"Learning Ukrainian Rocks!" Video Contest Results

"Learning Ukrainian Rocks!" Video Contest Results

In March 2018 the Ukrainian Language Education Centre (ULEC), a research unit of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) at the University of Alberta, organized a Canada-wide video contest titled "Learning Ukrainian Rocks!" The project idea, originated by ULEC consultant Dr. Olenka Bilash, was proposed to Ukrainian bilingual and Saturday school programs, whose students were given the opportunity to produce a Ukrainian-language video clip about their school and about how they learn Ukrainian. The goal of the contest was to promote their use of Ukrainian language and develop their digital literacy and creativity.

The contest announcement was received with enthusiasm, and thirty-six submissions were received that in total involved over two hundred students of Ukrainian bilingual and Saturday school heritage language programs from all across Canada. Participants included students in elementary as well as middle and high schools, divided into three categories: grades 4–7 in Ukrainian bilingual programs, grades 4–7 in Ukrainian Saturday schools, and grades 9–12 in both Ukrainian bilingual and Saturday schools. Three prizes were awarded in each category.

As coordinator of the project, Prof. Bilash stated with a smile, "The contest participants showed extraordinary creativity, making things very difficult for the jury members. The entries were extraordinarily interesting, with impressive creative ideas. It was a pleasure to see the students’ desire to highlight what was special about their school and demonstrate their mastery of the Ukrainian language."

The contest results were announced during the National Ukrainian Teachers’ Conference, which was held this year for the first time in an online format (5 May 2018). The prize winners are listed below:

Students in elementary and middle school (junior high) Ukrainian bilingual programs:

• first prize ($300) — a video produced by grade 5 students at St. Martin School in Edmonton, Alberta
• second prize ($100) — a video produced by grade 4 students at St. Martin School in Edmonton, Alberta, and a video produced by students at Happy Thought School in East Selkirk, Manitoba
• third prize ($75) — a video produced by students in grades 6–8 at St. Theresa School in Sherwood Park, Alberta

   

  Students in elementary-division Ukrainian Saturday schools:

• first prize ($300) — a video produced by Nicholas Bat, a student at Ridna Shkola in Oakville, Ontario
• second prize ($100) — a video produced by Ridna Shkola students at the Ukrainian Canadian Institute Prosvita in Winnipeg, Manitoba
• third prize ($75) — a video produced by Yustyna Horich, a student at Ridna Shkola in Edmonton, Alberta

   

  Students in senior-division Ukrainian bilingual and Saturday schools:

   

• first prize ($300) — a video produced by grade 10–11 students at Metropolitan Andrej Sheptytsky Ukrainian School in Montreal, Quebec
• second prize ($100) — a video produced by Deana Hryniw with Mateya Berezowsky and Sofia Ovcharenko, students at the Ivan Franko School of Ukrainian Studies in Edmonton, Alberta
• third prize ($75) — a video produced by Lubomyr Soroka, a student at the Ivan Franko School of Ukrainian Studies in Edmonton, Alberta.

Two additional videos—one produced by grade 9–12 students from Archbishop Jordan School in Sherwood Park, Alberta (Mathhew Yanik, Nikolai Lychak, Maxim Bahri, and Ethan Kryska), and another by students at the Ivan Franko School of Ukrainian Studies in Edmonton, Alberta (Anastasiia Maksymova and Anzhela Batsyk), received Honorary Mention and prize amounts of $50. The winning videos will be posted on the ULEC website, where they may be viewed at: https://www.ualberta.ca/canadian-institute-of-ukrainian-studies/centres-and-programs/ulec

ULEC is very pleased with this initiative and plans to run other contests for Ukrainian school students in the future.

Please visit the Centre’s website to learn about its projects and find out how you can participate and support future projects: https://www.ualberta.ca/canadian-institute-of-ukrainian-studies/centres-and-programs/ulec