Month: June 2025

The Open Science project of The Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic is financially supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic.

Several ECP students joined the annual scientific internships within the Open Science project for secondary school students this academic year. 

Since 2005, the Open Science project has offered gifted secondary school students the opportunity to engage in hands-on research. This is possible through scientific internships at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. Its aim is to provide students with a meaningful introduction to real scientific work, inspire them to pursue higher education, and support their journey toward a future in scientific fields.

 

Involvement of ECP students

The following ECP students in Years 4 and 5 participated in the Open Science project at various institutes this year:

Esme Kálovcová (Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic)

Anna Malygin (Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic)

Marina Žiaranová (Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic)

Gabriela Popiolkova (Institute of Philosophy, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic)

Lucienne Erent (Institute of History, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic)

Anastasia Kulakovska (Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic)

Alex H.(Institute of Archaeology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic).

 

Student Experience

Here is what Lucienne Erent from Year 4 says about her experience: For my Academy of Sciences internship, I am working with Dr. Vojtěch Kessler on the History of Everyday Life Database at the History Institute (Databáze dějin všedního dne DDVD, Historický ústav AV ČR). It contains hundreds of personal 20th and 21st century sources, mostly letters, diaries and photo albums. I was fascinated to find out that the majority of sources come from women, since traditionally more women kept diaries.

The team works on digitizing and classifying the collection so even the public can search it at https://ddvd.kpsys.cz/ or easily access sources in the institute’s reading room. Our intern group helps with scanning documents and cropping photos into the required format. The creative side of the internship is writing summaries for the sources, writing social media posts about different sources and preparing my own research project for the student conference this autumn. Every year the database team chooses a theme, like Christmas or Grandmothers or School Days, and then publishes a research book on that topic. This year, the theme is Sex and Love so my research is focused on intimate relationships in the communist era. I really enjoy the atmosphere of the institute and I’m obsessed with the old photographs. The concept that small details from home life and personal experience give insight into larger issues in history really appeals to me, which is why I applied for this internship. 

More information about internships is available here

In November, the Academy will hold the Week of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. You can find out more here: www.tydenavcr.cz.

“When the first thing the King of England thinks of when he hears the word ‘Prague’ is the English College, we must be doing something right.”

So said Jan Brunner, 1999 ECP graduate and Deputy Czech Ambassador to Austria. He was speaking on behalf of the graduates at a reception at the British Embassy, held to mark the 30th anniversary of the English College in Prague.

We also heard speeches from the British Ambassador, Matt Field, who called the English College ‘this wonderful institution’ and praised it as a ‘beacon of excellence in education’, from Denis Keefe, ECP’s Chairman of Governors, who thanked Prague 9 Mayor, Tomáš Portlík, for his support and from Dr Brown, our sixth and longest serving Headmaster.

But it was Jan Brunner’s account of when he was introduced to HRH The Prince of Wales, as he was then, which caused the most excitement.

HM King Charles III – Our ‘Proud Patron’

It was at the annual Diplomatic Reception in London, when the capital’s diplomats from all over the world gather in the splendid surroundings of Buckingham Palace. Jan had the honour of being introduced to Prince Charles who, when he heard that Jan was from Prague, said, “Prague? The English College in Prague, of which I am a proud Patron!” To which a quick-thinking Jan replied, “And of which I am a proud graduate!”

There was pride in abundance at the British Embassy that evening. Jan was not the only one to be proud of his association with the English College. Joining him were fellow graduates, parents, staff, Governors and long-standing friends and supporters of the ECP for a magical evening in the beautiful Embassy garden, to mark the end of our 30th anniversary year.

Early Visionaries

We remembered the visionaries without whom there would be no ECP. In particular, Founder Governors Ann Lewis and Martyn Bond, who with our first Chairman of Governors, Lord Holme, raised the money and overcame innumerable hurdles along the way to open a school that taught in English, and that would prepare young Czechs for the International Baccalaureate to enable them to study around the world.

We also remembered our first Headmaster, Hubert Ward, who died last year, and were delighted to welcome our second Headmaster, Albert Hudspeth, and his wife Valerie. Albert was Headmaster to many of our older graduates.

But although the evening was primarily an event to thank everyone who had played a role in the success of the ECP, Dr Brown also wanted to look to the future. It was therefore fitting that our Year 3 student, Ariya Man, brought along his amazing working model of the reconstructed Sokolovská building. It demonstrates in great detail what is waiting for everyone when we move back in November. 

Here is Ariya with his model, in the entrance hall at the Embassy. With him were Dr Brown and Tomáš Med, of Med Pavlík Architekti who designed our new building, together with Anna Švarc (2005), Martin Čeněk (2000) and Michel Zapletal (2018), all ECP graduates who are all now also qualified architects.

A toast to the next 30 years!

Dr Brown, looking back on the evening, said, “It was such a great pleasure to be able to bring together so many people with a shared affection for the English College and to not only look back at its past with gratitude, but also forward to its future with a sense of excitement and anticipation. We are grateful for the wise stewardship of our Governors, which has enabled us to buy the freehold of our building on Sokolovská, and to develop and extend the site. And now we are all looking forward to many more years in Prague 9. We will have the security of owning our own building with its improved facilities, and, by expanding our scholarship fund, we will enable many more young people from less well-off backgrounds to benefit from an ECP education, which for some will be a life-changing opportunity.

You can see all the photos of the evening here and watch the videos of the speeches here.

The renovation of the original English College in Prague school building, built in 1889, next to the Vysočanská metro station on Sokolovská, is well underway. When completed, the building will retain the very best of its historic character while also providing a modern glass, concrete and steel extension. This exciting new addition to our facilities will house a wonderful new auditorium, a drama studio, 11 new classrooms and a vaulted atrium containing lots of ‘work pods’ where students will be able to relax and study between lessons. We will also have a fully equipped refectory so we can offer reasonably priced, locally cooked healthy meals.

The new facilities will enable the school to run more efficiently and, of course, strengthen our sense of community. Everyone is very excited about the project and feels the slight disruption during construction is a small price to pay for such a remarkable new building. We anticipate that we will move back into the renovated part of the original Sokolovská building in or shortly after September 2025, while retaining the old Špitálská annexe until the renovation is fully completed later that academic year. Then, for the first time, the ECP will have all our 400 students under the same roof.

Reconstruction Progress and Future Vision

The renovation of the main building began some 18 months ago. A significant amount of work, not to mention financial resources, has been devoted to restoring the building through a complex programme of reconstruction. The original wooden ceilings, having suffered from the ravages of time, have required extensive attention. However, the work is on schedule and construction of the new extension has also now started.

You can see how the reconstruction is going in this time-lapse video

Mgr Tomáš Portlík, Mayor of Prague 9, shared his enthusiasm, saying, “What is not yet shown on the visualisation is the ‘piazzetta’ between the Town Hall building and the English College, which should be re-created as a study and leisure space.”

Tapping the Stone

Recently, all the parties involved in the project including Mayor Portlík, representatives of the architects Med Pavlík Architects, the construction company PP 53, together with our school leadership team and Governors met to celebrate the laying of the foundation stone for the new extension while work on the reconstruction of the existing building continues at pace. 

Doc Ing Zdeněk Tůma CSc, Deputy Chairman of Governors, and ECP Governors Katie Schoultz, JUDr Karel Kühnl and Jan Grozdanovič LLB, were among those present.

ECP’s Headmaster, Dr Nigel Brown, said, “We recently held the traditional ‘tapping of the stone’ ceremony to mark the laying of the foundations of the new extension that will ultimately house a second entrance to the school, 11 new classrooms, an auditorium, drama room and refectory, together with an attractive rooftop garden area. It has taken a long time and a lot of hard work to get to this stage, but everyone involved in the project is passionate about the work. We have been very impressed by both the quality of the design and the standard of workmanship that will create these improved new facilities for both students and staff at the English College to enjoy for many years to come.”