History
Evolution of Passports
The passport is a very helpful and useful tool for the convention. It has a map, the time of the events, and lots of other useful information.
So the passport wasn’t always the way it is now. It had a kind of evolution but not quite like Darwin’s theory!
Well, at the first convention it wasn’t even a passport! It was simply a piece of paper that had the names of all the students, all the events, all the times, places, etc. Then they decided that each student should have their own individual schedule, so that’s how they came to the passport that we know and love.
But the evolution doesn’t stop there… well it actually didn’t evolve but devolve. They gave us badges, which at first were Ok. They were compact and had all the info you needed, but the thing is they didn’t tell us once the badges were given, they turned on a self-hiding program! You might be wondering: “What do you mean by self-hiding program?!?” Well, it means that the badge would hide whenever you were not watching. Trust me that feature frustrated a lot of students - especially when you would need to go somewhere! So because of that, the badges were taken away and replaced by our most beloved passports. You know, I think the self-hiding program was so powerful that it even infected our current passports! Still, even with that program, we love and adore our amazing passports.
Vitaly Stolyarchuk
Author
Interview with Olga Stolyarchuk, Vice-Director of the International School of Tomorrow, Moscow - the organizer and participant of the most conventions of times past
Q1: Who can participate in RSC?
Convention is run for students who have attained their 9th birthday by December 31 and have not attained their 18th birthday by the same date. Students compete in two age groups: juniors - 9-12 years old and seniors - 13-17 years old. Students are accompanied by group supervisors - 1 supervisor per each 8 students. Adults are also invited to serve as judges or visit as guests.
Q2: When and where was the first RSC held?
The 1st RSC took place at the Model School of Tomorrow, in Moscow, in 1997. It lasted 3 days. Participants competed during the day in the building of the school and slept in the sleeping bags under the offices in the LCs at night.
Q3:What do students do at RSC?
Everybody is busy at the RSC. Our days are packed full from the moment we wake up till the time we go to bed. Some glimpses:
Morning Opening – songs, inspirational messages, ice-breakers, plans for the day, Birthday acknowledgements
Competitions
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An opportunity to compete with your peers in 2 age groups (juniors 9-12, seniors 13-17) participants
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A chance to win a medal in 12 events of your choice (6 Performance and 6 Non-Performance) out of 100+
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Challenging and effective way to bring your English to a new level
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Perfect way to evaluate yourself, discover your strong points and areas for further improvement
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Unique chance to learn how to win triumphantly and to lose with dignity
Evening Rallies – time to enjoy each other’s company, learn about other schools, meet new friends. The Rally’s message is there to provoke meditating on our values, attitudes, and behavior.
Fun Night – games, songs, dances, activities to bind newly met friends together and to deepen the existing friendships.
Gala Concert – a unique chance to see the best performances of RSC to learn from the best!
Awards Ceremony – hundreds of medals are given out to the winners in more than 100 events. Time to be happy with yourself and to learn to rejoice with others.
Q4:Why is it important for students to participate in RSC?
RSC is a chance to mature.Busy schedule, intense emotions, extraordinary situations, all together they create a unique opportunity to test yourself, to learn more about your friends and teachers,and to discover new truths.
Memories
from Last Century Convention
145 students and 30 staff members gathered from all over Russia, CIS, and Baltic States.
Competitions
The degree of competition was higher this year and the uniforms more beautiful.
The Weather
The standard attire for the 1999 Student Convention was “Layers of Clothes”. It was freezing outside. During one of the days, it snowed and rained.
Fun Night
Again, it was cold weather and the big bonfire wouldn’t start. The adult supervisors froze, but the students hardly seemed to notice as they had a good time playing games and fellowshipping.
Rallies
The rallies were always a special time for students and staff. We sang together, listened to special performances, and encouraging words from Mr. Dana Carbon, as he opened the Bible and shared with us.
Excursions
The first day of the convention the students took an excursion to the beautiful Sergeev Posasky Monastery.
Awards Ceremony
The Award Ceremony was the culmination of all the competitions. Honors and medals were given to everyone who worked hard and won their event.
Thank you, schools, staff, and Student Convention Board for making this year’s Convention a great success - despite the financial crisis in Russia...
Notes from Convention #3 by Mike Showwalter, Executive Director, School Services - written in 1999
