First Day of School – Ukrainian Style

We have all heard the adage “it takes a village to raise a child,” but I recently experienced this first hand when I had the privilege of participating in the Ochakiv School #2 ribbon cutting ceremony in the Ukraine on the first day of school Sept. 1.

This school renovation project was selected by the Ukrainian Embassy, funded through the U.S. European Command Civic Engagement Branch, and executed by Naval Facilities Engineering Command with a local construction company. 

Students celebrate the first day of school in the newly renovated Ochakiv School in the Ukraine.

I knew I was involved in something special when I arrived for the ceremony and more than 200 parents and family members were standing in the school court yard. All of those who were in the military were in their uniforms. I did not realize that in the Ukraine there is a hold-over tradition from the Soviet time period that school across the country will start Sept. 1 and it is expected that parents will come to the first day of school; especially those of the first graders.  This instills the importance of education into the first graders while reinforcing these ideas to the other students. 

Students celebrate the first day of school in the newly renovated Ochakiv School in the Ukraine Sept. 1. The $600K project replaced the roof, windows and siding with energy efficient material; completely renovated the school indoor gym and locker rooms; and renovated the two English language classrooms. This school renovation project was selected by the Ukrainian Embassy, funded through the U.S. European Command Civic Engagement Branch, and executed by Naval Facilities Engineering Command with a local construction company.

The first day of school is treated as a very big deal in the Ukraine. The focal point of the opening day ceremonies is the new first-grade students, but, in this case, we had the added attraction of a renovated school making this a truly memorable first day. The first graders parade into the school court yard dressed in their Sunday best wearing sashes identifying them as starting their first critical sets in the education process. They are all announced by name and take turns delivering short “speeches” about the importance of education. Then the other students perform a regional dance for the new students culminating with each member of the senior class welcoming all the new first graders to school and presenting them with “gifts” to help make their first day memorable. Finally the oldest student in the school leads the “first bell” procession, where the eight youngest first graders accompany him in the ringing of the “first bell” of the school year to announce the school is now open for the year. Then the senior class members form an archway for the first graders to walk through and enter school for the first time.

So on this very special day, the students, new and old, entered a facility that had undergone a major facelift. The $600K project replaced the roof, windows and siding with energy efficient material; completely renovated the school indoor gym and locker rooms; and renovated the two English language classrooms.

What makes this renovation project unique is the partnership between the local community, local government, regional government, and local military unit coming together to make it a combined effort, thus maximizing the impact of everyone's effort. As is evident by the first grade class being more than 40 children (while the average in the city is only 18) because everyone wanted to be at what was now viewed as the “best” school in the city. 

The city government and local military unit (mostly special forces) removed the old roofing material and took away construction waste. The military unit also donated a new computer for the school’s computer lab. The city government worked tirelessly with the regional government to fund and execute paving of the road to the school, playground area, and new sidewalks; additionally, the city government funded renovation of the principal's office and replaced a large number of text books in the school. The regional government funded the $100K for the paving and sidewalks. Additionally, the regional school administration worked daily with the school and contractors during the project to ensure the highest quality. As an added bonus for the first graders the regional governor provided each of them with a signed letter and all the school supplies they needed for the first grade.

Local government and military officials attended the ceremony along with more family members than I have ever seen at a first day of school. Aside from being selected to walk one of the first graders to her first class, my most memorable moment came from a conversation with the deputy regional governor. His statement that the regional governor sees school renovation projects like this one as a model which they will continue. He said they have already selected several other schools and are in the process of working joint projects where the local and regional governments pay the bulk of the costs while incorporating the parents and local residents in the work. 

It was great to see that our efforts are setting the conditions for the educational development of future generations.

COL Leon Parrott
Deputy EUCOM Engineer