Welcome to all visitors to this site on behalf of all the school
community! In this section you will find some information required about us
and school activities we carry out during the school year. If
you need any more info do not hesitate to contact us at the e-mails
given in the contact section.
History
The Liceo Vittorio Emanuele II, the most
ancient liceo in Palermo and Sicily, was founded in 1549 by the Jesuits
as Collegio degli Studi, a boarding school; its first rector was the
French theologian, P. Nicolò Lanojo and it was first housed in some
buildings belonging to Don Sigismondo Platamone, near the churches of
the Madonna della Misericordia and Saint Francis of Assisi. In 1586 the
Jesuits decided to move the College to some houses they had bought on
the Cassaro (today’s Corso Vittorio Emanuele), close to the Cathedral.
This new school which was opened on 15 August 1588, is where the annex
of the liceo is still located.
In 1860, after the expulsion of the Bourbons, the Society of Jesus was
dissolved and its estates were “aggregated to the Property of the
State”. On 29 October 1860, the government granted legality to the Liceo
that had eight classes, the first five of which made up the inferior
section and the remaining three were the higher. It was meant for the
education of young people living in Palermo and on the island and was
inaugurated on 20 January 1861; later on, with a royal decree dated 4
March 1865, its name was changed from the National Liceo of Palermo to
the present-day Liceo Vittorio Emanuele II.
The school can boast of having had, among its teachers, several eminent
figures, famous in the fields of science, research and humanities, such
as Rosario Gregorio, Domenico Scinà, Venanzio Marvuglia, Giuseppe Piazzi,
Giovanni Meli, Giuseppe Pitrè, Camillo Finocchiaro Aprile, Emanuele
Armaforte, Mario Orso Corbino, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando. Moreover,
Padre Pino Puglisi taught in our Liceo for fifteen years and left
behind to all those who met him at school, a vivid memory and an
authentic testimony of the Christian spirit and commitment he devoted to
the community.
The school’s main building is right in the heart of Palermo, next to the
Cathedral. The annex is another historical building, not far from the
other, which today houses the Library of Regione Sicilia in Palermo.
Subjects
The five year curriculum is based mostly on
the study of humanities. Besides Italian, the main subjects are ancient
Greek and Latin language and literature, History and Philosophy.
English, History of Art, Maths, Chemistry and Biology and Physical
education are also compulsory. English is compulsory for five years.
Students can take UCLES (PET/First Certificate) and Trinity exams. Other
foreign languages can also be studied in afternoon classes. Last year
there were courses in Spanish and Chinese. French can be chosen as an
extra-curricular activity.
Computer science has been introduced in the early classes.
There were 123 teachers and 1392 students last year.
Resources
Our Liceo has these structures and:
- Library
- Physical laboratory
- Chemical laboratory
- Multimedia Labs
- Gyms
- Auditorium
- Classrooms with smartboard
- Computer lab for use by
teachers
- LCD projection systems, TVs
with satellite reception, press center
(see
pictures)
Projects within the school
(run by the school staff together with external experts)
- remedial courses in single subjects
- psychology courses
- multidisciplinary courses
- computer science courses
- class website laboratory
- vocational guidance initiatives
- language courses
- music appreciation seminars
- school choir and orchestra
- drama clubs
National school Projects
- English and the Ipod: using podcasts to learn English
- Arts and Projects: a national project with language stage in England
International school projects
The Liceo has been involved in international partnerships since 1989.
It has become a reference point in this field for schools all over
Sicily.
Student exchanges, within the Socrates and previous European
initiatives, have been effected in the past with various countries
including the Netherlands, Austria, Germany Belgium, Hungary, Portugal,
England, Spain and France.
In 2003 our school was awarded the EU Label Prize for language
development and promotion and creativity, shown in the organization of the Comenius 1 school project entitled
“Towards a European Standard of Living: Human Rights.
In
2006 our school was awarded the EU Label Prize
for the project called Languages 2006 and Beyond It included besides many initiatives regarding foreign languages, two PON
Projects for the development of competence in English:
- The Shakespeare Teaching Theatre
- Uk Media
Between 2006 and 2009 the school participated in a Comenius 3 network which
focuses on innovation in language teaching and in particular the members worked
on stress reduction techniques and the use of interactive whiteboards.
Others project:
"Making Europe Your Community"
The Comenius 1 project the school coordinated from 2004-2007 included
partners from Holland, Austria, Germany, and Hungary. The final big
meeting with foreign students and teachers was held in Palermo in March
17-24 2007.
"LTE"
Learning and Teaching Foreign Languages Efficiently
on the basis of innovative
methods and ICT.
This year (2009)
our Liceo has been involved in a project of cultural cooperation between
Italy and Jordan.
Twinning Project between Italian and Jordanian Schools
The project of cultural cooperation between Italy and Jordan originates
from the declaration of intent signed on 6 September 2007 in Amman by
the Minister of Education, Giuseppe Fioroni and his Jordanian colleague,
Khaled Toukan, and provides for a joint programme of pedagogy of the
cultural patrimony in order to enhance the wealth of the cultural
and historical patrimony of the two countries, by strengthening
twinnings between Italian and Jordanian schools.
Our Liceo has been involved with four other Italian state secondary
schools in this project. Two of its English teachers, Ignazia Lo Coco
and Amelia Fazio, had the chance to meet representatives from five
Jordanian schools in Rome at the Ministry in December 2008. In that
occasion, together with a colleague from
Oman Mabad Secondary School for Girls –
Marka- Amman,
they
drew up a three year e-twinning project called Two Faces of
the Same Coin with.
The
project is aimed at a group of 15-20 students aged 14-15 in both
schools. In our school, activities will start on 1 February 2009 within
the class involved, i.e. 2a C/L.
The main objective is to lay the foundations of a good lasting
relationship between the two schools based on acquiring awareness and
knowledge of each country’s cultural heritage and traditions. The
project aims at building up understanding of each other’s culture, so
as to overcome stereotypes and misunderstandings, as well as
encouraging communication in English and through the use of ICT.
The contents have been indicated year by year and range from initial
personal introductions of the students to information about school,
the family and free time activities, and from traditional festivities
and celebrations and cooking, to a careful analysis of the territory and
the environment with a particular attention to the monuments and the archeological sites.
Members will comunicate by email at regular fixed dates at the end
students will create final multimedial products.
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