The end of January was an eventful time at ETA Daniel Knoll’s host school, SMA 2 Payakumbuh. Every year they hold FLASHCO at this time, which is a 5-day event focused on academic competitions, as many schools across West Sumatra come to this event.

Students compete in biology, physics, chemistry, astronomy, geography, computer technology, mathematics, economy, debates, debates in English, English speech contest, reciting the Quran, drawing, singing, and many more. The event also has entertainment such as class skits, traditional dances, and martial arts and the 11th-grade classes from SMA 2 work together to create street food stalls in the central basketball court.

Payakumbuh’s other ETA, Nicholas Navin, was invited to SMA 2 to assist Danny in judging the English speech contest. After a reading and listening test, of the 85 middle school students who participated in the English competition, 15 made it to the final round, the speech contest. Students were given an opinionated topic and 15 minutes to prepare a short speech to convince the judges of their argument.

The entire FLASCHO event was an exciting and proud time for members of the SMA 2 community, and those who participated in it. It was also a very rich time to converse with students and explore their talents and interests while enjoying entertainment and food created by them!

Daniel Knoll is currently teaching at SMAN 2 Payakumbuh, West Sumatra.