 The Northern Forum is a nonprofit organization that works with governments from eight different northern countries, including the United States and Russia. At West/Romig, 80 students participate in the Russian language program. The Northern Forum has partnered with this program for two years, giving students real-world opportunities to use their Russian skills.
Anastasia Bozhedonova from the Northern Forum is an essential classroom support. Throughout the first semester, she went to West High on a weekly basis to assist Native Russian speakers and help them increase their language abilities. She provided materials, lesson plans, and great practice for these students… and, thanks to the constant collaboration, the teacher’s Russian skills improved as well! Two of the students that Ms. Bozhedonova works with won medals in the National High School Russian Essay Contest, and they are only seventh graders!
Ms. Bozhedonova has facilitated a unique collaboration between students in Russia and America by creating a virtual photo contest between schools in California, Alaska, and Russia. She has also connected teachers at West High with educators in Siberia, and helped them understand each other’s cultural differences.
Priscilla Wohl and Anastasia Bozhedonova have been unstinting in their gift of time to the Russian language program at West High. As a former teacher, Ms. Wohl knows how to reach students and prepare interesting presentations for them. Ms. Bozhedonova has been a priceless resource for the highest level Russian language students.
The Northern Forum helps the Russian language program outside of the classroom as well. West High traditionally hosts Olympiada, a Russian language competition. Northern Forum is an active supporter of this event, awarding a scholarship to the winner and giving presentations to student groups at the competition. Other examples of the Northern Forum’s support include: offering part-time jobs to seniors with high-level Russian language skills, helping students write a successful proposal to the National Park Service, providing study materials for the classroom, and supporting the West High Russian program’s exchange with the Russian town of Anadry, located across the Bering Sea from Nome.
The students at West say, “Bol’shoye Spasibo!” to the Northern Forum! |
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Anastasia Bozhedonova participating in the School Business Partnerships class Partners Panel Presentation Sept. 2008. |
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