On Saturday, April 18, 2015, eleven Bishop Dunne students competed in the Russian Olympiad in Houston. Every one of them came away a winner. Three earned the “Gold Medal” status, the highest award level. Mrs. Iryna Dovzhanska, Bishop Dunne’s Russian teacher, said, “We experienced an amazing moment watching all the attendees acknowledge our freshman David Andrews with an ovation for his outstanding score. Bishop Dunne is now known statewide as a school that produces champions!”
The competition is held annually. Dovzhanska, English and Russian Teacher at Bishop Dunne since 1999 - 15 years - teaches 17 students in three different levels of the language. She’s especially proud of her students this year, and their results at the competition.
Ms. Dovzhanska, a native of Ukraine, teaches levels one through three of Russian at the school, and level four on line. “I would love to have more students,” she says, “and hope to take the classes to Russia one day soon.” A trip she planned is on hold due to the unrest in the country right now, but Ms. Dovzhanska has great hopes that one day soon she can take all her Bishop Dunne Falcons to see the Russian culture first-hand, and possibly compete in the country’s high school Russian language Olympiad.
Over 100 Texas students were at the competition last weekend. Students came from schools in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio to test their Russian-speaking skills. This is the second year that Bishop Dunne has gone to the competition, following last year’s event held at UT in Austin.
Gold Medalist freshman David Andrews said, "The Russian competition in Houston allowed me to interact with other people who study or already speak Russian and to enjoy an unforgettable moment of winning gold medal."
Fellow freshman and gold medalist Catherine Day said, "Through studying Russian and competing in the Russian Olympiad, I have been able to broaden my perception of the world and open various college scholarship opportunities."
Junior Ekaterina Boucher said, "Guest speakers from the Russian Consulate and interpreters from NASA at the Russian Olympiad have given me inspiration and insight for exciting career paths." Adopted from Russia as a baby, she’s grown up as an English-speaking American, but is glad to learn the language of her birth country.
Ultimately, these Texas students could compete in a different arena thousands of miles away as
the countrywide final for the Russian Language and Literature Olympiad was held at the Russian Center of Science and Culture in Chisinau two weeks ago. A total of 70 students from Moldovan schools took part in the competition.
According to Valentin Rybitsky, head of the Rossotrudnichestvo office in Moldova, the youth of his country are interested in the study of the Russian language, and he says, “In the future a good command of the language of Pushkin and Tolstoy could turn out to be useful for all of these young people, particularly if they choose to go into diplomacy or business.” Rybitsky is also confident that the Russian language will also be of use to those who will engage in science or cultural studies.
All of the participants of the Olympiad received collections of Russian literature as a gift while the winners of the contest received monetary prizes as well. The Olympiad was organized by the Moldovan Society of Russian Language and Literature Teachers (MOPRYAL), Russian Center of Science and Culture, Ministry of Education, Ion Creangă Pedagogical State University and Russian Community of Moldova.
Maybe one day soon, the Bishop Dunne Russian language team can fly there to compete. For now, from Houston, the Falcons’ individual results are:
First Year Russian Language Student Winners at Level 1:
David Andrews, 9th Grade – gold medal: David had the highest possible score in every category -100.
Abraham Ramirez, 9th Grade – silver medal
Grant Barksdale, 7th Grade – silver medal
Second Year Russian Language Students, Level 2:
Kassandra Kiespert, 10th Grade – gold medal
Robert Voigt, 9th Grade – honorable mention
Third Year Russian Language Students, Level 3:
Katie Boucher, 11th Grade – gold medal
Catherine Day, 9th Grade – gold medal
Edye Gonzales, 9th Grade – silver medal
Lily Connally, 12th Grade – bronze medal
Andres Galdamez, 9th Grade – honorable mention
Fourth Year Russian Language Student - Level 4:
Vasyl Ploskanych, 9th Grade – silver medal
More Champions will be at "An Evening with Legends Dinner" this Wednesday, April 29, 2015 at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Former Dallas Cowboys Roger Staubach, Bob Lilly and Drew Pearson will be in attendance to discuss their favorite championship memories. The event will raise money for tuition assistance scholarships for deserving Bishop Dunne students. For more information and for tickets see the school's website: www.bdcs.org or contact Lydia Torrez at ltorrez@bdcs.org.