Celebration of the 150th anniversary of the School foundation
The celebrations of the anniversary had officially been opened as early as 2005, when the 4th International Symposium of Engraved Glass was held under that topic at Kamenický Šenov.
In the jubilee year 2006 the School organized two exhibitions under the conjunct name "Glass and Light" at the Gallery of the Design Centre of the Czech Republic and at the Museum of Applied Arts Prague. Boht exhibitions were extraordinally successful. Especially the Museum of Applied Arts Prague appreciated the importance of our School by its unique decision to include the School exhibition into its schedule as during its 120 years long history it has never exhibited works of pupils of a secondary school. There were held just exhibitions of the High School of Applied Arts. The director of the Museum of Applied Arts Prague Mrs. Königsmarková handed the School over a copy of a letter sent her by the director of the Museum of Modern Arts Munich Mr. Dr. Florian Hufnagl in which he congratulated her to our exhibition and to the exhibits he had compared with ones at the Coburg Glass Prize. As written in the letter the exhibited works of students of our School are - according to his opinion - in many aspects ahead of the Prize.
The 150th anniversary of foundation of our Glass School has been included into the calendar of important cultural events for 2006/2007 of the Organization of United Nations for Education, Science and Culture - UNESCO. For the first time a school other than a high school, "just" a secondary school, was favoured in this way. Also the Czech National Bank brought out a memorial coin on the occasion of the anniversary of the School - a silver two hundred crowns coin. Also in this case our School is the first secondary school honoured in this way. On the occasion of the anniversary there was published a significant book in Czech and English "Glass and Light - 150 years of the Glass School at Kamenický Šenov 1856-2006. Its 176 pages include a description of development of the School, 228 pictures show works of students and important graduates of the School. The book includes also lists of graduates from 1945-1953 and 1957-2006 and a list of glass artists from.1945 to 2006.
The celebrations have been organized under patronage of the comissioner of the Liberec Region Mr. Petr Skokan, the exhibitions at the Museum of Applied Arts and at the Design Centre in Prague passed off under patronage of the Minister of Education, Youth and physical education Mrs. Petra Buzková.
In the eve of the celebrations a meeting of the Organization for Partnership of the towns Rheinbach and Kamenický Šenov took place in the Parkhotel at Nový Bor.
The principal days of the celebrations at Kamenický Šenov Sept. 8 to 10, 2006.
Friday Sept. 8, 2006 - for the whole day "Open Door Day of the SUPŠS".
Both graduate and other visitors could visit all spaces of the School. There was installed an exhibition of historical photographs there. Everyone could see the exhibiting hall and visit a shop with students´ works where there it was possible to buy also various publications about the School.
In the lecture hall of the Municipal Library a conference of the Czech Glass Society was held from 10 a.m. oriented onto new technologies of glass decoration. Its target was to inform participants about the situation of the glass branch in our country, about the development in the field of glass decoration in the world and to indicate further possible ways of development of the traditional branch. In the conference 72 experts took part, 5 of them from abroad. They heard eight lectures dealing with various glass decorative techniques. One of the lecturers was also the ingoing headmaster of our Glass School academic painter František Janák. The Czech Glass Society awarded at the occasion of the meeting academic sculptor Mr. Pavel Werner and Václav Hubert with an "Acknowledgement of Honour" for their years long work in the glass education.
In the auditorium of the SUPŠS a press conference was held from 3.15 p.m. headed by the headmaster of the School František Janák. In the conference also the former headmaster Pavel Werner and a glass historian Antonín Langhamer took part. Representatives of press asked questions about the history, but especially about the future of the School. There was accented also the exceptionality of the School because of its department design of lighting assemblies unique in comparison with other schools in the Czech Republic.
Another event in the afternoon was the official opening of the gathering of the School alumni in the Hvězda cinema.
At the chairman´s desk there were:
academic painter František Janák - the new headmaster of the SUPŠS Kamenický Šenov
academic sculptor Pavel Werner - a former headmaster of the SUPŠS Kamenický Šenov
Mgr. Ota Raiter – the mayor of the Kamenický Šenov town
RnDr. Robert Gamba – a representative of the Libereck Region, head of the School Department
Mr. Peter Rath – the owner of the Glass Studio at Kamenický Šenov
Mr. Helfried Glössner – the chairman of the Association of Friends of Kamenický Šenov and Rheinbach
Mr. Walter Dernbach – the new headmaster of the Glass School Rheinbach
Mr. Stefan Raetz – the mayor of the Rheinbach town
academic sculptor René Roubíček – a former professor of the SUPŠS Kamenický Šenov
academic painter Ivo Rozsypal – an alumnus of the SUPŠS Kamenický Šenov
academi painter Karel Rybáček – a former headmaster of the SUPŠS Kamenický Šenov who moderated that festive opening as the honorable
chairman of the preparatory committee of the celebrations.
In their brief speeches the chairmen accentuated the importance of the School for the region, the state and especially for the glassmaking branch. On behalf of all alumni the academic painter Ivo Rozsypal declared their hearty thanks to the "one hundred and fifty years old lady - the School" that - despite of all historical changeovers has kept its continuity. He expressed also his pride of being an alumnus of the School. During the opening our School received a present from our sisterly school Rheinbach - a glass plate with all important dates connected with the co-operation of both our schools.
The celebrations continued from 6.00 p.m. with an grandiose concert at the Panská Rock. First local music groups Konec chemického posypu-funk blues rock and Čápi v máku appeared. At 8.00 p.m. the choir Camella from Nový Bor conducted by Jiří Štrobl a former teacher of the SUPŠS performed. The choir sang with a great success both Czech folk songs and famous songs and rhythms in English. During the performance Mr. Peter Rath from Vienna and Helfried Glössner from Rheinbach were awarded the title "Honourable Citizen of the Kamenický Šenov town" for their years long co-operation with the town by the mayor of the Kamenický Šenov Mr. Ota Raiter. Columni and all participants were briefly greeted also by the new headmaster of the SUPŠS Mr. František Janák.
After 9.00 p.m. a resoundingly successful performance of the major guest of the evening, a music group "Čechomor" begun. Its performance was aplauded by some five thousand of audience. The concert was finished with a grandious firework and a huge colourful fountain produced at the lake by 6 fire brigades from the neighbourhood.
Saturday Sept. 9, 2006 - "Open Door Day" continued
Both at the School and in its neighbourhood the gathering of the School alumni run. In front of the school headquarters a country music group performed coducted by a former teacher of our School Jiří Dušánek from Nový Bor. There were also large tents with refreshment there.
At 10.30 a.m. there was shown melting and working at a microwave furnace in the School hotshop "Josef". Glass blowing was demonstrated by Tomáš Kamenec and Aleš Vacek. At 11.00 a.m. a children´ dancing group Boráček from Nový Bor performed in front of the School. Shortly thereafter a parade of alumni through the town begun. Each four years long period of the students´stay here was announced with a board so that alumni could easy find their place. The boards with the years were carried by the actual students in the period clothing. The parade was headed by the headmaster František Janák as a "principal" wearing a tailcoat and a top hat who was singing and playing the accordion. At a beautiful weather there were artists, craftsmen, headmasters, professors, designers, enterpreneurs as well as a writer Saša Berková among participants. The School brought up a number of important personalities known not only in the Czech Republic but even in the world. Also alumni from abroad came for celebrations.
The registration of graduates and an information centre of the celebrations were opened in the lecture hall of the municipal library. In the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the School some 300 - 350 alumni took part. Nevertheless, not all of them registrated themselves. Among the oldiest alumni there could be seen also two inhabitants of Kamenický Šenov Mr. Václav Hubert (the school year 1947) and Mrs. Marta Čechová (the school year 1948). To the oldiest participants there could be counted Mr. Antonín Hradílek from Frýdek-Místek as well. The most distant graduate was Jiří Linhart from the USA. For both days there were artisanal markets kept in the TGM square. On Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. there was given a concert of the Glass Music Band conducted by Míla Dočkal and on Saturday Mr. Vejskal played the accordion there.
In the morning the School was visited by a group from a partner glass School at Hadamar, Germany. The delegation had about 20 members mainly teachers headed by the headmaster Hartmut Liebe. A member of the delegation was also an artist and professor Willy Pistor. They were received by František Janák the headmaster of the SUPŠS, who received from the guests a slumped plate as a present. Another present - a vase - came to the SUPŠS from Mr. Hans Wudy the headmaster of the partner glass school Zwiesel, Germany.
At 4,00 p.m. an exhibition "From the Herritage of Our Ancessors" at the Glass Museum Kamenický Šenov was opened by the director of the museum Helena Braunová, the School headmaster František Janák, the former headmaster Pavel Werner, the mayor Ota Rajtr and a historian Antonín Langhamer. The visitors could see not only the historical glass on the ground floor of the museum, but also the contemporary final works exhibited in the cellar space. In the opening both many alumni and friends of the School took part who then left for the opening of a plaque of the first headmaster of the School Jan Dvořáček on the original school building preserved. The plaque was opened up by a glass historian Antonín Langhamer. The plaque has been designed by the academic sculptor Pavel Werner and manufactured by the SUPŠS workshops.
From 7,00 p.m. a social evening was held in the Preciosa cultural club. Alumni and guests of the evening filled both halls. During the evening they could enjoy the performance of the Causa rock orchestra with a keyboard player Ing. Jan Houferák a professor of the SUPŠS, of a popular dancing group "Lustráček", of a music group "Lusitian Grass" with a professor of the SUPŠS Karolína Stránská. The performance was quite successful. The the social evening was tragically finished by a sad accident. A former headmaster of the School Karel Rybáček was suddenly transported to a hospital where he died on the other day.
Sunday September 10, 2006
10.00 a.m. a Holly Mass in the St. John Baptist Church and a reminder of the founder and first headmaster of the School Jan Dvořáček at his grove. A speech over the grove by the historian Antonín Langhamer.
Recorded by Olga Pröllerová. Shortened and arranged by the redaction.
The celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the School passed off in a friendly and companionable atmosphere. The supported making contacts with graduates and friends of the School. The management of the SUPŠS wants to cultivate and utilize in the future. The mutual contacts brought about many ideas and offers to co-operation highly apprized by the management. We are quite proud of our successful graduates and pleased by their permanent interest in their Alma Mater.
Academic Painter František Janák
Headmaster of the School