History and traditions

“Maxim Gorky” Secondary School is a municipal school with a 63-year history. The high school began its existence in 1962 with the establishment of three eighth-grade language classes teaching Russian at “Ivan Vazov” First Secondary Polytechnic School.
On June 5, 1963, the school received the status of an independent school - “Maxim Gorky” Russian Language High School, and on September 1, 1963, the first intake of students was organized.
The rapid establishment of the high school in the educational sphere of the city enabled the principal, Elena Lilova, to introduce two  industrial profiles in 1965 – tour guiding in Russian and French.
In 1966, the expansion of the school and the growing interest in foreign-language training led to the separation of the French-language classes into a new school. Nineteen classes remained, and the intake for the eighth grade was reduced in favor of the newly opened French High School, without affecting students’ engagement.
The 1983/1984 school year, was the year when early foreign language learning in the first grade was introduced. The school became Unified Polythecnic high school with Russian language teaching.
Since 1986, the two language schools – one teaching Russian and the other teaching foreign languages – have occupied the building at 62 Tsar Ivan Shishman Street.
On September 1, 1988, the school was renamed “Maxim Gorky” Secondary School with Foreign Language Studies, offering two levels of education:

• Early foreign-language education from grade I;
• Intensive study of English, German, and French after a competitive exam following grade VII.
  

From the 1995/1996 school year, intensive study of Spanish and Russian was introduced, and in 2014 – the exotic for Bulgarians Chinese language.
In the 2005/2006 school year, “Maxim Gorky” Secondary School acquired its own building at 69 Sava Silov Street.
From the 2021/2022 school year, a STEM class with an “Entrepreneurship” profile and English language was introduced.
“Maxim Gorky” Secondary School is a school with high achievements in foreign-language education:

• The only school in the region where six foreign languages have been taught: Russian, English, Spanish, German, French, and Chinese;
• One of the 39 national centers for studying the Russian language (the only one in the region);
• Annual language exchange with the 132^nd school in Samara, with opportunities for study and language practice at the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute in Moscow;
• Works under the cultural-educational agreement between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Kingdom of Spain (one of 11 schools in the country);
• Cooperation with the Confucius Institute – China;
• Foreign teachers from Spain and China teach at the school;

On March 7, 2024, the Director of “Maxim Gorky” Secondary School, Mrs. Mariana Pencheva, and the Director of Tianjin Yinghua International School, Mr. Lin, signed an official agreement for language training of students from “Maxim Gorky” Secondary School in China.

Awards and distinctions

2025

• Anastasia Tosheva Award – Mrs. Dilyana Mihneva, senior Russian teacher;
• “Young Teacher” distinction – Mrs. Doroteya Doncheva (IT), Mrs. Kameliya Georgieva (Philosophy and Civic Education).

2024

• Anastasia Tosheva Award – Mrs. Mariana Pencheva, Principal of “Maxim Gorky” Secondary School;
• “Young Teacher” – Mrs. Meglena Nalbantova, Russian teacher;
• Neofit Rilski Distinction – Mrs. Yordanka Radenkova, senior teacher of Bulgarian Language and Literature;
• Mrs. Mariana Pencheva – Honorary Badge of Rossotrudnichestvo “For Friendship and Cooperation”;
• School Parliament of “Maxim Gorky” Secondary School – Certificate from the President of the Republic of Bulgaria for participation in “Bulgarian Christmas”.
  

2023

• Mrs. Snezhana Bogeva, senior teacher of History and Civilizations – “Stara Zagora” Individual Award and Special Award of the Chair of the Union of Bulgarian Teachers for “Humanities”;
• Mrs. Snezhana Bogeva – Neofit Rilski Distinction;
• Mrs. Snezhana Bogeva – “Stara Zagora” Individual Award in the field of “Science and Education”;
• Mrs. Maria Daskalova, Chinese teacher – “Young Teacher” Plaque;
• “Maxim Gorky” Secondary School – Honorary Diploma “Knight of the Book”.
  

2022

• Teaching Staff of “Maxim Gorky” Secondary School – Anastasia Tosheva Plaque for high achievements in education;
• “Sts. Cyril and Methodius” Honorary Plaque from the President of the Republic of Bulgaria on the occasion of the school’s 60^th anniversary;
• Principal Mrs. Mariana Pencheva – “Metropolitan Methodiy Kusev” Award in the category “School Principal”.
  

Previous distinctions

• 2021 – posthumously to Mrs. Antonia Sukmanova – Individual “Stara Zagora” Award in “Science and Education”;
• 2019 – Mrs. Rosio Serrano, Spanish teacher and director of the school’s Spanish-language theatre – Special Certificate from the Municipality of Stara Zagora for her contribution to student theatre;
• 2019 – School Theatre in Spanish – “Stara Zagora” Award in the category “Culture”;
• 2018 – Mrs. Stanka Dimova, senior Russian teacher– Neofit Rilski Distinction;
• 2014 – Mrs. Mariana Pencheva – “Stara Zagora” Individual Award for “Education and Science”;
• 2003 – Teaching Staff of “Maxim Gorky” Secondary School – Anastasia Tosheva Plaque for high achievements;

As of September 15, 2025, “Maxim Gorky” Secondary School has 34 classes and 891 students. In the 2025/2026 school year, a new class was created, transformed from an existing one with intensive study of Russian and English. The new profile is “Natural Sciences with Russian and English”.

Contact:
Bulgaria
6000 Stara Zagora
69 Sava Silov Str.
Tel. +359 42 641004
e-mail: info-2400106@edu.mon.bg
site: www.soumgsz.info