A graduate of a Vitebsk gymnasium won silver at the International Geography Olympiad in Canada
The Belarusian national team included four schoolchildren, and three of them won silver medals at the intellectual forum, which was attended by 167 high school students from 43 countries.
Anton became interested in geography as a boy, thanks to his father, who spared no expense on maps and encyclopedias and taught his son the capitals of countries. Anton comes from an ordinary family: his father is a driver, and his mother is the head of a medical laboratory. His passion was nurtured by his geography teacher at Gymnasium No. 2, Sergey Krivenko, who noticed Anton when he was in the sixth grade and invited him to the "What? Where? When?" club. There are not many geography classes in Belarusian schools, but Sergey Nikolaevich compensates for this with intellectual games that he organizes at the gymnasium and beyond.
– For such competitions, a broad outlook is necessary, – said the teacher, who has 10 winners of national Olympiads and three international Olympiad winners. – Geography is a subject that broadens one's horizons. There are many talented children in the gymnasium, but it is very important to find "your own," those who are passionate about geography. The earlier this happens, the better. Then we work hard and develop for a long time. The culmination of all this is the Olympiads. My greatest achievement as a teacher is probably that my winning graduates know more than I do.
Anton Zhiltsov went through a long journey before reaching Quebec. First, he won the regional stage of the national geography Olympiad, then he took a second-degree diploma at the national level. He passed an additional selection in English (which is the working language of iGeo) and participated in two-week training sessions, where only four out of 12 candidates remained. The dress rehearsal for the international Olympiad was the Baltic iGeo in Latvia, where Anton won a bronze medal in June.
According to the talented young man, the knowledge requirements at iGeo and at our subject Olympiads differ – it is more difficult in Belarus.
– The international Olympiad program includes three stages: theoretical, field, and multimedia, – Anton explained. – In Belarus, along with practical skills, knowledge of large volumes of factual material is required, while at iGeo, the focus is on logic, analysis, spatial thinking, and more practice. For example, we studied coastal silting, and also mapped and described objects of cultural value in one of the provincial towns.
– Anton is being modest, – added Sergey Krivenko. – A theoretical foundation, of course, is necessary at this level. It’s just that his is excellent, and everything seems easy to him now.
The Belarusian team was in Canada during the first week of August. A rich cultural program was organized for the iGeo participants, including city tours, a visit to Canada's largest nature reserve, and cultural presentations from all participating countries.
According to Anton, the secret to his success lies in diligence and hard work.
– Therefore, my main dream is to simply rest, but again, there’s no time – I have to study again, – the young man noted with a smile.
However, it’s difficult to call the guy a bookworm – he graduated from music school and plays guitar in his own band. Anton is now in Minsk – he enrolled in the Faculty of Geography at BSU without exams, is mastering the specialty "Geoinformation Systems," and dreams of new achievements, setting professional goals for himself now. And, I think, Anton will succeed in everything.