Five Out of Eight Silver Badge Recipients in Gyeongsangbuk-do from Suryun Middle School: "A Miracle for Small Schools"
Self-Directed Achievements Across Diverse Areas Including Korean and Foreign Languages
Suryun Middle School, a small rural school with only 34 students, has drawn significant attention in the education sector by achieving remarkable results in the 'Challenge! Dream Achievement Superintendent Certification Program' organized by the Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of Education.
The school announced that 23 students, accounting for approximately 68% of the entire student body, obtained superintendent certification through this program.
Notably, five students received the higher-level 'Silver Badge' certification, and 18 students earned the 'Bronze Badge,' demonstrating the school’s ability to overcome the limitations typically faced by small schools.
This achievement is even more impressive when compared to the certification status of all middle school students in Gyeongsangbuk-do.
This year, only eight middle school students across the entire region were awarded the Silver Badge, and five of them are from Suryun Middle School.
This means that 62.5% of all Silver Badge recipients in the province came from a single school.
Likewise, 18 out of 50 Bronze Badge recipients in the province-representing a dominant 36%-were Suryun Middle School students.
The 'Challenge! Dream Achievement Superintendent Certification Program' is a core policy of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of Education, designed to foster self-directed capabilities and perseverance by having students set, plan, execute, and reflect on their own challenges.
Suryun Middle School students have steadily taken on meaningful challenges, progressing through the principal and superintendent certification stages.
By subject area, students achieved balanced results: 17 students participated in the Korean language project 'Children Who Write Books,' 6 in 'Challenge! Improve Literacy,' and 5 in the foreign language project 'English! Speak Up.'
In particular, the five students who received the Silver Badge demonstrated integrative abilities by simultaneously completing tasks in both Korean and foreign language areas.
Such accomplishments were made possible by the school’s attentive and close-knit support.
Suryun Middle School maximized the advantages of its small size by linking each student’s challenge process to the curriculum, with teachers acting as learning mates who continuously encouraged students and helped them experience a sense of achievement.
Principal Song Kyungmi of Suryun Middle School stated, "This achievement is the result of students valuing the process over the outcome, moving toward their goals with passion, and the dedicated support of their teachers. We will continue to strengthen experiential education so that students can experience the joy of growth through challenges."
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