The Mayor of Smederevo, Jasmina Vojinović, today hosted pupils and teachers of the Smederevo Economics and Trade School who, at the beginning of October, took part in the 12th International GATUS Competition in Croatia, which brings together secondary schools of hospitality and tourism from the countries of the former SFRY.
The competition was held on 6 October at the School of Hospitality and Tourism in Osijek, where our pupils achieved notable results.
The pupils were divided into three teams by course of study, so the awards they won are a good indicator of their team spirit as well as the skills they have mastered.
In the category “Preparing a dish of chicken drumsticks and thighs and a pear dessert”, pupils of class 4/7 on the culinary technician course, Anđela Mihajlović, Lazar Stanković and Dimitrije Rajković, mentored by cookery teacher Anđela Traživuk, won a gold award.
Gold also went to pupils of class 4/5 on the tourism course, Anka Savić, Angelina Nevenkić and Bojana Živanić, mentored by teacher Tina Jakovleski, in the category “Tourist package”.
Pupils of class 4/6 on the hospitality course, Mladen Mijailović, Nikola Pantelić and Vanja Radosavljević, mentored by food service teacher Nenad Ljubenović, won a bronze award in the category “Preparing a short plum brandy cocktail, setting and presenting a banquet table and finishing a dish in front of the guest”.
According to the pupils who won these valuable awards, preparing for the competition took about a month and was a demanding period, but in the end their efforts paid off.
Three schools took part from each country, and the competition brought together 140 contestants. Our country was represented by pupils and teachers from Belgrade, Leskovac and Smederevo. Despite the very strong competition, the Smederevo pupils clearly stood out and are a source of pride for the City of Smederevo, said the Head Teacher of the Economics and Trade School in Smederevo, Violeta Đorđević.
The Head Teacher thanked the local government for providing the funds that made it possible to take part in the competition.
“The local government is always there to support everything that is in the interest of Smederevo’s pupils and of the city itself, which belongs to all of us, and we expect that it will be developed in the finest and best way by future generations who want to stay here and make their contribution. We are here to support them,” said the Mayor, congratulating the pupils and their mentors on their results.
As the official Tourist Organisation of the City of Smederevo is expected to be established soon, she also invited the tourism pupils to cooperate, so that our city can be presented to tourists in the best possible light through their presentations.
Addressing the teachers, the Mayor of Smederevo, Jasmina Vojinović, stressed that the teaching profession is a job of great responsibility. She told the pupils to make an effort and study hard, because that is the only way to guarantee success.
The formal reception in the Plenary Hall of the City Administration was attended by Member of Parliament Katarina Stojanović, Member of the City Council Aleksandra Mitić and the Assistant Head Teacher of the Economics and Trade School, Vladimir Aleksić.
