The 10th Annual New England Olympiada of Spoken Russian took place on April 12, 2026, at Harvard University. The Olympiada is a speech contest which invites students of New England colleges and universities to showcase their speaking skills in Russian. In 2026, the Olympiada was dedicated to the topic 'The Earth Is Our Home.' This was reflected in the topics for the monologues and the poems. 70 students from 14 colleges and universities participated in this year's Olympiada, and many friends and instructors came to cheer on. Six Dartmouth students of all levels of Russian, from first year to fourth year, participated in the contest.
Everest Nelson-Holder received an honorable mention in the poetry recitation competition for first-year students.
Lila Gillon placed second in the poetry recitation competition and third in the singing competition for second-year students. Another second-year student, Sarah Hochman, received an honorable mention in the singing competition.
Brigid O’Donnell placed first in the monologue competition among fourth-year students.
First-year Russian language students, Thomas Boyd and Everest Nelson-Holder, competed in the monologue competition on the day of the Olympiada at Harvard University; Addison Verrill, a second-year Russian language student, competed in the poetry recitation competition – we celebrate their exceptional spoken Russian language skills and effort! Congratulations!