On September 10, 2020 within the walls of SPC RAS was held a solemn celebration of the 200th anniversary from the day of birth of the founder and first Director of the educational institution - Karl Ivanovich May, a Russian teacher – practitioner, follower of advanced pedagogical views of N. I. Pirogov and K. D. Ushinsky
At the heart of the system of upbringing and education in the school of K. May was the motto of the founder of scientific pedagogy Jan Komensky: "First love, then teach." The system provided for the development of individual abilities of each student, respectful and trusting relation between teachers and pupils, applied and visual nature of teaching
Among the school alumni are Rear Admiral of the Russian Imperial Navy Peter V. Rimsky-Korsakov, writer Lev Uspensky, artists-members of World of Art Movement: Alexander Benois, Nikolai Roerich, Valentin Serov, Konstantin Somov. During the Soviet years cosmonaut Georgy Grechko and Academician Dmitry Likhachev were graduated from this educational institution. In 1995 the School History Museum was opened with the backing of Academician Dmitry Likhachev.
Currently this building houses the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPC RAS). SPC RAS Director Professor of RAS Andrey L. Ronzhin congratulated in person and extended his sincere gratitude to Nikita V. Blagovo (1949 alumnus) - founder and Director of Karl May School History Museum for his long-term fruitful organizational and educative activity at St. Petersburg Institute for Informatics and Automation of Russian Academy of Sciences.
