Anna Karpovich, Teacher
akarpovich@hotmail.com
Memphis, TN Schools

Last year we were able to receive the Russian FLAP grant to build a K-12 Russian program, based on our consistently successful high school program. The grant provided money for staffing, some equipment, and curricula development. We were able to develop an elementary fairy-tales based curriculum to get the program started in our two elementary schools, Brownsville Road Elementary and Peabody Elementary. We were able to hire four full-time teachers of Russian, three elementary and one for Craigmont middle school (I no longer teach at both middle and high as an itinerant teacher, but am full-time at Craigmont HS). Brownsville school kids feed into Craigmont Middle, and so on. Ideally, in four to five years we will have students completing Russian One and Two in the middle school, and coming to the high school to take Russian Three, Four, and AP. Classes past level four are possible, like Russian Five - Language Application:Special Projects, or Business Russian, as Craigmont High operates on a block schedule. We'd like to grow the high school program to the point we'll need a second full-time Russian teacher.

In the fall 2008 semester, Brownsville Road Elementary had 280 students at the K-12 level. Peabody Elementary had 410 students.

In the meanwhile, we continue developing materials, redesigning curricula, and looking into hiring more teachers of Russian for the next school year. Our pool of possible candidates is rather shallow at this point - so please spread the word.

Discover Russian
in Memphis City Schools!
    by Alyssa Villarreal,
    World Language Coordinator

From the TFLTA Newsletter

This February, Craigmont High School students discovered the Russian language in a musical adventure through past and present Russia. Students enjoyed performances by a noted Russian opera singer, traditional Russian Gyspy dance, and current hits from Alzu, performed by current CHS Russian students. Rhodes College Russian professors and students were integral to the program’s success with musical performances, insights on the importance of studying Russian and student perspectives from their travels to Russia.
The program hit a high note during the question and answer period with previous CHS graduates who had traveled to Russia as a result of high scores at the ACTR’s Olympiada of Spoken Russian. For the past five years, Ms. Karpovich has consistently prepared students who’ve ranked regionally and nationally and were invited to travel to Russia with the ACTR.
Thanks to the dedication of Anna Karpovich, and her students’ hard work, MCS received a FLAP Grant this past July that will allow the district to expand its current Russian program. The district will use the funds to extend the Russian instruction to students at Brownsville elementary school, curriculum development,  as well as to collaborate with other Russian programs across the US.
These developments have left many students saying “Da” to the study of Russian in Memphis City Schools!