2017–2018 School Year in Review

Dear Parents,

We are pleased to share a brief overview of Russian School Erudite’s 2017–2018 school year.

• Russian School Erudite has now been serving our community for three years.

• Our school has 220 students, ages 3 to 15.

• Our faculty includes 45 teachers and teaching assistants.

• Students are taught in 19 classes, grouped according to age and Russian-language proficiency.

• This year, our school became truly multicultural with the introduction of Kazakh and Armenian language classes.

• The school sponsored 10 high school students who successfully passed the NEWL Russian Language Exam, an advanced proficiency exam that replaced the former AP Russian exam.

• In addition to our academic program, students can choose from 18 enrichment, educational, and creative clubs and studios.

Our Achievements

This year was filled with exciting educational, cultural, and community events, including:

• the school-wide “Where Are My Roots From?” project;

• the Erudite Cup Chess Tournament, with 26 young chess players participating;

• the “Memory of Generations” video project, led by Shamil Najafzade;

• the “Wall of Remembrance” project and participation in the Immortal Regiment Victory Day commemoration;

• our ongoing partnership with the Raduga senior living community, where our students have become eagerly anticipated guests;

• Pushkin Readings in celebration of Russian Language Day for our older students, as well as participation in the Pushkin Ball at the Embassy of the Russian Federation.

Our creative programs also continued to grow. This year, our performing arts groups presented five new productions:

• “Kolobok” — Karusel Theater Studio, directed by Zuleikha Najafzade;

• “Little Mozart” — Melody Music Studio, directed by Elena Ayanyan;

• a dance production by the Petrushka Studio, led by Anna Rausch-Gernet;

• “The Fly-Tsokotukha” — our theater group for younger children, led by Olga Melikhova;

• “Doctor Aybolit” — Puppet Theater, led by Alla Maslova.

Our students also showcased their artwork in exhibitions presented by the Akvarelka Art Studio, led by Irina Drozd; the Crafts Club, led by Nazeli Nersesyan; and Drawing for Young Children, led by Kamilla Dasaeva.

And our “New Year’s Circus”, directed by Marina Zonova, brought together nearly the entire school, with every student except the preschool group participating in the performance!

Our Students’ Successes

Throughout the year, our students proudly represented Erudite in numerous competitions and festivals.

For the first time, our students participated in the Russian Language Olympiad organized by the American Councils for International Education. Ten of our high school students represented the school — and all ten earned first place and gold medals!

Five students participated in the Living Classics recitation competition. Three advanced to the regional finals, and one of our fourth-grade students won the U.S. national round and was awarded a trip to Artek.

A total of 34 students participated in the international Kangaroo Mathematics Competition in Russian, hosted at our school and coordinated by Natalia Grishina.

At the 8th International Festival of Russian-Language Children’s and Youth Theaters in Washington, D.C., our Karusel Theater Studio won awards in three categories for its musical production of Kolobok.

At the Planet of Art talent competition in Washington, D.C., our students earned second and third places in the Small-Scale Theater category. In Visual Arts, Erudite students received first, second, and third places, as well as the Jury Grand Prix. Our teacher Irina Drozd was also honored with the Best Visual Arts Teacher award!

We sincerely thank all our parents for your continued support, your involvement, and the important role you play in the life of our school!