"The greatest treasures are human words"

This year is special as we celebrate the 500th anniversary of Belarusian printing. On February 21st, the launch of one of the most ambitious projects was announced – the republican competition for young readers "Living Classics". Among its founders are the Ministry of Information of the Republic of Belarus, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus, the Public Association "Union of Writers of Belarus", and CJSC "Stolichnoye Televideniye". "We read a lot, we read together, we create ourselves and the country" is the motto of the competition.

Developing children's interest in the word, and in the best examples of Belarusian literature, should be a concern for adults today. This is because reading fosters personal development, understanding the experience accumulated in books, and competitiveness in our dynamic world. We need to seek new forms of working with children and parents. We are celebrating the 500th anniversary of Belarusian printing, and a line by Francysk Skaryna sounds extremely relevant.

The "Living Classics" competition is a true celebration that should mark the beginning of a creative ascent for our youth. It is noteworthy that its results will be announced in Polotsk during the celebration of the 500th anniversary of printing.

The "Living Classics" project includes several stages. The district stage took place at the Center for Children and Youth.

…The assembly hall of the center was overflowing, decorated in a beautiful Belarusian style. All participants of the event and those who wished to listen to them could not find seats. As a result, it was a full house. Students from eleven schools in the district recited poems by Belarusian classics. The performers did not limit themselves to expressive reading of a poem or an excerpt from a poem. Some transformed into the image of a peasant, while others gestured actively, giving their performance a special flair.

The youngest readers recited fables and poems by Belarusian writers with deep emotion and sensitivity: Edgard Gushcha (Kamenskaya Kindergarten-Basic School), Arina Krasnik (Borovskaya Secondary School), Angelina Dorokhova (Gymnasium named after I. M. Yerashov), Maksim Karusevich (Bobrovskaya Kindergarten-Secondary School). Pavel Sezdin (Starolepelskaya Basic School), Anastasia Golubeva (Starolyadenskaya Kindergarten-Secondary School), Katerina Drozdovich (Gymnasium named after I.M. Yerashov), Yulia Silvanovich (Secondary School No. 3), Katerina Demyanko (Slobodskaya Kindergarten-Secondary School) conveyed all the emotionality and melodiousness of their native language to the audience and jury members.

What did the children read? Among the recited works were fables by Kondrat Krapiva, excerpts from poems by Yakub Kolas, and the lyrical works of Pimen Panchenko and Maksim Bahdanovich. There were many participants, yet no work was repeated. Naturally, there were winners and those who were less fortunate. However, the main thing is that for an hour or two, the children found themselves in a genuine Belarusian-speaking environment. They understood how beautiful it is to speak their native language.

Lizaveta Sudak (2nd grade, Staralepel Basic School), Ksenia Unukovich (5th grade, Kamenskoye Children's Garden-Basic School), Ksenia Khatskevich (8th grade, Kamenskoye Children's Garden-Basic School), Kiryl Pyatrovich (10th grade, Zaslonovo Secondary School), and Pavel Zharnasek (Stayskaya Secondary School) won first places in the district stage and will perform at the regional stage.

Yauhen MIKALAEU.
In the photos: vibrant moments of the competition.