0:00:06.872,0:00:10.531
In 2000, the Adventist church [br]in Ploiesti, Romania

0:00:10.531,0:00:13.086
cleared two rooms to start kindergarten.

0:00:13.086,0:00:16.278
Now, the two rooms [br]grew into two school buildings

0:00:16.278,0:00:19.121
that soon will house 200 students.

0:00:19.121,0:00:21.776
It started when a group of parents[br]and teachers from the church

0:00:21.776,0:00:25.926
dreamed of a school to provide children [br]a safe environment to grow.

0:00:25.926,0:00:30.235
This desire led them to set up[br]two private kindergartens in Ploiesti

0:00:30.235,0:00:32.982
in a space provided [br]by the Adventist church.

0:00:32.982,0:00:36.460
Parents loved the idea [br]of an Adventist school.

0:00:36.460,0:00:40.476
Both of my children were enrolled [br]in public school before coming here.

0:00:40.476,0:00:44.605
It’s difficult when I teach my children [br]about our faith at home

0:00:44.605,0:00:48.038
and they encounter [br]conflicting beliefs at school.

0:00:48.038,0:00:50.235
More and more parents prayed for a school

0:00:50.235,0:00:53.716
that would help instill the principles[br]of the Seventh-day Adventist church

0:00:53.716,0:00:55.411
in their children’s hearts.

0:00:55.411,0:00:59.195
And in 2015 Excelsis school opened.

0:00:59.195,0:01:01.327
It started with only 22 students,

0:01:01.327,0:01:04.346
but every year, their numbers doubled!

0:01:05.896,0:01:09.672
Today over 120 students [br]from kindergarten to eighth grade

0:01:09.672,0:01:13.874
are enjoying Christ-centered education[br]at Excelsis School.

0:01:14.614,0:01:17.943
Every morning they start their day [br]with a devotional and a prayer.

0:01:17.943,0:01:21.210
Children are safe here,[br]physically and spiritually.

0:01:21.210,0:01:25.135
Aside from learning subjects [br]like math or physics or chemistry,

0:01:25.135,0:01:28.381
more importantly, [br]they learn about life and God.

0:01:28.934,0:01:32.656
The school administrators help to connect [br]families who cannot pay tuition

0:01:32.656,0:01:34.222
with potential sponsors.

0:01:34.222,0:01:37.787
As of today they have [br]over 20 sponsored students.

0:01:37.787,0:01:40.366
Parents began hearing about [br]the quality education

0:01:40.366,0:01:43.249
and the values taught in Excelsis School.

0:01:43.249,0:01:45.603
Some even send their children [br]a long way from home

0:01:45.603,0:01:48.902
in order to study in the environment [br]that the school provides.

0:01:48.902,0:01:52.402
Fifty-eight such students[br]live outside Ploiesti,

0:01:52.402,0:01:55.457
and some of them travel [br]up to 80 kilometers daily

0:01:55.457,0:01:56.934
to go to school.

0:01:56.934,0:01:59.719
I love that the students here [br]are very friendly

0:01:59.719,0:02:02.783
and we have a lot[br]of extra-curricular activities.

0:02:02.783,0:02:04.755
Our teachers don’t yell at the students,

0:02:04.755,0:02:08.065
and they don’t discriminate[br]against us on any basis.

0:02:08.065,0:02:12.213
They’re very nice and they respect us, [br]even if we’re just kids.

0:02:12.213,0:02:15.554
In this school students prepare [br]for their classes every day.

0:02:15.554,0:02:18.260
We teach them to explore [br]and discover new things,

0:02:18.260,0:02:21.047
and we prepare them for a better future.

0:02:21.047,0:02:24.423
The students are not perfect; [br]neither are the teachers.

0:02:24.423,0:02:26.342
But we try to understand them,

0:02:26.342,0:02:30.991
and we learn that behind every child [br]there is a special story.

0:02:30.991,0:02:33.025
The parents trust us.

0:02:33.025,0:02:37.666
And together, the teachers, students,[br]and their parents are a family.

0:02:38.506,0:02:41.622
The school building [br]is now working at full capacity.

0:02:41.622,0:02:44.660
Staff rooms are used[br]as additional classrooms,

0:02:44.660,0:02:47.487
and the archive room is used as a library.

0:02:47.487,0:02:48.991
To accommodate more students,

0:02:48.991,0:02:51.741
the school has started construction [br]of a new building

0:02:51.741,0:02:55.425
which will allow them [br]to enroll over 200 students.

0:02:55.425,0:02:58.599
Soon Excelsis School [br]will expand its ministry

0:02:58.599,0:03:02.250
to teach even more children [br]about the love of Jesus.

0:03:03.270,0:03:07.146
This school answers the needs [br]of Christian families in Ploiesti

0:03:07.146,0:03:11.741
because they want their children [br]to learn good values and principles.

0:03:11.741,0:03:16.414
Our goal is to present a beautiful God [br]not only to the children

0:03:16.414,0:03:18.274
but also to their parents.