SCHOOL 125 IN SNEZHINSK, RUSSIA

School 125 in Snezhinsk was founded in 1962, so it is 40 years of age.

School 125 is a school for students in grades kindergarten through 11^th grade. Students attending school 125 range in age from 6 through 17 years of age. Most of them have academic potential far above their age peers. We have 860 students attending our school from all over Snezhinsk because of our emphasis on mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and English (students begin to learn English at the age of 6). There are 36 classes in our school, more than 70 teachers work in it.

The teachers of the school exult their gifted students’ success because most of teachers teach their students from 5^th through 11^th (sometimes from 1^st through 11^th) grades. But Elementary school teachers work with the class for 3 or 4 years (students who come to school at the age of 6 attend Elementary school for 4 years, those who begin their school at the age of 7 attend Elementary school for 3 years. A teacher teaches the students math, Russian, Reading, and Nature Study.

Then students come to Middle-grade classes (5-9) at the same school. Here they have different teachers in different subjects, such as algebra, geometry, Russian, Literature, history, geography, English, computing, PE, Labor training, biology and others. In the 7^th grade students begin to study Physics, in 8th grade-Chemistry.

10^th and 11^th-graders are High school students. So, our school has 1^st through 11^th graders.

Children of our school have many abilities of extra class activities. There is a school choir, many sport clubs, and a computer club, a chess club, and a dancing group. A lot of students of our school participate in subject educational Olympiads and other programs.

Last year we were suggested to participate in the Critical Issues Forum for the first time. In April 2002 we were invited to show our work on the conference in Las Cruses, New Mexico, USA. Michael Pletenev, a 10^th-grader was the first participant from our school.

In 2003 another student from our school takes part in the Forum. His name is Ivan Drokin, he is a 8^th-grader, 13 years of age.

Teachers-consultants are: Marina Chebysheva and Larisa Zlokazova. They are teachers of English in school 125.