First-grade student Andrea Stojko and her English language teacher Milica Aleksić travelled to Italy from 22 to 24 May for the regional qualifiers of the HIPPO competition, which were the qualifiers for the finals that will be held in Rome in September.

The competition took place in Lido di Jesolo, near Venice, and was organised for approximately 200 top-ranking students from Europe in six categories.

This is the first time that a student from our school has qualified for this level of competition. Andrea is one of only three competitors from Serbia in her category who had enough points to participate in this part of the competition.

All participants are winners as they won first place in their respective countries

The competition was extremely tough, and unfortunately, Andrea did not win first place, which is the only place that qualifies for the finals in Rome. However, she received a participation medal. As the organisers themselves stated, all these students are winners because they won first place in their respective countries.

Of course, what is most important is that this was a great opportunity for Andrea to meet peers from other cities and countries. There was enough time and activities for students to make new friends and communicate in English.

Andrea formed the strongest bond with her peers from Italy, North Macedonia, and Croatia, and we are confident that she will continue to nurture those friendships.

We believe that all of the above should serve as encouragement and motivation for our students to apply for the competition next year and give their best, as they can learn, see, and experience so much.