UKELODEON: For The Next Generation (07/11/99)

UKELODEON

For The Next Generation

Plast children participate in Festival of Spring

by Dmytro Smyk

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, N.J. - The weather on the morning of May 23 was cloudy with an excellent chance of rain, so most parents, children and counselors expected to get a phone call canceling this year's Sviato Vesny (Festival of Spring). When no call came, most people, like true Plastuny (scouts), came to Lewis Morris Park, where the festivities, organized each year by the Newark, N.J., branch of Plast, were to be held.

On arrival, the children - "novaky" and "novachky" (cub scouts) age 6-11 - signed in, got their T-shirts and came together into their organized groups. They were called to an opening assembly by a whistle; next they heard the theme of the Sviato Vesny, "Respecting our Earth," and the schedule of the day.

Lunch, prepared by members of Plast-Pryiat (the Plast support group), consisted of hot dogs, hamburgers, fruit, cookies, juice and soda. In keeping with the theme for the day, during the "terenova hra" (field game) the groups went around the park to designated spots where members of the Spartanky sorority had set up games and lessons about the environment.

While everyone was having a good time, most of us were still looking towards the clouds, which at the end of the games brought rain showers. Luckily, a large tarp was set up, under which everyone enjoyed a small snack.

Still huddled under the tarp, undaunted by the raindrops, we sang songs. Then we had a surprise: a professor of animal biology came and brought with him a few specimens. Out of his van he pulled various boxes that were revealed to contain a large snapping turtle, an eagle, a python and a black bear cub. He spoke about each animal and took questions from the audience.

After this the children were called to the closing ceremonies, where they received pins to signify that they were participants of Sviato Vesny 1999.

Dmytro Smyk has been a counselor of the Bobry (Beavers) troop of Plast novaky for the last two years. He will be a senior at Oratory Prep.

Check it out!

On pages 22 and 23 of this issue, read about St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic School in Newark, N.J., and the annual "Zlet" held by SUM in Ellenville, N.Y.

Seven-year-old already a successful artist

by Taisa Welhasch

POTOMAC, Md. - Seven-year-old Georgie Pocheptsov, who just finished first grade at the Beverly Farms Public School in Maryland, paints his future as a successful artist.

Georgie's paintings have already been sold for over a total of $227,000 by Boots Harris, owner of Discovery Galleries Ltd. in North Bethesda, Md., and his popularity is on the rise: there is an 18-month wait for his new paintings. The talented boy simply explains, "I see it in my head, and then I draw it."

Georgie's appreciation and love for art was encouraged by trips to the Philadelphia Museum of Art with his parents, Dubrava and Oleg, both Ukrainian immigrants. In 1995 Georgie's father died, and he and his mother moved to Potomac, Md., where his career as an artist blossomed.

His ascent in the art world began when his mother was looking for a recommendation for an art teacher and showed Georgie's watercolors and acrylic works to Mr. Boots Harris. The gallery owner was impressed and offered to display the boy's art work.

Some of Georgie's paintings have been sold for as high as $9,000. Julie Band, director of the gallery, says, "People love his talent. They think they're buying an early Picasso."

His works also caught the eye of Sheryl Losser of the International Child Art Foundation who commented, "There's a complexity there that's fascinating." Georgie's inspiration for such playful and colorful pieces comes mostly from folk myths. The foundation exhibited Georgie's paintings at its Fourth of July show in Washington.

This will not be the first time that Georgie will be displaying his art work in the nation's capital. On May 3, one of Georgie's paintings was presented as a "Commitment to Children" award to Gen. Colin Powell at the Advertising Council's 49th Washington Conference, held in the Ronald Reagan Federal Building. The painting depicts the bond between parent and child, an appropriate theme for Gen. Powell's outstanding contributions in the drive to improve the lives of children across the country.

Art is Georgie Pocheptsov's passion. "The paper world is a world where you can do anything," he proclaimed.

Maryland student, formerly of Kyiv, named to U.S. Physics Team

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Among the 24 outstanding high school students named to the 1999 U.S. Physics Team is 15-year-old Dmytro Taranovsky, an immigrant from Ukraine.

The students, who hailed from 17 states, gathered for a week of physics training at the University of Maryland on June 5-12. During that time they attended a breakfast meeting with their members of Congress on June 9 at the Capitol in Washington.

At the June training camp, the students tried to answer physics exam problems so tough that many of their high school teachers (and perhaps many college professors, too) would find them very challenging. Five of the students were selected to go to the 30th International Physics Olympiad, which this year will be held in Padua, Italy, on July 18-27. They will compete for bronze, silver and gold medals in an intellectual equivalent of the Olympics.

Though Dmytro was not one of the five finalists, he says "I am delighted to be a member of the 1999 U.S. Physics Team." He was born in Kyiv on November 22, 1983. In public school in Ukraine's capital, beginning the fifth grade he took 17 courses each year, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, history, literature, Ukrainian, Russian, English - the norm for every public school student in Ukraine. He graduated from the eighth grade, earning his first award, a diploma from Ukraine's Department of Education for third place in physics in the Vatutinsky district of the city of Kyiv.

Dmytro arrived in the U.S. in 1996. He notes that "I found out my knowledge of the English language was not sufficient for understanding and speaking." He entered Owen Brown Middle School and intensively studied the English language both at school, taking three ESL courses, and at home, each afternoon and weekends with the assistance of his mother. "The first subject that I started to understand and communicate in English was math; that happened in October 1996, after two months of my hard learning of English," he adds.

In August 1997 he entered the Oakland Mills High School, where he received awards for math and computer science. Last year Dmytro was accepted into the Technology Magnet Program in the Long Reach High School and received a Certificate of Achievement from the Howard County Mathematics League and the county's third-place trophy. The University of Maryland at College Park selected him for an honorable mention in its High School Mathematics Competition.

Dmytro lists his extra-curricular activities as membership on the Math Team and science, and says his hobbies include reading books, newspapers and magazines (such as Scientific American and Popular Science), biking, swimming, hiking the Appalachian Trail and traveling across the U.S.

He has just completed his sophomore year in high school and notes that "after the 11th grade or the 12th grade I will go to college and major in physics."

At the Physics Team's training camp, Dmytro relates, "I lived in the University of Maryland (in about the same way as if I was a college student). During the camp I solved problems in physics, did labs, and reviewed some topics in physics. The camp was very enjoyable and I will certainly compete for the 2000 Physics Team."

* * *

The International Physics Olympiad Competition was begun in 1965 among Eastern European countries; it gradually grew to include many Western countries during the 1970s.

The first U.S. Physics Team, composed of 20 students nominated by their teachers, was organized in 1986; five students were selected to represent the American team in London. That team brought home three bronze medals - the most medals ever won by a team entering its first competition.

The selection process for the U.S. Physics Team begins in early January of each year when high school teachers nominate their best students. This year over 1,100 highly qualified students were nominated and eligible to take a national exam. The 200 top scorers on this test then advanced to the next round of competition. The second round of testing was used as the basis for selection of the final 24 members of the U.S. Physics Team. Ultimately, five students and one alternate were selected to the traveling team.

OUR NEXT ISSUE:

UKELODEON is published on the second Sunday of every month. To make it into our next issue, dated August 8, please send in your materials by July 31. And, don't forget, your input and ideas are welcome. So, drop us a line:

UKELODEON, The Ukrainian Weekly, 2200 Route 10, P.O. Box 280, Parsippany, NJ 07054; fax, (973) 644-9510; telephone, (973) 292-9800; e-mail, staff@ukrweekly.com.

UKELODEON is prepared by the editorial staff of The Ukrainian Weekly working in conjunction with Lydia Smyk.

Mishanyna

Solve our Mishanyna by finding the words or phrases on the right. This month's puzzle is filled with touches of events and history that are connected to July.

(A hint: you might need to look in two adjoining or intersecting lines to find a phrase.)

Battle of Poltava (July 7)
Canada Day (July 1)
Festival of Kupalo (celebrated in July)
Independence Day (July 4)
Ivan Mazepa (hetman at the battle of Poltava)
Konotop (great Kozak victory, July 8)
Paporot (fern; its bloom signifies good fortune)
Princess Olha (died July 11)
Volodymyr the Great (died July 15)
Vyhovsky (hetman at the battle of Konotop)

Myshka's mystery

Well, Myshka's Mystery for June remains unsolved. (Come on, guys, the heat wave didn't start until last week...). And, I would like to point out that we have yet to see a Canadian solve the mystery. Here's your chance!

As you will recall, I said the mystery for June could be solved by many children who go to summer camp, where they participate in festivities marking a special day when a mysterious flower blooms at night. What is this day?

P.S.: This issue's Mishanyna contains a clue.

So, get those brain cells working, solve the mystery and send in your answer with a picture of yourself.

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