Legend of the Boat
In the school environment and community events, more and more elements of boats and boating are emerging. However, this is not because we are passionate boaters or fishermen. We have our own school legend, which has been shared with the school’s team by the school’s owners and directors, Ilze and Dace. Dace had a dream while ago in which she and Ilze were sitting in a very small boat with very large and heavy oars. With such a small boat and such large oars, it was impossible to move forward. Dace had this dream at a time when there were many challenges at the school, and the resemblance to the boat and oars symbolized the feelings about the work at school during that time. Dace's dream troubled Ilze for a long time. Ilze searched for an artist who could paint this boat. Gradually, boats, oars, and boating entered our daily life in the form of small symbols. Until in the summer of 2023, after a vacation, Ilze and Dace met and exchanged Viking ships as a symbolic gift to each other. The Viking ships were a random choice. Now the proportion of boats and oars is appropriate—the boat slides well, and that feeling is also present in the school's daily life.
The themes of boating and sailing influences various elements in the school's daily life and community events. Paper boats, which are sufficiently intricate, concise, and with a very specific function, appear in various forms. The paper boat begins with the sheet that is available to us at the moment and on which there is a place for a new story or adventure. Every preschooler and student begins their learning by creating a boat, in which colors, experience, knowledge, skills, and adventures accumulate. To create a paper boat, you need to know the instructions. Knowing the instructions alone is not enough; you also need to know how to execute them. We learn this in preschool and school. While we are in the harbor of DOMDARIS, new knowledge and skills complement and make each of our individual boats unique. In the harbor of DOMDARIS, there is a place for boats, ships, little boats, yachts, as long as the owners of water vehicles can follow the rules we have agreed upon and maintain respectful relationships with others. Each boat in our harbor stays for a certain period, and how powerful, experienced, and strong it will be depends on the owner. Regardless of where we go next, we will have shared adventures and memories.
Founders
Ilze and Dace met in the summer of 2011 during the program 'Mission Possible' at the Summer Academy. Ilze was preparing to start working at Riga Zolitude Gymnasium, and Dace was preparing for a job at Ikskile Secondary School. Over the next two years, within the framework of the 'Mission Possible' program, Ilze and Dace both studied and worked in their respective schools and also jointly implemented the project 'Get to Know Your Neighbor,' where children from Russian-speaking families visited Latvian families and vice versa. After the program's conclusion, Ilze and Dace continued to work in schools.
In May 2014, Ilze came up with the idea for her own school and her own created workplace. She approached Dace to join in realizing this idea. This led to the creation of Riga New Primary School (initially the Cesis New Primary School branch in Riga), which, in 2016, transformed into the Private Primary School DOMDARIS and later into the Private Secondary School DOMDARIS.
The collaboration of Ilze and Dace, leading DOMDARIS school, represents a unique school management model because each has their area of responsibility in the school and in the management of the company. Ilze creates the school environment and conditions for the school environment to be modern and motivating, as well as promoting the learning process for everyone involved—from a 3-year-old preschooler to a 74-year-old staff member in the team. Dace is responsible for the school's curriculum, as well as for admitting new students and families to the school. Over the years, Dace and Ilze have confirmed that one person could not handle this job alone and that growth, development, and the created community are the result of their collaboration.
Ilze earned a Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences in Political Science and a Master's degree in Social Sciences in Public Administration from the University of Latvia. She also received pedagogical education from RPIVA. This was followed by meaningful learning, exploration of her abilities and capabilities, participation in the 'Mission Possible' education program, and work at Riga Zolitude Gymnasium as a Latvian language and social science teacher for 5th and 6th-grade students. Ilze has worked at the State Education Development Agency and the University of Latvia, led several 'IR' magazine summer camps, and created the project 'I Played, I Learned.' Ilze is a mother of a son and a daughter and a representative of the public initiative 'Star Children.'
Dace graduated from the Bachelor's program in Political Science within the Social Sciences at the University of Latvia. After completing the program, she worked at the European Commission Representation in Latvia, Communication Department. As part of Aina Gale's private scholarship, she studied for a year at the University of Wisconsin, Oklara, USA, where she gained confidence that learning could be exciting and interesting. After returning from the USA, Dace applied to the 'Mission Possible' program, where she mastered the basics of pedagogy and worked at Ikskile Secondary School as a social science teacher. After completing the program, Dace worked for a year at Edgars Kaulins Lielvarde Secondary School as a social science, history, cultural studies, and philosophy teacher. During this time, she also obtained pedagogical education from RPIVA. Dace played frisbee for a long time in the team 'Moments' in Ogre and played for the Latvian Frisbee team. She also volunteered for 18 years at the camp for children and youth with special needs 'Upe.' Dace is also a mother of two sons.