THE RUSSIA SCHOOL IN AMERICA
In 1992, a small community to community exchange took place between
Parkersburg, West Virginia and Kaliningrad, Moscow Region, Russia. This exchange
was perpetuated by a NASA teacher in space finalist and leadership in the Russian
Space Agency. This exchange could have ended, as many do, as a nice time for the
participants and sweet memories of learning about a new country that was formerly banned
by the government.
Instead, something magical happened. This exchange exploded
into a Foundation that has supported over 200 exchanges focusing on the area of education,
business, culture and community. The exchanges have become progressively more
involved and complex. The ultimate is now the exchange that no one in America has
attempted, "The Russia School in America."
When the Russia School in America was first suggested, the site was
considered and only one option was appropriate, West Virginia State College. The
College had hosted The Governor's Honors Academy and had proven that it was a site that
was compatible to accommodating high school students. In addition, Dr. Charlotte
Giles, Dean, was an administrator who understood attention to detail. More
importantly, Dr. Giles shared her warm heart in reaching out to help others and she had
exhibited her ability to work with foreign students and educators. If the Russia
School in America was to be successful, West Virginia State College needed to be the first
site.
On October 5, 1997, forty-one Russian students and 10 Russian
teachers arrived at West Virginia State College ready to embark on this new
adventure. The students ranged in age from 12 to 17 and continued with their classes
that had begun in Russia. Besides Chemistry, Biology, Geography, History, Russian,
Mathematics, Physical Education and other Russian subjects, the students participated in
American Cultures, English As a Second Language and Computers. They visited schools,
glass plants, historical sites, hospitals, cultural presentations, banks, Halloween
parties, Thanksgiving dinners and generally learned about America life - first-hand.
Their happiest moments were spent in the homes of their West Virginia families.
The success of this project can be judged by the products - the
products for this exchange are the academic challenges and learning of the
students. This learning was exemplified during the last week when the students
presented their research reports that had been written in English and Russian. The
students were also required to answer questions in English and to generally discuss their
academic studies in America.
The results were astounding. According to the students and
teachers, the students learning far exceeded that which would have occurred in
Russia. The gains in the academic arena were complemented with the gains in the
areas of American Culture and English. It would have been impossible to absorb this
information unless the students could absolutely be immersed in the culture. The
West Virginia families who opened their homes and their hearts to these students have now
opened a window of global knowledge for themselves. The elation of success that we
all feel can be surmised in one statement, "The next group will arrive in
February."
