From bamboo classroom to a place to nurture talented students

(Dan Tri) - From thatched and bamboo classrooms with more than 50 students, after 64 years, now Tan Yen High School No. 1 Bac Ninh (formerly Bac Giang) - where General Secretary To Lam once studied - has 39 classes, with more than 1,700 students.

Memories of the bamboo and leaf painting class

At 7am on September 5th, more than 1,700 students of Tan Yen High School No. 1 gathered in the school yard, under the canopy of 60-year-old rosewood trees. They anxiously awaited the sacred moment, when the school drum was about to ring, marking the start of the new school year.

After the school's cultural and artistic program to welcome the new school year, there was a welcoming ceremony for the first students entering grade 10. The internal activity program lasted about 1 hour. After that, the students returned to their classrooms to watch the opening ceremony broadcast live from the National Convention Center, Hanoi .

Students of Tan Yen High School No. 1 in the past (Photo: Provided by the school).

For more than 60 years, Tan Yen 1 High School has gone through the ups and downs of history with the country.

As the first high school of Tan Yen district, former Bac Giang province, Tan Yen High School No. 1 is considered one of the places that trained generations of talents to help the country, including General Secretary To Lam in the 1971-1974 school year.

Tan Yen 1 High School during the resistance war years (Photo: Provided by the school).

In September 1961, Tan Yen High School - the predecessor of today's Tan Yen 1 High School - was established.

“It was called a school, but history records that, in fact, at that time, there was only one 8th grade class with 55 students, combined with the secondary school in Nha Nam commune next to the banyan tree of Ba Ca Thuc Temple. The classrooms were made of bamboo and leaves that were blown by the wind.

In the memories of generations of administrators, teachers and staff of our school, the image of the first opening ceremony is always recalled along with the teachers who have been with us since the beginning: Principal Vuong Dinh Cau, teachers Truong Long Chau, Doan Van Bong, Tran Van Chut...

This is the generation that laid the first bricks to build the school, and together with students excitedly entered the new school year at one of the first high schools in the homeland, which was also one of three high schools in Bac Giang province at that time," said Vice Principal Nguyen Ngoc Lam.

School students before enlistment in 1968 (Photo: Provided by the school).

By the 1962-1963 school year, Tan Yen High School had developed further, with 2 more classes with 164 students.

On August 23, 1965, the US bombed the North and the school evacuated.

In 1969, classes returned to Cao Xa commune, which is also the current location of the school.

In 1968, the school had a team of excellent 10th grade literature students that won first prize in the province.

In 1977, the 10th grade literature team continued to rank second in the province.

Where generations are sown

After the administrative boundary merger, Tan Yen High School No. 1 is located in Tan Yen commune - the new name of the three merged communes of Cao Xa, Viet Lap, and Ngoc Ly.

After more than 60 years, with 55 students on the first day of establishment, in 2025, the school has 39 classes with more than 1,700 students, 33/36 students participated in the provincial excellent student competition and won prizes.

In 2006, the school achieved national standards and has maintained them until now. Many staff and teachers are excellent teachers at the provincial and school levels.

Implementing the campaign "Each teacher is a model of self-study and creativity", up to now, most teachers are proactive and proficient in applying Information Technology in management and teaching.

The school's graduation rate is over 98% every year and over 80% of students pass the university entrance exam by 2025.

Two Vice Principals of the school looking for old documents (Photo: Quyet Thang).

Sharing about the opening day, Mr. Lam said that many generations of students of the school up to now have constantly strived, trained, and matured to be present in all regions of the country.

Mr. Lam considers himself lucky to be a former student and grow up at this school and now continues to take on the role of Vice Principal of the school.

“In my first year as Vice Principal, I was fortunate to join the Board of Directors in welcoming General Secretary To Lam (at that time he was the Minister of Public Security ) to visit and present gifts to the school. The gifts included 25 sets of computers, increasing the number of computers for students at the school at that time to 50 sets, meeting their urgent learning needs.

Thanks to this initial computer room, we now strive to provide students with nearly 80 computers, not counting those of teachers," said Mr. Lam.

The 60-year-old mahogany trees have gone through many ups and downs with the school (Photo: Quyet Thang).

Also from this school, there are people who are successful businessmen, construction engineers of large projects, doctors devoted to people's health, workers and farmers who are working hard day and night. Many of the former students have returned to the school, continuing their career of educating people.

This morning, more than 1,700 students of Tan Yen High School No. 1 gathered in the school yard, under the canopy of 60-year-old rosewood trees.

Present in every part of the country, generations of students of Tan Yen School No. 1 are silently contributing their intelligence and efforts to the common cause of their beloved fatherland.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/tu-lop-hoc-tranh-tre-den-noi-uom-mam-hoc-sinh-gioi-20250904205335320.htm