Founders’ Day was held at the American College of Sofia

The spirit of common beginnings, struggles, restorations. The spirit of offering young people a great chance to fulfill their potential, engage the world, and make a difference. The spirit of Founders’ Day 2019 at the American College of Sofia.

At the end of last week the American College of Sofia welcomed 35 representatives from American high schools from Turkey, Greece, and Lebanon. Apart from getting to know one another better, the students, their student and chaperones exchanged experience, showcased achievements and had fun together.

On Friday morning all students introduced themselves and their institutions, told inspiring tales about their schools’ founders and what makes it wonderful for them to go to school.

As ACS President Dr. Richard T. Ewing Jr. put it, “We are all different in many ways, and yet we share such a strong, common bond: we are all schools founded in what has been called the American idea: the fundamental belief in the rights of all people to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We are also all schools founded in the ideals of service as well as academic excellence, and we are all schools that have grown and developed in the character, the heritage, and the unique spirit of their host country and host communities.”

With Dr. Ewing, embassy officials from Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon, as well as and Desislava Taliokova of the America for Bulgaria Foundation present, ACS students showcased excerpts of timeless musical Singing in the Rain.

Following several getting-to-know-each-other games and exploring what brings us together, students joined workshops for teaching and learning with Chromebooks, the audio-visual lab, robotics, and computer-assisted design.

In the afternoon hours of Friday, hosts and guests of Founders’ Day enjoyed the Innovations in Action Exhibition, which showcased works by ACS students that had taken part in various Olympiads. After that, everyone returned to the now known ACS makerspace. At the end of the day, they designed and constructed their own cardboard arcade games.

The spring Saturday morning at ACS welcomed back the guests and hosts at Founders’ Day for the event’s closing ceremony. In the spirit of the common school value for service to the community, the participants planted together a magnolia, as a symbol of their unity in ideals, philosophy, and future filled with dignity, high achievements, and integrity.

After that the guests and their hosts enjoyed the sun together in the historic center of Sofia where they took photos in front of some of the capital’s most recognizable points of interest.