JENKINTOWN, Pa. – Seven students of St. Basil Academy in Jenkintown, Pa., participated on November 6 in the poetry recitation contest honoring Lina Kostenko organized and sponsored by St. Sophia Religious Association of Ukrainian Catholics Inc., in Philadelphia.
The judges – Iryna Ivankovych, president of the St. Sophia Religious Association; Leonid Rudnytzky, professor at LaSalle University; and Alexandra Penkalskyj, vice-principal of St. Basil Academy – graded each performance on the fluency of the recitation, clarity of pronunciation, intonation, artistic performance and expression. Students recited poems by Lina Kostenko translated into English by Michael Naydan, Woskob Family Professor of Ukrainian Studies at the Pennsylvania State University.
The winners of the contest were: first place – Anastasiya Bloshchynska (Grade 11); second place – Madeline Zetick (Grade 11); third place – Alexandra Morgenstern (Grade 12).
The judges congratulated the winning contestants on their excellent performance.
Prof. Rudnytzky read a letter from Lina Kostenko addressed to the organizers and participants of the contest:
“I speak to you through years of suffering, wishing you health and happiness, creative energy, strength of spirit and solidarity in our common quest for the future of Ukraine in the next critical moment in her history.
“The Word is the realm of true freedom; it conquers space and time. I thank you for the unexpected joy and greet you with the following lines:
The soul is the only true state on earth,
where freedom reigns supreme.
It hovers high above the worlds
Where borders only seem.”
All contestants were awarded commemorative certificates and gifts. The main sponsor of the event presented the winners with prizes. This was the fourth poetry recitation contest organized by the St. Sophia Association for the students of the St. Basil Academy.