Talented people are inspired not by new ideas, but by the belief that what has already been said is not enough. (Eugene Delacroix)
In May, fourth graders were invited to participate in the Kaunas City Council meeting. Students’ poem and illustration competition “Sunshine”, dedicated to the birthday of Kaunas. Students wrote poems on the theme “Colours of Childhood”. 19 May Kaunas Dainava Pro-Gymnasium hosted the 2nd stage of the competition. The contestants presented their poems and illustrations virtually.
We are delighted and congratulate all those who have shown that the word is the best space for growth, creativity and discovery. The organisers believe in the value of this competition as a way to help students feel the power of words as early as possible. It is important to popularise and creatively interpret the Lithuanian word, to make sense of its value, to show our relationship to the language. The jury of the competition did not spare any warm words and positive evaluations for the young creators. The evaluation focused on the perception of the theme, imagery, rhyming technique, originality and linguistic expression.
We invite you to enjoy the evaluations of the creative works.
- PIJUS DIMŠA (Kaunas Dainavos progimnazija) – great wit, sense of humour, impression of surprise! Talent!
- AUSTĖJA ŠILEIKAITĖ (Kaunas Tirkiliškių School-Preschool)- A poem about the homeland written in a contemporary style, dominated by nostalgia and laconicism. Yay!
- GUSTĖ ZILINKUTĖ (Kaunas Simonas Daukantas progimnazija) – original, dynamic, colourful, vivid poetry draws us into the fragile butterfly-like world of childhood! Wonderful!
- GUSTAS BAUŠYS (Kaunas Dainavos progimnazija) – the little Maironis! The traditional style of the poem has been preserved, beautifully composed, full of life, excellent!
- POVILAS MARTYNTSEVAS (Kaunas Jurgis Dobkevičius progymnasium) – original! History intertwined with today! Patriotic, hopeful, thoughtful, relevant, brilliant!
- KAMILE MATELICKAITE (Kaunas “Paparčio” Primary School) – light, colourful, rhythmic. It is full of light, purity and playfulness. Fantastic!
- GABIJA ANIULYTĖ (Kaunas Dainavos progimnazija) – very nice! So good, Lithuanian, cosy, safe and warm after reading it!
- ŪLA JANUŠAUSKAITĖ (Kaunas Panemune Primary School) – the poem is very poetic, full of the joy of togetherness, as the sea wind lifts us, who are reading, upwards!
- MATAS PETKEVIČIUS (Kaunas VMU “Atžalyno” progymnasium) – very sincere, excellent poem as a gift on the occasion of Kaunas birthday!
- Gabriele Otovčic’s atmospheric painting perfectly illustrates a poem by her classmate Pijus Dimša. Gabrielė’s painting was able to combine the colours perfectly, creating the mood of the ending winter and the coming spring.
- Austėja Navickaitė illustrated Austeja Šileikaitė’s poem “Homeland” with a drawing.Although she only used a simple pencil, Austėja managed to convey the beauty of her homeland in a sensitive way.
- Auksė Užusienytė painted a blue butterfly to illustrate Gustė Zilinkutė’s poem “Colourful Butterfly”, decorating the butterfly’s wings with symbols of childhood mentioned in the poem in a very original way: a little cat, a greenish ball, a doll with a white dress.
- The painting by Martha Acute perfectly illustrates the poem “Here I was born” by Gustas Baušys. Martha’s gouache work has the mood of the poem, and we are drawn into the space of the distant homeland.
- Gabrielė Klimavičiūtė’s atmospheric mixed media work perfectly captures the colourful life of Kaunas as described in the poem by Povilas Martyntsev.
- A butterfly flutters with wings of rainbow colours – a raindrop in Miglė Kontautaitė’s mixed media work, illustrating a poem by Kamilė Metelicaitė. She uses her imagination to combine the symbols of a butterfly, a raindrop and a rainbow in one drawing.
- Austeja Urniežiūtė’s cup is full of milk, as if it emanates a fragrance and invites you to taste it.The decoration of the cup is quite simple, but it very well conveys the naturalness of a clay cup.
- Ūla Janušauskaitė masterfully illustrates her own poem, her work in colored pencils perfectly captures the seaside landscape of Nida described in the poem, and the footprints left in the sand seem to invite the viewer to follow the sand behind them.
- Kornelia Kranauskaitė’s colourful mixed media work shimmers with colour, illustrating the City of Childhood by Matas Petkevičius.
All participants were awarded with certificates of appreciation from Rasa Bortkevičienė, the Director of the KPKC, and with creative books containing poems and illustrations of all the students. And the WINNERS of the competition – POVILAS MARTYNTSEVAS, PIJUS DIMŠA, GUSTAS BAUŠYS – received A.de Saint-Exupery’s “The Little Prince” books.
Reality has its limits; imagination is limitless! (J. J. Rousseau)
The organisers of the competition are delighted with the creativity of the children, with their simple and sincere words for spring.
Jolanta Vengalienė, Director of Kaunas Dainava Progymnasium, expert primary school teacher
