Society

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of May 1 High School: Half a century of sowing knowledge and nurturing aspirations

Le Thanh Huyen - Party cell secretary, school principal • November 11, 2025 08:55

50 years ago, High School 1-5 was established and was the first school for workers' children in Phu Quy, Nghia Dan. From this school, over the past half century, despite going through many stages, many hardships and challenges, the slogan "Teach well - Study well" has been persistently carried out by generations of teachers and students, making the school a bright spot in the Nghe An education sector.

LE THANH HUYEN-Party cell secretary, school principal

50 years ago, 1-5 High School was established and this was the first school for workers' children in Phu Quy, Nghia Dan. From this school, over the past half century, despite going through many stages, many hardships and challenges, the slogan "Teach well - Study well" has been persistently carried out by generations of teachers and students, making the school a bright spot in the Nghe An education sector.

1-5 High School was established just a few months after the liberation of the South and the complete reunification of the country. That was also the time when the whole country was enthusiastically competing in labor and production to overcome the remnants of war to build an independent, peaceful Vietnam, moving towards socialism.

With the first name of the 1-5 Farm Work and Study High School, right from the time of the decision to establish the school, it had a special meaning. The school was the wish of the leaders of the 1-5 State Farm and the Nghe Tinh Department of Education with the desire to have a place for workers' children to study, work and produce. During the construction and operation process, farm workers were also the first to dig the ground, level the soil, build the foundation, build the ground, and lay the first bricks to build the school. The new school initially had only 3 8th grade classes, with more than 80% of the students being children from the 1-5 Farm, Dong Hieu Farm, and Ben Nghe Farm. In particular, students from Ben Nghe Farm were given priority in boarding.

Meanwhile, the teaching staff and administrative department also had only a few people, many of whom were transferred from the farm. Among them, Principal Le Van Hoe, who was a Southern cadet who had gathered in the North to participate in building the farm in the army, was in charge of the farm's cultural education. The others, some were former design department staff, some were electronic engineers who had studied in Hungary, and some were demobilized soldiers.

Recalling the early days of its establishment, teacher Truong Trung Son - former Principal of the school has not forgotten the days of "a hundred difficult beginnings" when the team of teachers and staff were all young and inexperienced, and did not have enough basic subject structure. Meanwhile, the most difficult thing for the school was to carry out a new task, a new method and a new situation: Our school is very different from a normal high school. The new thing here is that the teacher not only imparts general knowledge but also has to organize, guide and practice labor and production right on the school's premises. However, the students admitted at that time were only selected on a special basis, not through an entrance exam. The school required very high output but the quality of input was not commensurate.

Later, the difficulties urged the teachers and students of the school to make efforts together. With the goal of "Learning goes hand in hand with practice, education is combined with labor and production", the students of the school at that time, in addition to staying in the dormitory, had a regime close to the standards of teachers. In addition to going to school, every week the students were allowed by the farm to do work suitable to their age and mental health. The atmosphere of the school was as vibrant and bustling as that of a local production facility, both organized, disciplined and highly determined...

The 50-year journey of building and developing the school has also witnessed many name changes and mergers. In the early 90s of the last century, due to the country's general difficulties, the number of students in the school decreased significantly, so in 1992, the school merged with the secondary school and changed its name to Secondary School 1-5. Overcoming difficulties and challenges, the school continued to grow, until 1997, the school separated the secondary school block into Nghia Binh Secondary School and the school once again changed its name to High School 1-5. From the 2000-2001 school year until today, it is High School 1-5.

Looking back on the 50-year journey, if we compare the first day of establishment to a small seed sown in a land full of hardships, today, 1-5 High School has grown strongly, becoming a spacious, modern educational institution, a trusted educational address, the pride of many generations. From 3 initial classrooms, today the school has 30 classes, with 1,320 students. The facilities are no longer makeshift classrooms, but a spacious school, meeting national standards, level 2 quality assessment. The team of teachers has now developed into 76 officials, 100% of whom meet the standards, nearly 27% have master's degrees, 24 are excellent teachers at the provincial level - a powerful force, both solid in expertise and burning with enthusiasm. The school's Party cell has grown with 59 party members.

During that half-century journey, the school has helped more than 15,000 dreams fly far, among them, there are people who later became Lieutenant Generals of the Army, Doctors, Associate Professors, key officials, successful businessmen - people who are constantly contributing to the development of their homeland and country. The most precious and precious thing is that generations of students are all devoted to their beloved school and have made many practical contributions to the younger generations, so that the school can continue to train quality students to contribute to the tradition of the school and glorify the tradition of studiousness of children on the heroic farm land.

Over the past 50 years, 1-5 High School has made a strong mark on the province's education map with a high school graduation rate always maintained above 99%; the rate of students passing the entrance exams to universities and colleges is over 80%, many of them are admitted to top universities nationwide. The school has continuously won high prizes in provincial competitions for excellent students, science and technology competitions, notably the National Second Prize for startup ideas. The Youth Union and Trade Union movements have all achieved excellent results. In particular, the school has successfully completed the mission of "Improving people's knowledge" in a land with many difficulties, where many ethnic groups and Catholics converge. That not only affirms the quality of education, but also shows the profound human values, the spirit of solidarity and tolerance - the unique beauty and pride of 1-5 High School.

The outstanding achievements have been the result of the efforts and solidarity of the school community with the dedication of the school's staff, teachers and employees in the teaching process. In addition, the school community has also actively responded to the movements "Studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style", "Each teacher is an example of morality, self-study and creativity" and the emulation movement "Building a friendly school, active students"... with practical and specific actions. Thanks to that, there have been positive effects on improving the overall quality of education of the school, especially the work of political, ideological and moral education for students.

In addition, the activities of the Youth Volunteer Team and the school's volunteer club are maintained effectively, providing timely assistance to students in difficulty, helping them not to be left behind. In particular, along with the good implementation of the State's policies and regimes for policy families, poor and near-poor households, the school has provided free extra classes for students in difficult circumstances, creating conditions for them to improve their lives.

To improve the quality of teaching and learning, the school has innovated methods towards developing students' qualities and abilities, taking learners as the center, considering skill training, developing independent and creative thinking as important goals. Along with traditional lessons, many lessons are organized in the form of experience, practice, applied scientific research, linking theory with real life and production - true to the tradition of "Learning goes hand in hand with practice" of the school since its inception.

In particular, the school promotes STEM education and the application of information technology in teaching. Many teachers have proactively designed electronic lectures, built digital learning materials, and applied interactive software to make class hours more lively and effective. Professional groups periodically organize thematic activities, observe classes, draw experiences, and spread advanced and creative teaching methods.

In addition to professional skills, High School 1-5 pays special attention to building a friendly learning environment - active students. The school regularly organizes extracurricular activities, creative experiences, competitions, forums, and life skills seminars to help students become more confident and active. English, art, football, media, revolutionary song propaganda, scientific research clubs... become useful playgrounds, where students can develop their strengths, practice their abilities and soft skills - necessary provisions for the future.

These are playgrounds for students to satisfy their passions, develop their strengths, and at the same time, contribute to the formation and development of students' abilities, integrating with modern educational trends in the world.

Half a century - the journey of a school, a journey of passion and aspiration. Entering a new stage, the school is more deeply aware of the responsibility to preserve and promote the 50-year tradition of construction and development, continuing to innovate, create, and improve the quality of teaching and learning.

From there, build the school to become a trusted address, a bright spot in general education to be worthy of the trust and love of the Party Committee, authorities at all levels and the support of the local people.