OBITUARY: Dr. Oleksandra Kopach, education pioneer (08/09/98)

OBITUARY: Dr. Oleksandra Kopach, education pioneer

by Oksana Zakydalsky

TORONTO - Dr Oleksandra Kopach, writer, scholar and founder of the Hryhoryi Skovoroda Ukrainian School in Toronto, died on July 12.

Born on February 26, 1913, in the town of Horodenka, Western Ukraine, Oleksandra Yaworska was a graduate of Cracow University from which she obtained an M.A. in Ukrainian studies in 1937. In 1942 she married Roman Kopach and they, with their son, Yuri, born in 1946, came to Canada in 1948, sponsored by the Kuryliw family of Sudbury.

The Kopach family settled at first in Sudbury but soon relocated to Toronto. Almost immediately, Mrs. Kopach devoted herself to the two pursuits that were became her main preoccupations in life: the study and teaching of literature and the establishment of Ukrainian secondary school education in Canada.

In 1951, with the support of the Toronto Plast organization, particularly the devoted pedagogue Czopa Palijiw, Mrs. Kopach began giving secondary school-level courses in Ukrainian studies. These classes were to become the Hryhoryi Skovoroda Ukrainian Secondary School, a school with a five-year curriculum for 12- to 18-year-olds.

Until the founding of the Skovoroda School, the Ukrainian school system consisted only of elementary schools (ridni shkoly) which taught children up to age of 12. By 1978, when Dr. Kopach ceased her work as the director of the Skovoroda School, there were seven schools with secondary education in Toronto alone in addition to those in many other cities of Canada.

Prof. Zenon Zeleny, who headed the Association of Ukrainian Teachers in Canada in 1970, pointed out that "for many Ukrainian organizations and church parishes, the Hryhoryi Skovoroda School became an example to be followed. The title of pioneer in Ukrainian secondary school education belongs to Dr. Kopach."

Besides being the first such school in Canada, there were other things that made the Hryhoryi Skovoroda School exceptional. Dr. Kopach made sure that not only would her students learn to read and write, study literature and history, but that they had opportunities to use the Ukrainian language. With the assistance of numerous parents' committees, the school had a drama group that put on performances of the works of Lesia Ukrainka, Kulish, Hohol and others - a play almost every year. There was a student magazine, Problysky; there was a school choir and occasional evenings devoted to rhetoric.

Dr Kopach was also an innovator. As she said: "We had to bring in something new to show the breadth of Ukrainian culture. That is how the idea of having lessons in archeology arose. From 1955 Prof. Yaroslav Pasternak, with his fascinating tales and colorful slides, captivated the young students. Prof. Mykola Bytynsky began lessons in Ukrainian art, illustrating them with pictures and his drawings. Both subjects - art and archeology - brought a new world into the classroom and gave the courses an innovative edge."

One of the school's former students, Tania Boyko Melnyk, put it this way, "The interdisciplinary approach to the study of our culture from ancient times to the present, the interweaving of history, literature and art gave us the opportunity, at a relatively young age, to understand the global development of culture. Teachers in our Canadian schools would express surprise that we knew about humanism, romanticism and other cultural trends, information which most other Canadian students would encounter only in their university courses."

During its 27 years of existence, the Hryhoryi Skovoroda School graduated 384 students, many of whom became leaders in the development of Ukrainian education in Canada, the academic world, Ukrainian community organizations and, when the opportunity finally came, in organizing of projects in Ukraine.

While running the Hryhoryi Skovoroda School, Mrs. Kopach also pursued post-graduate studies in language and literature, and obtained a Ph.D. in Ukrainian studies from the University of Ottawa in 1966. She was the author of books on Olha Kobylianska and Natalena Koroleva; two books in history and four collections of essays. A member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society and the Writers' Association Slovo, she was also active in the Ukrainian Writers for Children and took part in many activities of the Ukrainian Canadian School Board. With her husband she remained an active member of Plast.

The funeral for Dr. Kopach was held on July 15. Surviving are her husband Roman; son, Yuri; daughter-in-law, Halyna; and three grandchildren, Larissa, Renata and Denis.

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In 1996, on the 45th anniversary of the founding of the Hryhoryi Skovoroda School, a dinner was organized in honor of Dr. Kopach. More than 250 former students came to pay tribute to their former director and teacher. The establishment of the Dr. Oleksandra Kopach Scholarship Fund was announced that evening. The fund provides scholarships to students of the Ostroh Academy in Ukraine. Situated in the ancient town of Ostroh, Rivne Oblast, Ukraine and an affiliate of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, the Ostroh Academy has an enrollement of over 700 students from 22 oblasts of Ukraine. Next year it will graduate its first baccalaureates.

Scholarships from the fund have been already been awarded twice. In January 1997, 16 students of the Ostroh Academy received $100 scholarships; in January 1998, 32 students of the academy received $50 scholarships.

At Dr. Kopach's funeral, in lieu of flowers, colleagues and friends made donations to the scholarship fund, and a total of $5,580 was collected. Those wishing to make a donation to the Scholarship Fund can send contributions to: Dr. Oleksandra Kopach Scholarship Fund, 505 Annette St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6P 1S1.