Gomel region became the winner of the Union State schoolchildren's Olympiad

October 31, Polotsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The team from Gomel region became the winner of the 4th Union State School Olympiad "Russia and Belarus: Historical and Spiritual Community," a BELTA correspondent reports. About 170 high school students from 26 regions of Belarus and Russia took part in the creative competition and came to the capital of this year's Olympiad - Polotsk. They wrote essays, completed complex assignments in Russian language and literature, and competed in a quiz on history and rhetorical skills. The jury, which included professors of Russian literature from Belarusian and Russian universities, and teachers of Russian language and literature from Belarus and Russia, had a difficult task. According to the unanimous opinion of the judges, the students provided them with a "celebration of intellect, talent, resourcefulness, and dignity." The second place in the team competition was taken by representatives of Ryazan and Minsk regions, and third-degree diplomas were awarded to the teams from Brest, Vladimir, Grodno regions, and the city of Polotsk. In the individual competition, Stanislav Shevchenko from Voronezh became the absolute winner. All prize-winners and diploma recipients received awards. As noted in a conversation with a BELTA correspondent, Deputy State Secretary of the Union State Sergey Shukhno, 66 diplomas were awarded this time. 4.5 million Russian rubles were allocated from the Union State budget to finance the Olympiad. The first Union State School Olympiad was held in Gomel in 2004, and Gomel became its capital for the second time in 2006. The next Olympiad was hosted by Smolensk in 2008, and since then it has become an annual event. The fifth Olympiad will be held in 2010 in the Russian Federation. -0-