CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A longtime institution in Cedar Rapids will return this summer, as Czech School will once again hold in-person classes.
Czech School, for ages 6 to 14-plus, will be held Monday, June 9, to Friday, June 27, 2025, at Sokol Cedar Rapids, 5200 18th Ave. SW. Tuition is $60 for one child, and $20 for each additional child in the family.
Students are taught an introduction to Czech culture, history, heritage and language, weekday mornings from 8-11:30 a.m.
Field trips will also be taken to explore how Czech culture is celebrated locally.
Czech School Board President Judy Vondracek said this will be the first time in-person classes have been held since going virtual during the Covid pandemic in 2020.
Teachers will be members of the Czech School Board, Vondracek said.
Often cited as the longest continuously operating foreign language school in the United States, Czech School celebrated 150 years in 2019.
More: Czech School celebrates 150 years
Teacher Marie Zivney is surrounded by students in this photo of Czech School from the mid-1930s. (photo/courtesy Bob Hejkal)
A written program from July 1870 referenced the origins of Czech School in Cedar Rapids, the new home of many Bohemian immigrants at that time.
When Czech School began, its main purpose was to keep the Czech language and culture alive, while not serving as a substitute for public school.
Held in a variety of buildings prior to 1901, classes were held in a school built at 10th Avenue and Second Street SE, dedicated for Czech School in January of that year. The building still stands in New Bohemia.
They later moved on to Hayes Elementary School, and more recently, Wilson Middle School, both on the west side of Cedar Rapids.
The sessions typically end with an ice cream social and final program that is open to the public.
To request a registration form or for further information, email: czechschool@gmail.com
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