Plea for help finding grants or other funding for ailing High School Russian program

[Alex Rudd]

Dear SEELANGers,

I'm forwarding the message below from someone who does not subscribe
to this list, but who would very much appreciate your thoughts and
input, if you're in a position to help.  Please do not reply on the
list.  By default, replies are addressed to SEELANGS, so you must
manually change the addressee's e-mail address.  In this case, replies
should be sent to: oddbits at rcn.com

- Alex, list owner of SEELANGS

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To Whom it May Concern,

The Amherst regional middle and high schools in Amherst, MA, have an
exceptional 7-12 Russian language program. Due to the extraordinary
efforts of Jude Wobst, students in this program have excelled in
spoken and written Russian for many years. They perenially win gold,
silver, and bronze medals in the national Russian essay writing
competition and in the regional Russian speaking Olympidia. For the
last three years one of our students has won the Olympiada and gone to
Moscow for the international competition. For twenty years we have had
a biannual exchange with Gymnasia 17 in Petrozavodsk with students
from our school visiting and living with Russian students for a month
and then hosting these students here.

I have two children in this program, which is intensive, both in terms
of language acquisition and immersion in Russian culture, history,
art, and literature. Students who take Russian at Amherst are both
dedicated and inspired. As my daughter, a junior, says, "It has
changed the way I see the world." Graduates of this program have gone
on to great success in their college and post-college careers. Amherst
College characterizes the program as "superb" and allows our 12th
grade students to enroll in their classes.

Why am I telling you this? The classes are daily and demanding.
Students have to master the Cyrillic alphabet. They are a self
selected group of high achieving, academically oriented students, so
enrollment is low.  And now school budgets are being slashed. Based on
enrollment figures, the current school committe plan to cut Russian
entirely in 7th and 8th grade next year. Once they do this, there will
be no feeder for the high school program and it could be gone in four
years or less.

I am looking for sources of funding we can access to keep this superb
program intact. Once it is gone, it will be almost impossible to
revive. In less financially harsh times, the district has supported
the Russian program, being fully aware of what an asset it is to our
community. If we can keep it alive now, I believe the school system
could make a committment to keeping this long term program a thriving
concern.

Please let me know who I can contact, what grants or programs are
available, and what the school would need to do to access funding for
the teaching of a critical language.

Yours sincerely,

Gillian Cook
Freelance Editor, English
(413) 548-9608
oddbits at rcn.com

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