A Pittsburg USD 250 third-grade student has been chosen as one of just two first-place winners of a national competition to win a laptop computer.
Nicole-Marie Konopelko, age 9, who is preparing to begin her fourth-grade year at George Nettels Elementary, learned in June that she was chosen in the third-grade division.
Konopelko, a Russian native who speaks English, German and Russian, received her new laptop computer during a special presentation at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the USD 250 Bevan Education Center.
The contest, dubbed “Spotlight on You,” was held by language education company Santillana USA and was geared to help promote its new English-learning curriculum. It called on English-language-learners to create a drawing or essay to share the student’s home culture.
As part of her winning entry, Konopelko created a PowerPoint presentation comparing the endangered animal situation in the U.S. to that in her native Russia. The project fell under the “Protecting Endangered Animals” topic that Santillana picked for its third-grade level.
After creating the presentation, which Konopelko said took about five days, she presented her final product to local teachers. The presentation was videotaped, and the film was submitted to Santillana.
When she learned she had won, Konopelko said she felt “really happy.”
“I got really excited about it,” she said. “This will be my first laptop for myself.”
Santanilla representative Bill Dickerson presented the award and praised the presentation.
“Your work was wonderful,” Dickerson said. “...Your parents and family are very proud of you, and we are too.”
Pittsburg schools began using the Santillana curriculum during the 2009-2010 school year.
When notified of the contest in February, ESOL teacher Natalie O’Neal, who teaches at George Nettels Elementary School, thought it would be a good idea to give her students a shot at winning a new laptop and $500 for their classroom, the two prizes that went to the first-place winners.
O’Neal praised Konopelko.
“Nicole did all the hard work,” O’Neal said. “She did all the research. She found information on the Internet and in books. Then she took all of the information and the ideas and put that into PowerPoint. It was the whole package.
“It was really neat to see her go through the entire process,” she said, “and then come out as the winner.”
Konopelko has lived in the United States for 5 years. She moved to Pittsburg with her parents, Alex and Tatiana, two years ago when Alex — a world-renowned physics professor — took a job at Pittsburg State University. She said the first thing she plans to do with her new laptop is write a story.
“I’m not sure what it will be,” she said. “But I’ll think of something.”
Her parents also are excited.
“It’s absolutely amazing,” Alex said. “We didn’t expect it.”
Tatiana said she was equally pleased.
“We’re happy she’s successful,” she said, adding that she thinks her daughter might have a “special talent” for linguistics. “She’s doing so well in the English language.”
PITTSBURG —
