There are about 1. 36 million Estonians on this small, 45 227 square kilometre land area. Our national flower is the cornflower and our national bird is the swallow. During local song and dance festivals and international sports competitions we proudly wave our blue-black.and-white flag. Tallinn is the capital of Estonia.
Only 180 kilometres from Tallinn is Tartu.
Close to Tartu we can find Ülenurme. Those coming from Tartu are welcomed by the sight of a big white building – Ülenurme Gymnasium which was built in 1984. At the moment its, 50 teachers provide education for 675 students from all over Estonia.
Our students can choose whether they prefer to study in the humanities, the science or the sports branches. In 2004 all gymnasium students were given the chance to study aviation. Other extra-curricular activities include music, sports and special classes in other areas of study for those who are interested. There are alltogether 31 such study-groups and classes available. The building houses Ülenurme Music School and Ülenurme Basketball Club. Students can use a sports complex with its five gyms, shooting gallery and one of the best stadiums in Tartu county. The most popular sports played here are basketball, skiing, athletics, gymnastics and shooting.
Among the school traditions there are also the School Olympics. In 2004, as the games were held for the third time, Finnish and Swedish students also took part. We were honoured to have the president of the Finnish Olympic Academy and the Swedish Ambassador among our guests. During the games in 2006 we were visited by the presidents of the Latvian and Finnish Olympic Academies and the member of Pierre de Coubertaine´s International Committee, Ines Nikolaus. We have established mutually rewarding relationships with schools from Piestany, Erfurdt, Joronieni and Sopot. Ülenurme Gymnasium also actively participates in the project Coubertin Academy.
Our school has got a variety of traditions combining creativity with educational purpose. As the Estonian academic year traditionally begins on the 1st of September and lasts till the middle of June (St. John´s day) our students also start their new year at school on the Day of Wisdom (1st of September). In November, our school anniversary is celebrated (the earliest mentioning of the school dates back to 1766).
Ülenurme Gymnasium rewards their brightest students with monthly grants of 300 kroons and our most talented students´ literary works are regularly published in the almanac „The Signs of Time“. We also organise handicraft exhibitions and in spring all the students can enjoy the annual barbecue feast. Our school´s motto can be best summarised as the following: ’Learn and Advance!’