Jackie Lesh

Fulbright-Hays
Project Overview

Prior to the trip, my original plan was to develop an artist and author unit based
on using the art of Marc Chagall to recreate the ballet Petrouchka. I have not abandoned
this original idea and I am excited to build that unit into my curriculum for next year;
however, while traveling, and immediately after I returned, there seemed to be more
immediate applications of the information I collected.
While traveling in Russia, as a group we were making a list of things that Russia
did not have that we thought of as conveniences. The list ranged from Tupperware to
animal control. I realized as I traveled that when I tried to explain special education to
people, only educators on the university level knew what I was talking about. I observed
a lack of programs for children and adults with disabilities in schools and in society in
general. It was always on my mind while I was there. I wanted Russia to have special
education and I had no idea how to do that. It wasn’t until I met Sergey Kolganov that I
realized what my project would be. Sergey is a social worker that works at a
rehabilitation center for children with disabilities in Murom, Russia. He approached me
and asked if we could open a line of communication about special education schools in
the United States. My project is to help Sergey examine the history of human rights
amendments made to the constitution regarding people with disabilities and also provide
him with examples of successful programs here in the United States. We have started
our communication and I am currently answering questions Sergey has about The
American’s with Disabilities Act via e-mail.
The second part of my project is to create an integrated unit about Russian
Culture. I work at an arts based school for students with learning disabilities. When I
returned from Russia, I made my picture files, lecture notes and other materials available
to the teachers at my school on a public drive. I also met with the art, drama, world
cultures, and history teachers. When I asked the director of the performing arts
department to collect information on how the Russian Unit was developing the reply was:

Russia Activities

From Mr. Gray (Set Design):

The back-drop for the Russian folk tales performance on October 23

Czar Ivan (the Terrible), embodied all that is Russian when he had St. Basil's Cathedral
built outside the gates of the Kremlin in Moscow. "The result is a [an architectural] riot
of texture, hue and contours that -rather than being chaotic- achieves an unexpected
harmony, drawing the eye of the viewer serenely toward the gold-plated dome that
crowns the church's spire." Napoleon ordered the church burnt down and Stalin wanted
to replace it with a subway station. Preservationists will be employed for a long time
saving this symbol of the Russian culture.
From Ms. Lesh (Dance):

We have begun to study the different regions of Russia by comparing the different dance
styles and costumes. Russian dances often tell a story or act out a scene. We are
currently working on the Troika. "Troika" is the Russian word for sleigh drawn by three
horses. This dance represents the prancing of horses as they pull a sleigh. We compared
our culture and examined the geography and climate of Russia to see why a sleigh might
be an integral part of Russian life.

From Mrs. Weishaar (Music):

We will be making Balalaikas and also studying Russian folk music, instrumental and
vocal.
From Ms. Abigail (Middle School Language Arts):

I'll be having them read a couple of stories from the Soviet golden age after the
revolution and before the Stalinist crackdown, plus a story by Gogol. The piece de
resistance: watch The Inspector General, starring Danny Kaye, and read a couple of
scenes from The Government Inspector by Gogol, of which the film is a terrible
perversion!

From Ms. Parkhurst (Lower School Art):

We are learning three symbols and sounds from the Cyrillic alphabet each class as well as
learning one fact about daily life in Moscow during each class. Ms. Demuth is teaching
the students and me conversational Russian words and we plan on practicing some
friendly conversation with Mr. Yuiry soon! We also read the folk tale, Sasha's Matrioshka
Dolls and we are now creating our own 2-D versions of Russian nesting or Matrioshka
dolls. I am doing all of this with the Whites, Dennistons, Lacerenzas and Meyer-
Seymours.

From Ms. Angelella (Lower School Drama):

Students are hearing and acting out Russian folk tales, including “The Turnip”. We are in
the process of selecting a tale for each class to perform on October 23rd.

From Ms. Rome (Upper School Drama):

In my 8th period Drama class, we have begun rehearsals on two obscure one-act comedies
by Anton Chekhov, the famous Russian playwright from the late 19th century. The
ensemble prepared for this by creating scenes based on Russian traditions and manners,
information we received from Ms. Lesh. We listen to Russian music in rehearsal to get us
in the ‘mood” and the students are enjoying learning all those complicated Russian
names! We hope to perform excerpts from both plays on October 23rd, and full
performances in mid-January (along with a third one-act cast from the Upper School). I
am teaching all of my acting class about the revolutionary acting teacher and director,
Konstantin Stanislavski.