TEN YEARS LATER

A report from the reunion evening of graduates of the “Uspekh” School

While the guests are gathering and the graduates’ parents are busy around the tables, generously laid out with refreshments provided by sponsors, I approach teacher Leonid Podolsky.

Correspondent: Leonid Alexandrovich, congratulations. Exactly ten years ago, your first graduating class...

L.A.: To be precise, we graduated our first student, Ilya K., from Grade 12 — the credit course — back in 2014. But in 2015 we had our first large graduating class. About fifteen of our students entered adult life at once.

Correspondent: So is today’s celebration a promotional event to recruit students for the credit class?

L.A. (smiling): Of course not. First of all, this reunion was conceived, organized and carried out by the graduates themselves — Agata and Ksyusha. Secondly, our school now has its own future Grade 9 students growing up. Of course, we will accept other students as well, but only those who are prepared for serious work. Those who come to us hoping to “easily grab” the credits they need usually do not stay for long. Excuse me, I have to go. The celebration is beginning.

Indeed, the charming young hosts open the reunion and invite Anna Nikolaevna Frolova, the founder and respected principal of the “Uspekh” School, to speak. Then Leonid Alexandrovich greets the graduates and their parents.

And then the most interesting part begins: the hosts ask the graduates to tell everyone, in just one minute, who they have become and what they have achieved during the ten years since graduation.

The graduates handle the challenge brilliantly. After all, many of them spent many years at the “Uspekh” School, some beginning as early as kindergarten.

We learn that George works in economics, Richard became a political consultant, Andrei and Kostya work as civil engineers, Kirill and Lyosha are programmers, Angelika is a businesswoman, Ksyusha is a chemist, Agata is a statistician, Anechka is an artist at one of the leading film studios, and Katyusha works in finance.

Petya and Ilyusha were unable to attend but recorded video greetings. The first became a geologist, and the second a dentist.

What is that sound?

It is the school bell ringing again. Once more, it invites the graduates to a retro lesson.

The question is asked: what do you remember most from those years?

The former students happily recall rehearsals and performances by the school theatre, KVN comedy events involving both children and parents, mock-trial lessons in which literary characters were put “on trial,” the graduation ball, and even a Gypsy dance performed by the parents.

Another interesting question follows: what would you tell yourself if you could meet your Grade 12 self today?

Angelika gives a wise answer:

“Don’t rush to grow up.”

There are questions for the parents as well. In particular, they are asked whether they helped their children with homework and whether they ever wrote essays for them.

The parents honestly admit that they helped their children read long literary works chapter by chapter — books such as The Master and Margarita, Sotnikov, The Exchange, The Elder Son, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, and others. Afterwards, they checked the work their children had written.

During the lesson, excerpts are also read from the farewell essays that the graduates wrote ten years ago.

Agata:

“Without this school, my life would have been completely different, and I would have become a completely different person. I will never forget this class, ‘the team of our youth.’”

Ksyusha:

“Thank you for all the poems and stories. I learned many lessons about life from them. I wish that you will always have students whose eyes shine with enthusiasm.”

Lyosha:

“The school taught me what it means to work hard and what it means to be a good person.”

George:

“Without you, I would never have made it into university.”

Sasha:

“I would have attended this school even if it didn’t offer credits.”

Anton:

“Here, teachers do not lecture — they share their souls.”

Masha:

“Only a Russian school could make me wake up so early while my friends were still enjoying their dreams. But every minute spent here was worth it. May the day when Anna Nikolaevna founded this school always be celebrated.”

Vasilisa:

“The school was a blessing.”

Current students also come to greet the graduates.

The Grade 5 students present fashions from the past 100 years. The children selected — and in some cases even sewed, with the help of their parents — outfits representing different decades.

The stage becomes a fashion runway.

Music corresponding to those distant eras begins to play.

An explosion of applause follows in recognition of the creativity and originality of the performance.

Then the Grade 8 students come on stage. They perform “School Beat,” and afterwards we listen spellbound as Emily plays the violin.

Thank you to the teachers who prepared these performances, E.N. Knysheva and T.P. Dunevskaya!

And thank you, children!

What now?

Ah, yes — a commemorative photograph.

In exactly the same place where one was taken ten years ago.

Now everyone can return to the hall and enjoy the refreshments.

The tables are set separately, but even here the graduates do not want to part and gather together around one table.

Memories, ringing laughter, heartfelt conversations.

A feeling of one big family.

The goodbyes last a long time.

I ask:

“Will we meet again in ten years?”

They all shout together:

“IN FIVE!”

Victoria Uniter