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Svitlychka: An Odyssey in Preserving Ukrainian language Culture, and Tradition September marks the end of summer and the be ginning of a new school year. For the youngest chil dren in many Ukrainian American communities, it marks the beginning of an educational experience that builds upon values and concepts they are exposed to in their homes. It enhances ethnic identity and is the first step of a journey that continues in Ukrainian Saturday schools. Svitlychky in the United States were created by women. These were mothers who wanted their own children to be part of a group of children with a shared heritage. They were also mothers who wanted their children to begin their first school-like experience in the company of children who spoke Ukrainian and who were being raised in Ukrainian homes in which Ukrainian traditions were practiced and in which pride in Ukrainian roots was nurtured. Philadelphia's Svitlychka was created forty- two years ago, with the first classes held in the home of Mrs. Chrystyna Turczeniuk, a member of UNWLA Branch 90. For the past twenty-four years, it has been housed in Philadelphia's Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Center and is now under the auspices of the Ukrainian Gold Cross. Svitlychka operates as a Ukrainian coopera tive nursery school, staffed by mothers and teachers of Ukrainian descent. These mothers and teachers are members of the old immigration and the new immigra tion. Some are UNWLA members; some are members of other Ukrainian organizations; some are simply women who are committed to the ideal of introducing their children to schooling in a Ukrainian environment. The school's liaison with the Ukrainian Gold Cross is Mrs. Wolodymyra Kawka. For the third consecutive year, the director of Svitlychka is Natalka Panczak Firko, who is ably as sisted by two dedicated teachers, Anna Kowal and Ha- lyna Henhalo, member of UNWLA Branch 128 and recording secretary of Philadelphia's Regional Council. The women who staff and support Philadel phia's Svitlychka engage in time-honored fundraising activities that have characterized the work of Ukrain ian women in the diaspora for many decades. They hold bake sales and participate in seasonal bazaars to ensure that Svitlychka's children have access to in structional materials and related paraphernalia that makes learning fun and interesting. Parents and other members of the community contribute their time and talent in numerous ways to ensure that Svitlychka re mains a strong community institution. The children, who range in age from two and a half to five, engage in numerous pleasant activities that reflect their Ukrainian heritage. Every year, during the Christmas season, they go caroling. They visit and sing for Philadelphia's Metropolitan Archbishop Stefan Soroka as well as the staff and clients of the Ukrainian banks and other Ukrainian institutions. They also reen act the traditional Vertep before an audience of family members and friends. In December, the children are paid a visit by Sviatiy Mykolai and a few angels. In the spring, the children celebrate the life of Ukraine's beloved bard, Taras Shevchenko, performing songs and poems. They also write their own pysanky, instructed in this activity by Chrystyna Prokopovych, member of UNWLA Branch 88 and curator of the Ukrainian Heritage Studies Center at Manor College, which was founded by the Ukrainian Sisters of St. Basil the Great. The pysanky the children create are placed in their own little Easter baskets that are blessed by Father Petro Semenych, pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, who comes to help Svitlychka celebrate Easter in the classroom. Because these are children raised in a bicultural environment, attention to Ukrainian traditions is some times combined with attention to America's customs and traditions. In the fall, the children celebrate Hal loween. They are taken to a local farm to pick pump kins; a Maskarada is organized and mothers lovingly dress their offspring in colorful costumes for the event. In November, Svitlychka celebrates Thanksgiving. With the assistance of the mothers of their young charges, the teachers and Ms. Firko organize and supervise several field trips during each school year. In recent years, the children have been taken to an orchestra performance, a dairy farm, the circus, and the Ukrainian Heritage Studies Center, which houses a collection of diverse Ukrainian artifacts for them to view and learn about. They also stage seasonal and year-end performances, many of which are scripted by Zenon Chajkowsky. Each school year ends with a graduation ceremony during which the oldest group of children, Vedmedyky and Soniashnyky, receive diplomas and parting gifts. They leave with memories that will last a lifetime. They also leave with a solid foundation for future learning experiences that will enable them to make an easy transition to Ukrainian Saturday school and the American day schools they will later attend. Many thanks to Natalka Panczak Firko who compiled information fo r this article. “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ВЕРЕСЕНЬ 2004 17
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