Three Nizhny Novgorod specialists in the field of children's health and recreation were recognized at the All-Russian competition "СТОлица"

      05 September 2025 15:23

      [131]

      Society

      Three experts in the field of children's health and recreation from the Nizhny Novgorod Region were recognized at the All-Russian competition "STOlica." They are specialists from Nizhny Novgorod and the Vorotynsky District.

      According to the regional Ministry of Education and Science, the competition was organized by the Center for Comprehensive Child Development "Progress" with the support of the Ministry of Education of Russia.

      The regional stage of the competition took place in March 2025. It involved specialists from organizations in the field of children's recreation and health, including institutions of additional education and additional professional education, specialists from local governments, as well as representatives of the scientific community.

      Experts evaluated the professional achievements of the contestants, including awards in various competitions. As a result of the selection, nine residents of Nizhny Novgorod advanced to the final stage of the competition.

      Based on the final results, a list of the country's 100 best experts was formed: 50 winners in the "Teaching Staff" category and 50 winners in the "Management Staff" category.

      Among the winners from Nizhny Novgorod is Olga Sorokovikova, an educational psychologist at School No. 121 in Nizhny Novgorod. She worked her way up from a camp counselor to deputy director of a summer camp and developed a comprehensive approach to programs for educational and developmental work with children. The achievements of the Nizhny Novgorod specialist were noted in the "Teaching Staff" category.

      "The 'STOlica' competition brings together specialists engaged in extracurricular education and children's recreation. At our school, a variety of programs for summer camps are created every year, which, despite their uniqueness, are always part of a single concept. Children have access to more than five directions: from first grade they are immersed in truly useful and developmental activities," the teacher said.

      Vitaly Leonov, deputy director for information and methodological work at the Lesnoy Child Health and Educational Center in Nizhny Novgorod, became the winner of the competition in the "Management Staff" category. He noted the importance of developing practical life skills in children.

      "We minimize time spent on gadgets and give it to practical activities. For example, we teach younger children household skills that will be useful in adult life, and older children — proper social behavior. For this, our camp has a self-governance program," he said.

      Marina Nazarova, director of the Volzhsky Bereg Child Health and Educational Center in the Vorotynsky District, also won in the "Management Staff" category.

      "Our center has extensive experience in establishing ties with various partners. This includes partnerships with local history museums to organize excursions for children, cooperation with universities, and friendly relations with various film studios, whose specialists come to the children for master classes. Another feature of our work is presenting important information through play. In this form, children find it easiest to grasp even things that are difficult to understand," the head of the institution shared.

      Mikhail Puchkov, Minister of Education and Science of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, noted the importance of professional skills competitions in terms of achieving the main objectives of the national project "Youth and Children." One of these objectives is improving the quality of summer recreation and supplementary education for children.

      "The 'STOlica' competition is aimed at raising the level of professional competencies of specialists. This is only the beginning! Specialists from Nizhny Novgorod have much to share with their colleagues; their experience can and should be scaled up," the minister said.

      Recall that the national project "Youth and Children" has been implemented at the direction of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, since 2025. It includes nine federal projects and programs: "Russia — the Land of Opportunities," "We Are Together," "Russia in the World," "All the Best for Children," "Leading Schools," "Teachers and Mentors," "Creating a Network of Modern Campuses," "Universities for a Generation of Leaders," and "Professionalitet."

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