Taras Shevchenko Lyceum - Ukraine

Taras Shevchenko Lyceum in Kropyvnytskyi, Ukraine, stands as a powerful example of educational transformation and resilience. Founded nearly a century ago as a classical gymnasium with strong humanities traditions, this government school of 868 students (ages 6-17) recognised a decade ago that its graduates risked missing out on STEM opportunities. Rather than abandoning its literary heritage, the school pioneered a distinctive cross-disciplinary approach, weaving STEM into every subject, from languages and literature to art, creating a truly unique learning environment.

The results are extraordinary. The school was officially recognised as a LEADER IN STEM EDUCATION by Ukraine's State Scientific Institution "Institute of Education Content Modernisation." It became the first school in Ukraine to organise a national STEM festival ("STEM-Spring 2019") and hosted the First All-Ukrainian Scientific and Practical Conference on STEM Education in 2024. The school is also the only one in Ukraine with three Scientix Ambassadors among its educators.

Student achievements span the globe: winners of European STEM Discovery Weeks (2016, 2017), Europeana Low Code Feat 2022, Microsoft Do your: bit Challenge 2020 (with a 3D-printed river-cleaning boat), and the national "Best Gender-Sensitive STEM Lesson 2023." Students became finalists in National Geographic's Unplastify Challenge, winners of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (with an experiment heading to the International Space Station), and participants in Italy's Social Hackathon Umbria, where they developed "WellBing Shelter", a mental wellness app born from the realities of air raids.

The school's impact is measurable: university enrolment in STEM fields has surged from 11% to 36% of graduates over five years. Eight student STEM projects have earned national and international recognition since 2019. Partnerships span local universities, the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, All-Ukrainian agro-holding "Continental" (microgreens entrepreneurship), and international collaborations with Chickasaw Middle School (USA), whose solar suitcases now power Ukrainian classrooms during blackouts.

Perhaps most compelling is the school's resilience. Students grow microgreens to the sound of air raid sirens, prepare space experiments in bomb shelters, and continue learning despite war and COVID disruptions. The school champions equity through the "Girls in STEM" programme, "PlayMath & English: Girls' Grand Challenge," and the award-winning integrated STEAM lesson "At the Top of Everest," inspired by the Malik twins who climbed Everest together.

Ethical STEM runs through everything: VR projects advocating animal rights, satellite data analysis driving climate campaigns, the NeuroVerse website supporting neurodivergent learners, and solar energy conservation projects addressing Ukraine's wartime energy crisis.

If awarded the Global Schools Prize, the school plans to establish an inclusive STEM Laboratory inspired by Brussels' Future Classroom Lab, complete with accessible equipment for disabled students, scholarships for internally displaced children, and a mobile STEM lab to reach rural communities. This is a school rebuilding Ukraine's future through science, one student at a time.