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President of the Republic: Otepää is an insignia of Estonia

03.10.2007

“The centuries-long spirit of activism in Otepää that is fed by the local secondary school survives,” said President Toomas Hendrik Ilves today at the formal ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Otepää Upper Secondary School.

The Head of State recalled that nothing in a nation’s history is just blind chance, “Great undertakings—for instance, the first All-Estonia Song Festival in 1869, the creation of the Estonian state in 1918, and its restoration in 1991—require suitable conditions to mature. So that, when life, as if by chance, sanctions the activity, the groundwork is shaped into the result.”

Thus, it is no accident that a hundred years ago a successive page in Estonia’s educational history was turned in Otepää-Nuustaku, when classes started at the Nuustaku Lower Secondary School on October 3rd, according to the new calendar.

“At this school studying and teaching is done with devotion,” said President Ilves. “It is done with a feeling that is not reflected in any rankings of Estonia’s so-called successful schools, although, as we know, in these rankings, the Otepää Upper Secondary School has nothing to be ashamed of.”

The Head of State called upon the students and teachers to preserve their school, to preserve its spirit.

“Throughout the centuries, this has helped to create a unique atmosphere. It has made Otepää into an insignia of Estonia, and now increasingly during the warmer months as well,” said President Ilves.

Today, the President of the Republic and Mrs. Evelin Ilves started a two-day visit to Valga County. They will meet with the county’s local government leaders, promoters of the local life, as well as visit many businesses, the Valga-Valka border checkpoint and the Valga Brigade of the Defence League.

Office of the President
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Phone +372 631 6229