A week filled with exciting discoveries, creative challenges, and multilingual adventures turned the European Day of Languages into a true celebration at Geo Milev English Language School in Burgas. In the days surrounding September 26, students from different grades took part in a variety of initiatives dedicated to linguistic and cultural diversity, proving that learning foreign languages can be both useful, fun, and inspiring.
The festive programme brought together presentations, interactive games, quizzes, video projects, and creative tasks through which students not only demonstrated their knowledge but also had the opportunity to communicate, create, and have fun.
Languages Through the Eyes of the Eighth Graders
The youngest participants in the celebration — the eighth graders — embarked on a journey to discover European languages and cultures through a range of fun and challenging activities.
Students from Class 8A, together with their homeroom teacher Ms. M. Terzieva, presented France, Spain, Austria, Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Germany, and Monaco. Through presentations, fascinating facts, traditions, and language games, they showcased the richness of Europe’s cultural heritage.
On September 23, students from Classes 8B and 8C, with their homeroom teachers Ms. P. Atanasova and Ms. D. Kolarova, enjoyed a different and emotional class session. Their guest in the Creative Room was Ms. Marta Kostova, a Spanish teacher and consultant specializing in exam preparation and university applications abroad. The students learned fascinating facts about Europe’s official languages, took part in a discussion, and wrote and read greetings in different languages.
In Class 8D, the celebration took on an artistic character. Through short dialogues, jokes, and interesting facts, the students presented Germany, Spain, Slovakia, France, Portugal, the Netherlands, and other European countries. The initiative, organized by their homeroom teacher and English teacher Ms. Y. Nikolova, was attended by Ms. K. Miteva, Deputy Principal for Educational and Instructional Activities. The finale was especially sweet — a delicious German pastry prepared by student Leana Adolf.
During their English lessons, students from Class 8D — Gyulshen Ibriamova, Danaya Atanasova, and Antonio Meretov — took their classmates on a journey through the history of writing. They presented writing systems from Sumer, Egypt, Europe, and China, explored the role of medieval scribes, and discussed the importance of the printing press in spreading languages and knowledge.
In Class 8E, under the guidance of Ms. K. Atanasova, the celebration turned into a true language adventure featuring several missions. In “Language Detectives,” students identified different languages and discovered fascinating facts about them. “Say It Without English” challenged them to express a given idea without using English, while “European Tongue Twisters” tested their pronunciation and speed. In “Lost in Translation,” they encountered words and expressions that are difficult to translate precisely, while their “Language Passport” brought together their new knowledge and impressions.
Ninth Graders Take on a Language Challenge
The ninth graders took part in the traditional online quiz for the European Day of Languages, an initiative of the European Commission. The “26 Questions for September 26” format introduced them to fascinating facts about languages, idioms, etymology, polyglots, and translators. This year’s edition also highlighted Bulgarian rulers and public figures who spoke multiple languages.
Among the creative initiatives for the ninth graders, “The Re(e)al Deal” stood out — a play on words and a challenge to create short videos dedicated to words and concepts that cannot easily be translated using a single word. The students presented words such as ikigai, hygge, carpe diem, and other linguistic and cultural concepts in English. In this way, language learning met digital creativity as a form of self-expression.
Tenth Graders Step into the Role of Teachers
The students from Class 10C became teachers themselves, dividing into groups dedicated to French, Spanish, Italian, Turkish, and German. They presented fascinating facts, basic words and expressions, and prepared interactive games — from identifying the meaning and origin of words to crossword puzzles and tongue twisters.
A Kahoot challenge is also coming up as part of the celebrations, giving students the opportunity to test their knowledge and speed.
For students from Classes 10B and 10C, Spanish became a tool for presenting their hometown and their school. In short videos in Spanish, they talked about Burgas, its landmarks and favourite places, as well as Geo Milev English Language School. The videos brought to life the Old Town, the Sea Garden, the Pier, the Pantheon, the Alyosha Monument, and the Sea Station. Some students presented their favourite restaurants, venues, nightclubs, and shopping centres, while others introduced their school.
In this way, Spanish stepped beyond the pages of the textbook and became a means of creativity, personal expression, and real-life communication.
Eleventh Graders — Language as a Gateway to Cultures
Students from Class 11B also took part in the Spanish-language video projects, presenting Burgas and their favourite places in the city in Spanish. In doing so, they applied their language skills in a real communicative situation and combined their linguistic abilities with digital creativity.
In Classes 11D and 11C, students celebrated the occasion with an engaging quiz dedicated to the Russian language. They explored the origins and meanings of words used in different languages around the world and discovered fascinating linguistic connections.
Twelfth Graders — A Look at the German Language and Culture
Students from Class 12C prepared a presentation dedicated to interesting linguistic phenomena and traditions from German culture. The lesson was filled with positive emotions and new knowledge, demonstrating that even in the final year of their school education, languages continue to open up new horizons.
The European Day of Languages at Geo Milev English Language School showed that languages are much more than grammar rules and lists of new words. They are bridges between cultures, opportunities to make new friends, and keys to discovering unfamiliar worlds.
With enthusiasm, creativity, and curiosity, the students of the school transformed the celebration into a unique linguistic journey across Europe — from the history of writing to contemporary digital challenges.
Because every new language opens a new window to the world, and every word we learn is another step towards greater understanding among us.