The first Serbian school Saint Sava was recently officially opened in Mississauga (Canada). The Serbian community in Canada marked the historic moment.

In the presence of clergy, government representatives, consular officials, parents and children, the school symbolically opened its doors to its first generation.

‘From what I have seen, the children starting school here already know the basics of the Serbian language, and this will be a place where they will be able to get to know their language and culture in an equally good and high-quality way as their peers in Serbia. I hope that this school will be just the first in a series, that is, that this beautiful and precious tree that was planted here in Mississauga today will be transplanted to many other places across Canada where our people live,’ says Dejan Eraković, Consul General of the Republic of Serbia in Toronto.

The program began with a prayer and blessing from His Eminence, Metropolitan of Canada Dr Mitrofan. The anthems of Canada and Serbia were played, and the attendees were addressed by Councillor Stephen Dasko, Member of the Provincial Parliament Tom Rakočević, and parish priest Dejan Obradović.

A special moment followed when Vladimir Kokanović, Director of the Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region, presented gifts to the children, and the community sang the Hymn to Saint Sava together.

‘We firmly believe that the preservation of the Serbian Cyrillic script is actually a pillar of the preservation of Serbian identity, not only here, but also beyond. And it is precisely the children who will attend this school that will form the backbone of that main mission promoted by the Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora headed by me,’ says Vladimir Kokanović, Acting Director of the Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region.

The establishment of the Saint Sava school is the result of a long-standing vision, effort and joint work of parents and volunteers. In a conversation with Jovana Popović, we learned more about what this school means for the community, and about the plans for its work in the years to come.

‘Serbian has been introduced as an everyday subject from the first grade, affording the children the opportunity to use their native language every day, to learn to write, to read; and we have already purchased textbooks from Kreativni Centar Serbia, so that they will actually work in parallel with the Serbian language classes for children in Serbia,’ says Jovana Popović, founder and acting vice principal.

The school building has been owned by the Serbian Orthodox Church for decades and has hosted many cultural events. Today, it has been transformed into a space for learning and preserving faith, language and culture, with active participation in Canadian society.

Source: Radio Television of Serbia

Photo: Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region