HIPPO 2026 European Finals

 The European Finals of the HIPPO Contest, held from 17 to 20 May in Lido di Jesolo, Italy, brought together around 715 participants from 20 countries.

For our pupils, this was a wonderful opportunity to make new friends, enjoy the Adriatic coast, ride the Ferris wheel, taste Italian specialties, and take a boat trip to Venice.

My pupils achieved remarkable success:

• Stefan Zekonja, II3 – scored 32 points in the Little Hippo category, just 6 points behind the first-placed girl from Bulgaria
• Nađa Mandić, VI1 – placed in the top 20 in the Hippo 2 category
• Nikola Tomić, VIII2 – ranked in the top 10 in the Hippo 3 category

The award and medal ceremony was held at the Palazzo del Turismo on 19 May. 

HIPPO 2026 National Finals

 The National Finals of the international HIPPO competition for pupils from Kikinda schools were held on 24 and 25 April at Đura Jakšić Primary School.

Just like last year, the contestants took their exams online. My pupils did their best on the more challenging tests and achieved excellent results, making it to the yellow and orange lists:

• Little HIPPO:
  Stefan Zekonja II3 (Reading: 30/30, Use of English: 39/43.5 = 69/73.5), European finalist,

• HIPPO 2:
  Nađa Mandić VI1 (Reading: 34/34, Use of English: 37.5/42 = 71.5/76), European finalist,
  
  Jovan Ćoškov VI3 (Reading: 33/34, Use of English: 24/42 = 57/76),

• HIPPO 3:
  
  Nikola Tomić VIII2 (Reading: 29/33, Use of English: 36/43.5 = 65/76.5 points), European finalist,
  Luka Baba VIII2 (Reading: 26/33, Use of English: 25.5/43.5 = 51.5/76.5 points).

HIPPO 2026 Preliminary

Here are the results of this year's Contest which took place on 22 March in Đura Jakšić Primary School:

• HIPPO Little:
  Stefan Zekonja II3 (Reading: 30/30, Use of English: 27/30 = 57/60), national finalist

• HIPPO 2:
  Nađa Mandić VI1 (Reading: 34/34, Use of English: 28.5/30 = 62.5/64), national finalist,
  Jovan Ćoškov VI3 (Reading: 33/34, Use of English: 28.5/30 = 61.5/64), national finalist,
  Mila Petrović VI1 (Reading: 34/34, Use of English: 27/30 = 61/64), national finalist,
  Anastasija Đomparin VI3 (Reading: 32/34, Use of English: 28.5/30 = 60.5/64),
  Vukašin Mrkelja VI3 (Reading: 32/34, Use of English: 28.5/30 = 60.5/64),
  Nina Stijelja VI2 (Reading: 33/34, Use of English: 27/30 = 60/64),
  Dunja Barna VI 3 (Reading: 32/34, Use of English: 27/30 = 59/64),
  Anđela Mijandžić (Reading: 30/34, Use of English: 28.5/30 = 58.5/64)

• HIPPO 3:
  Nikola Tomić VIII2 (Reading: 34/34, Use of English: 28.5/30 = 62.5/64 points), national finalist,
  Luka Baba VIII2 (Reading: 34/34, Use of English: 27/30 = 61/64 points), national finalist,
  Nataša Đurin VIII2 (Reading: 32/34, Use of English: 28.5/30 = 60.5/64 points).

HIPPO 2026

 This year, three groups of my pupils—12 in total—joined the preliminary round of the Hippo Contest. For some it was a familiar challenge, while for others it was their very first time. All agreed the tests felt easy, so we’re hopeful for good news in the weeks ahead. 

The local round took place on 22 March at Đura Jakšić Primary School.

I Can School Challenge 2025

 On 19 October, our team joined the national celebration of the I Can School Challenge in New Belgrade. Eleven school teams from across Serbia presented creative projects focused on empathy, innovation, and making a difference. 

We were proud to share our story about responsible consumption and were invited on stage to share key highlights and take on a new challenge.

Later, we joined workshops led by volunteers and worked with students from other schools on fun and thoughtful tasks—lining up by birthdays without speaking, guessing who was leading group movements, writing funny poems about serious topics, and creating a sketch on gender equality.

Although we were not chosen to represent Serbia at the Be the Change conference in Japan, we returned home happy and inspired. The jury awarded us for golden hands and empathy, and shared encouraging feedback:

- Our project addresses an important global issue with clear, practical solutions.

- The Share phase stood out and made a strong impression.

We are thankful for the chance to learn, grow, and connect with others who care about change.

SonS 2025

 On 13 September, our team took part in the third national Science on Stage festival, held at ITHS in New Belgrade. The event gathered 20 school teams from different parts of Serbia, each showcasing their creative STEAM projects. We were proud to be invited to the national finals with our eTwinning SDG story.

This was a fantastic opportunity to explore innovative approaches to STEAM education, practise public speaking in front of visitors and the jury, and enjoy a sunny day in New Belgrade. We also organised a short workshop to demonstrate how we use digital apps, such as ChatterPix Kids, in our project work.

The feedback from visitors truly made our day. Comments like 'I’ve never heard a teacher talk with so much enthusiasm about working with students before' and 'You’ve done amazing work for a primary school' were deeply encouraging, even though we were not selected to represent Serbia at the European finals in Lithuania next May.

The selection of national finalists was based on several criteria, including originality and creativity, scientific relevance, ease of implementation, financial sustainability, and contribution to education for sustainable development. Projects that inspired curiosity, encouraged student research, and could be easily adapted to different school contexts received additional recognition.