Ukrainian sailor and historical re-enactor performs for Connecticut students (01/07/01)

Ukrainian sailor and historical re-enactor performs for Connecticut students

by Alex Kuzma

HAMDEN, Conn. - Students here at the Highville Mustard Seed Charter School, had an opportunity on recently to meet a seafaring adventurer from Ukraine who endured a harrowing voyage to take part in last summer's OpSail 2000 festival of tall ships in New London.

Petro Vashchyk was one of the sailors who crossed the Black Sea, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean aboard the Ukrainian gaff schooner, Batkivschyna that became one of the star attractions of the tall ships spectacle.

Smaller than the Mayflower that carried the pilgrims from England to the American colonies, Batkivshchyna has become a sentimental favorite of Connecticut residents and sailing enthusiasts who have marveled at the crew's daring - and its ability to defy the odds by completing such a journey without modern navigational equipment.

In addition to his sailing prowess, Mr. Vaschyk is a historical re-enactor who dresses in the full regalia of the Zaporozhian Kozaks, the legendary warriors and horsemen who defended Ukraine against various invading armies during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Mr. Vashchyk came to the Highville Mustard Seed Charter School on November 17, 2000, at the invitation of Irene Kytasty Kuzma, a Hamden teacher who is teaching a sixth grade class on the history and culture of Ukraine as part of the school's global education curriculum. Under its state charter, each of the classes at Highville represents a member-state of the United Nations, giving the students an opportunity to gain in-depth understanding of a different country during each year of their elementary education.

Mr. Vashchyk met with students from the "nations" (classes) of Chile, Turkey, Great Britain, Sierra Leone, Jamaica, China, Italy, Egypt, Israel, as well as Mrs. Kuzma's sixth graders, whose class work focuses on Ukraine.

Mrs. Kuzma decided to invite Mr. Vashchyk to her class when her students expressed an interest in meeting a "real-life Kozak" after watching the 1960s epic film "Taras Bulba" starring Yul Brynner and Tony Curtis, directed by David Zannick.

Mr. Vashchyk answered a variety of questions about the history of Ukraine, and current conditions in his homeland. He also performed on several Ukrainian folk instruments, including the "sopilka" and accordion as part of his repertoire.

Mr. Vashchyk was originally scheduled to perform only briefly for the Hamden School, but the students were so fascinated by his stories and showered him with so many questions that the administration turned his visit into full-scale assemblies for hundreds of students.

One sixth-grader asked him whether he had witnessed the Great Famine. Mr. Vashchyk answered that he was too young to have survived the famine, and in any case his region of Rivne was spared the ravages of Soviet occupation until World War II, but he spoke about the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, which heavily contaminated much of his home province.

Many students wanted to know whether he had ever used his saber in battle. Mr. Vashchyk replied that, unlike the real Kozaks, he had never been to war, but now he used his sopilka to conquer the hearts of many foreigners. He emphasized that Ukraine had never waged a war of aggression against its neighbors, but the kozaks had fought fiercely in defense of their homeland. Now that Ukraine had gained its independence, he said, the kozak re-enactors have formed historical societies that have committed themselves to rebuild their nation by peaceful means, and to revive public awareness of the nobility of the kozak heritage.

At the end of each session, the students crowded around Kozak Petro and sat in his lap for group photographs.

Last summer Mr. Vashchyk appeared on a popular morning talk show on WDRC Radio together with Connecticut Gov. John Rowland and First Lady Patty Rowland. He also performed for thousands of tourists during the four-day OpSail festival.

More recently, Gov. Rowland proclaimed October 14, 2000, "Connecticut Batkivschyna Day" in honor of the tall ship that has captured the hearts of so many Connecticut residents. The schooner will spend this winter in the city of Norwich, where it is undergoing repairs and drydock services donated by local Connecticut businesses.

The Batkivschyna's goodwill mission to the United States continues to draw extensive news coverage. After a flurry of major news stories that appeared last summer, the Batkivschyna was featured in another full-page article in the Connecticut section of The New York Times on November 5, 2000, and front page stories in the Hartford Courant, the New London Day and other New England dailies.

The performance at the charter school was described at length in an article in the Hamden Journal. Mr. Vashchyk is staying in Connecticut until next summer, when the Batkivschyna will take part in a tall ships festival touring the Great Lakes Region.

Mr. Vashchyk, who speaks relatively good English, is available for other school presentations in the New York/New England area and may be reached directly at (860) 367-0594.

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