The English Challenge is a truly excellent and innovative initiative. It was a pleasure and a privilege to be part of it. The students’ command of English is extremely impressive, matched only by their creativity, confidence, and collegiality. Congratulations to all involved!
Dr David McCallam FBA (judge)
Zahvalila bih Vam na organizaciji i prilici da učenici rade što vole i stvaraju na engleskom jeziku. Nadam se da će biti još ovakvih natjecanja koja potiču dječju kreativnost i razvijaju njihove vještine na engleskom jeziku.
Pamela Grozdanić (mentor)
Thank you for the excellent organization of The English Challenge. Our students returned truly inspired by the variety of challenges, the supportive atmosphere, and the high level of professionalism throughout the event. We especially appreciate that each participant received feedback from native speakers, university professors, and representatives of the Australian, Irish, US, and UK embassies — an experience that added great value and motivation. Thank you for creating such a warm, encouraging, and engaging environment for young learners. We look forward to future editions of the competition and continued collaboration.
Maja Penava Aleksić (mentor)
This event was truly a memorable event, not only for my students but also for me as an English teacher. It was extremely well-designed, rich in content, and extremely professionally conducted. The organization was impeccable in every aspect — from communication and preparation to the actual implementation of the event. The atmosphere was wonderful, relaxed, encouraging, positive, and motivating, which further contributed to the overall impression.
Considering that I have been teaching English for 25 years, I have always wished for such an event to be organized for elementary and secondary school students — such an event did not exist in the Republic of Croatia.
For years, I have been taking students to competitions (county, state, international), but this was much more valuable than any other competition because, in addition to their knowledge of English, the children were able to show their talents. Moreover, the children received rich feedback on their work or knowledge for everything they showed or performed, so that their work would be even more successful and better in the future. They socialized with other children who have similar interests and had the opportunity to listen live to native English speakers and professors from the faculty. I would especially highlight the diversity and quality of the activities that encouraged students to express themselves creatively, think critically, and actively use the English language in real situations. For us teachers, participation was also a very valuable professional experience and an opportunity to exchange ideas, examples of good practice, and new approaches to teaching.
Iriz Zorić (mentor)
The English Challenge was a truly wonderful experience for both my students and me. We all thoroughly enjoyed it, as it brought something new, fresh, and engaging for the children. The level of interest was remarkable — so much so that we even had to organize a preselection process for some of the categories at our school.
What made this competition particularly valuable was the opportunity it gave students to express not only their knowledge of English but also their creativity. It encouraged them to step outside of traditional classroom activities and showcase their skills in a more dynamic and personal way.
Organizing the trip was not easy, especially since we come from an island, and coordinating travel details required extra effort. However, it was absolutely worth it. Every single student who participated said they would gladly return next year, which speaks volumes about how positive their experience was.
On a personal level, I found the competition exciting and highly engaging. I especially appreciated the panel of judges — having native speakers added a unique and authentic dimension to the event. While it was understandably challenging for students to stand in front of them and speak, I am extremely proud of each of them for overcoming their nervousness and fears, and for presenting themselves as confidently as they could.
As a result of TEC, we had the honour of welcoming Mr Javed Patel, British Ambassador to Croatia, and Mr Andreas Capstack, First Secretary and Head of Political at the British Embassy, to our school. Their visit was an enormous success and a unique opportunity for our students.
Srđana Vranjičić (mentor)
