The meeting took place from 4th-11th March 2016 when 14 DCG students accompanied by two teachers visited Sint-Calasanzinstituut in Nijlen, Belgium. As a part of Erasmus+ project on Natural Science for Social Impact, we visited the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium in Brusselles, Isotopolis, where managing nuclear waste was presented; Antwerpen, the city of diamonds; quaint Brugge and a Waste Collection Centre. At school, Belgian hosts prepared a range of very interesting research workshops, where we assumed the role of criminologists and forensic detectives, as we solved a mystery murder using natural science knowledge. /Ana Bavec/

The (Re)mixed Choir of The Diocesan Classical Gymnasium visited The Bischöfliches Gymnasium Graz from 10th -11th March 2016. For years we have had fruitful exchanges with gymnasium in Graz especially in the field of language, whereas this has been our first music visit.
After a friendly welcome, we had a tour of the school, saw the sights of Graz and performed together at an evening concert. An important part of the visit was also spending time with Austrian students and hosting families. Programmes of both school are quite similar and so is their architecture.
The (Re)Mixed choir singers were very pleased with the tour and hopefully there will be further opportunities for future cooperation.

The traditional exchange with three Slavic Gymnasiums took place from 7th – 11th March, 2016. This year the Diocesan Classical Gymnasium Piarist Gxymnasium, Trenčín (Slovakia) hosted students from Piarist Lyceum, Krakow (Poland) and The Diocesan Classical Gymnasium from Ljubljana, Slovenia. Traditionally, students exchanged their knowledge of singing as well as of all three Slavic mother tongues, namely Slovak, Polish and Slovene. The choir travelling to Trenčín this year was St. Stanislav Youth Choir of Diocesan Classical Gymnasium with 50 singers. The choirs of all three gymnsiums performed together at a grand joint concert , when the singing event was marverouslly rouned up by the hymn of the exchange Nech ten chrám. Memebers of the language group did some research vocabulary work on the similarities and differences among all three Slavic languages in the field of sports. /Tamara Domjanič, Sara Oberstar/

On invitation from the Bischöfliches Gymnasium Graz the (Re)mixed Choir of the Diocesan Classical Gymnasium will visit the school from 10th -11th March 2016. Singing students of both schools will take part in the evening concert and the guest will be shown around the school and the city of Graz.
(Re)Mixed Choir of the DCG with almost 110 singers is the largest choir in school, in which mostly 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students sing. The choir tends to sing an appealing programme of gospel, spirituals, pop and musicals. Under the energetic leadership of the conductor Helena Fojkar Zupančič and accompanied by a band, the choir thrills everybody everywhere and we believe it will be so in Graz as well. /Lily Schweiger Kotar/

The traditional exchange with three Slavic Gymnasiums will take place from 7th – 11th March 2016. This year the Diocesan Classical Gymnasium Piarist Gxymnasium, Trenčín will host students from Piarist Lyceum, Krakow (Poland) and The Diocesan Classical Gymnasium from Ljubljana, Slovenia. Traditionally, students exchange their knowledge of singing as well as of all three Slavic mother tongues, namely Slovak, Polish and Slovene. The choirs will perform individulaly on several occasions, however, the visit will end with a joint concert of all three choirs and presentation of their language work.

The choir travelling to Trenčín is St. Stanislav Youth Choir of DCS, with 50 singers, which has received many awards and prizes at youth choral reviews in Slovenia and at international choral festivals, including golden plaques and awards for the best choir of the competition. This choir also regularly performs larger vocal-instrumental works and collaborates with professional institutions. More recently they are most proud of the International Choral Kathaumixw festival (2014) where they won the title “Choir of the World” in Powell River, Canada as well as the 1st prize for Folk & Cultural Traditions. The conductor of the choir is Damijan Močnik, composer and teacher of music at the Diocesan Classical Gymnasium. The accompanying teachers on the tour are Kaja Naglič and Pavle Šijanec.

The students of the DCG from the French Drama Club will participate for the third time in the observation of the International Francophonie Days in Celje, Slovenia. Students from ten different Slovene high schools will gather to stage a contemporary performance in French, namely Les Migrants by Sonja Ristič. Assisted by a French actress and stage director, it is the Slovene students who will set up this project, which is unique also in a broader context of topical migration issues, and demonstrates some good student teamwork. The first night will take place on 25th March 2016 in The Slovene National Theatre in Celje, Slovenia.
The students of DCG are rehearsing under the mentorship of Daša Obrč, teacher of French at The Diocesan Classical Gymnasium. /Lily Schweiger Kotar/

Students, parents and friends of St. Stanislav’s Institution had the pleasure of listening to a spring concert, which took place on Wednesday 2nd March 2016 in St. Stanislav’s Chapel. The program consisted of French-Canadian folk songs and works by Casals, Pergolesi, Galuppi, Dvorak and Rutter. The musical and artistic director of the Canadian choir Phillipe Ostiguy and Helena Fojkar Zupančič, the conductor of the Slovene choir, have managed to elicit from girls magnificently light, yet precise melodies that impressed the audience. When both choirs sang together the last two songs they presented themselves as one voice. The Borealis Voice is on a European Musical Tour, and are guests of the DCG students from 2nd March – 4th March 2016. The choir travels annually in international tours.

St. Stanislav’s Institution has the pleasure of inviting you to a spring concert, which will take place on Wednesday 2nd March, 2016 at 6 p.m. in St. Stanislav’s Chapel. The program consisting of French-Canadian folk songs and works by Casals, Pergolesi, Galuppi, Dvorak and Rutter will be presented. The Canadian girls’ choir the Borealis Voice is on a European Tour, being guests of the DCG students from 2nd March – 4th March 2016. It is a choir of about 145 girls (aged 8 – 17) and was founded in 1998. This is one of the best choirs in the area and it has staged with artist such as Celine Dion and Yoko Ono and many other musicians of Montreal area. The choir travels annually in international tours.
St. Stanislav Girls’ Choir of The Diocesan Classical Gymnasium, with 50 girls, has gained prestige through numerous victories at competitions in Slovenia and Europe. It has received many awards and prizes at youth choral reviews in Slovenia and at international choral festivals. The most prominent triumphs are the Euroradio choral competition Let the Peoples Sing in Oslo, Norway (2009) – winner of the youth category and overall winner, recipient of the prestigious award Silver Rose Bowl and the Overall winner of the International Choir Competition »Summa Cum Laude« in Vienna, and a special award of the Music Youth Austria for programme interpretation (2013).

The above words are the motto in Lent 2016 at St. Stanislav’s Institution. During every season of Lent, but even more so in the holy year of mercy, people try to strengthen their relationship with God. Priests working in St. Stanislav’s Institution invited the entire school community to simply open its heart to God’s mercy, rather than trying to find out what could be done by themselves.
Ash Wednesday in St. Stanislav’s Institution opened Lent with the following words »”Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” After the ceremony, the activities which would enable students and teachers to feel God’s mercy, were presented. They would consequently permit everyone to show mercy to close-by people. A Slovene woman who is married to a Touareg presented this Lent’s charity action of raising money for the needy children and women from this African nomadic tribe. Apart from this, each class was asked for the participation in one of the morning masses or prepare the stations of the cross or adoration prayers during the main breaks in Lent. Students were also invited to take the sacrament of penance and reconciliation as well as attend the adoration of the most holy trinity in the school chapel, which takes place at the end of Lent.
Together with Pope Francis we wish you that » mercy becomes your path to unite yourself with God, opening your heart for hope that we shall always be loved no matter what obstacles are posed by sins.« /Lily Schweiger Kotar/

The open house days in St. Stanislav’s Institution were held in mid-February. Numerous prospective students and parents were considering further education at the DCG. Visitors came from 60 primary schools from all over Slovenia, which means that the Jeglič Student Home will offer accommodation to about one third of future students. Presentations by faculty and current students offered ample information on school program, covering academics, arts, athletic facilities and life at St. Stanislav’s as well as extracurricular activities and in particular admission procedures. In the academic year 2016/2017there are 140 places available at the DCG for entry in year one.  All four Slovene Catholic high schools will accept 420 students, which represent 0,02 % of the entire population entering secondary schools in Slovenia.
Visitors took most interest for the specific features of the DCG school program, which include the school subject Religion and Culture, learning the third foreign language besides English and Latin, possibility of taking classical Greek, participation in spiritual retreats and other activities which build the class community. International activities were presented as well, along with sports, arts and natural sciences, which decisively balance the curriculum of any classical gymnasium. Visitors stated in surveys that what they liked best in school was friendly attitude and welcoming atmosphere.
Considering great interest in the DCG we are happy to see that the school meets the demands of times, by which St. Stanislav’s Institution fulfills its mission which is to foster the integral personal growth of each individual in the community for the betterment of the world. /Lily Schweiger Kotar/