Volume 2, Issue 12
October 2021
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2021-22
Saint Kosmas Contests
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Saint Kosmas Orthodox Christian Education Association promotes academic and creative arts contests that are open to all Orthodox Christian youth regardless of jurisdiction, type of schooling, or country of residence.
We welcome you to participate!
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“We are very glad that you put together this competition and that our son participated. Speaking as a homeschool mom who has often wavered in my resolve to homeschool, it is so helpful to feel part of a bigger community, and also have access to all the resources from your organization. We feel so blessed. From our hearts we want to say again, thank you for your work.”
FROM THE PARENTS OF THE
GREEK LANGUAGE CATEGORY
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Learn more about the Saint Kosmas Contests:
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TOPICS FOR
ESSAY & ORATORICAL
New Topic Added: WISDOM
All FIVE topics
— Freedom, Beauty, Chastity, Obedience, and Wisdom —
can be used for BOTH contests!
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Essay Deadline: December 31, 2021
Speech Submission Deadline: February 28, 2022
Oratorical Festival: March 15-16, 2022
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FREEDOM
(“Freedom” Topic for Junior and Elementary Divisions): We live in a culture that tells us we are free to do whatever we want. Develop an essay or speech on how such an understanding of freedom differs from an Orthodox Christian approach to freedom. As you develop your ideas, make sure to use Orthodox resources to support your argument. Good sources could include, but are not limited to, a story from the Desert Fathers, hymns sung in the Church, writings of contemporary saints and holy elders, and the Holy Scripture.
(“Freedom” Topic for Senior Division): Throughout history, freedom has been understood in a number of different ways. Develop an essay or speech on how Orthodox approach the topic of freedom. Make sure to use Orthodox resources such as the Holy Scripture, the Church Fathers, and liturgical texts to support and develop your ideas. In addition, contrast the Orthodox approach with at least one other approach to freedom in the world today.
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BEAUTY
(“Beauty” Topic for Junior and Elementary Divisions): When envoys were sent by St. Vladimir to Constantinople to inquire into the Orthodox faith, they attended the Divine Liturgy at Agia Sophia and reported back, "We no longer knew whether we were in heaven or on earth." Develop an essay or speech on what this story tells us about the importance of beauty in the Orthodox Church and how such a view of beauty contrasts with that of the modern culture. As you explore the Orthodox understanding of beauty, make use of resources such as Holy Scripture, the Church Fathers, hymnography, and/or liturgical texts to strengthen your argument.
(“Beauty” Topic for Senior Division): Fyodor Dostoyesvky famously said in The Idiot, "Beauty will save the world." Develop an essay or speech on what is an Orthodox approach to understanding beauty, and what role beauty plays in the spiritual life. Make sure to use Orthodox resources such as the Holy Scripture, the Church Fathers, hymnography, and liturgical services and texts to support and develop your ideas. In addition, contrast the Orthodox approach with at least one other approach to beauty in the world today.
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CHASTITY
The ideal of chastity is deeply challenged in our culture today. Develop an essay or speech that offers an apologetic to our culture as to why Americans should value chastity from an Orthodox perspective. Use concrete examples and draw from the wisdom of the Church in developing your position. Make sure to use Orthodox resources such as the Holy Scripture, the Church Fathers, and liturgical texts to support and develop your ideas.
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OBEDIENCE
St. Silouan the Athonite writes, "The spirit of obedience is necessary not only in monks but in everyone else, too. Even the Lord was obedient. The proud and those who are a law unto themselves prevent the indwelling of grace and therefore never know peace of soul; whereas the grace of the Holy Spirit enters with ease into the soul of the obedient, bringing joy and quiet."
Develop an essay or speech on what you think St. Silouan the Athonite means when he says these words in relation to our daily lives in families and living in the world as Orthodox Christians. Use concrete examples and draw from the wisdom of the Church in developing your position. Make sure to use Orthodox resources such as the Holy Scripture, the Church Fathers, and liturgical texts to support and develop your ideas.
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WISDOM
As Christians, we are called to seek wisdom in our daily lives. In St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians, he writes,
For the word, that of the Cross, on the one hand, to those who are perishing is foolishness, but on the other hand, to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it hath been written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will set at nought the comprehension of the intelligent.” Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Did not God make foolish the wisdom of this world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world knew not God through its wisdom, it pleased God through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe. For indeed, Jews seek for a sign, and Greeks seek wisdom; but we proclaim Christ Who hath been crucified, to Jews, on the one hand, a stumbling block, and to Greeks, on the other hand, foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, God’s power and God’s wisdom. Because the foolish thing of God is wiser than man, and the weak thing of God is stronger than man. (I Corinthians 1: 18-25)
Further, at the feast of Pentecost, we chant, "Blessed art Thou, O Christ our God, Who hast shown forth the fishermen as supremely wise by sending down upon them the Holy Spirit and through them didst draw the world into Thy net. O Befriender of Man, glory be to Thee!"
In light of this Biblical passage from the Apostle Paul and the hymn of Pentecost cited above, develop an essay or speech articulating how the Orthodox Church understands wisdom and how such an understanding differs from the wisdom of this world. Further, make sure to include why this distinction is important in our daily lives. Make sure to use Orthodox resources such as the Holy Scripture, the Church Fathers, and liturgical texts to support and develop your ideas.
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Learn more about the Saint Kosmas Contests:
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THEME FOR
ART & PHOTOGRAPHY:
The Beauty of God's Creation Represented in
The First Four Days of Creation
(Genesis 1:3 - 2:3)
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Art Deadline: December 31, 2021
Photography Deadline: December 31, 2021
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Learn more about the Saint Kosmas Contests:
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Review of the 2021 Saint Kosmas Arizona Conference: |
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With much hesitancy, we booked our place in the 2021 Saint Kosmas Orthodox Education Conference. “Our children are older...and so indifferent. They’re probably not going to meet anyone their age…Who are we kidding? We’ve never really homeschooled the right way, much less in a truly pious Orthodox manner…We really have no business being there.” These were some of the thoughts that recycled through my mind. How wrong I was to have entertained such tormenting notions! I could write three separate essays: one on the terrific accommodations at the Gold Canyon Golf Resort, another on the wonderfully prepared Lenten meals, and yet a more elaborate description of the UN-BE-LIEVE-A-BLE and PRICE-LESS lectures. The entire conference turned out to be an incredible experience of encouragement, recreation, recalibration, conviction, and tremendous joy. I was especially delighted to visit each one of the vendors; so powerfully equipped! In the end, the children had a fantastic time. On the drive back to Los Angeles, the children expressed that this conference is the place they found true, life-long friends. I was blown away but didn’t show it; I just thanked God. If you think this conference is not for you, you’re wrong! This conference is for everybody, and as a former LAUSD middle school teacher, I mean EVERYBODY! As I write this, there are three teenagers checking in on me, inquiring if I’ve yet signed us up for the 2022 conference. Now that’s an endorsement if I ever saw one! My deepest appreciation goes out to all the unseen hands that make this super-production happen. Thank you! -- Claudia Zait
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Learn more about the Saint Kosmas Conferences:
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from the
Saint Kosmas Blog
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Reading an essay to an audience can bore them to tears. I recently attended a conference where a brilliant man was speaking on a topic about which he was one of the world’s experts. Unfortunately, what he delivered was not a speech but an essay. This renowned academic had mastered the written form but mistakenly presumed that the same style could be used at a podium in the context of an hour-long public address... (Read more.)
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Our speaker today is Andrew Kern and he's going to speak with us about writing. As a way of introduction, Mr. Kern is a researcher, teacher, and consultant on classical education. He homeschooled, with his wife, their five children who are now grown. He has trained many homeschool and classroom teachers through an apprenticeship program in his company. Andrew has also helped start several private schools... (Read more.)
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Recent updates to the Saint Kosmas Homeschool Page include links to HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association) and the Homeschool Laws for Every State.
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INTERNET SAFETY:
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