Logical Olympiad 2012 or We were there!
The day when the official national strike of the Slovak teachers begins. The schools stay closed, teachers rightfully ask not to be on the fringe of the society and to have their salaries increased, children sit at their computers and do not even attempt to hide their pleasure that they do not have to go to school today. But that’s the atmosphere in Slovakia. In the Czech Republic, 200 children from all over the country get up in the morning and have a different goal today. They travel to Prague Castle, expecting adventure, and aiming to win the competition – the Logical Olympiad in the Czech Republic.
On this day, the national finals of the 5th year of the competition are on. A total of 32,000 pupils and students participated in the competition, but only the best of the best reached the finals. How simple... Well, probably not so simple at all... We came to the Mensa Grammar School a day before the competition, on Sunday, to lend a hand, expecting stress, nerves, possibly a bit of the Mensa trademark chaos – but nothing like that happened. The tasks were ready, printed out, as well as diplomas, nametags, arrows, tables, signs, schedules... We tried to help at least by sorting, assembling, and stacking the materials. Piece of cake.
D Day – Monday, 7AM, Tomáš and his crew are delegating the tasks, and everything runs smoothly. The tasks are divided into groups of tasks, each of which has its co-ordinator, and all is well. Everything is ready, scheduled, laptops are prepared on the tables, projection screens lit up, sound system working, prizes neatly stacked, presentations uploaded... 56 volunteers are working, busy as bees. I was to be an evaluator corrector – my task was evaluating the tests (without grading them). Marián is watching the children in the hall, but the children are so disciplined that he does not have to watch out for any problems, he just keeps passing the tests out and collecting them.
The entire competition has three categories: Category A (first through to fifth grade), Category B (sixth to ninth grade), and Category C (higher secondary education). Besides Tomas, a famous Czech actor helped to played host to the competition – Jaroslav Dušek, a really charismatic character. I was really touched by the way in which he kept talking to the children throughout the whole day. The written test consisted of 25 tasks to be done in 30 minutes. Mr. Dušek told the competitors right away that it cannot be done in time, so there is no reason for stress if someone thinks he/she is falling behind. The children are very good anyway, and work hard on calculating, drawing, completing forms. If you expect only another task or two after the written test, you have grossly underestimated the organizers, as after the tests, there are many more tasks - children search for words, count the animals in images that have been cut into pieces, play Tetris, work on anagrams, test their memory and perception.
Like any competition, even this one needs sponsors, and thanks to those, the tired and quite exhausted children pay attention to the presentation of Open Gate School, Mensa Grammar School, and listen to an endless list of sponsors. Well, on the other hand, even the great reception lunch or drinks were paid for by the sponsors...
Before the awards ceremony, every child receives a diploma for participating in the finals, a book, and some small gift items. The smallest ones of course also receive a sweet reward. *Fanfare*, all eyes turn to the provisional stage that almost appears to sag under the weight of all the prizes. This is no surprise if we realize that it is as many as the top ten competitors from each category who receive them. And what did the best of the best win? Laptops, digital cameras, tablets, a chemistry lab... The children are very tired, but still, they applaud every award winner. I was a bit surprised that no children from the capital placed among the first five in any category. Applause, thanks, lights out, and packing begins. We have a long way to go before we get home to Slovakia.
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26.11.2012