A 5th-grade student of “Prvi maj” Elementary School in Trupalo near Niš, Nikolija Ristić, is among the world’s best in English language proficiency. She qualified for the finals of the English Language Olympiad, which was attended by 88,000 students from 63 countries, of whom 223 made it to the world finals.
In the category for which Nikolija applied, 23,000 participated, and in the final, which was held in Italy at the end of September, 46 students who have an excellent command of the English language qualified.
Reading poetry is just one of the segments of the English Language Olympiad where ten-year-old Nikolija from Trupalo near Niš left behind 23,000 peers from 63 countries.
“The competition was tough, there were the most participants in my category. The tests weren’t that difficult. I didn’t have private lessons, as a child I watched English cartoons. When I went to first grade, English was easy for me, as if it were my native language”, said Nikolija Ristić, a 5th-grade student at “Prvi maj” Elementary School in Trupalo near Niš.
At school, they say that talent is nurtured from a young age, and that it must first be recognized in the family and then developed with the help of teachers.
“I’ve been teaching Nikolija since the first grade and her talent is immediately noticeable. There are a lot of talented children, but they don’t develop their talent. Nikolija has that fantastic combination of talent and work, which is exactly what is needed for success. She understands various fields, she is a very versatile child”, emphasized Srebrica Stojanović, an English teacher.
Although Nikolija is only in the fifth grade, she is already interested in chemistry and other sciences, but she is sure that she will be an English teacher.
“I want more children to love the language. English is important to me because I want people to understand me and for me to understand them”, emphasized Nikolija Ristić.
She studies hard and is on her way to achieving all that.
She also doesn’t miss out on socializing with her peers and regularly helps her parents with various tasks on the family farm.
READ MORE:
AND THE STATS SAY IT ALL: Another quick win for Nole, the Russian didn’t stand a chance!
Source: RTS
Photo: Printscreen RTS