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Türkiye

İzmit Secondary School is a well-established public school located in İzmit district of Kocaeli, Turkey. For many years, it has played an important role in the education of students in the region.

Brief History

The school was founded in 1966, and its first principal was Hüsnü Tekin. Since its establishment, the school has adapted to changes in the Turkish education system.

In the 1990s, it became part of the basic education system.

In 2012, with the introduction of the 4+4+4 education system in Turkey, it continued its education as a secondary school only.

Present Day

Today, İzmit Secondary School continues to operate under the Ministry of National Education. The school offers:

An experienced teaching staff

Social and sports activities alongside academic courses

An educational approach that supports students’ overall development

The main goal of the school is to raise students who are not only academically successful but also responsible, confident, and well-mannered individuals.

In Short

İzmit Secondary School is:

A school with a long history

One of the well-known schools in İzmit

An institution that has educated many graduates

A school that takes education serious.

I am someone who looks at life by questioning deeply at times, thinking intensely at others, but always searching for meaning. I am learning to get to know myself and to walk my path in life. I enjoy finding meaning even in everyday details. I have a special interest in mythology, and I do my best to use this interest in the best way possible.

Yelbegen,karanlıktan oluşmuş ve ışığa düşmanlık ve kin besleyen bir Tanrı’dır.Tanrılar arası savaşı başlatan tanrıdır.Kovak’ı öldürmek için Kratos,Kısıl Han ve Alaz Han gibi yakın dost larını toplayıp Koçak’a saldırmıştır.

but the silence was broken when a branch they stepped on crackled. The horse recoiled at the sound, turned to them, and began to approach with heavy steps.

It was impossible not to be terrified, along with his friends. After all, an unknown creature was approaching them. They retreated, but one more step and they would fall off the cliff. They had to stop there. “What’s the worst that could happen? It’s just a horse,” he thought, and reached out his hand. He gently touched the horse’s snow-white, thick mane. The horse calmed down, and when he brought his hand to its forehead, it moved its enormous wings. This movement was harmless, but its size was frightening. Yet, the horse relaxed under the effect of his gentle touch and knelt down on the ground.

They began to examine the horse, but they couldn’t go any further from where they were because its wings completely covered the surroundings. The sun was slowly setting, leaving its redness in the sky. Their vision was becoming blurred. At that moment, he noticed a brownish decree on the horse. He showed it to his friends. “Did this creature bring us a message?” he wondered. They felt as if they were in a fairy tale.

They carefully took the decree, cleaned it, and opened it. A sharp scent emanated, as if it came from the past. They began to read the decree:

“Traveler reading these lines,

The creature standing before you is not an ordinary horse. It is Tulpar, seen only alongside warriors and pure-hearted travelers since ancient times.

If you do not recognize it, let me explain: Tulpar is a sacred horse in Turkish mythology, descended from the sky, carrying both the sun and the moon in the gleam of its wings. Its speed comes not from the earth but from the sky; it cuts through the mists, passes over mountains in a single breath. It does not approach evil;

it does not even appear to those with evil intentions. Therefore, its presence with you now is not in vain.

I summoned it to accompany me on my long journey. But this time the road was heavy; its wings grew weary. I directed it towards the summit to take it to a safer place.

Do not be afraid. Tulpar will not harm you; it must have sensed the intention in your heart, for it did not flee. Rest it; its wings need rest.

I continue on my way alone; because I have a task to complete.

Tulpar is entrusted to you. It will show its strength at the right time.

And Keep this in mind: The peaks, being the closest to the sky, are the first to speak the truth.

The decree ended there. Could such a being only exist in fairy tales? These thoughts swirled in his mind. He was so surprised that he felt the need to hold onto something. The dizziness and nausea they had experienced when they reached the summit began to return. This time, they seemed unable to bear it. Both what they had experienced and the difficulty of the journey had completely exhausted them. One by one, they collapsed to the ground. At that moment, a thought he didn't want to come to mind crossed his mind. With difficulty, he said to his friends,

"This is the end..." and closed his eyes.

He woke up with the sun's rays burning his eyes. He felt better than before. When he tried to stand up, he realized that the joint pains

still continued. Suddenly he remembered: They should be at the summit of the mountain right now. He thought about how they got here, the only thing he remembered

was fainting at the summit.

With one last burst of strength, he stood up and called out to his friends. They all stood up. They looked around and saw a horse nearby that was not at all unfamiliar: Tulpar.

Suddenly, everything made sense. Tulpar had carried them from the summit to the foothills of the mountain. It had saved their lives. They waved goodbye to it gratefully.

Tulpar rose towards the sky and soon disappeared from sight. It was now rested and ready for new journeys.

— Ak, hold on to something, son!

For the first time, he called his son only "Ak." His name was actually Özgür AK, but they always called him "Özgür." His son was used to this and was very surprised by the name "Ak." He immediately ran into his father's arms and said:

— Dad, you called me only "Ak" for the first time, you know? So, Dad, did you name me "Ak" to mean white?

This question took him deep, he began to feel emotions he had never felt before. He felt proud because he would soon explain to his only son why he had given him the name "Ak." Taking a deep breath, he began to explain to his son in a didactic tone:

— Years and years ago, before you, before I, before your mother, before even your grandparents...

His son excitedly interrupted:

— Before even my great-great-great-grandfather was alive, father?

With a slight smile:

— Yes, son, before they were alive, our ancestors asked some questions. They said, “How did we come into being, how do natural phenomena occur?” In short,

they began to search for answers to why the events around them occurred. When they couldn't find answers to these questions, they said, “It must be done by very talented, superior beings.”

and they created mythologies by turning these into stories. Since we are Turks, the stories created by our ancestors are called Turkish mythology. Then they told these stories to their children, and they told them to their children, and so it has come down to us today; just like we do now. Various characters formed these stories; for example, the water god, the fire god, the god of good, the god of evil, etc. One of them is Ak Ana. According to the belief, when there was nothing in the universe except water, Ak Ana emerged from the water and said to the creator of the universe, "Create the world," and the world was created.

—So, is Ak Ana actually the mistress of water, father?

At that moment, their mother, who was trying to tidy up but also listening to the father-son conversation, approached them and joined the conversation:

—Yes, son, Ak Ana is the mistress of water. She is the protector of water, she is water itself. You know the importance of water for living things; if there were no water, we wouldn't exist. In fact, Ak Ana is the seed of life. She is the giver of life. That's why your father named you, inspired by this figure.

—So, mother, if I bear the name of someone who protects water, am I also considered the mistress of water? Or is that why I love the sea so much?—Yes, absolutely, that's why, son, — said the mother and father at once.

Then, a strong wind started again. The chairs and tables they were sitting on were knocked over. You couldn't see anything. The wind carried Özgür Ak's toy towards the sea. Seeing this, the child ran after his toy. Özgür Ak's toy went into the sea; seeing this, the child jumped into the sea without thinking and started looking for his toy. As he dived, he lost his balance and began to struggle to surface. Although the depth was shallow, there were such strong waves that the child was having a lot of trouble. He had swallowed a lot of water and was starting to have difficulty holding his breath. Meanwhile, his parents, who were busy tidying up, were unaware that their son was fighting for his life in the sea. The waves in the sea continued to increase in intensity, and Özgür Ak could no longer surface. His panic also played a role, but this wind was not at all typical. His parents still hadn't realized that he was lost. When they did, it would be too late because Özgür Ak had begun to drift towards the depths of the sea. He kept losing his balance as the waves hit his face hard. Everything had turned pitch black. He was alone in the middle of the vast sea. No, he wasn't alone; The humming sounds that never left her were also with her, and they were making her extremely tense. At that moment, she remembered the story her father had told her: Ak Ana. Although it had been told in ancient times, believing in her existence was now her only hope. So she began to think, “I’m not alone, Ak Ana is here too, the protector of the water.” Had Ak Ana been angry with her for sharing the same name? Or would she accept and save her, because she was the giver of life, the protector of the water? While she was thinking these things, she hadn’t noticed the huge wave coming towards her. She lost her balance due to the wave’s impact and began to sink into the depths of the sea. No matter how hard she tried, her small body and weak arms couldn’t pull her to the surface. As she went deeper, her eyes began to close. No matter how much she resisted, she had to give in to this urge, and her eyes closed. After a while, the wind died down. The surroundings were chaotic. Her mother and father were extremely tired and sat down in their chairs to catch their breath. And suddenly, they both realized Özgür Ak was missing. At first, thinking, "He must be nearby," they calmly began searching for him. They called out "Özgür Ak, my son!" repeatedly, but there was no response. Where had his beloved son gone?

Sitting on one of the benches, Asu wanted to go into the sea. It felt as if the sea would wash away all her thoughts and soothe her the moment she entered it. She took off her shorts and T-shirt, which she had worn over her swimsuit, and placed them in her bag. She left her bag under one of the umbrellas nearby and began to walk. After leaving her slippers on the sand, she took a few steps forward. When the waves touched her ankles, she shivered, but kept moving.

The sky was red, and it was that time when the sea felt warmest, filling Asu with a gentle warmth. Although many people stayed by the shore, some were swimming and playing. Asu quietly moved forward. She glanced to her right and saw a father playing ball with his two daughters, laughing together. She smiled and let herself sink fully into the water, beginning to swim.

Then she wanted to dive and swim beneath the surface. Since childhood, she had loved collecting stones she liked from the sea floor. She dived again, searching for one. Under the water, she saw a perfectly smooth, pure white stone, shining brilliantly. She rose to the surface, took a deep breath, and dived again, swimming toward the bottom. The white stone was so bright it almost dazzled her. When she reached it, she picked it up and swam back to the surface. As she emerged, she took deep breaths.

It had grown dark. She began swimming back toward the shore. Then she noticed something strange—people were glowing. She swam a little faster and reached the shore. She hadn’t imagined it; beams of light were truly radiating from people’s hearts. All those lights seemed to gather in one place. Asu tried to understand.

Looking more carefully, she saw that some people’s lights were very strong, while others were faint. She grew curious about herself and looked down at her chest, where her heart was. A bright, powerful light was shining from her, stretching like a thread toward a distant point. Her light, too, was going in the same direction as the others.

Filled with curiosity, she returned to her umbrella, got dressed, slung her bag over her shoulder, and followed her light. It led her toward a wooded area. The night had fallen, but she wasn’t afraid; the light from her heart was so strong that it illuminated her surroundings.

A little further ahead, she saw a wooden house. It was so radiant that it dazzled her eyes. All the lights from people seemed to converge there. The door opened, and someone stepped out. At first, Asu couldn’t see clearly because of the brightness. She rubbed her eyes and looked again.

The girl had long, wavy, light brown hair reaching her waist. She was tall, wearing a white dress that fell to her ankles. Her face was extraordinarily beautiful—far beyond what the word “beautiful” could describe. A great light shone from her heart, the source of all the lights passing through people’s hearts.

Asu stepped closer. The girl’s smile widened, and she gestured for her to come. At that moment, Asu noticed her hand hurt. She opened her palm and saw the white stone—she had been gripping it tightly without realizing it. She closed her hand again and slowly climbed the wooden steps. The girl motioned for her to sit on the chair in front of the house. Asu silently obeyed. The girl sat beside her, still smiling.

She reached for Asu’s hand, opened her palm, and looked at the stone. She smiled again and gently closed Asu’s hand.

Asu could no longer hold back her questions.

“Who are you? Why does everyone have a light in their heart, and why do all those lights pass through you? Or… am I going mad?”

The beautiful girl smiled warmly.

“I am Ayzıt. You already know me—you can feel me, right here,” she said, placing her hand over her heart, the source of all the lights.

Asu’s eyes widened. She did know.

“Ayzıt… Yes, I remember this name. I’ve read about you. You’re the protector of beauty, the goddess of love… You are her.”

Ayzıt nodded.

“I won’t keep you wondering any longer. Yes, I am the Ayzıt you’ve learned about. I try to protect the beauty within people—the greatest beauty of all: the beauty of the heart. My light carries love, beauty, and kindness, to instill them within you.”

A smile appeared on Asu’s face. She placed her hand on her heart. Then another question came to her mind.

“I came from the beach. I saw so many people. Why are some lights weaker? If you give your light to everyone, why are some bright and some dim?”

Ayzıt let out a long breath.

“I send my light equally to everyone. I ensure that their light is never completely lost. But some people strengthen their light, while others dim it themselves. Even though the light never truly disappears, they choose to suppress it. That is the cycle of life. At that point, there is nothing more I can do. People either use that light and live brightly, or they extinguish it themselves.”

Her smile turned bittersweet. Asu felt saddened too. Then she looked down at her chest again. The light she had received from Ayzıt was strong and radiant. A sense of peace filled her.

A gentle smile spread across her face. She thanked Ayzıt, embraced her, and said goodbye. Leaving the house, she returned to the place where she had entered the sea. The crowd had thinned, but some people were still there. Their lights were still visible.

Asu tightened her grip for a moment, then took a deep breath and threw the white stone back into the sea. She turned around and looked at the people again. She could no longer see their lights—but she smiled anyway.

The light was always there. It was in everyone.

She could feel it.

Thinking of Ayzıt, she continued smiling as she made her way home.