The national final of the XIII edition of the Italian Championships organized by the Ministry of Education (media partner la RAI with Radio 3, Rai Cultura and Rai Italia), national and international competition, included in the annual program to enhance excellence for the 2023-24 school year. And it was a student from the Ionian province who achieved success: Paolo Pichierriof the De Sanctis Galilei high school in Manduria. «We feel great pride – he underlined the director, professor Maria Maddalena Di Maglie – not only for the record achieved, but for the will and courage to get involvedthe ability our students have to compete while putting fun first. Already in 2021 the victory went to a student of our institute. Congratulations to our Paolo!».
The plaque for the young Pichierri
The race, which took place in person, at the Adriano Tilgher Institute of Higher Education of the Campania town, saw both the students who finished in the top ten overall in previous selections and the students who ranked first in their own region compete against each other. In this last ranking and for the high school area, category junior (reserved for two-year students), won Paolo Giovanni Pichierri, 2AS (scientific address) of the Liceo De Sanctis-Galilei of Manduria, accompanied by his Italian teacher prof. Cesare Capone. In recent days the awards ceremony took place at the Virtual Archaeological Museum of Herculaneum. Already placed 17th in the overall ranking of the category juniortherefore out of 2,042 students from all over Italy in the regional phases (following the competition held online on 21 March 2024), Pichierri competed again, ranking first among Italian high school students in the first two years.
The De Sanctis Galilei high school in Manduria
They had passed school competitions together with him, also participating in regional competitions Kristel Velardi of 2CS (scientific address, Junior category), Eleonora Guarino of 4CS (scientific address, senior category), Leonardo Caldarola of the 5AL (linguistic major, senior category).
The Italian Championships are individual competitions aimed at students of secondary school institutions, state and private, of Italian schools in the world of the same level, of Italian sections in foreign and international schools abroad, of foreign schools in Italy . «I am an only child: I live with my parents and my three turtles» says the young winner of himself, «I mainly entertain myself by reading and listening to music. I don’t prefer a particular literary genrein fact my readings range from essays to thrillers and horror, but I prefer the genre Fantasy. As for music, I mostly listen international pop (especially English), classical music or soundtracks. My musical tastes vary a lot depending on the moment, but lately I’ve been listening to Adele’s songs a lot.” A true passion, that of the young Pichierri, for music: «I play the transverse flute I have been attending the school orchestra for almost five years and I am preparing to face the first ones exams at the conservatory. Furthermore, in my free time I like to play the ukulele and, when it happens, garden. My interests also range widely, but I have recently discovered the world of magic tricks, which I use to impress my friends when we are together.” The future? «I think I want to be a doctor. In fact, I would love it improve the lives of others through medicine. Furthermore, this field offers a very wide range of specializations, even very different from each other. Medicine is also a constantly evolving discipline: the presence of complex problems and the search for their solutions is a very stimulating challenge.”
