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Attacks on Ukraine continue amidst talks of a cease-fire, while Academy of Wisdom provides a haven in Bucha, fortifying shelters and welcoming new students and staff.
As ceasefire talks continue between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States, Ukraine remains a Russian target. On March 24, a Russian missile strike on a residential area of the Ukrainian city of Sumy injured 88 people, including at least 17 children. On Palm Sunday, Russia launched another attack on Sumy, killing at least 34 people, followed by an attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih, killing 20, including nine children.
Ukraine is firing back, and Ukrainian president Zelensky has said, “The one who brought this war must take it away.”
Academy of Wisdom is welcoming new children and teachers.
West of Sumy, Academy of Wisdom in Bucha is rapidly growing. In 2022, the Bucha Massacre committed by Russian troops scattered the staff and student body. Many were permanently displaced, but those who remained managed to regroup at the original site of the school.
In late 2024, the school accepted 42 new students and 28 new teachers. For this region, that growth is impressive. “Parents heard the school was great and asked if they could enroll,” said Principal Iryna Steshyts. “We are up to 220 from 178 last year.”
TSI donors fund laptops and bomb shelter fortifications.
TSI donors recently funded laptops for the new teachers, and helped to fortify bomb shelters on the school grounds.
“The wartime ministry of defense issued a statement regarding shelters, and ours needed fortifications,” said Steshyts. “We need to protect our students, it is our number one challenge. Anytime there is an air raid siren, we go to the shelter and we continue learning, but it doesn’t feel like ordinary class.”
Despite air raid disruptions, Steshyts takes joy in her job at Academy of Wisdom, especially relationships with her colleagues.
“Every time we meet, I feel God put together this team. We cooperate so well, and we are a great community,” she said.
The conflict has brought community members closer together.
The conflict has also brought families closer and created networks of support at the school. Students prioritize relationships with one another and their teachers, and parents are more sympathetic toward the staff.
“The students do work harder [since the invasion], and with more consistent effort,” said Steshyts. “It’s harder for them to focus, but in terms of relationships, they are closer, and more empathetic.”
The new staff at Academy of Wisdom have been a welcome asset alongside a growing student body. The school was co-founded by the Ukrainian Institute of Arts and Sciences, and many graduates of the Institute have become teachers at the Academy.
“When they were students they attended trainings at our school, so we’ve observed them, we like them, and we recruited them,” Steshyts said.
Challenges abound, but the school community is strong and versatile.
Academy of Wisdom has been through steep challenges, and there will be more to come. Despite hardship, and sometimes because of it, the school is versatile, providing urgent resources alongside education: first aid training for teachers, germicidal lamps for shelters, financial assistance to student families, and social projects such as gifts for the elderly and support for families who were forced to leave their homes after the invasion.
“The war has left its mark on every child,” said Steshyts. “[They have] anxiety about their families and uncertainty about the future. We need to create an environment for them where they can learn, experience true joy, and develop their talents.” •
Thank you for supporting this important work! Please pray for Ukraine.
TOP PHOTO: teachers attend a school retreat in 2024
Students speak at a school assembly before the February 2022 invasion by Russia.
Academy of Wisdom in Bucha, Ukraine
"The war has left its mark on every child. [They have] anxiety about their families and uncertainty about the future. We need to create an environment for them where they can learn, experience true joy, and develop their talents."
- Principal Iryna Steshyts
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