ELOQUENT DECEMBER

DECEMBER 7,2015 ISSUE NO. 1
ELOQUENT
T H E M A G A Z I N E O F E V A N J E L I C K É L Ý C E U M
TURKEY PARTY ´15
Thankfulness. Food. Laughter.
Games. That best sums
this year´s Turkey Party. Students
gave it a thumbs up!
A READER SPEAKS
We sat down to talk to
Prof. Rogers about his
life and experience at our
school. Read inside about
what he had to say.
STUDY ABROAD
The scholarship opportunities
are out! The information
on how to apply
is it the magazine.
WWW.EVLYCEUM.SK

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ELOQUENT
THE MAGAZINE OF EVANJELICKÉ LÝCEUM
Editor’s Note 04
LÝCEUM LIFE
THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE?
Land of Iceland 10
Sadenie stromu reformácie 05
Movie Night 05
Očakávania vs skutočnosť 05
Turkey Party ’15 06
Study Abroad 12
How to: Personal Essay 14
Top 5: Scandinavian Unis 16
Event Calendar 06
Štúr Day 06
Okom absolventa 07
A Reader Speaks 08
Special Thanks 18
WWW.EVLYCEUM.SK

ELOQUENT
THE MAGAZINE OF EVANJELICKÉ LÝCEUM
EDITOR’S NOTE
Dear all,
MARTIN SADLOŇ
As we are watching the year 2015 in its ebb, we are on a threshold of a new
era in the history of our school magazine. ELOQUENT. One of the most beautiful
words in the English language, with a hidden reference to our school´s name in
the first two letters (Evanjelické Lýceum), and a definition that could not be
more suiting: fluent or persuasive in writing or speech. This word resonated
with us so strongly that we chose it for our magazine´s title. It can be found
in every page of the magazine as it stayed in our minds as we were writing and
compiling articles for our very first issue.
ELOQUENT, is aiming to combine a school magazine with a youth magazine.
Hence, one can read about our School Events, both past and the ones that are in
the making, interviews with faculty, student achievements, and advice from our
Alumni. However, we are also bringing our students useful information in the
context of traveling, scholarship opportunities, volunteer work, we even go as
far as introducing colleges.
It is important to mention that none of this would be possible without
our editorial staff, so a shout-out to all the students who worked hard on every
single article; shout-out to Professor Rogers, who agreed to be our first
interviewee, and was a great model for our cover shoot; shout-out to Professor
Jelen, who has been there for us, guiding our steps; and last but not least,
our Principal, Prof. Prostredníková, for giving us a platform and full support
of the school. Here is a kind greeting to our Editorial team from her:
THERE IS A SAYING IN LATIN: “LITERA SCRIPTA MANET” – WRITTEN LETTER ABIDES. PEOPLE
WHO WRITE MAKE HISTORY. PEOPLE WHO WILL WRITE FOR THE MAGAZINE OF OUR SCHOOL WILL
MAKE ITS HISTORY. MANY THINGS ARE GOING ON IN THE LIFE OF OUR SCHOOL. HOWEVER ONLY
WHAT WILL BE WRITTEN ABOUT STAYS FOR THE HISTORY. THAT MAKES THE MAGAZINE ELO-
QUENT TO A GREAT AND POWERFUL TOOL IN HANDS OF ITS EDITORS. THEY WILL HAVE DOUBLE
RESPONSIBILITY. ON THE ONE HAND JUST BY THE MERE SELECTION OF EVENTS AND TOPICS FOR
PUBLICATION THEY WILL FORM THE CHARACTER OF OUR SCHOOL FOR THE PRESENT AND FOR
THE HISTORY. ON THE OTHER HAND IT ALSO VERY MUCH DEPENDS ON HOW CLEAR AND TRUTH-
FUL THESE EVENTS AND TOPICS WILL BE CAPTURED ON THE PAGES OF ELOQUENT. I WISH THE
NEW MAGAZINE MANY ISSUES FULL OF INTERESTING VIEWS, HUMOR AND ABOVE ALL TRUTH
ABOUT THE LIFE OF OUR SCHOOL.
- E DITA PROSTREDNÍKOVÁ
the principal of evanjelické lýceum
04 ELOQUENT

LÝCEUM LIFE
Sadenie stromu
Reformácie. . .
V pondelok po jesenných prázdninách, 2. novembra
2015, sme na Lýceu zažili slávnostnú chvíľu.
Zapojili sme sa do projektu Evanjelickej cirkvi
a.v. na Slovensku „500 stromov Reformácie“
a v parčíku pred budovou školy sme zasadili lipu.
Cieľom projektu „500 stromov Reformácie“ je do
roku 2017 – 500. výročia začiaku Reformácie vo
Wittenbergu - vysadiť na Slovensku pri školách,
v cirkevných zboroch alebo strediskách diakonie
500 rôznych stromov. Lipa pri Evanjelickom lýceu
je 118. stromom na Slovensku vysadeným
v rámci tohto projektu.
Túto nevšednú udalosť sme započali spevom za
doprovodu študentov II.A pod vedením pani profesorky
Ivany Jelen, M.M.. Spoločne sme zaspievali
verš piesne Pane, prúdom požehnania (ES
633). Nad biblickým textom proroka Jeremiáša
17,5-8 sa krátko zamyslela naša pani spirituálka
Mgr. Karolína Konopeusová.
Pri sadení sa vystriedali pani riaditeľka Ing. Edita
Prostredníková, následne pán farár Mgr. Ján
Kolesár ako zborový farár v Bratislave – Petržalke,
pán profesor Ole Schenk na znak priateľstva
s ELCA a po ňom duchovná správkyňa Mgr. Karolína
Konopeusová. Z partnerstva sme nevynechali
ani študentov – za staršie ročníky lýcea priložil
ruku k dielu Juraj Rojko zo 4.B a sadenie ukončili
žiaci4. ročníka z Evanjelickej základnej školy na
Palisádach. Požehnanie sme prijali z rúk brata
farára Mgr. Jána Kolesára. Rozišli sme sa po zaspievaní
druhého verša spomínanej piesne.
Veríme, že pri pohľade na tento strom si každý
kto prejde okolo spomenie na slová z Jeremiáša:
„Požehnaný je muž, čo dúfa v Hospodina, ktorého
nádejou je Hospodin. Bude ako strom zasadený
pri vode, zapustí korene pri potoku, nebojí sa,
že príde horúčava; lístie mu ostáva zelené, ani
v suchých rokoch nemá starosti a neprestajne
rodí ovocie.“ - Mgr. KAROLÍNA KONOPEUSOVÁ
MOVIE NIGHT
Popcorn? Check. Movie? Check. People? Not really…
It wasn´t exactly a movie night because we
met at 3:30 pm and started watching one
of the greatest cartoon movies of this year:
Inside Out from Pixar Animation Studios.
First, we were disappointed because only few
people showed up. Special thanks to prof.
Rogers, prof. Silko and prof. Valušová for being
there. The movie was amazing and the
awesome humor made us smile quite a few
times. It´s different when you watch movie
with someone and you laugh together. So in
the end we didn´t really care about the number
and were enjoying Fear, Disgust, Anger,
Sadness and Joy (main characters).
Next time don´t be so shy and
come eat pop corn…
oh and
of course
watch
a good
movie.
- Mariana Pittnerová
OČAKÁVANIA
VS
SKUTOČNOSŤ
Čo očakávali študenti od Evanjelického lýcea?
- Myslela som si, že dôraz na náboženstvo
bude oveľa väčší ako je teraz. Ale nevadí
mi to.
- Že sa moja angličtina veľmi zlepší,
nájdem si super kolektív, nadobudnem
nové skúsenosti.
- Nový začiatok, ľudia príliš náboženskí,
za čo ma budú odcudzovať, veľa pravidiel.
Aká bola skutočnosť?
- Rozumní ľudia, ťažké ale logické učivo,
v pohode učitelia.
- Páči sa mi prístup amerických lektorov
a angličtina je naozaj na úrovni.
- Páči sa mi že sa moje očakávania splnili,
nepáči sa mi, že tou angličtinou až príliš
na nás tlačia.
- Zuzana Obrancová
ELOQUENT 05

TURKEY PARTY ´15
LÝCEUM LIFE
W e are between Halloween and Christmas and
that means: Thanksgiving! On the fourth Thursday of
November, we celebrated this unique and important
holiday. A holiday of thanks, freedom, good food,
family and so on. Turkeys were on the table, everyone
was ready. The whole dining room was filled with
delightful smells. We had to hold on a little because
there was a program prepared. For setting the right
atmosphere, firstly we watched a short introduction
video about the history of Thanksgiving. Then, there
was a skit that showed, in a funny way, how it may look on
Thanksgiving these days. A short video, “What first comes
to your mind when I say: Thanksgiving” was watched as well.
And finally…no wait, I think I forgot to mention the best
part of the program. Led by prof. Schenk we sang “Let us
eat”. I think everyone knew the melody, because it was a
remake of “Let it be” – Beatles. Then we prayed and wrote
what we were thankful for. After this great promoting program,
the main part came. Food! Different kinds of dishes
were waiting on the table, crowned with two turkeys. You
could feel so much joy and happiness all around the room.
When we thought it couldn´t be any better, the pies took
the stage. After this, those who brought a present, played
the “It” game. People were shouting, jumping and running.
I realized we have pretty competitive students…and professors.
We were leaving with smiles on our faces saying:
Happy Thanksgiving!
- Mariana Pittnerová
Event
Calendar
- 7th December –St. Nicolaus Day
- 9th December –Open House
- 21st December -EL Christmas Day
- 22nd December –Christmas Church
- 23rd December – 10th January –
Christmas break
BA Events
- 2nd – 13th December – Textile Art of
Today
- 3rd – 20th December – Christmas Days
- 11th – 13th December – Urban Market
Štúr Day. . .
-21st December – Winter cinema in SNG
- Zuzana Obrancová
06 ELOQUENT
On November 30, the Day of Štúr took place in Zrkadlový
háj. Before the lectures or any additional program the
students watched a movie “True Štúr” filmed by RTVS.
Then the students could hear an interesting lecture
about our national heroes. After this opening program
and after the awards for the winners of our “Štúr Painting
Compertition”, the Second years took the stage and
presented two skits from Štúr´s life and work in front
of our distinguished guests. The actors did a very good
job! Both the skits were informative and a lot of fun.
It was great to see what our students and their Slovak
teachers were able to create. The entire event was very
well organized, which resulted in a very positive response
of our students.
- Zuzana Obrancová

LÝCEUM LIFE
Okom
absolventa. . .
Olga Coulton-Shaw ‘97
Nedávno sme oslavovali 26 rokov
od pádu komunizmu. Hranica,
cez ktorú teraz takmer denne prechádzame,
bola pred rokom 1989
pre našu rodinu neprekonateľná.
Obaja rodičia sú evanjelickí farári.
Za totality sa aktívne venovali práci
s deťmi a a mládežou, takže v tom
čase bola naša študijná budúcnosť
neistá. Deti kňazov sa v mnohých
prípadoch na gymnázium nedostali
a ak sa im to aj podarilo, profesori
im to vedeli poriadne “osladiť”.
Po roku 1989 prišla zmena. Prvé
stretnutie mládeže bez strachu z
prenasledovania, z výsluchov. A
potom otvorenie Evanjelického lýcea.
Priznám sa, že som si celkom
nevedela predstaviť, že existuje
škola, kde sa budeme môcť spolu
modliť pred vyučovaním, robiť na
hodine ranné zamyslenia, či slobodne
hovoriť o svojej viere s profesormi,
spolužiakmi. Asi nikdy
nezabudnem na našich prvých lektorov
z USA. Mladí ľudia, väčšinou
hneď po skončení college, nadšení
pomôcť pri budovaní lepšieho,
slobodnejšieho, a otvorenejšieho
Československa.
Pre nás - deti komunizmu, naučené
opakovať nanútené frázy - bol ich
štýl vyučovania oslobudzujúci. Pýtali
sa nás na názor, museli sme vedieť
sformulovať argumenty, podložené
faktami. Niektoré ich postupy boli
“neštandardné”, ako keď sme v rámci
angličtiny mali podľa inštrukcií v
triede postaviť stan, či upiecť palacinky
na dvojplatničke. A kto
by nemal rád T.G.I.F.(Thank God
It´s Friday) profesora Beckera,
počas ktorých sme mohli hovoriť o
čomkoľvek, jediné pravidlo bolo, že
sme museli nejako zakomponovať
gramatiku, ktorú sme práve preberali.
V mnohých profesoroch
som našla skutočných priateľov a tieto
priateľstvá pretrvávajú dodnes.
Bolo to aj vďaka mojich lektorom
z USA, že som v roku 1997 dostala
plné štipendium Lutheran Leaders
Award na Waldorf College v SA,
kde som získala Bachelor of Arts v
humanitných vedách a odkiaľ som
potom pokračovala v štúdiu na Luther
Seminary a Augsburg College,
ktoré som ukončila s titulmi Masters
of Social Work a Master of Arts.
Aj vďaka dobrému základu z Lýcea
bola pre mňa vysoká škola
v USA úžasnou skúsenosťou.
Štúdium nebolo len o zvládnutí
učiva, ale najmä o získavaní
rôznych zručností z mimoškolských
aktivít, ako organizovania koncertov
či podujatí zahraničných
študentov. Práve tam som sa
naučila rešpektovať iné kultúry,
nemať strach z nepoznaného.
Spolužiaci ako Momo z Libérie,
ktorý počas občianskej vojny strávil
niekoľko mesiacov v utečeneckom
tábore v Afrike či Gaspar z Tanzánie,
ktorému ešte počas štúdia zomrela
sestra na maláriu ma naučili,
že nech sú naše životné okolnosti
akékoľvek ťažké, máme povinnosť
využiť to, čo sme od Pána Boha prijali
v službe druhým, nech už má
táto služba akúkoľvek podobu.Po
skončení školy v USA moje cesty
viedli do neziskového sektora na
Slovensku. Pracovala som v mnohým
organizáciách. Na Evanjelickej
diakonii s utečencami v Gabčíkove,
na Ekumenickej rade cirkví na rozvojovom
projekte výstavbe studní
v Malawi, v Nadácii Integra na rozvojových
projektoch v Sudáne a
Keni a nakoniec v Nadácii Pontis na
rôznych filantropických projektoch
na Slovensku.
Veľa mojich spolužiakov študovalo
po skončení Evanjelického lýcea
v zahraničí. Mnohí tam aj zostali.
Prečo som sa vrátila? Lebo
verím, že Slovensko potrebuje
ľudí, ktorí sa chcú angažovať v
zmene spoločnosti, ľudi, ktorí vedia
priniesť nové myšlienky a nápady a
premeniť ich na reality v domácom
kontexte. To sú piliere, na ktorých
Lýceum od začiatku stálo. Verím, že
odkaz jeho zakladateľov inšpiruje
študentov aj dnes.
ELOQUENT 07

LÝCEUM LIFE
We sat down with Professor Rogers to talk about his life and experience
at the Lýceum. Our Librarian told us about his passions, favorite Slovak
words, books, calligraphy, and much more. Enjoy!
1. How did you get involved in calligraphy?
Throughout my growing-up years, I worked in my father’s
print shop. Some of my tasks involved working with typefaces.
This work enhanced my awareness of the structure and
spacing of letterforms. Later, in college, a friend of mine had
a calligraphic fountain pen with interchangeable nibs in various
sizes. I was so fascinated by this pen that I bought one for
myself. It became my favorite pen for all purposes, including
drawing letters and doodling during classes. Soon, calligraphy
was both my hobby and a bit of an obsession. When I graduated
from college, it was the single most marketable skill I possessed.
2. Some of us know you are a cat person.
Why is that?
Many things in life go back to childhood experiences,
don’t they? My family always had cats while I was a child, but we
never had a dog. I enjoyed the cats’ different personalities and
temperaments. A cat’s almost purr always calms me down. And
cats generally are much more portable than dogs. I also suspect
I recognized kindred qualities between myself and many cats.
We are both independent but gregarious; we love a good meal
followed by a luxurious nap; our ambitions are idiosyncratic and
not immediately discernible to others. We sometimes become
fascinated by bright, shiny, quickly-moving objects. And we both
have an inherent need to balance our friendly instincts with significant
quantities of time alone. Also, cats seem to recognize
me as one of their own.
3. At what point in your life did you answer
the call to come to Slovakia?
Calligraphy clients have kept me busy since I was in
college, and for 30 years I had my own calligraphy studio in the
Washington, DC area. I still do occasional projects for long-time
08 ELOQUENT
clients in the USA. I also wrote and edited for both print and
web publication.
But beyond those enterprises, my most recent employment
was scoring essays that students wrote for standardized
graduation tests throughout the United States. I did this
work under the auspices of companies that secured contracts
with various state departments of education. One very interesting
project involved listening to and scoring spoken responses
from second-language learners. For another project, I even
scored essays written in Hawaiian.
4. What is your favorite Slovak word?
You already know the answer to this, right? I know this
word from the song “V dolinach”: brieždenie, meaning “daybreak.”
Often, when I sing the song, I substitute this word with
the name Brezhnev. It still amazes me when students laugh at
this silliness. But as long as they do, I will continue to sing it like
that.
5. How do you like life in Slovakia?
I enjoy life; I love Slovakia. Together—what a combo!
6. How many foreign languages do you
speak?
That’s a flattering question with a disappointing answer.
English, of course, is not foreign to me: I speak it like the
native I am.
I took four years of German in high school and loved
it. My teachers were all young native speakers, and they were
wonderful people. I memorized some German poetry at that
time and have carried most of it around in my head ever since.
Text memorization is one of the things I enjoy most about language
learning. Over the years, I have spent hours reciting poetry
and talking to myself in German just for the fun of it. That
has helped me not lose all of it. So, I speak some German.

LÝCEUM LIFE
7. What is your favorite book? Is it
available in the library?
It is impossible for me to name a single, favorite book.
Many favorites come to mind, from The Practice of the Presence
of God by Brother Lawrence to James Thurber’s The
Thurber Carnival. Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason–of which I
have read only a few pages–would be fun for a while if I could
have it in both English and German with appropriate dictionaries.
In fact, dictionaries are among my favorite books. I would
mention dozens more, if I could remember their titles. But designating
a favorite book is impossible.
However, I have sometimes heard a similar question
that I CAN answer: What book would you choose if you had to
be completely alone for the rest of your life with just that one
book?
This question is much easier to
answer. Many people say they would
choose the Bible. I, however, would
choose a hymnal—like the Lutheran Book
of Worship. It contains lots of scripture
—including all the Psalms--but it also has
plenty of music and liturgy. I would wear
it out much faster than a Bible, because
I would give it a lot more use. Many of
my favorite hymns are not in the LBW,
though. And the LBW is not in the lyceum
library. Of the other books I mentioned,
only The Thurber Carnival and various
dictionaries are in the library.
8. What do you like the most
About Christmas?
Uh-oh. When it’s over. I would
prefer to spend the month before Christmas
in a quiet, contemplative refuge, like
the guest quarters of a monastery. I would
spend the week afterward the same way
and not emerge until New Year’s Day. I
won’t lament here the commercialization
of Christmas—this is such a common
complaint. But Christmas is a time when I especially enjoy
solitude and silence, and not the ubiquitous noise of seasonal
sound tracks.
9 What is the most beautiful Christmas
present you have ever gotten?
Hmmm. Probably quality time with friends and family.
Or a solitary, reflective moment far from commotion and noise.
10. What do you think about Lyceum students?
Lol. I love ‘em. I enjoy the variety of personalities and
their sense of humor. They are the reason I stay here.
11. If you compare the gymnazium in Košice
where you taught before coming here to the
lyceum, what differences between the two
schools spring to mind? Which place do you
like more and why?
There are quite a few differences that come to mind:
The gymnazium in Kosice offers more foreign language options
(French and Russian in addition to English and German). Some
days, we would sing a song in five different languages in the
same class. That was always great fun.
On the other hand, the Lyceum has many more teachers who
are native speakers of English. This means we have outstanding
collegiality and support here as well as a more pervasive sense
of community. Unfortunately, it also means there is less motivation
for us to learn to speak Slovak or to interact more deeply
with the local culture.
Another important difference is that administrative
leaders at the Lyceum speak and teach in English—a really
great benefit—whereas some of the gymnazium leadership
was less advanced and couldn’t understand nearly as much.
Further, the lyceum has a well-stocked—perhaps even overstocked—English-language
library. The gymnazium library was
much smaller and was officially open for only twenty minutes
per week.
Kosice’s old town seems quite authentic
and intact—a wonderful setting
in which to live and work. Bratislava,
however, offers English-language
churches (none in Kosice) and weekly
English-language Bible study groups.
Both schools have outstanding students,
and I have treasured my colleagues in
both places. I would not remain in Slovakia
so long if it were not for the people
here.
I enjoy each city for different reasons;
I don’t see them as rivals.
12. What do you miss the
most about the US?
It seemed that I didn’t miss anything
about the US until I went back for a visit.
Then I realized that I miss two things:
chain restaurants and automotive independence.
I don’t necessarily mean fast food,
like MacDonald’s or KFC. The US has
many reasonably-priced restaurant
chains with familiar, tasty menus (and
unlimited, free refills on coffee!). I would
love to have ready access to a Bob Evans restaurant or the great
food and wacky décor of a Buca di Beppo. Even a Waffle House
or International House of Pancakes would brighten my day. Tex-
Mex or authentic Mexican food might be too much to hope for,
but I can fantasize.
As for automotive independence (having a car and the
wherewithal to drive it whenever and wherever I wish), traveling
back to the US and logging a thousand miles on a friend’s
car reminded me of the exhilaration of the open road. I am
reluctant to try driving here, although I wouldn’t mind an occasional
road trip—especially if there were rest stops along the
way with a 24-hour Waffle House.
13.Do you have a life motto? Do you
live based on it?
Many people have a life motto—often a scripture
passage. These favorites probably should change occasionally-
-evolving over a lifetime rather than stagnating with a single
sentiment. That said, one passage I come back to over and over
is in the book of Job: Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.
- Zuzana Obrancová
ELOQUENT 09

LAND O
Sometimes vulnerable, sometimes mystical,an
fascinating culture and the most important Ic
sagas, which help to hold up the tradition of s
are mostly proud of is the heritage of sagas, pros
The country of Iceland is
also a land of contrasts; there is
the modern capital city Reykjavik,
the developed infrastructure,
high living standard and
on the other side Icelandic language,
which has not changed
very much since its beginnings.
Icelanders are able to read and
understand the sagas. The language
is one of the things making
Iceland still so remote and
charming for travelers that
visit. To master the language
means opening up new gates introducing
Icelandic culture, its
history and traditions. “The Icelandic
language creates a microcosm
and a strange universe in
some ways. It is self-sufficient
and self-contained, but still
very open for influence,” says
Mr. Magnason, a novelist.
Literature is probably the
most enhanced term among arts
operating in the cities of Iceland.
In 2011 Reykjavik was declared
a city of literature by UNES-
CO. Fourteen selected benches
throughout the capital now offer
listenings to readings from
authors of the Icelandic literature.
The magic happens after
scanning the QR-codes placed
somewhere on the benches.
A report from BBC states
there are more books published
and read per person
than anywhere else in the
world. “A city is so much more
than just houses and streets.
Not least, a city is the writings
that have grown out of its soil.”
10 ELOQUENT
- Pétur Gunnarsson – writer and
former President of the Writer‘s
Union of Iceland.
Among all, let’s not forget
about the magical stories about
elves and trolls people still believe
in. It is tought the stories
of elves and trolls have roots in
the times of settlers, Vikings,
who invented them to double
the population back then.
Elves - Huldufólk - are
hidden everywhere. Tiny wooden
houses called álfhól are built
for the elves to live in them.
Road builders protect the elves;
there is always a consultation
with and elf expert before the
builders embark on building a
new rode, which could cross a
way of an outcropping where
the elves live.
In Vík there are trolls
“frozen in time in the shape of
rock formation”. The folklore
explains the trolls were dragging
ships ashore. Unfortunately,
the sunlight turned them into
stone and they became a part of
the shore.
Dimmuborgir, in other words
“Dark Cities” is another location
of trolls being stoned by daylight.
This time, however, the
trolls partied too much for too
long and well, parties can really
get out of control sometimes.
The trolls now form lava pillars.
This is not the end of
elves and trolls, indeed. 24th
December is the day of celebrating
Christmas and the celebrations
go on for thirteen days.
Instead of one Santa, there are
thirteen! To be more specific,
thirteen trolls, Yule Lads, coming
one after another starting
on 12th December. Each one of
the trolls carries a small gift
and puts it in the finest, coolest,
best shoe ever a child has prepared
and left in the window.
The fun is not over yet whatsoever.
Every member of a household
must ensure to get a new
piece of clothing. If not, there is
no way out. They will be eaten
by the malicious Christmas Cat.
There was a man who
visited many countries in the
world. The man was once asked
what he learned from his travels.
One of his statements was:

F ICE
d always wondrous land of ice and fire, with
elandic literary works, about 1000-year-old
torytelling. It is said what Icelandic people
e epics, taking place in the age of settlements.
“wherever you go, people
are really exactly the same.
Except in Iceland, those
people are totally crazy.”
Dark days, light nights, ponysized
horses, volcanoes, happy
people who convert the shadows
of stones into stories that
make kids fall asleep at night.
This is all part of Iceland, yet
there is much more to explore
under the layers of ice covering
the Icelanding ground.
- Réka Tündöková
HISTORY
Irish monks came in the
8th century. A Viking man named
Naddoddur got lost and found himself
in Iceland so the monks were
kicked out by Vikings in the 9th
century. Floki Vilgeroason, a Norwegian
settler gave the name to
the land “Iceland”. Ingolfur Arnarson
explored the island, named the
place where he settled Reykjavik,
meaning Smokey Bay. Althing, assembly
of people, was created. The
nation spread, there were about 600
000 people living by the year 930.
In the 11th century missionaries
were coming to Iceland, Christianity
became the official religion, to worship
gods in private was allowed.
Norwegian archbishop became the
authority of Iceland’s church, as a
consequence, Iceland was under the
Norwegian king’s crown. Denmark
and Norway were united, therefore
Iceland was ruled by Danish. There
were land devastations because of
a volcanic eruption in 1783. Althing
was replaced by a new law court.
Song O Guo vors was a display of nationalism
in 1874. Fishing became
more prosperous, rowing boats were
switched to decked sailing ships. In
1918 Iceland gained sovereignty and
shared the monarchy with Denmark.
Icelandic women were allowed to
vote in 1915, in 1922 first woman
was elected to Althing. In 1944 Iceland
became independent from Denmark.
In1949 Iceland joined NATO.
In 1980 Vigdís Finnbogadóttir was
elected the first woman president in
the world. In 2008 Iceland’s 3 main
banks were “too-big-not-to-fail”,
according to Matt O’Brien’s words.
Eventually, everything turned out
well for Iceland.
ELOQUENT 11

OFF TO THE LAND
OF OPPORTUNITY
Ever wondered what it´s like to live the American dream? Want to
experience the real American lifestyle? Is money the biggest problem?
Read about the most convenient ways to spend a full year in the
States below.
The first thing one has to think about before applying for any program
of this nature is, “How much money can I spend on this?” In this
day and age, there are numerous agencies and organizations that offer
the opportunity of a scholarship or a paid stay. It is important to consider
how much time and energy one wants to put into the whole process
as the scholarship programs obviously require a lot more attention and
work. For those who want to play it safe, there are multiple agencies
which have a pool of programs ranging in length, quality and, most
importantly, price.
Scholarships
When applying for a scholarship the
process usually takes a little longer because
there are many applicants and there are, in
general, more parts to the application. In most
cases, a personal application and essay is required;
some organizations require a financial
form filled out by the applicants´ parents;
in other cases there might be an oral interview
or even English proficiency tests. Here
is a rundown of a few organizations offering
scholarships to students in their second and
third year of high school, a brief description
and some tips on how to succeed.
-length: 10 months to 3 years
-applicants: 2nd Years
-scholarship: up to $60,000
-cost: up to $5,500
-country: 89 private schools in the US
-deadline: November 30, 2015
-website: osf.sk
OSF mediates scholarships for three larger organizations
called ASSIST, Davis International Scholars Program (the
US), and HMC (the UK). ASSIST is a non-profit organization that
partnered up with 89 prestigious college preparatory schools
in the USA and it is a highly selective scholarship program for
students in their Sophomore Year (2nd Year). The applicants are
required to submit an application with their personal info and
their family´s financial info, a personal essay, recommendations
from a class teacher, English teacher and Math teacher. After all of these have been submitted, there is an English proficiency
test and a short essay on on of the three given topics. It the applicants has passed the test, he or she will be invited
for an oral interview before an international committee. In the interview, the applicants are asked about their applications,
followed by a round of psychological questions like, “If you had an orange that you could peel and see your future, would
you peel it and why?” This process is the same for the Davis Program and HMC as well.
All of these programs offer a great year at one of the most academically rigorous schools in the US or the UK. The
students selected for the program will gain a very international experience as there are many international students at
these schools. The year is life-changing and gives the students so much into their future lives. The length of these programs
is 10 month for ASSIST and HMC and the Davis Program, which is only for the best of the best (4 students from 8 countries),
is for 2 to 3 years with the possibility of getting an additional scholarship of $20,000 per year should they decide to study
at one of the 86 partner colleges in the US.
12 ELOQUENT

Global Outreach Scholarship
-length: 10 months
-applicants: 2nd Years
-cost: $75-$160 per month
-country: USA (Wisconsin, Nebraska)
-deadline: January 15, 2016
-website: www.globaloutreachprogram.com
Global Outreach is a one-year Catholic scholarship
program for high school students and young leaders
from Central and Eastern Europe. It was initiated by the
American church to support the Catholic Church in the
post-Communist countries. The main goal of this program
is to help students both academically and personally,
and let the student experience a different culture.
The students are always placed into Christian host families
and they go to private Catholic schools with great
reputation in Wisconsin and Nebraska.
The applicants are required to fill out a personal
application about themselves, their family, background,
and what motivates them apply for the scholarship. It
is also required to attach a copy of past transcripts and
four recommendations from the principal, English teacher,
class teacher and pastor. It takes a few weeks before
the results are released.
Rotary Exchange Program
-length: 10 months
-applicants: 2nd and 3rd Years
-scholarship: varies widely based on
the school
-cost: € 500 + € 80- € 250 per month
-country: USA (8 other countries)
-deadline: May 2016 (not released yet)
-website: www.rotary2240.org
Whatever you do in your life, there are always pros and
cons. The pro with this program is that it is not as selective as
the other programs and the requirements are not crazy either.
There is no application involved, and the applicant just has to
visit the Rotary Club for an interview. In the interview, he or she
will answer a few questions about himself or herself, and what his
or her motivation is. In the second round of the process, all the
applicants will meet and choose the top three countries that they
would like to visit, they will subsequently have a session where
they will learn about the culture of the country that has been
assigned to them. The major con of this program is that it is an
exchange program, meaning your family will be expected to host
a students from another country.
It is a great opportunity for students to learn new language,
live in a different culture, meet new people and lead a new
lifestyle. The student will be hosted by at least two host families a
year, where he or she will speak the local language. This program
helps improve one´s English and learn another language.
-length: 2 years
-applicants: 2nd and 3rd Years
-scholarship: varies widely based
on the school
-cost: € 80- € 250 per month
-country: USA (12 other countries)
-deadline: February 2016
-website: www.uwc.sk
United World Colleges is a two-year scholarship to the US and 12 other countries.
Only the schools in the States and in Canada offer a full scholarship, though. Students
of 2nd and 3rd Year, who are not 18 yet, can apply for this scholarship that is becoming
more and more popular in recent years. This scholarship, like the other ones, requires applicants
to submit an application containing their personal information and their grades
from past years (not the key criterion in the selection). An essay on one of the assigned
topics has to be attached to the application. In writing the essay it is important to include
the applicant´s personal opinion. What sets this application process apart from the others
is the interview process. The applicants who were previously selected by the committee are
asked to spent a full day with the rest of the applicants where they are interviewed both
individually and collectively. A debate and presentation are too a part of the process.
The students selected for this scholarship are people with international understanding,
leaned toward world peace and community service. All UWC students are boarding
at their school and are a part of an international community. As a cherry on top, all of
the students get an IB Diploma at the end of the two-year program. Overall, this scholarship
is a combines perfecting English skills with a personal challenge and a lot of fun.
This was a selection of a few scholarship programs that are available
for students in Slovakia. Hopefully, you picked the one you
would like to apply for as Evanjelické lýceum can be proud of having a
long history and list of students who were selected for these scholarships
and have done really well. However, scholarships are not the only
way to get abroad. There are many agencies that offer similar programs,
the only downside is that the cost is, in general, a lot higher. These
agencies will be a subject of the next article. We will also talk more
about student grants that can be of help to you. Make sure you check
out the bulletin board by Prof. Griacová´s office for more information
about scholarships and exchange programs.
- Martin Sadloň
ELOQUENT 13

PERSONAL ESSAY
High school seniors are faced with the challenge of summarizing the last 17 years into a few hundred
words, all while showcasing their “unique” personality against thousands of other candidates.
Most students know that in order to get to most universities they have to write a personal essay.
The personal statement is an addition to the application, hence students should use it to tell the college
officers more about themselves than the application allows them to. The requirements for personal essay
vary very widely from university to university, and country to country.
For that reason, we are not going to spend too much time talking about the structure of the essay
but rather about the content. With that said, most standard and the easiest format for a personal essay is a
classic 5 paragraph essay format with and intro, three body paragraphs and a conclusion. In the UK, the limit
is 47 lines and up to 4,000 characters per essay. In the US, the requirements and word-count change based
on the university. The structure is the smaller part of it though, the thing that can set you apart from other
applicants is the content.
These 9 tips will help applicants make the leap from ‘average’ to ‘accepted’:
1. Open with an anecdote.
Since the admissions officers only
spend a brief amount of time reviewing
stories, it’s pivotal that you engage them
from the very beginning.
Instead of trying to come up with gimmicky,
catchy first lines, start by sharing
a moment. These mini stories naturally
grab the reader, it’s the best way to really
involve them in the story.Let the moment
you choose be revealing of your personality
and character. Describe how it
shaped who you are today and who you will
be tomorrow.
2. Put yourself in the school’s position.
At the end of the day, colleges want
to accept someone who is going to graduate,
be successful in the world and have
the university associated with that success.
In your essay, it is vital that you
present yourself as someone who loves to
learn, can think critically and has many
passions. Colleges always say to show your
intellectual vitality and curiosity. They
want kids who are going to hit the ground
running—zoom to class and straight out
into the world. They want them hungry and
self-aware.
3. Stop trying so hard.
One of the biggest mistakes students
make is trying too hard to impress. Trust
that it is those every day, specific subjects
that are much more interesting to
read about. Get creative! Furthermore,
you’re writing doesn’t have to sound like
Shakespeare. These essays should read like
smart, interesting 17-year-olds wrote
them. A sense of perspective and selfawareness
is what’s interesting.
14 ELOQUENT
4. Swap sophistication for self-awareness
There is a designated portion of the
application section designated to show off
your repertoire of words. Leave it there.
On the personal essay, write how you would
speak. Using 100-dollar words in your personal
statement sounds unnatural and distances
the reader from you.
5. Write about what matters to you, not what matters to them
Crawford recommends students begin
by an swering the question, “if you had 10
minutes to talk to them in person, what
would you say?” The admissions teams are
looking for authenticity and quality of
thinking. In theory, anything could be
‘the perfect topic, as long as you demonstrate
how well you think, your logic and
ability to hold readers’ attention.
6. Read the success stories.
The best advice is to read essays
that have worked. You’ll be surprised to
see that they’re not winning the Nobel
Prize for Literature; they are pieces of
someone. You want your story to be the
one that is not put down. Once you find
a topic you like, sit down and write for
an hour or so. It shouldn’t take longer
than that. When you write from your heart,
words should come easily. Another piece
of advice could be, have someone close
to you read it. It could be your parents,
siblings, teachers, friends, anyone, who
will read the essay and get a sense that
you wrote it.
7. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not.
While colleges tend to nod to disad-

vantaged students, roughing up your background
won’t help your cause. The essays
serve as a glimpse into how your mind
works, how you view the world and provides
perspective. If you have never had some
earth shattering experience that rocked
your world, don’t pretend you did. Your
insights will be forced and disingenuous.
8. Follow the instructions.
While the directions on the applications
may sound generic, and even repetitive
after applying to a variety of
schools, but every rhyme has a reason. The
colleges do know who they are looking for
and what they are looking for in the applications.
They think long and hard about
the directions and they want to find them
step for step in the student’s application.
Essay that worked: How to Become an Adult- Michaela
(source: apply.jhu.edu/apply/essays-that-worked/)
9. Use this space to tell them what your application can’t.
Most colleges don’t have the time to
research each individual applicant. They
only know what you put in front of them.
Try to answer the question, “What else
does the college need to know?” The essays
should give an answer to that question.
At the end of the day, however, the college
admissions officers want students to
know that the personal essay is just another
piece of the larger puzzle. Students
prescribe way too much importance to the
essay. It makes a massive difference—good
or bad—to very few out there, so keep it
in context.
- Martin Sadloň
In the US, legal adulthood comes at 18, but it is my understanding that adulthood comes
through responsibility, tears, laughter, and most of all: parenthood. It is effortless to watch other
people’s children grow and flourish, but having my own was a terrifying new world for which I
was ill-prepared. I was not ready for my first, Stanley, but now I cannot envision a world without
him. Today, I am the proud parent of not one, but seven beautiful, boisterous, carnivorous plants.
Within my small family I have four sundews, two Venus flytraps, and one tropical pitcher plant. Of
course they have scientific names, but I only use them when I am angry and my inner-parent reveals
itself. Many might ask, “How does a person become the parent of seven carnivorous plants?”
and I can only answer that with a story, my story.
It was an ordinary Wednesday afternoon when I came home from school only to find a
charming plant that resembled a leafless, dew-splattered fern perched on the counter. With the
eloquence that only a teenager could muster, I asked my mother, “What’s that?” She carefully
explained that he was our new carnivorous plant and he was going to be on fruit fly kitchen duty.
Over the next couple of weeks my fascination with him grew, and eventually I adopted him as
one of my own. In all sincerity, I did not begin as the ideal parent. I would give Stanley water to
drink if he looked drier than usual and that was the extent of my nurturing efforts. However, my
complacency did not last. Come winter, around his half birthday, Stanley became afflicted with
a mysterious ailment. His stems curled and his one delicate green frond dried up. After carefully
examining him, I concluded that not only was the lake water I had been using contaminated with
some sort of root-eating larva, but my mother’s African violets had given him aphids. It was then
that I was faced with the harsh reality of the situation: I had a plant that I was absolutely obsessed
with, but knew nothing about.
In my desperation to keep my sundew alive, I began to contact other plant enthusiasts in
an increasingly desperate attempt to help my poor Stanley. To my great surprise, a close friend
was also a carnivorous plant caregiver and was well versed in childhood care. His advice, coupled
with some new dirt and the stocked shelves of the nearby library’s horticulture section, allowed
me to nurse Stanley back to health. Stanley regained his strength and shortly after the winter incident,
I adopted Simone, another sundew. Then came Diana, my first Venus flytrap. Consequently,
the carnivorous plant aficionado was so impressed with Stanley’s care that he entrusted me with
the care of his carnivorous plants when he left for college. This brought my family’s size to the
current seven.
My true reward of having Stanley is that he opened the door to the world of botany. I
would never have invested so much time learning about the molecular structure or chemical balance
of plants if not for taking care of him. I have loved learning for his benefit, whether it be
discovering the best fluoride-free water, finding the ideal amount of sunlight, or reading that he
uses a form of electrical signaling to improve digestion. I also love the rarity of being Stanley’s
parent. People have their judgments, but I have also found that most people are genuinely curious
and I am always open to questions. Ultimately, I love how Stanley has forced me to be adaptive.
That first winter I did not have a “Gardener’s Guide to Carnivorous Plants,” I simply had my own
observations. This was the most significant lesson that Stanley and friends taught me: the universe
lacks a guide to the galaxy, and life is all about discovering your own way.
“Michaela showed
her innate curiosity
through a unique topic.
The beginning of
her essay is intriguing
and makes you
want to learn more.
More importantly,
she elaborates on an
interesting aspect
of her life outside of
academics, yet still
demonstrates the
depth of her desire to
be perpetually learning.
It also gave us
insight into how she
responds when she
is passionate about
something.”
—Johns Hopkins Undergraduate
Admissions
Committee
ELOQUENT 15

Top 5:
SCANDINAVIAN
UNIVERSITIES
When you were approximately 5 or 6 years old it
was by more or less fortunate consequences spit into your
face that storks don’t carry babies. This was just the beginning
of a series of confusing realizations about life. Hopefully,
with all the secrets you now know, you are able to
come to own conclusions and make decisions about your
future because one of the greatest struggles is to manage
to have a future – a one that you used to dream about back
then, when you were also trying to figure out where storks
hide the babies. Education, they say, is the key to success.
So why not have the best of all? Currently, the world offers
23 557 institutions of higher education in total. It would,
however, be a very long list to share with you so let’s for
now take the captivating and extraordinary Scandinavia.
16 ELOQUENT
The lands belonging to the Nordic area
– Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark,
Iceland, Greenland – have the characteristics
of a well developed and modern
educational system. They accentuate
the importance of analytical and
critical thinking, creativity, innovation,
research, gathering experience and applying
it in practice. Many of the universities
are tied up with companies and
corporations, which create the opportunities
of cooperation and more effective
way of education.
The atmosphere
of the academic
years is more informal
than the one we
are used to. As the
result of tuition held
in minor groups, the
approach between
students and professors
is more personal.
The standard
of education has to
do with the nations
itself, “from youth,
learning is respected and in many cases
becomes a lifetime pursuit”. Universities
facilitate with a wide range of subjects
taught in English. Nevertheless
tuition is free, except some registration
and examination fees which differ in
each county and each university. Free
tuition is compensated with one of the
highest standards of living in the world.
If you ever decide to apply
for tuition in any of the nordic
countries you might flirt with the
idea of ...roots up there. Parents
will probably no longer support
you financially, so it will be in
your best interest to concentrate
on the job market offered to you.
The work professions are dominated
by the social demand and
industrialization. Agriculture and
manufacturing have ben historically
overtook by electronics, administrative
work, healthcare and
business. Finland is one of the
most technologically advanced
places in the world. The situation
is very similar in Sweden and
Norway, the demand goes further
for financial and business services,
construction and engineering.
Denmark is not an exception, the major
subjects taught at universities and
thereupon taken to practice are science,
technology, pharmaceutical sciences,
business, architecture, design,
humanities, and much more. The regions
surrounded by seas lead in fisheries,
Iceland’s leading is fishing industry,
earnings, gross domestic products, geothermal
and hydro-electric
power production,
biotechnology
and so on.
- Réka Tündöková

FINLAND
-University of Helsinki
-Aalto University
-University of Turku
-University of Oulu
-University of Eastern Finland
Typical for Finland is the Polytechnic, University of Applied Science (UAS). Polytechnics
provide professional higher education with emphasis on acknowledging the students
with the requirements and development of the real tough world - working life.
Estimated living costs - 700-900 €
SWEDEN
-Lund University
-Uppsala University
-KTH Royal Institute of Technology
-Chalmers University of Technology
-Stockholm University
Estimated living costs: 800 €
You need to be acknowledged by the fact it is almost impossible to find a part-time job
when you don’t speak Swedish.
You might think about the location of your future university in Sweden. There are less people
living in the north of the country and those who live there are mostly “hard core” Swedish
people with not many international student. The cultural difference may be a little harsh for
the beginning.
NORWAY
-University of Oslo
-University of Bergen
-Norwegian University of Science and Technology
-University of Tromsø The Arctic University of
Norway
-BI Norwegian Business school
Estimated living costs: 1 100 €
fee for each semester: around 60 €
DENMARK
-Aarhus University
-Technical University of Denmark
-University of Southern Denmark
-Aalborg University
-Copenhagen Business School
Estimated living costs: 580-900 €
GREENLAND
University of Greenland is Greenland’s only university for Greenlandic speaking
students only. You will hardly find an English program but there are several research
programs, accessible for international students, to strengthen the cooperation
among countries.
ICELAND
-Agricultural University of Iceland
-Bifröst University
-Iceland Academy of the Arts
-Reykjavik University
-University of Iceland
Estimated living costs: 780 €
Estimated living costs: 2 000 €
ELOQUENT 17

Special Thanks to
THE FREDELLS
We dedicate this issue to you for your generous
gift. Thank you very much! None of this would
be possible without your donation.
- Editorial Staff of ELOQUENT
18 ELOQUENT

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ELOQUENT!