From Old School Magazines - 1976
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How many of you remember Mr Stachnik? He was my chemistry master and I could not understand much of what he said, but then, I wasn't that interested in chemistry. I did know that he was Polish, and had been a fighter pilot, in the Second World War, so I did my best!
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Mr Stachnik
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We are sorry this summer to say good-bye to Mr Stachnik who had been
teaching at CCHS for 29 years. A great scientist himself, once inside his
laboratory he was single-minded in his desire to teach everyone chemistry,
from the very young to the old. His enthusiasm for his subject as a pure
science and in its widest applications he passed on to many of his pupils. His
efforts in devising new experiments were tireless. He developed semi-micro
and micro methods of chemistry in school, first as a necessity at Grey Friars
where he was allocated a small section of the cloakroom as a laboratory! The
small scale method was perfected in the new building (Norman Way). Mr Stachnik had a genuine interest in the well-being of the school. He was always to be found on money-raising occasions with his hydrogen-filled balloons. He was an idealist in education and a great fighter for the preservation of the grammar school where he believed that excellence in education should be pursued for its own sake.
We thank him for all he has done for the school and wish him many happy years of retirement. These are unlikely to be idle years. He is continuing is study in the field of Geology. He hopes to spend part of each year in Spain where he will conduct his practical work. As a student of science he will always set us an example.
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Digital copies of School Magazines from 1909 to 1999 can be found on the school website: https://www.cchsg.com/about-cchsg/history-of-cchsg