Vientiane student claims gold medal in art at international contest

A secondary student at Vientiane’s Eastern Star Bilingual School returned to Laos yesterday after winning an Art Gold Medal in the Genius Olympiad.

The Genius Olympiad is an international high school science and art competition devoted to projects on environmental issues.

It is co-organised by the State University of New York (SUNY) at its Oswego campus and the Terra Science and Education Foundation.

Medal winner Soukthavone Keomoungkhoun, 15, was welcomed back to Laos by his teachers, friends, parents and relatives upon his arrival at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane.

“I was very excited when I found out that my work had won a gold medal,” Mr Soukthavone told the media.

“This is not only a success for me, but for my family, relatives and teachers.”

Mr Soukthavone said he never thought he would win a medal as he found the topics for the contest difficult.

“We sent two students from our school to participate in the Olympiad this year and are pleased Soukthavone won a medal. We are very proud of all the students and teachers whose efforts paved the way for this success,” Eastern Star Bilingual School said in a statement.



Last year, three students from the school won a bronze medal for their team entry in the senior engineering competition at the International Sustainable World (Energy, Engineering and Environment) Project Olympiad held in Texas, USA. They were awarded with Class III Labour Medals and certificates of merit from the government, according to the school.

The Genius Olympiad provides challenges and opportunities for students to learn the skills and knowledge needed to be the leaders, scientists and engineers of the future, the agents who will promote and contribute to greater environmental sustainability throughout the rest of their lives.

This year, Genius Olympiad had more than 200 competitors from 48 countries, including contestants from 25 American states.

The science and art competitions were held together in the same exhibition space at the SUNY Oswego campus on June 26.

The Genius Olympiad is organised into five science and five art categories, which focus on the scientific and social aspects of global environmental issues.

The goals of the event are to encourage high school students to participate in finding solutions for global environmental problems and to inspire them to contribute to the protection and improvement of the environment.

Another aim is to make students environmentally conscious and to produce in them sensitive, positive and permanent behavioural changes and to provide a forum for successful youth from around the world to come together and exchange their knowledge and ideas.

One major objective is to inform the public about global environmental problems.

The Genius Olympiad promotes a global understanding of environmental issues and the achievement of sustainability through basic science, engineering, and management.

Source: Vientiane Times

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