School

VIII Private Academic High School (VIII PALO) is the only, and undoubtedly, the first academic high school in Cracow which started its 27^th school year on September 1^st.

The years of experience, significant achievements of our students and teachers (many of them are academics at Jagiellonian University, Pedagogical University of Kraków, AGH University of Science and Technology), leading in various rankings, projects done in cooperation with various universities (Jagiellonian University, Tischner European University, Cracow University of Economics, The School of Management and Banking in Cracow), practical classes in university laboratories, (Jagiellonian University, AGH), IBO accreditation (IB Diploma Programme) – all these constitute highest level of educational services.

Our high school was established in 1993 and emerged from the need to create an alternative to the system of education where both teachers, students, and parents are very often helpless when faced with ever-changing challenges posed by reality; the system whose inability as well as formal and organizational restrictions make it almost impossible to see a human being and limit creativity. From the very beginning, we oppose helplessness and leveling down.

VIII PALO belongs the group of rapidly developing private schools in Cracow. The evidence of this is a stable number of students as well as teachers and people cooperating with the school on a permanent basis. High teaching level reflects in university careers of our graduates, who could be found studying various majors in renowned universities. The objective proof of our quality are excellent Matura exam results and top places in various school rankings in Lesser Poland.

The school closely cooperates with academics of Pedagogical University of Cracow and Jagiellonian University, the majority of which work at our school. This guarantees a high level of teaching and extensive teaching experience of our staff (teachers of teachers teach at our school) facilitate development and perfection of teaching.

Since the year 1993, when the school was established, Dr Jerzy Waligóra (Polish literature historian and the owner of the school) has been the Head of School, albeit his two-year break. Between 2006/07 and 2007/08 the Head of School was Ms. Ewa Dudek, a teacher of Mathematics, associated with the school since its beginning.

Our famous graduates: Sebastian Ludwik Kudas – a drawer, stage designer for “The Cellar Under the Rams” [Piwnica pod Baranami], Anna Rumian – one of the few Polish women-pilots flying Boeing 737 on a regular basis as well as numerous lawyers, architects, teachers, doctors, engineers, scientists…