The following release is from Seneca High School:
Several Seneca High School students participated in and won awards while participating in the national “Olympiada of Spoken Russian” competition held on March 23, 2021. Each student spoke online with two judges from Temple University who are native speakers of Russian.
Sharon Feinleib (Grade 12), Dylan Birnbohm-Kaminski (Grade 9), Alexander Sztajerwald (Grade 9) and William Xenakis (Grade 9) won Gold awards in the Beginner contest. Luke Handt (Grade 9) won Silver.
Just what is Olympiada?
You may have heard Seneca students of Russian talking with excitement about Olympiada. Just what is Olympiada? The Olympiada of Spoken Russian is a national contest for high school students of Russian held each year around the country. Seneca students participate in the Delaware Valley Olympiada hosted by Temple University. It is a chance for students to be in an environment where everyone speaks Russian. The Olympiada is not just a place to celebrate knowledge of the Russian language and culture, it is a chance to develop competency and confidence while having fun speaking Russian.
Students participating in the competition perform three tasks in Russian:
- Speak about topics such as family, school, or sports
- Discuss Russian composers, art, history, or literature
- Recite poetry from memory
There is no other language contest like it in the United States. Seneca students begin preparing months in advance for this unique and enjoyable event. It is with great pride that we announce these results.
