For the first time in the High Vocational School Ban Josip Jelačić Sinj, on April 29 2019, we organized activities as a part of the STEM Discovery Week and held a STEM Event titled “Science Exhibition – Colors of customs and traditions“, to popularize science, bring it closer to students and show science in a comprehensible way.
During the event, our views and reflections on STEM have been revealed to the interested audience in a new, unique and original way, through the exhibition.
During the STEM Discovery Week 2019, students and teachers of the High Vocational School ban Josip Jelačić Sinj prepared a rich educational program of the event with a variety of curiosities related to the skills acquired in STEM and vocational education and training.
High Vocational School ban Josip Jelačić Sinj is situate in the Town of Sinj in Croatia. The school educates students from the age of 15 to 18 for various professions (economists, commercialists, tourist merchants, salespeople, chefs, waiters, hairdressers, beauticians).
The school engaged in this interesting initiative by organising a public exhibition. The exhibition “Colors of customs and tradition” was prepared by teacher – Nada Ratković and made by her students. As part of regular teaching classes in teaching vocational subjects: Social Responsible Business, Statistics and Training Companies, students and their teacher organized an extracurricular activity “Popularization of Science”. So students decided to make a public exhibition and called it “Science Exhibition-Colors of customs and traditions“, for a purpose of promoting and popularizing science.
For the first time we do not involve other stakeholders in this event.
With painting technique (pastel, watercolour, oil paint, collage) and drawing technique (pencil, pencils in colour, charcoal, dry needle) students vision and reflection on colors are transferred to paintbrush and paper. The students used various drawing and painting methods that best matched their personal style or work. From the resources student used: drawing and painting accessories, various kind of paper, equipment, brushes, painting colours (oiled, hardened, acrylic, dry, and drawing (pencils, woodcarving, charcoal drawing, felt-tip pens), painting cloth, wood, brocade, wooden frame, rack. The industry providers of the educational resources which we used to create our event are: AGM-Art point centre from Zagreb and Axel bookstore from Sinj.
The students were guide by the catchword:
“About colours are contemplating our ancestors, and today we also think about colors “.
Inspired by the rich Cultural heritage, students made “beautiful paintings” with the historical theme and motives of the City of Sinj, intertwined with the tradition and customs of beautiful Cetinska Krajina.
Name of the painting images: Sign-Sinj in the past, Alkar Dinko Šimunović, Church of the Miraculous Lady of Sinj, Kamičak, Alkar boy and horse, Alkar at the racetrack, Our Lady Procession, Sinj folk costume, Child Alka, Lowering the hoof from the spear, Sinjska Alka. Images are exhibited in the atrium of school and will be remain after the event finish.
The student preparation for the exhibition “Colors of customs and tradition” lasted for two month. Students worked at school and lot of time at home. So, like a teaching method also is used the reverse classroom method: flipped classroom. Paintings were made by students from 2rd and 3rd grade, the student’s economists (2.A, 3.A and 4.A grade) and the student’s from commercialist (3.B and 3.C grade).
The students also made promotional materials (posters, brochures, flyers and thanksgiving notes) for the exhibition visitors that they could take home for a gift as a souvenir. In the brochures, the students described the folk and life customs of our region. These are customs related to childbirth, engagement and bridal customs, funeral customs. They have not forgotten the annual customs too: pre-Christmas and Christmas customs, carnival customs, lily and Easter customs and village “dernek” known as the “force”. They presented our tradition in the leaflets: Sinjska alka (alkari, alkar costume), Great Lady (Miraculous Lady of Sinjska), City Museums: Museum of Sinjska alka and Museum of Cetinska Krajina. Thanksgiving cards were gave to visitors by leaving the exhibition.
The ceremony of the event began on April 29 at 9 am. with an opening ceremony of the exhibition and ended on April 30th. The pictures are still in the atrium of the school.
Our event can be presented to students of higher grades of elementary school, high school students, children with special needs and a wider population to motivate young people to explore and acquire new knowledge.
This event is a valuable contribution to the efforts to improve the system of STEM and emphasise the role of students in creating a modern and efficient system that can contribute to the smart and sustainable growth of STEM in Croatia and Europe.
In this way our school has become one of the many European participants who want to promote STEM in vocational education that develops creativity and innovative students, and leads to greater employment opportunities and extremely high quality and interesting jobs.
Nada Ratković, Teacher, Croatia