School History
How Our School Was Founded (1949)
Historical Origins and Purpose
The "Samopomich" School of Ukrainian Studies in New York has a long and deeply rooted history. After World War II, many teachers from Ukraine arrived in America. Understanding the danger of the younger generation becoming disconnected from their homeland, language, culture, and history, the teachers decided to reestablish a teachers' community in New York. Branches of the teachers' community were created in various locations, which eventually grew into educational courses and schools of Ukrainian studies.
First Steps: Evening Courses
The New York Teachers' Community initially established evening educational courses at the "Samopomich" Society. Families arriving in America attended these lessons. Classes were held in the schoolrooms of the Basilian Fathers' building, located at 710 East 9th Street. Three groups (classes) were formed at the outset.
Students who were forced to emigrate due to the war before completing their secondary education in Ukraine began attending these courses. Classes were held three times a week: on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
The first teachers were Professor Stepan Stetsyk and Professor Mykola Kokolsky. Final (matriculation) examinations were administered by a special commission chaired by Dr. Mykola Shlemkevych, a representative of the Ukrainian Free University.
Official Founding and Development (1949–1950)
In September 1949, the evening educational courses were renamed the School of Ukrainian Studies, and Professor Kost Kysilevsky became the school's principal.
By December 1949, the school already had 5 classes, with 50 students and 15 teachers; correspondence education was also offered. A school library was established as well. By 1950, the school had 82 students and 2 graduating classes.
Curriculum and Academic Standards
Instruction followed the European gymnasium curriculum with an emphasis on Ukrainian studies. The course consisted of 60 lecture hours and lasted six months, after which students took final (matriculation) examinations in:
-
Ukrainian language and literature,
-
Latin, German, and English,
-
History, Geography, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.
Graduates of the school acquired a strong academic foundation and received high marks upon entering American universities.
Overcoming Challenges
In the early years, the school faced challenges related to writing and printing textbooks, developing curricula, and securing classroom space. School principals, with the help of teachers, parents, and students, worked diligently and devotedly to ensure a continuous educational process and favorable conditions for students. Within a few years, the School of Ukrainian Studies became a strong national educational and cultural institution.
The Present Day
Today, the school is attended by approximately 200 students who come from various areas: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Long Island.
Parents recognize the importance of Ukrainian upbringing and education, and they dedicate their time and effort to bringing their children to school every Saturday, where they receive an education rooted in their heritage.
The Educational Process
Classes are held every Saturday at St. George's Academy from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
-
Grades 1–7: One teacher teaches all subjects.
-
Grades 8–12: Each subject is taught by a different teacher.
In accordance with the School Council's programs, the following subjects are taught: religion, Ukrainian language, Ukrainian literature, History, Culture and Geography of Ukraine.
The academic year is divided into three terms. At the end of each term, students take exams. After completing 12 years of study, students take final (matriculation) examinations in Ukrainian language, Literature, History, Culture, and Geography.
Preschool and Extracurricular Activities
The school also includes a Svitlychka (preschool program), supported by Branch 83 of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, as well as Doshkillia.
The school organizes festive performances dedicated to significant figures in Ukrainian history, literature, and culture, as well as to religious holidays. Students from Svitlychka through 12th grade participate in these performances. The school has its own choir, which was founded in 1981.
Commemorations
The school remembers and marks not only joyful occasions. Students and their parents take part each year in a solemn march in memory of the millions of Ukrainians who perished during the Holodomor — the artificially engineered famine carried out by the Stalinist-Bolshevik regime in 1932–1933 in Ukraine. Approximately 7 to 10 million Ukrainians died of starvation — at the time, 25% of Ukraine's entire population. The march begins at St. George's Church and concludes with a communal prayer at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Important: Since 1977, matriculation diplomas have been awarded during a joint graduation ceremony for all schools in the New York metropolitan area. Graduates may use their final exam results when applying to colleges and universities in the United States.
The School's Connection with Ukraine
The School of Ukrainian Studies has been visited by, and continues to receive, guests from Ukraine.
-
1992: The school was visited by Anatoliy Pohribny, First Deputy Minister of Education of Ukraine, who said: "For half a century you have preserved Ukrainian education here. This is your great achievement."
-
January 10, 1992: Students met with astronaut Leonid Kadenyuk and his backup Yaroslav Pustovyi. Students from neighboring Ukrainian studies schools also attended. During his conversation with the students, Leonid Kadenyuk shared that he had taken a copy of Kobzar and a portrait of Shevchenko on his space journey.
-
January 17, 1999: The school received a portrait of Leonid Kadenyuk — Ukraine's first astronaut in the era of an independent Ukraine — from Kyiv, accompanied by the inscription: "To the Ukrainian School of New York City, with best wishes to its students in their studies and to never forget Ukraine."
-
April 2007: The school was visited by His Excellency Bishop Pavlo Khomnytskyy of the Stamford Eparchy, who held engaging conversations with students.
-
December 2008: Carol singers from the village of Kryvorivnya in the Ivano-Frankivsk region performed for the entire school, playing the resounding trembita horns.
-
March 2009: During a commemoration of the great Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, the school was visited by Academician Petro Kononenko, Director of the Research Institute of the Ukrainian Language, and Yuriy Sergeyev, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations.
-
February 2014: Ukrainian Member of Parliament Oleh Medunytsia visited the school and spoke to students about the events in Ukraine at the time, particularly the Euromaidan—the people’s revolution for justice, freedom, human rights, and a better future in closer unity with the European Union.
Our Mentors and Founders
Spiritual Guidance
Throughout its entire history, the School of Ukrainian Studies has received and continues to receive spiritual guidance from St. George's Church. We — teachers, parents, and students — express our sincere gratitude to the Reverend Fathers of the Church.
The Selfreliance Association
The Selfreliance Association plays an important role in the life of the school. The Selfreliance Association is not only the foundation upon which the School of Ukrainian Studies was established, but also its financial support. Selfreliance Association represents a powerful sense of high responsibility toward the entire Ukrainian community and all of Ukraine.
Notable figures:
-
Dr. Yulian Revay — a prominent political and educational figure of Zakarpattia, who instilled this dedication to the school.
-
Professor Mykhailo Lysohir — a successor to this noble tradition.
-
Mrs. Natalia Duma — Head of the Selfreliance Association since 1995, and a long-serving administrator of the Ukrainian Women's League of America.
The Parents' Committee
An integral part of school life is the Parents' Committee, which for many years has voluntarily provided and continues to provide moral and material support to both the children and the school as a whole. The Committee also takes an active part in community activities.
History of the School’s Leadership
Professor Kost Kysilevsky
First Principal (1949–1953)
A Ukrainian linguist and educator, Professor at the Ukrainian Free University, member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society, and author of numerous Ukrainian language textbooks, didactic works, and a Ukrainian-Polish and Polish-Ukrainian dictionary (co-authored with Y. Hrytsak). An unwavering patriot dedicated to Ukrainian education.
Dr. Mykhailo Rabiy
(1953-1958)
An educator, writer, scholar, and corresponding member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society.
Professor Vasyl Vyshyvanyi
(1958-1962)
A political prisoner during the years of occupation in Ukraine, educator, long-time teacher at the Samopomich School of Ukrainian Studies, and community leader.
Professor Ivan Vasylyshyn
(1962-1968)
An educator, conductor of student choirs, and community leader.
Professor Mykhailo Lysohir
(1968-1975)
Educator, civic leader, political prisoner of the Polish regime, teacher of Ukrainian language and literature in gymnasiums in Galicia, at the Ridna Shkola (Native School) named after Osyp Makovei in Yavoriv, member of the editorial board of the collection "Yavorivshchyna," inspector and member of the Board of the School Council.
_edited.jpg)
Dr. Roman Drazhnovskiy
(1968-1975)
An educator, professor, and rector of the Ukrainian Free University in Munich (Germany) from 1993 to 1995. He was also a geographer and cartographer, the author of publications printed in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany, a participant in the Battle of Brody, co-editor of the collection Chortkivshchyna, and chairman of the School Council in the United States.
Atanas Kobryn, M.A.
(1978-1981)
An educator, psychologist, and journalist. He graduated from the Ukrainian Free University in Munich and pursued further studies at several American universities.
_edited.jpg)
Pavlo Dorozhynsky, M.A.
(1981-1986)
A journalist, community, and political leader. He graduated from the Ukrainian Gymnasium in Prague and the Ukrainian Free University in Munich. He was also a member of Ukrainian organizations, including ODVU, SKVU, UCCA, and UNWLA.
_edited.png)
Olha Terebus-Kekish, M.S.
(1986-2010)
She received her secondary education at the Ukrainian State Gymnasium in Kholm, Poland, and earned a Master's degree in Pharmacy in Munich. She taught English at a camp school in Bavaria. After relocating to the United States, she worked as a biochemist in the research division of New York University. Her scientific articles on biochemical topics have been published in academic journals and books in the United States, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. She is a corresponding member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society and, since 1980, a corresponding member of the Ukrainian Free Academy of Arts and Sciences. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, she taught Ukrainian language at New York University and at the School of Ukrainian Studies.
.jpg)
Ivan Makar, M.A., M.Ed.
2010 – Present
Ivan Makar holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Fordham University, as well as a Master of Arts and a Master of Education in Psychology. Prior to joining New York University, he served as a Dean at Columbia University, where he worked as an academic advisor, lecturer, mentor, student counselor, and career development consultant. He currently serves as an Adjunct Instructor at NYU, teaching courses in public speaking and communication. He is an active member of the Ukrainian-American university community, participates in International Election Monitoring in Ukraine, and is a member of SUM (Ukrainian Youth Association) and a supporter of Plast. Ivan Makar also served as a translator for the Ukrainian artistic gymnastics team at the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Self-Reliance Heritage School of Ukrainian Studies in New York has been, and continues to be, a true civic, moral, and educational calling for all of its principals, who have worked—and continue to work—tirelessly on its behalf. Beyond the school, they have been actively engaged in the fields of education, scholarship, and civic and political life, where they have earned well-deserved recognition.
The same can be said of the teachers, who, throughout the workweek, have been engaged in various professions, yet return each Saturday to their pedagogical calling—to teach and inspire Ukrainian youth.
Our Alumni
Hundreds of students from Ukrainian families have graduated from Ukrainian studies schools. They gained knowledge not only of their roots, but also of the language, literature, culture, geography, and history of the Ukrainian people — knowledge they pass down to their own children from generation to generation.
Since Ukraine regained independence, many graduates of Ukrainian studies schools—including the Ukrainian Studies School in New York—have been able to apply their knowledge of the Ukrainian language and culture in practice. With fluency in Ukrainian, they have worked and continue to work for American companies with ties to Ukraine, as well as in U.S. federal service.
Notable Alumni:
Zenon Zawada (Ukrainian Studies School, New York, Class of 1982) and Marta Kolomyyets (Ukrainian Studies School, Chicago), both journalists who have written and continue to write for various English- and Ukrainian-language newspapers, including The Ukrainian Weekly. Marta Kolomayets is also the author of the book Time to Tell the Truth, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Holodomor, in which she recounts her family’s history during the famine of 1932–1933.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Melania Hrybovych (Ukrainian Studies School, New Jersey) worked as a consultant in Kyiv for an American company.
Marta Zelyk (Ukrainian Studies School, New York) served as an official Ukrainian-language interpreter at the U.S. Department of State during the presidency of Bill Clinton.
Other graduates of the Ukrainian Studies School in New York include Iryna Savchyn and Lidiya Chorna, a chemistry teacher at an American school, as well as many others who have built successful careers in various fields across the United States, Canada, and Ukraine. A particularly distinguished alumna of our school is Mary Mycio. In 1989, as an American journalist, she visited Kyiv, where she conducted numerous interviews with representatives of Ukrainian environmental organizations. She later authored the compelling and deeply moving book "Wormwood Forest: A Natural History of Chernobyl." Mary Mycio subsequently became the Kyiv correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and has written extensively for publications around the world.
It is worth recalling the words of Ukrainian writer Yevhen Sverstyuk: