UKELODEON: For The Next Generation (10/14/01)

UKELODEON

For The Next Generation

ICHS students join in relief efforts

WARREN, Mich. - Students of Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Catholic High School watched in horror as the events of Tuesday, September 11 unfolded before their eyes on a television set in the high school library. Their reaction was that of total disbelief and condemnation of barbaric acts against innocent people.

By Thursday morning students expressed the desire to do something to show their solidarity with the families of the victims, the rescue workers and the relief effort. On Friday, the National Day of Remembrance and Prayer, the entire student body assembled in the school chapel at 7:30 a.m. for the weekly divine liturgy; however, this Friday's service was different. The students and faculty did not pray for their own intentions, as they usually do, but prayed for people they never knew.

It was a solemn service; every student's problems seemed trivial in light of Tuesday's disaster. The students became more unified, more talkative, more patriotic. Flags at the school hung at half-mast.

The National Honor Society, Taras Shevchenko Chapter, organized a canned food and supplies drive to help the relief effort. Students' collected canned goods, bottled water, flashlights, batteries, blankets and raincoats at St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church.

Steve Pullis, the National Honor Society branch president, said: "I feel that this is the very least that we could do for the men and women who are risking their lives in New York. May God bless the relief workers, and God bless America."

Arts camp preserves traditions

ELLENVILLE, N.Y. - For the last two weeks of August, 30 children from all over the eastern United States, including a dozen children from the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington and the Consulate General in New York City, enjoyed two fun-filled weeks here at the Ukrainian American Youth Association's (SUM) Ukrainian Arts Camp which focuses on the preservation of Ukrainian culture and tradition.

Participants had a variety of arts and crafts to choose from: wood-carving, pysanky (Ukrainian Easter eggs), painting, "gerdany" (beadwork) and Ukrainian embroidery. Dancing and singing also were part of the program.

This year the children also enjoyed a mock Ukrainian wedding in which two camp counselors were married. The participants also had the opportunity to visit a water park for their camp field trip.

Two weeks of hard work and practice culminated in a final performance on September 1, when all the participants of the camp were able to show their parents and the Ukrainian community the skills they were taught during their camp.

The instructors for the camp included David Odomirok (dance choreographer), Oksana Tabatchouk (embroidery and woodcarving), Olesia Bondar (painting), Maria Iwaskiw (gerdany), Irene Grassmann (pysanky), Oksana Tomashevsky (dancing) and Nadia Vatamaiok (song, bandura instruction). The camp command included Walter Wyrsta , Maria Wyrsta, Roman Iwaskiw, Danny Pushchak, Katherine Wyrsta and Michelle Odomirok.

Pre-schoolers enjoy camp with parents

NORTH COLLINS, N.Y. - This summer, 21 children and 17 parents traveled from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Washington, and Long Island to Novyi Sokil in North Collins, N.Y.

The oldest Plast camp in the diaspora on July 15-21 hosted the 12th Tabir Ptashat, a camp for pre-schoolers with their parents. Thirteen tents encircled a shady field for this year's raucous camp, appropriately named "Shoom Ptashat, Shoom Sela."

Dr. Oksana Lassowsky of Riva, Md., who was assisted by Roma Holowaty of Strongsville, Ohio, and Dr. Christina Stasiuk of Philadelphia, led this year's camp.

Activities included nature walks, "Olympic" sporting competitions, bonfires with singing and skits, rappelling ravine walls, as well as arts and crafts. The children met the local police and fire departments, and collectively steered the local hook and ladder trucks.

By mistake, the face painting at a camp carnival transformed all the children into jungle animals. Fortunately, the legendary doctor "Likar Aibolyt" came to the rescue! He medicated the jungle animals with "marshmallow aspirins" and returned real children back to their "distraught" parents.

A highlight of the camp was a trip to Griffis Sculpture Park in Ashford Hollow, N.Y. The campers hiked through this 400-acre private Fantasy Park, exploring giant surrealistic sculptures scattered throughout fields, forests and ponds.

Camp good-byes were filled with promises of "see you next year" as parents and children packed their tents for their trips home.

SUM kids learn about sports, and more

by Oksana Dashawetz

ELLENVILLE, N.Y. - When 125 children came to the Ukrainian American Youth Association (SUM) resort here for two weeks of sports camp in August, they thought they would practice drills, perfect their sports techniques and improve as overall players. They never expected that they'd also do arts and crafts, practice their Ukrainian, go on an eight-mile hike, and make friendships that would last through many summers.

Under the leadership of Anna Dashawetz (komandant), Adrian Blanarovich (bunchuzhnyi), Oksana Dashawetz (head counselor) and Nadia Dlaboha (secretary), the instructors and counselors have emphasized many aspects of the SUM way of life, including cooperation and responsibility.

Soccer - as always, the most popular sport - drew groups of 30 to 40 participants each week. Experienced head instructors Bohdan Kucyna and Mike Hlushko, with the help of junior coaches Stefan Frycz, Nadiya Kudryk, Tanya Wynarczuk and Peter Kasyanenko, taught the young athletes about teamwork and perseverance.

Basketball has developed a loyal following due mostly to the sport's determined instructor, Nicholas Zozula, and his junior coach, Walter Wyrsta. Volleyball, also a favorite sport at the "oselia," attracted over 40 participants. Head instructor Oliana Ros, along with her junior coaches, Taissa Tomaszewsky, Stefan Ros and Stefan Shchur, implemented a coaching style that keeps the sport fun while maintaining discipline.

The head instructor of swimming, Natalia Jackymec, proved that training for her sport consists of more than just practicing laps. She and her junior coach, Ulana Blaha, were rewarded for their hard work when the number of kids in attendance doubled from the previous week.

The head tennis instructor, Sammy Warycha, perhaps one of the most demanding of all the camp's coaches, is also one of the most popular. He and junior coaches Markian Kolinsky and Alexandra Kuziw trained their tennis players in endurance and fitness, as well as encouraged friendly competitions with nightly games.

Track and field, a new offering at the sports camp this year, was only a part-time activity, however, reflecting the dedication of head instructor Katia Dolak and junior coach Roman Kebalo, many participants asked that it be included as a full-time activity next summer.

Myshka prepares for Halloween

[illustation]

Mishanyna

To solve this month's Mishanyna, search for the words capitalized in the text in the Mishanyna grid.

October is a COLORFUL month. With the autumn season upon us, we find ourselves surrounded by LEAVES turning RED, YELLOW, ORANGE and all shades in between. Here in North America the season also has colorful TRADITIONS. During this splendid FALL month KIDS plan what COSTUMES and MASKS they will wear on HALLOWEEN.

Now, with our community gaining many children from Ukraine, we find that quite often the festivities of our TRICK or TREAT season need to be explained to our new friends.

Among the fun things we do on Halloween is get dressed up in strange outfits, eat CANDY APPLES and CARVE PUMPKINS to make jack o'lanterns. Children in Ukraine do not celebrate this holiday, but they're sure to enjoy Halloween once they learn what it's all about.

Perhaps you can help your friends decide what to be this year on Halloween. Why not be a HERO, like the ones we saw in action in New York city? You can be a FIREMAN or a POLICEMAN. They are our true superheroes!

OUR NEXT ISSUE:

UKELODEON is published on the second Sunday of every month. To make it into our next issue, dated November 11, please send in your materials by November 2. (Please include a daytime phone number.)

Send in your articles, letters, photos, etc. to: The Ukrainian Weekly, UKELODEON, 2200 Route 10, P.O. Box 280, Parsippany, NJ 07054; telephone, (973) 292-9800; fax, (973) 644-9510; e-mail, staff@ukrweekly.com.

OUR EDITORS:

UKELODEON is prepared by the editorial staff of The Ukrainian Weekly working in conjunction with Lydia Smyk, an elementary school teacher at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic School in Newark, N.J.

CHECK IT OUT: On page 20 of this issue of The Ukrainian Weekly, read about "ZB" (that's "Zolota Bulava"), a special camp for Plast members age 14-16 that hones leadership skills.

COMING SOON: Review of a new RTS computer game designed and developed in Ukraine, "Cossacks - European Wars."

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