|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
Margarita Barvinok: Rita Barvinok has been a guiding force in Ann Arbor's Russian community
for years. She began with a small group of Russian children, and went on to form one of the most cohesive and successful youth
theater groups in Ann Arbor. Along with working part-time at the University of Michigan as a system administrator, she competes
in speech competitions, and is President of the local Toastmasters Club.
The energy present in her about her daily life and her passion for the theater are combined in her teaching, sparking interest
and a thirst for knowledge in anyone who wishes to attend. |
|
Margarita Barvinok
|
|
| |
|
| |
Nelly Mazelson:
Nelly is a native of Minsk, Belarus. She graduated from its Pedagogical University with a degree in philology, and taught Russian language and literature in grades 5-11 in a Minsk school from 1956 to 1992. Nelly moved to Ann Arbor in 1992; her ample teaching experience
is a great asset for our students and our school. |
|
Nelly Mazelson
|
|
| |
Natalia Novak:
"As long as I remember myself, I loved to come up with games and activities for kids. That must be why I went to a
teacher’s college and worked in a preschool for several years, before getting a degree in the arts. I have lived in the U.S.
for a few years before I got this opportunity to use my education and experience. At RussianABC, both my professions came in
handy in teaching my classes for preschoolers and kindergartners". |
|
Natalia Novak
|
|
| |
Maria Okoh:
"I have two degrees, in math and applied math. I was born in Moscow, but have been living in the U.S. for more than sixteen
years. Both my sons, Lenya, 14, and Sasha, 4, were born here. It turned out that preserving Russian culture was vitally
important for me, and my kids needed to know that they were not the only ones with Russian roots in this country. When the
Ann Arbor RussianABC School was still in the works, I realized that I’ve always wanted to teach, and bid farewell to the
company where I had worked as a mathematic methodologist. Now I devote my time to my kids and the school, developing a
curriculum where literature, art, math, logic, physics and poetry come together. My goal is to give the children formal knowledge,
as well as to teach them original approaches to problem-solving, both in and outside of math." |
|
Maria Okoh
|
|
| |
Marlena Pallas:
Marlena Pallas graduated from the Omsk State University with a degree in Russian philology. She has taught Russian
Language and Literature at a
secondary school, and has also worked as a special education teacher.
As a teacher at the Ann Arbor RussianABC School, Marlena sees her educational goals
as having her students know the classical and contemporary
Russian literature and helping them learn to read, write and communicate in Russian fluently and freely. |
|
Marlena Pallas
|
|
| |
Anna Krushelnitskaya:
"I have worked in second/foreign language teaching and educational testing for eleven years now, in Russian and
American settings, in college, secondary school and one-on-one, with all age groups and proficiency levels, with
English, Russian and Mandarin Chinese. My interest in having a successful Russian school in Ann Arbor is very personal:
I have two daughters whose Russian language proficiency, I am afraid, cannot be sustained by our annual trips to
Russia alone. I am thrilled that they now can enjoy the experience and support of our wonderful teachers, and
honored that I have the opportunity to share my skills and knowledge with RFL learners that come to RussianABC." |
|
Anna Krushelnitskaya
|
|
| |
Irina Krylova:
Irina moved to the United States in 1997. She works in the field of Quality Assurance testing software and has an
economist-financing education. However, her relatives and friends claim that her calling is working with children.
For over 10 years, Irina has been actively involved in the Russian-speaking children's theater group in Ann Arbor.
Irina has always enjoyed helping children learn and grow, and now, when her own children have grown up she wants to
devote her spare time enriching the lives of other children. |
|
Irina Krylova
|
|
| |
Yevgenia Lavrovskaya:
Yevgenia Lavrovskaya is a professional pianist. Born, raised and educated in Moscow, Ms. Lavrovskaya relocated to USA
in 2002 to pursue her graduate studies at Wayne State University, Detroit. "Since coming to the US, I have been putting a
lot of effort into preserving my language and culture. And after my son Sasha was born, this effort became even more necessary.
The RussianABC School in Ann Arbor gave me the opportunity to help him speak Russian and learn about Russian culture. And I am
happy that I can also be somewhat useful to the children of Ann Arbor’s Russian community." |
|
Yevgenia Lavrovskaya
|
|
| |
Anna Phillips:
Anna Phillips is a degreed elementary school teacher. She graduated from a musical-pedagogical vocational school and a
sociology-psychology institute. The RussianABC School gave Anna the chance to return to doing the job she loves, while
her talent and five years of professional experience are a valuable "acquisition" for the school. "I love working
with elementary school-age children. They are so open and thirsty for knowledge that it is a great pleasure
to work with them, to share with them your knowledge, skills and experiences." |
|
Anna Phillips
|
|
| | | | |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
Irina Komelkova
Irina has three graduate degrees: two – in education and in law – are from Russia, and one – an MBA – is
from Georgetown University. This makes her perfectly qualified to be the director of our school. Here’s what
she says about the school: "Both Russian-speaking parents and their kids need a Russian school. We as parents strive
to achieve a cultural unity within the family; we want to speak the same language with our children, to sing with
them the songs that we ourselves loved as kids, to find the same jokes funny. As to the children themselves, they
need not only to absorb the best that different cultures have to offer, but also to develop the mental flexibility
that allows to adjust to different cultural standards and to be open to all kinds of information about the world.
Let us join the efforts of the families and the school to help our children master the language that they inherited.
Native-like mastery of Russian could prove to be a decisive advantage in their lives later on; let’s prepare them to use it." |
|
Irina Komelkova
|
|
|
