Tallinn Secondary School No.2 in 1940s:

The years after the World War II

 

In 1944 the war reached the Estonian soil. On March 9 and 10 Soviet army conducted their largest bombing raid in Tallinn’s history. As a result, almost ⅓ of the city was demolished. The schoolhouse was also among the buildings that got hit but weirdly enough the Boy sculpture remained untouched. It stood in its place until 1948, when communists demolished it because the ideology it carried was not considered appropriate.

 

On October 16 1944, the renamed  and renovated Tallinn Secondary School No. 2 opened its doors for students.

Because of the unstable political situation, the headmasters often changed until finally in 1949 Emilie Pertels settled for a longer period. She was also the first ever female headmistress of the school.

 

Nevertheless, going back to the peaceful time was impossible because of the constant Soviet propaganda, arrests of students and the 1949 deportation. Even though the new regime all school symbols, students still made rings and school badges secretly.

 

One of the few things that didn’t significantly change, was extracurricular activity. Most popular sports activities were ball games, chess-checkers, swimming and fencing. On the musical side, the school had a male choir, ensembles, a brass band and a dance orchestra.