fault, CENTOS wanted to expel them. At that time there were heated discussions
between representatives of CENTOS and the boys, because the latter
did not want to give up. For this reason, CENTOS stopped supplying us with
clothing, footwear and we received minimal products.
In rags, hungry, cold, with no management to take care of us, we were
headed towards disaster. And here are the main reasons for the internal
decomposition of the dormitory.
The “war” with the older boys, indifference of the staff and management,
the hostility of CENTOS towards the dormitory caused terrible disorder
in relations within the facility. At the time we thought that our time had
come to an end. Then suddenly a new headmaster came along.⁸⁸ He sat in his
room for a while, went down to get coal from time to time, and watched us.
We didn’t dare say anything because we noticed he was energetic. He yelled
at a few boys and nothing more. And we were still in rags and barefoot.
Out of 130 boys, only 25 had shoes to wear.
Until suddenly a meeting of the older boys was called. We were convinced
that the new headmaster would continue the former management’s plan to
expel the older boys from the facility at that meeting. But we were wrong!
During the meeting, the headmaster, in a friendly conversation, presented
us with the organisational plan of the dormitory and called on the elders to
cooperate, because only with their help would we manage to bring order to the
facility. And there, at the CENTOS meeting, the voice of the headmaster was
heard, who thought that the older boys were the element with which the facility
could be brought back on track.
And CENTOS admitted that the headmaster was right. The first undertaking
of CENTOS was to remove the old staff. Then the cleaning of the house
started. During disinfestation, which lasted four days, the older boys proved
themselves, working without the help of either the old staff, or the new one,
who had not yet arrived. During that difficult time, it turned out that what
the headmaster said was true, that without the older boys it was impossible
to get the dormitory back on track. After that disinfestation, the headmaster
expressed his appreciation.
The second condition for the establishment of order in the dormitory was
the matter of clothing and shoes. And now we are getting what we deserve,
88 The new Headmaster was Sztorch. See footnote 8.
