#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. The all-Russian environmental forum for students, titled Our Planet, celebrated the 180th anniversary of the Russian Geographical Society and took place in St. Petersburg in the end of February. The forum featured excursions, museum visits, subject contests, workshops, and meetings.
This year, the team from the grammar school No. 4 departed for the forum a bit early, on February 23. Before the event started, the Norilsk students had the chance to visit the famous Grand Maket Russia museum. The model, which spans an impressive 800 square meters and allows visitors to journey across nearly the entire country, left a remarkable impression on them. Later, they showcased their excellent knowledge of Russian geography. The school students Artem Gubko and Anya Krivoshta became ambassadors for assembling the Russia puzzle, completing it in just 2 minutes and 50 seconds. The performances of the Norilsk participants in the creative competition were equally impressive. It was a standout moment for the duo of Marina Akulinkina and Katya Kovalenko, who delivered a heartfelt rendition of The Sky of the Slavs by Konstantin Kinchev, and for Alexandra Trofimova, who recited Russia by Vladimir Nabokov.
During the opening ceremony, all participating teams from 12 cities across Russia presented creative introductions that reflected the uniqueness of their regions.
The young polar explorers from Norilsk brilliantly represented their city, taking the audience on an engaging costumed journey through the history of geographical discoveries related to the Taimyr peninsula.
The second day of the forum was memorable for participants, featuring school subjects’ contests based on the general education curriculum and competitive presentations of research projects. The expert jury included representatives from the St. Petersburg Committee for Arctic Affairs. Students presented 73 projects focused on studying fauna, water resources, polar expeditions, Arctic research and discoveries, the culture of northern peoples, and ecological issues in their homeland. The presentations were followed by discussions with specialists.
At the Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and River Fleet, the Norilsk team particularly enjoyed meeting leading experts from the hydrometeorological service. Their insights on climate, forecasts, and modern technologies inspired the young ecologists with new ideas. For instance, Vlad Preobrazhensky and Artem Adamov envisioned creating a mobile wind generator for use on hikes, which could represent a significant breakthrough in ecological tourism.
February 28 marked the final day of the XII All-Russian Environmental Forum Our Planet – 2025. The young polar explorers from Norilsk, along with all project participants, took part in a brain ring focused on the Arctic and Antarctica and visited the Arctic and Antarctic museums as well as the Kunstkamera. A highlight for the Norilsk students was meeting environmental journalist Christian Rinchinov. They not only had a chance to chat with him but also exchanged contact information for future collaboration.
Journalists from St. Petersburg even interviewed 11th-grade student Maria Smorodina. The student, who excelled in the subject contests, received a certificate that grants her additional points for admission to the St. Petersburg State Marine Technical University. Only three participants from the forum received such recommendations. 15 out of the 20 members of the Norilsk team won awards in subject contests. For example, Stepan Kaban achieved the best result among all participants in the engineering and technical category.
In the overall team standings at Our Planet – 2025, the Norilsk team secured a commendable second place, just as they did last year.
Follow us on Telegram, VKontakte.
Text: Varvara Sosnovskaya, Photo: grammar school No. 4
