Olympiada of Spoken Russian
Encyclopedia
The Olympiada of Spoken Russian is an annual series of state and regional competition
s held for high school
students of Russian
in the United States
, sponsored by the American Council of Teachers of Russian
(ACTR). It is the oldest secondary school activity put on by this association, beginning in the 1960s. "Olympiada" means olympiad
in Russian.
, as well as the Soviet Student Olympiads
.
There are three sections to the Olympiada:
s, including those who went to the United States at age 11 or later.
. As a result, not all states have their own Olympiadas, nor are all regions are covered by the multi-state Olympiadas. The states and regions currently offering Olympiadas are as follows
, which sponsors the Washington-Oregon competition, awards the Nora Holdsworth Scholarship
(full tuition to the University of Washington
Summer Russian program). Each year, the top finalists from each region are invited to the Olympiada Study Abroad Program, which includes a homestay
in Vladimir
, Russia
. The program includes language and culture classes and tours in the region of the Golden Ring. ACTR greatly subsidizes this trip, making it possible for students who would otherwise not be able to afford it. The number of finalists invited from each region depends on the number of students competing. Students in the highest level and heritage speakers are eligible; native speakers are not. Only one finalist is allowed per school; students who have been finalists before are not allowed to win a second time.
Every three years (2001, 2004, 2007...) the top finalists are invited to be part of the US delegation to the International Olympiada of Spoken Russian held in Moscow
. After the competition, the students continue to the homestay
in Vladimir
.
Starting from 2009, Malenkaya Kompaniya, literary magazine for Russian-speaking children in US, together with the ACTR and the Slavic Department of the Columbia University, organizes annual Olympiadas of Spoken Russian for Heritage Speakers. Participants are children from Russian-speaking and mixed families who do not study Russian in American middle or high schools.
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
s held for high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
students of Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, sponsored by the American Council of Teachers of Russian
American Council of Teachers of Russian
American Council of Teachers of Russian is a professional organization that advances research, training, and materials development in the fields of Russian and English language; strengthens communication within and between communities of scholars and educators in language, literature, and area...
(ACTR). It is the oldest secondary school activity put on by this association, beginning in the 1960s. "Olympiada" means olympiad
Olympiad
An Olympiad is a period of four years, associated with the Olympic Games of Classical Greece. In the Hellenistic period, beginning with Ephorus, Olympiads were used as calendar epoch....
in Russian.
Format
The format for the Olympiada comes from the oral examinations that were common in the Soviet educational systemEducation in the Soviet Union
Education in the Soviet Union was organized in a highly centralized government-run system. Its advantages were total access for all citizens and post-education employment...
, as well as the Soviet Student Olympiads
Soviet Student Olympiads
Soviet Student Olympiad was an annual set of contests for students in USSR. There were two separate multi-round competitions every year: for higher education and general education . Both competitions had several rounds, and winners from lower rounds would go to the next round. Not only individual...
.
There are three sections to the Olympiada:
- About yourself
A conversationConversationConversation is a form of interactive, spontaneous communication between two or more people who are following rules of etiquette.Conversation analysis is a branch of sociology which studies the structure and organization of human interaction, with a more specific focus on conversational...
is carried on, where the interviewer asks the student questions, often about themselves, and the student answers. The student has access to the questions in advance, in order to prepare answers. On the lowest level, questions include "What is your name?" and "Where do you live?"; on the highest level, students are expected to describe themselves and their friends in detail, and discuss abstract ideas such as the nature of artArtArt is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
. - Cultural knowledge
A section of each preparatory packet contains texts about RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Russian cultureRussian cultureRussian culture is associated with the country of Russia and, sometimes, specifically with ethnic Russians. It has a rich history and can boast a long tradition of excellence in every aspect of the arts, especially when it comes to literature and philosophy, classical music and ballet, architecture...
. The student is expected to be familiar with the material, and able to answer questions about it. On the lowest level, this includes basic geographyGeographyGeography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
; on the highest level, texts about famous Russian literary figuresRussian literatureRussian literature refers to the literature of Russia or its émigrés, and to the Russian-language literature of several independent nations once a part of what was historically Russia or the Soviet Union...
are included. - Text/poem
The preparatory packets include a selection of narrative texts and poems adapted to the student's expected ability level. Each student must prepare one narrative text, and be ready to read it aloud and answer questions about it. They must also memorize and recite a poem from the packet. The memorization requirement is a recent addition; in the past, the poem was treated the same as the text. At the lowest level, the poetry is adapted to suit the students' abilities, but at the highest level the student must memorize a full poem in the original by such famous Russian poets as Pushkin, Akhmatova, and Tsvetaeva.
Levels
There are six levels in the Olympiada. Four correspond to the level of ability expected of a student after their first, second, third, or fourth year of language study. This allows students in all years of the standard 9th - 12th grade high school to participate. There is a fifth level for heritage learners of the language, who went to the United States before age 11, and a sixth level for native speakerNative Speaker
Native Speaker is Chang-Rae Lee’s first novel. In Native Speaker, he creates a man named Henry Park who tries to assimilate into American society and become a “native speaker.”-Plot summary:...
s, including those who went to the United States at age 11 or later.
Scoring
Students are given a score between 60 and 100 for each section, and the section scores are averaged to get the student's final score. Medals are awarded as follows:- Gold medal: 90-100 points
- Silver medal: 80-89 points
- Bronze medal: 70-79 points
- Honorable mention: 60-69 points
Regions
The number of Russian programs in American high schools has been steadily decreasing since the end of the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. As a result, not all states have their own Olympiadas, nor are all regions are covered by the multi-state Olympiadas. The states and regions currently offering Olympiadas are as follows
- AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
- CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
- IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
-IndianaIndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is... - IowaIowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
- MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
- Mid-AtlanticMid-Atlantic StatesThe Mid-Atlantic states, also called middle Atlantic states or simply the mid Atlantic, form a region of the United States generally located between New England and the South...
- MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
- New EnglandNew EnglandNew England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
- New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
- New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
- OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
- OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
- Rocky MountainsRocky MountainsThe Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
- TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
- TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
-MissouriMissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It... - VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
- Washington-OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
Awards
As part of the registration fee, ACTR provides "medals" for each participant, based on score. Each region may choose to give out its own award to the highest-scoring student, although this is not required. The University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, which sponsors the Washington-Oregon competition, awards the Nora Holdsworth Scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
(full tuition to the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
Summer Russian program). Each year, the top finalists from each region are invited to the Olympiada Study Abroad Program, which includes a homestay
Homestay
Homestay is a form of tourism and/or study abroad program that allows the visitor to rent a room from a local family to better learn the local lifestyle as well as improve their language ability. While homestays can occur in any destination worldwide, some countries do more to encourage homestay...
in Vladimir
Vladimir
Vladimir is a city and the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway. Population:...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. The program includes language and culture classes and tours in the region of the Golden Ring. ACTR greatly subsidizes this trip, making it possible for students who would otherwise not be able to afford it. The number of finalists invited from each region depends on the number of students competing. Students in the highest level and heritage speakers are eligible; native speakers are not. Only one finalist is allowed per school; students who have been finalists before are not allowed to win a second time.
Every three years (2001, 2004, 2007...) the top finalists are invited to be part of the US delegation to the International Olympiada of Spoken Russian held in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. After the competition, the students continue to the homestay
Homestay
Homestay is a form of tourism and/or study abroad program that allows the visitor to rent a room from a local family to better learn the local lifestyle as well as improve their language ability. While homestays can occur in any destination worldwide, some countries do more to encourage homestay...
in Vladimir
Vladimir
Vladimir is a city and the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway. Population:...
.
See also
Olympiada of Spoken Russian for Heritage SpeakersStarting from 2009, Malenkaya Kompaniya, literary magazine for Russian-speaking children in US, together with the ACTR and the Slavic Department of the Columbia University, organizes annual Olympiadas of Spoken Russian for Heritage Speakers. Participants are children from Russian-speaking and mixed families who do not study Russian in American middle or high schools.