19 January 2026
The first HUPE Zagorje branch meeting was held at Škola za umjetnost, dizajn, grafiku i odjeću Zabok on 5 December 2025, and it brought together English language teachers and HUPE members for an engaging afternoon of professional development, collaboration, and festive inspiration. The programme featured a series of presentations designed to share recent professional experiences, introduce innovative teaching ideas, and support teachers in enriching their classroom practice.
The event opened with HUPE News, delivered by branch president, Barbara Hanjilec, who provided updates on current HUPE initiatives, upcoming activities, such as HUPE in Storyland, HUPE Day and HUPE Conference in Zagreb, and opportunities for teacher involvement.
This was followed by a joint presentation entitled New York, New York by Barbara Hanjilec and Petra Blajić, focusing on the dissemination of outcomes from their recent HUPE teacher training in New York. They shared key insights, practical takeaways, and examples of activities that can be translated into the Croatian classroom context, highlighting the value of international professional exchanges.
The programme then shifted toward festive classroom strategies.
Dijana Štruklec presented Have Yourself a Merry Little Lesson: Festive English for Teens, showcasing creative, modern approaches to teaching Christmas-themed lessons to today’s learners. The next presenter, Kristina Mijandrušić Ladavac, led the workshop It Is That Time of Year Again, which explored lesson ideas inspired by Santa Claus, gifts, the Christmas spirit, and A Christmas Carol. This workshop was sponsored by HUPE partner, ALFA Publishing, and even though it was primarily focused on primary school students, the ideas can easily be applied in secondary school as well.
The final activity, Pub Quiz, by Irena Bilić and Tanja Tratnjak Blažić, illustrated how pub quizzes function as dynamic educational tools that foster motivation, teamwork, cultural awareness, and linguistic development. Since we all had to participate, it was a great way to end our gathering.
Overall, the meeting successfully combined informative presentations, practical classroom ideas, and festive creativity, leaving participants inspired and well-equipped with new strategies for their teaching practice.
Barbara Hanjilec
HUPE ZAGORJE Branch president
