Trumpa Žemaičių Kalvarijos mokyklos istorijos apžvalga

ENThe parish school in Žemaičių Kalvarija was set up by the Dominican monks in 1644. The tsarist officials closed the Dominican gymnasium in July, 1836. After the closing of the gymnasium, children were taught writing by monks of the Monastery in Žemaičių Kalvarija who roamed about the villages. The so-called daraktoriai also taught children. Only in 1897, the authorities on their own money established a popular school. With the pupils protesting against the teaching in Russian (after the 1905 revolution), the school was closed for some time. In 1907 or 1908, due to the efforts of J. Petrauskis, the then dean of Žemaičių Kalvarija, a Lithuanian primary school of the “Saulė” (Sun) Society was established. It functioned up to the beginning of 1912. After the restoration of independence, the teaching in the Žemaičių Kalvarija primary school started on August 19, 1918. This school functioned up to 1940. In 1940, in Žemaičių Kalvarija a progymnasium was opened, which operated until 1940. A seven-year school that functioned until 1955 was set up in 1949 in the premises of the Dominican Monastery. In 1954, the school became the secondary one, and from 1961 it was reorganized into an eight-year school. The significant activities of all these schools, as well as public men related to their functioning, are described in the present paper.