Mensa Grammar School: achievements and events (2013)

Marcela Fatrová

Students of the Mensa Grammar School managed to make good use of their talents, and won medals in competitions in both knowledge and art. Mensa Grammar school also participated again in organizing the Earth Day in Prague 17, and the good reputation of the school was also supported by teachers’ activities and by a documentary broadcasted by Radio Czech.


Students’ Achievements in Competitions

Our 6th year student, Vilém Kolář, managed to progress among 180 participants into the national finals of the Geography Olympiad. Vilém has regularly placed among the top competitors within the region, but this year, he managed a breakthrough, and will be able to make use of his knowledge in the national finals. Natálie Skotáková, a second year student, ended up, together with her dancing team from the B Original dance school, third at the regional round of the Czech Hip Hop Championship in the junior formations category that took place in Kladno on May 4th. The finals took place at the end of May in Brno. Míša Kučerová, a fifth year student, participated in the photography competition “Historical Monuments Through the Lenses of the Young”, organized by theAssociation of Historical Settlements in Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia, and managed to win it despite fierce competition. The ceremonial announcement of the winners took place on April 18th 2013 at the opportunity of the International Day of Monuments and Settlements at the Spanish Hall of Prague Castle. David Labský, a 7th year student, won the regional round of the Programming Olympiad, organized by the Prague 2 Children and Youth Centre, and thereby earned an opportunity to show his talents in the national finals.

Theatre, Radio, and Conference

The play “Vladimir’s Whore” by Jan Kratochvíl, a teacher of Mensa Grammar School, awaits its premiere on 1st June 2013 at the Švanda Theatre in Prague-Smíchov. 

Czech Radio Vltava broadcasted in the Tearoom show on 28th April, within the framework of the New Generation Games and Documentaries series, a documentary dedicated to the Mensa Grammar School. The documentary by Barbora Kosíková, mother of one of our gifted students, brought insights on the life at the school to the general public. 

Our colleague, PhDr. Eva Patáková, held a lecture entitled “Creating Tasks for Gifted Students” at the conference of Czech Mathematicians and Physicists. The conference named “Not a Single Talent Wasted” took place on May 10th in Hradec Králové.

Mensa gymnázium na Dni Země (zdroj: Mensa gymnázium)

Earth Day Celebrations

Every year, the council of Prague 17 organizes, with the help of other subjects, Earth Day. This year, for example, primary schools from the Prague Řepy district, the Fire brigade, Czech Woods, Czech Fishermen’s Association, Eco-Centre Koniklec, Faculty of Science of the Charles University, Šimsa Company and, of course, Mensa Grammar School took part in organizing it.

The main focus of this year’s celebration was water. Numerous stops were located on the premises of the Jan Werich Primary School, where visitors were free to compete, play, have fun, or learn. There was also one novelty when compared to the previous years – 12 of the stops were “competition stops”, and everyone who received all 12 stamps could place their card into a drawing drum, from which lots were drawn in the afternoon, and the winners received e.g. board games donated to Mensa Grammar School by Albi, vouchers for free IQ tests from Mensa, “pairs” games, bike reflectors, etc. Mensa Grammar School prepared six stops in total, three of which were in the competition. The children could have competed in the time needed to put a puzzle together, examined models of a hydro plant, water tower, lock chamber, experimented with water, and Lentilky (these are what Smarties are called in the Czech Republic), watched a movie about water, competed in recognizing shells, prepared a mount of a water insect, or washed fossils out of a chalk sea. 

This year, the beautiful weather also contributed towards the success of the event. Many thanks go to all of the organizers and students who participated in the event. Special thanks go to the 2nd class, Vojta Koštíř, PhDr. Tomáš Kočí, Marek Říha, and Mgr. Jana Jilemnická.

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2.5.2013


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