Still being a forth form pupil of Gomel polytechnic grammar school number 56, Gennady Korotkevich could hypothetically become a student of any Belarusian polytechnic university. He gained this honorable right thanks to his sensational victory at the republican academic competition on computer science, where he took the respect-worthy second place after having left behind other guys, mind it, that many of them were considerably older than he was. Since that time — during the period of the last four years — Gena inalterably impresses the town, the country and the rest of the world with his progress.If you look at him, Gena might seem to be a conventional boy. In his demeanor he is laconic and modest to the utmost. He also plays yard football and table tennis as well as the rest of his peers. Currently Gena is twelve. Nevertheless, now he is learning the basics of school subjects alongside with pupils of the 8th form, though according to his age he should have been in the 7th. This rapid absorption of the school curriculum, again, has to do with the unique talents of Gena Korotkevich. By the way, only this year he might have begun to study the subject “Computer Science”, but Gena is already a real “pro” at it.
Everything comes from his parents. The thing is, that the child prodigy’s mother and father are programmers to the backbone. They work at the mathematical problem management department of Francisk Scorina Gomel State University. Lyudmila Korotkevich, the mother, assures that she did not try to attach her son to computers. Everything happened of its own accord. After all, his parents sit in front of the monitor display at all times.
She said that in such an environment Gena could not but show interest to computers and computer science — it is there, she assumes, where the boy’s present success is rooted. The boy was about 6 years old when his parents made notice of their son’s capabilities. At that time Lyudmila turned to Mikhail Dolinsky, an assistant professor of the department, where she and her husband were working. Dolinsky had been successfully teaching children for a long time. And he began to guide Gena.
One of the most popular teachers of the former Soviet Union Mikhail Dolinsky, whose pupils not once gave reasons to admire them, tells about Gena Korotkevich in a special tone. In fact, Gena Korotkevich is also his own Guinness Record. Dolinsky has never had that young and talented pupil as Gena.
Neither did he nave that “smashing” victories, pursuing the Gomel school pupil.
Mikhail Dolinsky says, that Lyudmila Korotkevich showed him Gena, when the boy was six. The teacher gave to the boy a book to read and probably start to write programs. A month, two months, three months went by. But Gena didn’t reply. Dolinsky thought, that Gena’s enthusiasm passed off, but all of a sudden Lyudmila Ivanovna brought an exercise book with written programs. As it turned out, good weather was over together with football — and Gena sat down at the computer.
People began to talk about the computer genius, when he was still in the second form. Just then at the regional academic competition on computer science Korotkevich did not leave a chance to his competitors from the 5th to 8th forms. At the regional academic competition for a given time span not only did he make everything that he had to, but also habitually started solving tasks for school leavers. In the result later he took part at the republican academic competition on computer science, where he took the second place without a peep.
It’s a mystery, which Brownian agitation goes on in this young head. His teachers only note, that Gena likes competition as it is. At academic competitions he uses his own technique: at first he solves difficult “adult” tasks, and during the remaining time — simpler ones.
Dolinsky noticed, that if Gena doesn’t not know anything, he finds the means of doing that or just invents it. And that is another touch to the portrait of the little genius. For example, at an academic competition one of the tasks involved knowledge about an immersed body. In Belarussian schools pupils start to learn Archimedes’ principle in the 8th form, but Korotkevich personally deduced it for a couple of minutes.
With such a stock of competitive ability Gena is now a permanent participant of computer contests including International academic competition on computer science, held annually in different countries of the world by UNESCO. The first attempt and the first success took place in Mexican town Merida in 2006. At that time Korotkevich was in the 5th form and competed with older guys, thus he became not only the youngest participant but also the youngest possessor of a silver medal. At the next forum of learner-programmers in Croatia he took a gold medal. And now at the XXth international academic competition in Egypt Korotkevich made a real furor: at the international rating among 15–19 year old pupils Korotkevich conquered gold and took the 7th place.
By the way, such a wonderful event didn’t have impact on the winner. Gena has not got a star sickness, not even a drop of stardust. Same as before, he keeps playing yard football and table tennis as well as his peers, who are not laden with fame.
Violetta Dralyuk
