Gold medal. Will modern schoolchildren aspire to it?

The school gold medal has always been a privilege, to which we have been striving since the first years of school. Being still children, having visited the graduation parties, we watched with what joy the student receives from the director a gold award for high achievements in science and excellent discipline. Involuntarily, the desire arose to earn this valuable prize.

History of the origin of school gold medals

Begins its history of the gold medal since the reign of Nicholas I. In 1835, the king approved the awarding of a medal for high achievements in science. And it could only be obtained by representatives of the male sex. The gold medal had nothing to do with women. On the front side of the award was a coat of arms - an eagle with two heads under a royal headdress. And on the other hand, of course, Minerva (patroness of sciences) was portrayed, as well as the inscription "Successful". With her left hand the goddess raised the lamp, and the right held a laurel wreath, at her feet sat an owl with the attributes of science: a scroll and a globe. The silver medal looked similar, only it was made of another material. The woman was awarded the title of "gold medalist" only during the reign of Alexander II. And the medals were issued in two types, as half of the women's gymnasiums were under the auspices of Empress Maria Alexandrovna, and the second half was managed by the Ministry of Public Education. On the reverse side of the empress's medal was the inscription "The most worthy of those who graduated from the course in the women's gymnasiums", which flaunted in the interlacing of the vines, and on the ministerial medals the same Minerva with the attributes of science was depicted. The front side of both medals was the same: the profile image of the queen with the inscription "Empress Empress Maria Alexandrovna". After the patroness of women's success in science became the wife of Nicholas II Maria Fyodorovna, and since that time her image has been knocked out on one side of the coin.

Medals in the USSR

In such an almost unchanged form, gold medals were preserved until 1917, and then such awards ceased until 1945. After the war, by the decision of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, gold and silver medals were again made in the form of a round coin made of precious metal. In 1954 it was decided to use gold of a lower sample (for lower costs). Until 1960, the precious metal was used only as a spray, and the silver medal award had ceased altogether since 1968. Since 1977, in connection with the change in the coat of arms of the USSR, new awards have been issued. Now the medal (the golden star adorned its upper part) was given to the successful students.

Modern gold medals

After the collapse of the USSR, each republic introduced its gold medals, with its own coat of arms and images. At entrance examinations in HIGH SCHOOL holders of a gold medal had considerable privileges as had the right to act only under interview or under condition of delivery of the first examination on excellent. After changing the examination procedure (the introduction of the USE), the gold medal continued to "warm up the soul" to their owners, but played no role at the time of admission. Will modern schoolchildren aspire to them? Unknown.