GRADIŠKA GENIUS ACHIEVES AN UNPRECEDENTED FEAT IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM

A remarkable achievement by a high school student from Gradiška is attracting attention across Republika Srpska and beyond. Nikola Nikolić, a second-year IT student at the Technical School in Gradiška, has accomplished something never before recorded in the local education system – he independently wrote and prepared a comprehensive handbook of competitive physics problems for second-year high school students.

PHOTO: Milan Vujić / Glas Srpske

The unique publication brings together complex physics tasks and detailed step-by-step solutions in a single volume. The project has already received support from the Republic Pedagogical Institute, and following the completion of final reviews, it is expected to be published by the Textbook and Teaching Resources Institute of Republika Srpska.

A Historic Achievement for the Technical School in Gradiška

Behind this impressive accomplishment are months of dedicated work and an extraordinary passion for science.

Nikolić achieved a historic result for the Technical School in Gradiška this year. He won first place at the school, municipal, and regional physics competitions in Prijedor. Competing against students from grammar schools across Republika Srpska, he also secured an outstanding sixth place at the Republic-level competition.

Lack of Local Literature Inspired a Big Idea

The idea for the handbook emerged during his intensive preparations for competitions, when he encountered a shortage of domestic educational resources.

“Republika Srpska is home to many talented students who achieve excellent results. However, our competitors are often forced to rely on foreign literature, which takes away valuable preparation time. My goal was to help and motivate future students who choose to participate in competitions,” Nikolić said.

To create the handbook, he independently researched Russian physics collections and analyzed problems from prestigious competitions in Serbia and Croatia.

“For me, physics is the practical application of mathematics. It proves that formulas are not just symbols on paper but explanations of real-life processes. Competitive physics requires a strong mathematical foundation, approximations, and hours of daily practice, but all of that can be achieved through continuous work,” he explained.

An Extraordinary Effort

Nikolić’s mentor, physics teacher Jovana Škorić, who has been teaching at the school for a decade, described his success as a true feat, especially considering the curriculum differences between technical schools and grammar schools.

“We have achieved good results before, but this is the first time in our school’s history that a student has qualified for the Republic Physics Competition. Nikola is truly exceptional. Physics is taught in our school for only two years, and some topics are not covered in the regular curriculum at all. That means we start at a disadvantage compared to grammar schools. We had to invest enormous additional effort, which makes Nikola’s place among the six best students in Republika Srpska even more impressive,” Škorić said.

She also emphasized that the handbook was prepared at a very high academic level and contains exceptionally detailed solutions, which are crucial for understanding advanced competition problems that often exceed the standard second-year curriculum.

Together with the school administration, efforts have already begun to secure publication of the handbook, which is expected to become an invaluable resource for future generations of students.

Support from University Experts and Former Competitors

Nikolić stressed that he was not alone in his journey. Former competition participants, now university students, regularly provide volunteer online lessons for younger students preparing for physics contests.

He also expressed special gratitude to the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Banja Luka, where instructional classes were organized during the past several months.

“Senior Teaching Assistant Bojan Kovačević and Professor Aleksandra Radić provided tremendous support throughout the preparation process, and I am sincerely grateful to them,” Nikolić said.

A School Known for Excellence

Sanja Pavlović, Nikola’s homeroom teacher and mathematics professor, highlighted that the Technical School in Gradiška has long been recognized as one of the most modern and successful secondary schools in Republika Srpska.

According to her, many distinguished professionals in technology and innovation began their educational journey in the school's classrooms, and Nikola Nikolić’s latest achievement represents yet another example of the exceptional talent nurtured there.

His handbook, if published as expected, could become a pioneering educational resource and inspire a new generation of young physicists across Republika Srpska.