Savremena students’ literary achievements in English

The story Ligaments written by Savremena senior students Zvezdana Filipović and Larisa Vasović won first place at the international literary competition for Secondary school students. The competition entitled My original story was announced by a creative organisation Кombinat. Participants were required to write an original short story, not longer than 10 pages, in English.

Winners’ interview

The victorious girls shared their impressions in a short interview.

What motivated you to enter the competition?

Inspiration came from all parts, including school talks and our acquaintances, but the greatest impact came from the books that belong to the genre of fantasy. We read these books in our free time and we’d like to single out works of Tolkien, Roger Zelazny and Terry Pratchett.

How did the writing process develop?

The beginning was the hardest, but when we got to some basic ideas, and realised what way we want the story to develop, it was much easier. We used to write while at school, during the breaks and after the lessons, using the platform Google Meet.

Was it difficult to write in English?

No, Actually, it was easier as we read most books in English.

How do you feel about being the competition winners?

While we were writing, not for a moment did we think of winning a place in the competition. We wrote because what we did was fulfilling and we wanted to see what would happen in the end. Of course, we are glad that we won first place, but that’s just a bonus to the joy we feel as we accomplished something as a result of mutual effort, which makes us really proud.

You can find and read their story at this link.

We hope that this is only the beginning of their professional writing, and that one day we’ll be proud to read Zvezdana’s novel or Lara’s short stories collection!

I am extremely pleased and proud to be the parent of a Savremena student. During my first encounter with the school management, when I asked about my child’s potential enrolment, I saw how much love, enthusiasm and professionalism you put in your work. I was impressed by your approach, ideas and methods. I couldn’t believe something like this existed in our country! It doesn’t take long to realise that this is a school you would recommend to everyone. Creativity, modern technology, top-quality education, and most of all, the humaneness that can be seen throughout the school, make it truly different and worthy of its name – Savremena Gimnazija. With such an approach, the success of this school and, consequently, our children’s success, is unavoidable. Congratulations! Jelena Đorđević, Andrija’s mum
Contemporary in any sense of the word, our school offers functional knowledge and quality preparation for tertiary education in Serbia and abroad. Implementing modern and creative teaching in the classroom, where the teachers’ pedagogy and students’ performance are aligned with the highest academic standards for the high-school finals, our school develops linguistic, mathematical, scientific, artistic, cultural, technical and ICT competence, which is a prerequisite for further education and professional development. Teaching is supported by the interactive whiteboards and educational software, whereas practice exercises research and critical thinking.