Press Room
Vancouver School District and ESD 112 staff recognized for work on Russian language video
Vancouver School District received a Crystal Award of Excellence for "American Schools of the 21st Century," a six-DVD set produced in Russian to help bridge the language and cultural barriers within the district.
The program was developed to help Russian and Ukranian families better understand the intricacies of the American school system and addresses topics such as graduation requirements, discipline and curriculum.
Vancouver School District's Russian parent advisory group developed the idea for the project, based on recurring questions about the differences between the American and Russian education systems.
ESD 112 staff Rose Yandell and Mikhail Oparin produced segments in the series. Vancouver School District staff who coordinated the project are Doug Goodlet, Brian Luderman and Lilly Boulianne.
"The project helps cross language and cultural barriers that the district was facing," said Rose Yandell, coordinator of TV ETC for ESD 112. "Today's American classroom teacher has much more flexibility in curriculum than the Soviet system our students' parents knew. The series helps explain how the American system works, why, for example, two Kindergarten classes taking place side by side might be doing two different things."
The DVDs will be distributed statewide to Washington's Russian population.
The DVD set, developed solely in Russian, received the award in the category External Communications/Foreign Language. This year, there were 3,059 entries from throughout the United States and five other countries. Just 15 percent of the entries won this award. The Communicator Awards in an international awards competition that recognizes outstanding work in the communication field. The Communicator's prestigious Award of Excellence is presented to entrants whose ability to communicate elevates them among the best in the field. For more information about the awards program, visit www.communicator-awards.com.