Russian school celebrates students completing another academic term

On Sunday, May 20, 2018, a festive ceremony was held in Valley Cottage to mark the conclusion of another academic year at the Russian school of the St. Sergius of Radonezh parish. The ceremony was begun with a moleben served by Archpriest Grigory Kotlaroff. Among the guests of honor was the ruling bishop of the ROCA Syracuse and St. Nicholas Diocese, Archbishop Andronik.

The ceremony was opened by the school’s administrator, George Lukin, who introduced to the audience the irreplaceable director of the school, Tatyana Alekseyevna Rodzianko. In her presentation, she spoke of the importance of studying and preserving the Russian language, an outstanding tool of human thought, which links us to both Russian culture and Orthodoxy.

In their speeches, graduates of the 12th class playfully complained that because of the Russian school they had to get up on weekends at the crack of dawn, but now that the lessons have concluded, they will miss the school, their interaction with peers and with the teachers, who following tradition, they refer to as family — Uncle Yura, Uncle Kolya, Aunt Tanya, etc.

The presentation of gramoty and gifts was crowned by a particularly treasured award – for Russianness. A medal commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty is awarded to the best student of the year. This medal is presented not only for academic performance but also for personal contributions to the preservation of Russian traditions in the school and this year was awarded to Elizaveta Shevelchinskaya.

The ceremony concluded with a performance of poems, tongue twisters, dances and a scene from Gogol’s “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka.”

After the concert a communal trapeza was offered with hamburgers and toasts for the prosperity of the Russian school.