The participation and achievements of Usum students in the HIPPO English Without Borders contest have a history of several years. In previous years, we had the joy of hearing about—and being proud of—our students’ accomplishments. However, starting from December 9, a new chapter is being written in our participation story. Usum is now a member of the Global Hippo Association, which means that from now on all Usum students can take part in this prestigious English competition not as individual participants, but as the official representatives of our school and the Republic of Armenia.
Hippo English Without Borders is an international and highly respected English language Olympiad organized by the Global Hippo Association, founded in 2012. Its aim is to emphasize the importance of English proficiency for young learners in countries where English is part of the educational curriculum but holds neither the status of a native nor an official language.
Beyond promoting language learning, the Olympiad also seeks to foster global unity, cultural exchange, and collaboration. Over the years, the competition has expanded to include participants from dozens of countries, offering students the opportunity to test their abilities, improve their language skills, and connect with peers from around the world in a friendly and inspiring environment.
The first English language Olympiad organized by the Global Hippo Association was held in 2013, welcoming around 5,000 participants from 6 countries, among whom 43 talented students reached the final round.
On the occasion of its 10th anniversary in 2023, Hippo saw the participation of 83,295 students from 64 countries, with 223 of them advancing to the final stage of the Olympiad.
As we approach the 14th edition of the competition, to be held in 2026, our school joins as the 3,209th member institution of the association and as the next official representative of Armenia among 73 participating countries—embracing a new status and new perspectives.
In an interview with usumschool.am, our school’s ambassador to the competition and the association, and the President of the European Languages Department, A. Ghukasyan, emphasized that having observer or member status in global competitions brings prestige to schools. While it is one thing to take pride in the individual registrations and successes of Usum students, it is something entirely different to participate officially and achieve team-based and institutionally recognized results for the school. He is confident that thanks to the school’s professional team, the first year of official participation will bring a significantly higher number of registrations, and in the final round—long-awaited success.
It should also be noted that the official announcement of our school’s membership was made today during a ceremonial event held at the V. Brusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences. The event was attended by the co-founders of the competition, Snezana Mitrovic and Daniele Piacentini, HIPPO’s Armenia coordinator Hermine Melkonyan, as well as English teachers and students from around 40 schools across Armenia.
Also at the ceremonial event were Usum School’s ambassador A. Ghukasyan and English teacher M. Andreasyan.
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