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IRENA OLEKSIUK EDUCATION COMMITTEE CHAIR FOR 1996-1999. The education chair has several goals which she tries to achieve during her tenure. One of the most challenging is to reach the Ukrainian public about the education of pre school children. We are fortunate that in many of the larger cities where Ukrainians live there are UNWLA branches and quite a number of Ukrainian preschools. Branches reporting oper ating preschools are 12, 30, 33, 53, 78, 83, 85, 99, 100, 108, 116, and 120. They are deserving of much praise and support by all of us. I placed advertisements in The Ukrainian Weekly and in the Chicago newspaper Chas and Podii encour aging parents to send their children to existing preschools and/or to organize new ones in their community. For Svoboda and America I also wrote an article regarding the importance of Ukrainian preschools and the learning of the Ukrainian language and culture. Similar topics were covered by me in Ukrainian and English on a local radio station in Chicago. Working closely with UNWLA Vice President Olha Trytyak, I sold copies of the book which she had so painstakingly prepared for publication with her committee. The book in question was The Year of the Family 1994. It was my pleasure to present the book to several principals, teachers, astronauts, gymnast Lilya Podkopayeva, as well as several of my own stu dents. The book even found itself in the library of a Japanese school where I attended a confer ence. It often became my ticket to do a little propagandizing for the Ukrainian cause, be cause I am an English teacher in a public school, I was able to start a pen pal letter ex change between my students in Northbrook, Illinois and Komarno, Ukraine, my birthplace. My students were amazed not only at the response by Ukrainian children writing in English, but also pleasantly surprised at the gifts which they re ceived. The gifts and letters were exhibited in the foyer of the school for a month. When Olym pic champion Lilya Podkopayeva was in Chi cago, I gave a her a personal gift of a gold chain which had been given to me by my students in Sadochok Kazok years earlier. Luckily some of the parents who contributed to the chain were present so that I could ask their permission. My American school and I contributed books and memorabelia. It was also my goal to check whether books, globes, and maps were up to date with information on the newly created republics. I bought world maps and shared them with teach ers immediately pointing out the independent republic of Ukraine. Although it took several more years from the declaration if independ ence, new globes, maps and textbooks were bought by superintendents and principals in my district. Now that I am retired and substituting, I have the opportunity to check the situation in many more districts here in the Chicago land area, and I am pleased to say that books, globes and world maps and atlases are very current. When I notice anything out of date showing only the former Soviet Union, I diplomatically bring it to the principal’s attention. When Vice President Olha Trytyak in formed me that she had many essays for me to read regarding the ecology contest titled Nature and Us, I asked several people to assist me. They were Ulana Tyshynska, Dr. Ivanka and Adriana Richardson, and Florian Wilk. I thanked every one of them as there were many excellent essays to judge and read. Putting everything together for publication was the gargantuan task of Vice President Olha Trytyak. A big thank you! Another goal of the education chair is to keep contact with young people and/or youth organizations. I had occasion several times to do just that. When piano laureates of Ukraine visited Chicago with their concert, I publicly greeted them in the name of the UNWLA and presented them with individual gifts of music and souvenirs from Chicago. Marta Farion, Chicago Sister City Chair, was glad for my cooperation. The Oles Kurbas Lviv Theater, upon their visit to the Windy City, made a deep impression on all of us. To show appreciation for their wonderful educational and spiritual effect, I also presented this wonderful young troupe with gifts of money, clothes, videos and music from the UNWLA. The Virsta dance ensemble from Kyiv was also warmly greeted and gifted by me in the name of the UNWLA. In addition, gifts and greetings from the UNWLA Education Chair were presented to the Consul General of Chicago and his wife, a thank you for their wonderful work in sponsoring a children’s literature exhibit. Furthermore, I had occasion to speak on several educational issues on Maria C’s pro gram on WEDC Radio. The thrust of these inter 145 www.unwla.org www.unwla.org
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