Envoys of Sport of the USA

23/05/20140 views

To see a real medal from the 2014 Winter Olympics, to take a photo with the champions. Do you think I'm describing the dream of ardent fans? No! This is the reality for the pupils of Secondary School No. 1. On one of the May days, players from the US women's national ice hockey team, which won silver at the Olympic Games in Sochi – Julie Chu and Hilary Knight – visited the Lepel region.

To see a real medal from the 2014 Winter Olympics, to take a photo with the champions. Do you think I'm describing the dream of ardent fans? No! This is the reality for the pupils of Secondary School No. 1. On one of the May days, players from the US women's national ice hockey team, which won silver at the Olympic Games in Sochi – Julie Chu and Hilary Knight – visited the Lepel region. They gladly talked about everything that interested the schoolchildren: the Sochi Olympics, their daily routine, and even their musical preferences.

Robin Solomon, the First Secretary of the US Embassy in the Republic of Belarus, also accompanied the athletes. The school received a gift of English language learning materials worth over $800 and a flat-screen TV worth two thousand dollars.

The guests were welcomed with bread and salt. Smiles, warm embraces – it was as if old friends had met after many years. Afterwards, the pupils gave the guests a tour of the school museum. Meanwhile, a whole audience had gathered in the assembly hall. The pupils not only wanted to hear from the champions but were also prepared to showcase their own talents. The winners of the recently held regional festival of intercultural communications performed for the guests. They had secured two third places.

Anna Korsak, an eleventh-grader, presented the topic "O Sport, Thou Art Peace!" in the "I am a Guide" nomination. The pupil invited everyone to the homeland of her famous fellow countryman, a graduate of Secondary School No. 1, the world sambo champion Stepan Popov. In the next act, "representatives of various youth subcultures" took to the stage. From skinheads with bats to goths in black – the children got into their roles well, surprising with a vibrant show presented at the festival in the "Press Centre" nomination.

Then, English teacher Tatiana Yasinskaya introduced the guests to the audience. Julie Chu is one of the most experienced players of the US women's national ice hockey team. Her collection includes four Olympic medals (three silver and one bronze) and five gold medals from World Championships. In 2007, a graduate of Harvard University was awarded the prestigious Patty Kazmaier Memorial Trophy, presented to the most outstanding female ice hockey players at the collegiate level. At the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in Sochi, she had the honour of being the flag bearer for the US team. Hilary Knight is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, holder of two Olympic silver medals and four gold medals from World Championships.

The US sport envoys arrived in Belarus as part of the Ice Hockey World Championship. They are participating in events organised by the American diplomatic mission: meeting with coaches of local hockey teams, conducting training sessions with young players and athletes with disabilities, speaking to audiences at educational institutions, and attending World Championship matches.

School No. 1 began cooperating with the American Embassy a long time ago. Back in 1996, English teachers Tatiana Yasinskaya, Regina Kutyrlо, and Marina Klyuchnikova completed republican courses to improve their foreign language skills at the Gorki Academy, organised by the British Council and the American Embassy. Since then, the educators have been invited to international conferences and methodological seminars. For instance, last year, Bahia Giffenbach, a teacher from Florida, visited Lepel. As a winner of the "Fulbright" program, she worked for a year at the Grodno State University. Lepel teachers met her at an international conference and invited her to visit. Close cooperation with the embassy helps to find new contacts and organise meetings between children and native speakers of the language.

Ekaterina OSOVSKAYA.