After their successful debut in the round leading to the quarter-finals, this week and last week students Mina Kovačević and Una Grzunov participated in the rhetoric competition’s quarter-finals. Our talented students were successful and qualified for the semi-finals of the competition.

Mina and Una qualified among the best 18 at the interregional “Slavoslov” rhetoric competition; they will deliver their speeches in the semi-finals in April.

What did our students talk about?

In the quarter-finals, the topics were predefined and concerned with the higher realms, so Una and Mina, despite being at such a competition for the first time in addition to being the youngest students there, they both strived to meet the task at hand courageously and daringly.

Una’s topic “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face” are the words of Paul the Apostle from the most beautiful hymn on love. These words inspired Una to speak about the human need for domination, and the fact that strength lies in the truth, which we need to look straight in the face.

Mina spoke on the topic “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword”. These are the words of Christ which, out of context, can be misinterpreted, which is why Mina decided to speak on the sword symbolism and the relationship between good and evil.

As the audience put it, both contestants expressed an impressive level of maturity and the ability to deal with difficult, ever-present questions.

Nourish the word well spoken

We are proud of our students Una and Mina because they nourish their mother tongue while attending English-mediated lessons in the Cambridge programme because they are aware that the beauty of the spoken word should be nourished, and that each word can have weight when communicated the right way. We wish you a lot of success in the further stages of the competition!