19.04.2024.

Awards presented to winners of Our Soldier, our Hero Contest

Elementary school students, winners of the traditional Our Soldier, our Hero Contest, received rewards today in the Great War Hall of the Old General Staff. The topic of this year’s contest was “Great Battles of the Great War”, and the contest categories were the Serbian language, Art and Technology.

Acting Assistant Minister of Defence for Human Resources Siniša Radović presented awards to the most creative competitors in the 5th-8th grade age group, and State Secretary in the Ministry of Education Prof. Ivica Radović, PhD, presented rewards to the 1st-4th grade pupils.

According to Assistant Minister Radović, the importance of this traditional contest lies in the fact that it defeats oblivion. He is glad that the awards are being presented on the occasion of the Serbian Armed Forces Day.

- The First World War marked our history and the history of the world. The memories of our ancestors and our history are our source of pride and they must not be forgotten, because we are here today thanks to them. Their courage and perseverance are the best proof that everything is possible in life. It is for this reason that the topic of this year's contest is "Great Battles of the Great War". We wanted to remind you of the great battles of Cer and Kolubara, and the great victory of the Serbian Army and state in the end - said Assistant Minister Radović.

In their works, the students have shown how they envisage the soldiers, but also the past and the future, he said.

- This year, more than a thousand works in all three categories were submitted, and we are grateful for such great interest. We elders have a great responsibility to raise children, educate them and instil patriotism in them - said Assistant Minister Radović and thanked the pupils for taking part in the contest. He expressed his hope that they would remain good students and persevere on the path of education.

Congratulating the award winners and all other contestants, State Secretary in the Ministry of Education Prof. Ivica Radović noted that the competition was a way to promote military service, but also a way to teach traditional and national values to the young generations.

- The idea is, above all, based on the need to encourage students to think about the glorious history of their country, the sublime moral values cherished and preserved by the traditions of the people they belong to. The students were asked to show their knowledge of the history and freedom-loving traditions of our people in a creative and original way, by writing compositions, doing paintings, and using technological knowledge and skills to express their views of the great liberation battles of the Great War - said State Secretary Radović.

One of the awardees is Vukašin Đošić, a third grade pupil of “Ljupče Nikolić” Elementary School from Aleksinac, the winner in the technology category. Vukašin could not hide his satisfaction with his participation in the contest.

- I have created a presentation showing the battles of Cer and Kolubara, and I have also presented the Salonica front. I was inspired by the fact that my grandfather used to call me Hawkeye and I didn't know what it meant or who it was until I did a research, which led me to the Great War. I didn't expect the award, it means a lot to me, I thought I might win third or second prize - Vukašin said honestly.

Another award went to "Ljupče Nikolić" Elementary School this year, namely, Vukašin's classmate Matija Rakić won second place with his presentation on the First World War battles of Kolubara, Cer and Mačkov kamen.

The teacher of “Ljupče Nikolić” Elementary School, Nataša Bogdanović, deserves credit for the success of Aleksinac pupils. She said she was proud that her students had won prizes in the technology category.

- I am glad that I was able to recognize their creativity and interests, which in turn brought us these beautiful prizes. In our digital literacy classes and extracurricular activities, students used various computer programs, acquired knowledge and skills and applied them. With my mentoring, they managed to create projects that turned out to be excellent in this contest - said Nataša Bogdanović, adding that her students had won prizes at last year’s Our Soldier, Our Hero Contest as well.

In addition to the pupils, the awards committee consisting of representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Education, also awarded prizes to class teachers and the teachers of subjects in which the pupils created their works.

The authors of the most creative works and their mentors were awarded a free seven-day holiday in the rest and recreation facilities of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces in Tara, Vrnjačka Banja and Morović.

At this year's Our soldier, our Hero Contest, David Matejić, a fourth-grade pupil of "Mića Stojković" Elementary School in Umčari, who attends classes in the school’s outpost in Dražanj, and his teacher, Nada Mlinar, took first place and won the Best Composition Award in the Serbian language category for the younger age group. The second prize was won by Vila Sokolović, a fourth-grade pupil of "Radoje Domanović" Elementary School from Vranje, and her teacher Ana Mikić, while the third prize went to David Mitrović, a second-grade pupil of "Vuk Karadžić" Elementary School from Prilužje, and his teacher Zorica Minić.

In the Art category for students attending grades 1-4, the first place was taken by Vasilija Šćepanović, a fourth grade pupil of “Đura Jakšić” Elementary School from Paraćin and her teacher Jelena Blažević. Helena Planičić, a third grade pupil of “Desanka Maksimović” Elementary School from Priboj, and her teacher Snežana Nikolić took second place, while the third prize went to Aleksa Mirković, a second grade pupil of “Jovan Grčić Milenko” Elementary School from Beočin, and his teacher Zorica Adamek.

In the same age group, the first prize winner in the Technology category is Vukašin Đošić, a third grade pupil of “Ljupče Nikolić” Elementary School from Aleksinac and his teacher Nataša Bogdanović. Matija Rakić, a third grade student of “Ljupče Nikolić” Elementary School from Aleksinac and his teacher Nataša Bogdanović took second place, and the third prize went to Helena Nedimović, a first grade pupil of “Dimitrije Todorović Kaplar” Elementary School from Knjaževac and her teacher Gordana Janevska.

In the older age group, Katarina Mitošević, a sixth-grade pupil of "Vuk Karadžić" Elementary School from Crvenka, and her teacher Jelena Kerekeš won the first prize in the Serbian language category. The second place was taken by Nikolina Keković, an eighth-grade pupil of "Vožd Karađorđe" Elementary School from Leskovac, and her teacher Irena Keković, while the third prize went to Janja Bojović, a seventh-grade pupil of "Jovan Jovanović Zmaj" Elementary School from Aleksinački Rudnik, and her teacher Marija Petrović.

In the same age group, the first prize in the Art category went to Staša Andrejević, an eighth-grade pupil of "Vera Radosavljević" Elementary School from Negotin, and her teacher Sanja Radosavljević. Second prize winners were Lucija Ćućuz, a sixth grade pupil of "France Prešern" Elementary School from Belgrade, and her teacher Tanja Đokić, while Dunja Ivanović, a fifth grade pupil of "Vožd Karađorđe" Elementary School from Leskovac, and her teacher Anđelka Savić took third place.

The first place in the Technology category was taken by Aleksandra Jović, a seventh-grade pupil of "Branko Radičević" Elementary School from Vranje, and her teacher Zdravko Veličković. The second prize went to Vojin Andonović, a seventh-grade pupil of "Zoran Đinđić" Elementary School from Niš, and his teacher Miloš Petrović, while Miloš Pandurović, a seventh-grade pupil of "Laza K. Lazarević" Elementary School from Šabac, and his teacher Dušica Stojanović Marković took third place.

Special awards for outstanding effort and creativity went to Anđela Kondić, an eighth-grade pupil of "Sveti Sava" Elementary School’s outpost in the Divoš district in Sremska Mitrovica, and the representative of groups of students of “Veljko Ramadanović" School for Visually Impaired Pupils from Zemun, "Stevan Sremac" Elementary School from Borča, "Kralj Petar Prvi" Elementary School from Belgrade and "Slobodan Sekulić" Elementary School from Užice.