UKELODEON: For The Next Generation (08/08/99)

UKELODEON

For The Next Generation

Tomorrow's memories

by Lydia Smyk

With August upon us and September around the corner, everyone begins scrambling to enjoy every last minute summer has to offer. For children and parents, this marks the beginning of a new year. They pass into the next phase of growth - whether that is the first day of kindergarten, high school or university.

That millennium panic that we keep hearing about this year begins with the usual back-to-school phase of activity. With that activity comes a time for reflection. It seems as though it was just yesterday that we were the ones experiencing these rites of passage. How quickly those years flew by.

At UKELODEON we thought that August would be a great time to run a photo of a classroom from years past. Look at the faces of these pupils at St. John the Baptist School in Newark, N.J. - you may recognize some friends and it might bring back some memories.

I remember sitting in Ukrainian school listening to Pan Myhal carry on about the geography of Ukraine, while I doodled in my notebook and passed notes to my friends. (Of course, now I would chastise my children for such behavior.) I remember the summer our dance troupe, Dnipro, traveled with Canada's Opportunities for Youth program and stayed in hosels.

Recently I attended a wedding when I distinguished-looking young man walked up to me and greeted me. Even though I never had the pleasure of being his teacher (he was in Grade 8 when I began my first year teaching kindergarten), he used to come in and help with the children during recess. During our conversation I kept thinking: Where did the time go?

He told me he was doing some work for The Weekly. He knew I was involved with UKELODEON and steered the conversation there. Thus, I found myself talking to a colleague - yet it seemed like yesterday that he was a child. I realized that to him I was a memory of his childhood.

In our fast-paced world, new memories are created every day.

Take a good look at the photo above and remember yourself at that time: the excitement of returning to school, the trepidation of facing a new teacher. Even those tough teenagers who may grumble about getting up so early inevitably look forward to seeing old friends and acquaintances. For a child, for some reason, time seems to pass by so slowly, yet that same child as an adult looks back and understands that time flew by too quickly.

At UKELODEON we hope that you and your children will enjoy these last weeks before school. Savor each and every experience - these will inevitably be transformed into fond memories.

Check it out!

In the centerfold of this issue read about SUM and Plast camps.

A teacher's thoughts about her graduates

by Olga Rudyk

YONKERS, N.Y. - Wow! We did it! We made it! Way to go!

Each and every one of my students is deserving of applause. It was a long and hard journey. They and I hit rough spots along the way, but none of that is important anymore. It is the final accomplishment that counts. For 11 years I watched and admired these six young people. We became friends in the end, and I recognized them as determined students and proud Ukrainians.

I also learned much about myself. They taught me that I, too, can accomplish what seems impossible. Against all odds, one digs down into the soul and retrieves hidden talents and ingenuity. One's imagination is put to the test and, surprisingly, the dry and boring becomes rich and exciting.

We made learning about our Ukrainian history, geography, traditions and heritage exciting. The ageless rivers, mountains and steppes were seen through the mind's eyes of these young people. They looked at a map and saw history move within the boundaries of Ukraine's borders. They became good acquaintances of its heroes, writers, poets, musicians and artists.

I could not have wished for a better outcome; I am grateful for having the wonderful experience of teaching this group. Beyond this, I am thankful for the opportunity of knowing them. Just as I was able to spark in them a new awareness of their ancestry, I hope they will take their knowledge and inspire future generations.

Congratulations to my students - Christina Warycha, Tania Warycha, David Odomirak, Markian Romaniw, Nicholas Rudyk and Sam Warycha, my graduates at the School of Ukrainian Studies at St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church, Yonkers, N.Y.

And now for something different: Plast youths take up scuba diving

by Markian Hadzewycz

WHIPPANY, N.J. - One of the many different things that the Pumas patrol of the 5th Plast Troop of "yunaky," members of the Newark Branch of the Plast Ukrainian Youth Organization, did this year was take a course in scuba (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) in order to qualify for NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors) certification.

Eleven teenage boys and one adult attended the seven four-hour classes every Sunday to learn the skills of sport diving. The classes included classroom time, as well as practice diving in the pool at Lakeland Divers on Route 10 in East Hanover, N.J. , located not far from St. John's Ukrainian Catholic Church, where the Pumas and other Plast groups regularly hold their weekly meetings.

During the seventh session, we took our final scuba exam. We were all glad to finish the 105-question test. The only step left to complete for certification was the open-water dive, which was to be conducted at Dutch Springs near Bethlehem, Pa., the site of an abandoned quarry that was flooded by spring water.

On the weekend of June 19-20, the first two "yunaky" from the Plast group, Markian Hadzewycz and Andrew Yaniuk, went for their certification at Dutch Springs. After two days of tests, in areas such as underwater navigation and emergency ascents when out of air, we were proud to have finally completed the course. Pretty soon all of the Pumas will be certified, and we will be able to go scuba diving together.

Mishanyna

Solve our Mishanyna by finding the words or phrases below, all of which are somehow related to the month of August or summertime activities. (A hint: you might need to look in two adjoining lines to find a phrase.)

August, Baptism, boat, canoe, fish, Georgian Bay, Hutsul, Independence of Ukraine, Ivan Franko, Lake George, Lake Simcoe, Nobel Prize, Osyp Fedkovych, Panteleimon Kulish, swim, Wildwood Crest.

Myshka writes home

Dear Mama:

I miss you. I miss the cat and the dog.

Everyone likes my new haircut - they say it's cool. The counselors are cool too, especially the one with orange hair. I got to raise the flag this morning. At night we had a vatra with marshmallows.

The food is OK, but please bring candy when you come visit. Please write. Please bring me Pokemon cards so I can trade them.

Love,
Mykola

P.S.: Please ask UKELODEON readers to write to me too. I want to know what their camp experiences are like.

P.P.S.: Has anyone solved my mystery from June? You know, the one about the day when a mysterious flower blooms at night?

Newark's little Hutsuls

The youngest Ukrainian folk dance group in Newark, N.J., is somewhat unusual because it has a predominance of boys and only a handful of girls. (Isn't there usually a shortage of boys?) The group, which has lessons at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic School after school on Tuesdays, is one of many directed by Roma Pryma Bohachevsky in the New Jersey/New York area. On the right, the dancers are seen after a year-end performance of their Hutsul dance, the Arkan, with their instructor, Orlando Pagan, and members of the older dance group. Though he is not of Ukrainian heritage (he's Spanish), Mr. Pagan has danced with Ms. Bohachevsky for 11 years. He is a member of the Syzokryli, an advanced group of dancers based in New York City. He is also an instructor at the Ukrainian Dance Camp now taking place at the Verkhovyna resort in Glen Spey, N.Y. After their final performance of the school year, Mr. Pagan's young charges thanked him for his patience with a huge round of applause and chants of "Or-lan-do."

Our next issue:

UKELODEON is published on the second Sunday of every month. To meet the deadline for our next issue, dated September 12, please send in materials by September 3. Your input and ideas are welcome. So, drop us a line:

UKELODEON, The Ukrainian Weekly, 2200 Route 10, P.O. Box 280, Parsippany, NJ 07054; fax, (973) 644-9510; telephone, (973) 292-9800; e-mail, [email protected].

| Home Page |