High School No. 2 in 1976). (born 1964) – journalist (attended the school from 1979 to 1982). (born 1961) – sculptor, professor of visual arts (graduate of High School No. 2 in 1980). Tadeusz Nabywaniec (born 1964) – Polish philologist, teacher, local government official, politician, Sanok County councilor (graduate of High School No. 2 in 1984). (born 1969) – long-distance runner, silver medalist at the Polish Championships in marathon (graduate of High School No. 2 in 1988). Artur Andrus (born 1971) – journalist, poet, songwriter, cabaret artist (graduate of High School No. 2 in 1990). (born 1973) – journalist, news director at RMF FM (graduate of High School No. 2 in 1992; co-published the school fanzine Więcej Czadu with Paweł Sawicki and Robert Biłas between 1992 and 1993).