Preliminary of the second stage of the Contest

“Silence, please. Polish Literature and Language Contest has just started.” – the announcement in the Joachim Lelewel Secondary School in Vilnius left no doubt that something important was happening here. The school was the host of the contest in which students from Vilnius school took part on 6-7 of February.

As in Polish schools in the Vilnius region, the second stage of the Polish Literature and Language Contest finished on the 7^th of February. The contest lasted two days: on the 6^th of February the students presented their knowledge on literature and linguistics in the form of a written test, while the following day they had an oral exam on Polish literature and linguistics.

16 students from 7 Vilnius schools took part in the contest. These were: Vilnius Władysław Syrokomla Secondary School, The J. I. Kraszewski Secondary School, Adam Mickiewicz Middle School, Szymon Konarski Secondary School, John Paul II Middle School, the secondary school in Grzegorzewo and Joachim Lelewel Secondary School.

– We do not have to worry about Polish national identity anymore after listening to the students’ presentations – said the chairwoman of the jury, Lucyna Jaglińska, when she awarded students. – The presentations were at the very high level. You all are the winners, you all are prepared to represent your schools at the republican stage of the contest.

One of the members of the jury was dr. Halina Turkiewicz from The Edukological University. She assessed positively the students’ tests and teachers’ work: – We can see how hard the teachers work and that their work brings good results. The students are constantly improving their skills in interpreting poetry and prose. They do not summarize, as they had done in the past, but present deep analysis of a given text. They pay attention to narration and rhetorical devices. However, some interpretations are still incomplete. The students also have to make improvements when it comes to the composition of their presentations.

Their strong point was the oral exam. It turned out that we speak better than we write.

– Today I have listened to the half of the contestants’ presentations. I am happy about the fact that these were very smart students who think logically. Their presentations did not need any further discussions – says Halina Turkiewicz.

The contestants presented various topics. They discussed Mickiewicz’s classical works, the works written by Orzeszkowa, Prus, Żeromski and contemporary writers such as Szymborska and Miłosz. A few students chose linguistic topics concerning the persuasive function of a language in media, linguistic manipulations, which were also supported by proper examples from the press.

The student of the 11^th grade, Ewa Bartusewicz, is a person of many talents. She dances, plays the violin and takes part in various contests. Mirena Narkun teaches her Polish language. – I like Romantic poetry – said Ewa – Today I have discussed Mickiewicz and I interpreted Norwid’s works yesterday.

Although she is fascinated with poetry, she thinks pragmatically about her future and wants to study medicine, not necessarily in Lithuania.

There were lots of emotions during the contest. The students admitted that they felt stressed in front of the jury which did not consist of ‘their’ teachers. Ewelina Knutowicz, the student of the 11^th grade from the Konarski Secondary School, taught by Jolanta Pacyno, admits that she had been preparing for the contest from a very long time and she had done it with pleasure. She discussed Żeromski ‘s works at her oral exam. First, she became fascinated with “The Faithful River”, then with “Labours of Sisyphus”. She loves Żeromski’s works. She has read not only the works but also critical analyses. She also added some quotes to her presentation. For the written interpretation she chose “Nonreading” by Wisława Szymborska.

Agnieszka Borysewicz, the student of the last grade from the Secondary School in Grzegorzewo, takes part in the contest for the second time. She is fascinated with history, II World War issues and that is why last year she discussed the problem of Nazi concentration camps and Soviet forced-labour camps. This year she has chosen the Jews issue because, as she says, she is interested in the life of people who were hurt.

– I am a Pole – says Agnieszka. – I do not want to use high-flown words but I love anything that is Polish. I take part in every possible event connected with Polish language. I enjoy every visit in Poland. There are still lots of things to discover about Poland and Polish language.

All contestants of the 24^th Polish Literature and Language Contest and their teachers received diplomas. The winners were given books and USB flash drives.

The Final of the contest – the 3^rd stage – is planned to take place in March in The Władysław Syrokomla Secondary School in Vilnius. What should the contestants do?

– First of all, they should not be pleased with their success and stop doing anything else. They should practise and learn more to win in the next stage – says dr. Halina Turkiewicz – Maybe I am old-fashioned but in my opinion the contestants should read as much as they can. When the student knows the topic very well, he has no problems with writing about it.

The winners of the 2^nd stage of the Polish Literature and Language Contest in Vilnius district municipality

The 1^st place: Bożena Czepułkowska, The Secondary School in Mickuny, the teacher: Krystyna Witlicka

The 2^nd place: Kamila Sinkiewicz, The Secondary School in Awiżenie, the teacher: Alicja Segen

The 2^nd place: Elżbieta Kulicka, The St. John Bosko Secondary School in Jałówka, the teacher: Krystyna Dejnarowicz

The 3^rd place: Agata Sadowska, The St. Stanisław Kostka Secondary School in Podbrzezie, the teacher: Anna Bartoszko

The 3^rd place: Iwona Kijewicz, The Secondary School in Rukojnie, the teacher: Łucja Kuzborska

The 3^rd place: Justyna Dziemieszko, The Secondary School in Ławaryszki, the teacher: Halina Szturo

Honourable mentions:

Łukasz Mikielewicz, The Konstanty Parczewski Middle School in Niemenczyn, the teacher: Aldona Sudenis

Erika Jarosz, The Secondary School in Rukojnie, the teacher: Regina Iwaszko
Barbara Prokopowicz, The Juliusz Słowacki Secondary School in Bezdany, the teacher: Edyta Klimaszewska
Elżbieta Salmanowicz, The Stanisław Moniuszko Middle School, the teacher: Regina Jaświn
Marzena Dziatłowska, The Secondary School in Ciechanowiszki, the teacher: Katarzyna Oleszkiewicz

The winners of the 2^nd stage of the Polish Literature and Language Contest in Šalčininkai district municipality

The 1st place: Wioleta Milun, The Anna Krepsztul Secondary School in Butrymańce, the teacher: Edyta Jasielonis
The 2nd place: Joanna Miłosz, The Jan Śniadecki Middle School, the teacher: Grażyna Koczan
The 3rd place: Izabela Darżynkiewicz, The Jan Śnidecki Middle School, the teacher: Henryka Parwicka
The 3rd place: Kornelia Jaglińska, The Paweł Brzostowski Secondary School in Turgiele, the teacher: Walentyna Dulko
Honourable mentions:

Katarzyna Nornicka, The Middle School in Ejszyszki, the teacher: Zofia Sokołowska
Ernesta Nowikiewicz, The Middle School in Ejszyszki, the teacher: Zofia Sokołowska

The winners of the 2^nd stage of the Polish Literature and Language Contest in Vilnius

The 1st place: Karol Kleczkowski, The John Paul II Middle School, the teacher: Anna Jasińska
The 2nd place: Elżbieta Czerniawska, The John Paul II Middle School, the teacher: Anna Jasińska
The 2nd place: Daniel Rawiński, The J. I. Kraszewski Secondary School, the teacher: Joanna Szczygłowska
The 2nd place: Mirosława Krysztul, The Adam Mickiewicz Middle School, the teacher: Elwira Bielawska
The 3rd place: Marzena Palewicz, The Władysław Syrokomla Secondary School, the teacher: Irena Matoszko
The 3rd place: Daniel Dowejko, The J. I. Kraszewski Secondary School, the teacher: Wanda Andruszaniec

Source: http://kurierwilenski.lt/2013/02/07/olimpijskie-eliminacje-ii-etapu-dobiegly-konca/

Tłumaczenie Katarzyna Kurowska w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Katarzyna Kurowska the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.