Up the stage of Bucharest National Opera House went 4 school headmasters awarded for the Entrepreneurship, Equal opportunities, Innovation and the 2024 Headmaster of the Year categories
The 4 winners managed a total budget in excess of 8 million project-based Euro
Daniela Claudia Orășanu, the headmaster of “Unirea” Railway Technical College in Pașcani, designated as the 2024 Headmaster of the Year
Bucharest, October 25, 2024. The 2024 Headmasters of the Year Awards Gala, organised by AVE (The Association for Values in Education), designated its winners last evening, at Bucharest National Opera House. Four school headmasters were awarded for the Entrepreneurship, Equal opportunities, Innovation and the 2024 Headmaster of the Year categories.
Daniela Claudia Orășanu, from “Unirea” Railway Technical College in Pașcani (Iași county), was designated the 2024 Headmasters of the Year. For the Entrepreneurship category, the award went to Marinela Culea, from “Cezar Nicolau” Technological High School in Brănești (Ilfov county). The Equal opportunities award was won by Ana Maria Chelaru from “Comandor Alexandru Cătuneanu” Theoretical High School in Lunca Cetățuii (Iași county), whereas the Innovation award went to Robert-Narcis Harabagiu from “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” Technological High School in Buzău.
The Headmasters of the Year Awards Gala is a means for us to highlight the role a school headmaster has in transforming the educational community, being at the same time a source of inspiration to other colleagues, teachers and beyond.
“Every year, we award the true leaders the efforts of whom have a visible and measurable impact not only within the schools they steer, but also at the societal level. This year’s winning headmasters managed total budgets in excess of 8 million Euro (in aggregate, from projects). The school that gave the Headmaster of the Year raised a budget 13 times higher than the one provided by the Ministry of Education. The winning headmasters made it possible for the Baccalaureate exam pass rate to increase even by 50%. Their schools collaborate with tenths of economic operators, the students go on internships abroad (700 students carried out specialised practice in Portugal), and the general grade average has increased overall by 35%.”, stated Andreea Nistor, AVE Chief Executive Officer.
Daniela Claudia Orășanu, the 2024 Headmaster of the Year, managed a budget of around 4 million Euro throughout the 2023-2024 academic year
The 2024 Headmaster of the Year designation went to Daniela Claudia Orășanu, the headmaster of “Unirea” Railway Technical College in Pașcani. Through her efforts, the school has become an excellence hub of nationwide renown. She implemented a series of major upgrading and digitalisation projects, and exclusively during the 2023-2024 academic year she managed a budget of around 4 million Euro. For each individual Euro received from the state budget for material expenditure (the standard cost per student) another 13.63 Euro were raised, during the 2023-2024 interval, from three types of funds: European, local budget and off-budget.
In 2023, she built seven new classrooms and one practical training workshop, completely transforming a garage that was in a state of. The school’s infrastructure, including the laboratories, the classrooms and the bathrooms, was renovated and revamped.
The Technical College’s current digital infrastructure provides, for each three students in school, one state-of-the-art digital terminal and access to smart robotics and 3D modelling digital laboratories. The technological equipment network comprises approximately 150 laptops and around 260 computers, all-in-one systems, but also 3D printers and scanners, drones and AR and VR equipment, in addition to educational software licences.
Academic performance and the students’ involvement have increased significantly. The baccalaureate exam pass rate has reached 78.13% from 52%, and the students’ general grade average as seen a 35%-boost (from 5.88 to 7.93). Moreover, participation in extracurricular activities has grown by 75%, all the students being involved in at least one educational project. For three years, all of the school’s students have been enjoying hot meals for a price subsidized from sponsorships courtesy of the local business environment („the box lunch” – 9 dishes to choose from for a price of 7 or 12 lei/portion).
Video – the report with the 2024 Headmaster of the Year story can be watched here.
Marinela Culea, the 2024 Headmaster of the Year for Entrepreneurship: projects amounting to more than 1.2 million Euro unrolled last year
The “Headmaster of the Year for Entrepreneurship” award was won by Marinela Culea, the headmaster of “Cezar Nicolau” Technological High School in Brănești, Ilfov county. Under her leadership, the high school has become an excellence hub in professional training, with a strong emphasis on urban greening and developing entrepreneurial skills.
By launching the project “The Centre of Excellence for Professional Training in Urban Greening (CoVE) – Romania Landscape Factory”, Marinela Culea has implemented a novel curriculum in the field of urban greening and provided the students and the teachers with access to a broad network of resources and knowledge. 25 students and 15 teachers have enjoyed training programmes at Green Academy in Denmark, the funding amounting to 74,459 Euro. Furthermore, she has raised funding for a total amount of 400,000 Euro from more than 10 sources, including European funds and co-financing from local and international partners.
Marinela Culea has turned “Cezar Nicolau” Technological High School into an Educational HUB of Excellence in Agriculture, the contract value being 650,000 Euro. Last year, 43 students took part in internships by means of an Erasmus+ project 72,892 Euro in funding, and the high school was endowed with smart laboratories, for a procurement value of 70,000 Euro.
Video – the report with the 2024 Headmaster of the Year for Entrepreneurship story can be watched here.
Ana Maria Chelaru, the 2024 Headmaster of the Year for Equal opportunities: the school where the students and the teachers feel like home
The “Headmaster of the Year for Equal opportunities” award was granted to the headmaster of “Comandor Alexandru Cătuneanu” Theoretical High School in Lunca Cetățuii, Iași county, Ana Maria Chelaru, who has dedicated her past three years to turning the school into a welcoming and safe place for the 1,000 students, half of whom benefit from social aid scholarships.
With the help of a 756,783.90-lei grant for remedial and non-formal activities, she fitted the school with smart classrooms and modern equipment, lowering truancy and early school leaving and increasing the yearly grade pass rate. The number of absences decreased by 33% during the 2023-2024 academic year from 2022-2023.
In order to render the students and the teachers aware of autism, she brought a sensory labyrinth at school. By means of the “Architects of Social-Emotional Education” Erasmus+ project, 20 teaching staff members took part in international mobilities, developing skills required to manage student diversity and set up an inclusive learning environment. In collaboration with OvidiuRO, she organised the “Șotron” Summer Workshops for students from the Roma community and with disadvantaged backgrounds.
Video – the report with the 2024 Headmaster of the Year for Equal opportunities story can be watched here.
Robert-Narcis Harabagiu, the 2024 Headmaster of the Year for Innovation: the 100% digitalisation of the school
The “Headmaster of the Year for Innovation” award was received by the deputy headmaster of “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” Technological High School in Buzău, Robert-Narcis Harabagiu. By way of partnerships with economic operators and the complete digitalisation of the school, he created a high-performing environment. All the classrooms are fitted with interactive whiteboards and laptops, whereas the teaching staff and the students use modern educational platforms and software.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, he implemented an innovative schooling plan, with 7 specialisations, requested by the local economic operators, and increased fivefold the offer for dual vocational education and training. Owing to European projects, he offered to the students, the teachers and the economic operators in Buzău opportunities to compare the European educational systems and has changed the people’s mindset regarding vocational and technical education. The high school accessed more than 2.7 million Euro for non-reimbursable European projects, by means of which 788 students carried out internships in Portugal.
The video report with the 2024 Headmaster of the Year for Innovation story can be watched here.
Headmasters of public schools from Romania’s pre-academic education system had two months to enter the competition. Eligibility was granted to headmasters and deputy headmasters of public high schools, middle schools and kindergartens that were operational during the 2023 – 2024 academic year, with the exception of those who were awarded during previous Gala editions. The 194 applicant headmasters went through a rigorous judging process that comprised 5 stages, and a regional-level phase was added for the first time. 165 165 business and education experts were engaged in the assessment of the school headmasters who applied for the eighth edition of the Headmasters of the Year Awards Gala.
The award granted to each category shall be 3,500 Euro, an amount aimed at supporting the headmasters in their projects that are under way at their schools or at starting up a new project, but also a secure spot within the Program for the Transformation of Schools in Romania, coordinated by AVE.
The media partners supporting the eighth edition of The Headmasters of the Year Awards Gala are: PRO TV, Republica, Libertatea, BIZ magazine, Agerpres, SpotMedia, Cariere magazine and România pozitivă.
About The Association for Values in Education
The Association for Values in Education (AVE) is a non-profit organisation whose main goal is to bring the educational system in Romania to Europe’s top 10 by 2035. AVE wishes to support the transformation of the educational system in Romania into one that promotes respect, honesty, team spirit and responsibility. You can stay in touch with AVE’s endeavours by following the LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram pages.