First day of school. First day of the International School of Talents. First day of the new GSO project. First day of a dream coming true. The first student has landed from India: Farah. The first parent has arrived in Italy to carry his daughter from India: Farah’s dad. First day of teaching for part of our staff: Matija, Elisa, Nicoletta. First day of teaching in Italy for another group: Kim, Andre, Andrea, Paul. First welcome day for Alessia as a house parent. First day of activity for the whole GSO staff, composed by Camilla, Elettra, Nicoletta, Elisa, who have been preparing this moment for a long time.
There is always a beginning: today is the day for Gentium Schola Opitergium to move its first steps and become the International School of Talents meant to be the school of dialogue, relationship, motivation and development of the cognitive and emotional intelligence.
School of dialogue between different nations and continents: India, Mozambique, Perù, Cambodia and Italy, which also stand for four different continents: Asia, Africa, Europe, America. Moreover, it is also a school of dialogue between the tradition of values and the innovation of methods. School of dialogue between the Anglo-Saxon Pedagogical Systems and the Italian Education Systems. Hence, the identity of the school in the Latin name given to an international school with English as the teaching language.
School of relationship among different people who, by virtue of their collaboration, mean to start the spark of passion needed to be good teachers, good students and good parents.
School of deep motivation in carrying out one’s tasks, in fulfilling one’s objectives, in carrying out one’s specific functions for both students and teachers. This is made possible thanks to the teachers, but also to the educators Valentina and Giorgia, and to the Masters of Talent: local successful professionals who will support the paths of discovery, development and promotion of talents for each and every student of GSO school.
School of multiple intelligence, developed through the International Baccalaureate (IB) educational programme, which offers flexibility for students in their choice of subjects, but also accuracy for the achievement of the Learner Profile which calls for open-minded, reflexive, principled, communicator and risk-taker students.
Emotional intelligence school, because each student will be asked to try harder and harder to realise his/her dreams, as nothing is more emotionally powerful than embarking on the journey of personal happiness starting from the development of one’s own talents. The final goal is making these dreams and talents available to the community, for the development of something good for the world, as an improvement that starts from the bases of one’s dream made at a tender age.
We at GSO are aware that dreaming alone is beautiful, but dreaming together is the beginning of reality.
Right now, in this ancient institute of pedagogical education, the Collegio Brandolini Rota, founded in 1889 by St. Leonardo Murialdo and nowadays led by Don Massimo Rocchi together with his religious brothers “Padri Giuseppini”, to whom I owe my gratitude, my dream is coming true.
This is a dream I made a long time ago, in September 2013 to be precise. I started dreaming this school by thinking of how my past experience could be valued in a project of both international and Christian inspiration.
Therefore, thanks to the GIF (Educational Teachers Group), I started developing this school project and I hope that, day by day, it could be improved by virtue of everyone’s collaborative contribution and help. Today and future’s actors of this project will be willing to provide themselves with a spirit of service and humility.
My dear students, with the support of our teachers and your parents, I am inviting you to follow your heart, to pursue your dreams, to develop your intelligences and talents useful for great ideals: universal love and peace in the whole world. To everybody, have a good trip onto the talent.