Russian Students Visit Warsaw

Warsaw and Kosciusko County are the headquarters this month for a visit of 37 students and nine leaders from Perm, Russia.

Fluent in English and talented in singing and dancing, the students, who range in age from 6 to teenagers, are staying with local families, attending some age-appropriate classes with their host family members, touring area businesses and traveling to Chicago and Indianapolis.

The visit was arranged by Dick McCleary, leader of Boy Scout Troop 715, as a cultural exchange between his scout troop and the Hilton Camp, an intensive school-camp the students attend outside of regular school. Hilton, run by Irina Belousova, houses students who range from children to adults, and teaches English by totally immersing students in the language.

The camp, which is alcohol- and drug-free, teaches leadership, singing, drama, acting and other performing arts.

"English is a world language, everybody should know it," Belousova said.

In an interview Tuesday with the leaders, who include several teachers and four university students, most said they have come to the United States before, but never to the Midwest.

Their English was fluent and in some cases almost without accent; their vocabularies were as good as any native English speaker.

They said Warsaw is a great area, and they enjoy American people and their hosts.

"Here we live in wonderful families who make us feel at home," said Alla Kileyko, a teacher.

They toured Warsaw Community High School Tuesday morning and were anxious to share their impressions of differences between Russian and American schools.

"In Russia, the schools are neglected," said Sergei Moseyev. "The level of education is very high, but the facilities are not up to that level."

American children have the opportunity to develop their skills, especially in subjects they enjoy, which is not always the case in Russia, they said.

"In our schools, kids don't have the opportunity to choose what subjects they want to take," said Belousova. Russian students take classes they're told to take, and most students take the same classes.

Moseyev said WCHS Principal Dr. Jennifer Brumfield told them that one of the most important qualities in teachers is creativity.

"That would be crazy in Russia!" he said.

Still, though they were impressed with the school facilities and educational choices, they were shocked by seeing high school students sleeping in class or leaning their chairs back and putting their feet on the desks.

"Our schools have much more discipline," said Tatyana Mamonova.

Their home city, Perm, is on the border between Europe and Asia, at the base of the Ural Mountains, and has a population of about 1 million people. They spoke with pride about Perm, which they said is considered a cultural, educational and industrial center now and is one of the largest cities in Russia.

Perm also has oil and paper factories, and "we have a lot of oil and gas, and that's why we are still doing well in the region," said Oksana Rusakova.

"Russia now looks very much like the U.S.," said Kileyko. "Both countries are modern."

The entire group will tour Medtronic and Biomet, speak to Rotary Club members, go roller skating, meet with Boy Scouts and travel to Indianapolis this weekend. They especially are looking forward to going to Chicago next week.

"I think Chicago is more a symbol of America than Washington or New York," Belousova said.

And Rusakova added, smiling, "I want to see the skyscrapers and the gangsters."

The group will perform two shows - one Friday at Lakeview for Warsaw sixth-graders, and one at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Lakeland Christian School. The Tuesday show is free and open to the public.

McCleary said he hopes to arrange a reciprocal trip to Russia by Boy Scouts here within the next year or two.