When logic is more important than cramming. Meet the winner of the Union State Olympiad Arseniy Potapenko

At the end of October, at the Olympiad of schoolchildren of the Union State “Russia and Belarus: historical and spiritual community”, the team of the Mogilev region took first place. One of the main heroes of the triumph is the eleventh grader of Mogilev High School No. 39 Arseny Potapenko, who became the winner in the individual standings and received a special prize of the organizing committee. We met Arseny and learned that he collects minerals, makes handmade soap, reads Mark Twain in the original, and also talked to him about the Olympics, plans and where the best place for him on earth is.

Mogilev schoolboy for the second time won the diploma of the Union Olympiad When logic is more important than rote learning The competition at the Olympiad of the Union State in Saransk was serious - 137 smart people and smart women, and the cherished first places are only six, says Arseny:

The absolute winner was a Russian schoolgirl, but I was very close to her in points. This Olympiad turned out to be more difficult than the one held last year in Vitebsk, where I also won first place.

Four hours were given to complete 15 tasks. To cope with them, an excellent knowledge of the Russian language, literature and school curriculum is not enough, says the eleventh grader:

- Logic and the ability to instantly connect facts from different fields of knowledge were useful. For example, in one of the tasks it was necessary to guess what the words invented by the poet and language reformer Velimir Khlebnikov meant. I realized that the “helicopter” is an airfield. And deciphering the synonyms introduced into circulation by the writer Alexander Shishkov, who struggled with borrowing, realized: if “geo” is the earth, and “metric” is to measure, then the word “earth” is a synonym for “geometry”.

Observant Arseny noted the difference in the approaches of Belarusian and Russian philological schools. While Russian schoolchildren during the essay relied on abstract reasoning and essays, Belarusians relied on a deep analysis of the text, a detailed review of the work. Arseny wrote a review of the soulful poem about the war of Veronica Tushnova “Doll”.

By the way, philology is not the only passion of the eleventh grader. As he says, his school subjects are all his favorites. I look in the diary, and there are only dozens. Arseniy won the Olympiads in chemistry, history, mathematics, financial literacy.

“The Olympics develop their horizons perfectly, train memory,” Arseny shares his experience. - All this will be useful during study at the university.

As the winner of the prestigious Union Olympiad, the guy received the right without exams to be enrolled in any university on a philological profile. However, he continues to prepare for admission to Vitebsk State Medical University: from the second grade he dreams of becoming a dentist. Piano, soap and Mark Twain Teacher of Russian language and literature, class leader Oksana Kostromina calls Arseny multifaceted:

- This year we opened a unique information and educational space “Energy of Good” with an exposition about the history of the Red Cross. So, Arseny is one of our main guides. As a future dentist, he is close to the topic of medicine and volunteering. He is also a polyglot: he studies English at school, reads Mark Twain’s original at home and masters French on his own.

But this list of hobbies does not end there. In his spare time, Arseny learns to play the piano. He has his own instrument, and a personal ideological inspirer - grandmother Olga Vladimirovna, who perfectly music. In addition, the guy creates handmade soap in the form of elegant flowers, miniature sea waves, New Year characters, which he gladly gives to loved ones. He's also a keen collector. Arseny has collected more than 100 minerals – he admits that he is fascinated by their perfect beauty created by nature. The main passion - travel - Arseny shares with his mother, Margarita Alexandrovna. Together they have visited 25 countries, including France, Italy, Greece, Cuba, North Macedonia.

Arseny likes to think through the routes himself. So the long way to the Olympics in Mordovia, in Saransk, planned to detail. And in Moscow, during the transfer, he took the role of a guide and led the team on an impromptu excursion to see Red Square, temples, a monument to Peter I. He did well, even though he was in the city for the first time.

Mordovia conquered the Belarusian polymath with original culture, traditions of Erzyans and Mokshan.

- They greeted us in national costumes, with songs and treats, Arseny shares his impressions. We visited several museums, including Ethno-Kudo, where the life of the Mordovian peasant estate is recreated, and wooden sculptures depicting the heroes of the local epic and mythology are placed under the open sky.

- Here I breathe easily, I feel free. All conditions have been created in our country so that young people can realize themselves. As a scholarship holder of the President’s special fund, entered into the republican database of gifted youth, I will be provided with a hostel upon admission to Vitebsk. After graduation, like other state employees, I will be provided with the first job.

Arseny admits that in the future, when he receives a doctor’s degree, he wants to return to his native Mogilev:

- Why? It's simple: it's really good for my heart.

kislyak@sb.by