School students from the Ukraine have been polishing up their English – and learning a little Welsh – at a North Wales girls boarding school.
The five Russian-speaking girls have spent two weeks at Howells School, Denbigh, on an intensive learning course and have now flown home vowing to return again to Wales one day.
They’ve enjoyed their stay at the school with its magnificent setting in the shadow of historic Denbigh Castle and the girls come from cities in the Ukraine, Europe’s second largest country, with their own place in world history.
Helen Shtanko, 17, and Anya Chernova, 14, are from Sevastopol – scene of a great siege during the Crimean War in 1854, Mary Thyssen, 15, and Anastasya Vlasenkova, 13, are from Yalta, where Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin held a summit in the Second World War, while Maria Zhuk, 16, is from Donetsk.
Helen, who has been learning English since she was three and who hopes to train as an English teacher to work in Japan, said: “I’ve loved it here and we’ve all worked hard on our pronunciation and it has improved.
“The facilities here are excellent and the staff are very good so we’ve really enjoyed our time here and we’re sorry to be going back – we’d love to stay here.
“We’ve been to Llangollen and Snowdonia and the countryside is magnificent, very green, not like the Ukraine which is dry and yellow.”
Maria, from the industrial city of Donetsk, said: “This is a wonderful place and I’ve really enjoyed the teachers and the lessons.
“We’ve done some sports as well and the aeroball, like basketball on trampolines, has been great.
“I’d love to come here on my summer holidays and stay here for a few weeks. The countryside is beautiful and Denbigh is a nice town with lovely old buildings and people have been very friendly.”
There have been other highlights too and Helen added: “I’ve been horse riding here and it’s been very good, a higher level than I’ve been used to at home.
“We’ve also enjoyed going to the Chocolate Shop in Denbigh – we’ll miss that.”
Mary, who intends to study to become an architect, has also enjoyed her stay while Anastasya said they’ve even learned some Welsh: “Yes and No and a place with a very long name.”
Anya said: “We haven’t just studied English. I’ve really enjoyed the science and maths lessons.
“It’s lovely here and the views are spectacular. The buildings are beautiful too, we don’t have so many old buildings in the Ukraine.”
One Ukrainian girl didn’t fly back to Kiev with the others, Marina Tveredokhlib, 12, from Kirovograd, is a boarder at the school and is in Year Eight.
She said: “I’ve been here for a month and I really like it here. The facilities are very good and everyone is really nice.
“It’s been good to have other girls from the Ukraine here so I can talk to them but I’m sure it will be better for my English now that they’ve gone though I will miss them.”
Marina is a star table-tennis player and has won major competitions back home. She said: “I enjoy it and I play here in the school and every week at Denbigh table-tennis club.
“Back home I have a really good teacher. He is a Master of Sports and my father was a very good player.
“I’ve tried a few different kinds of dancing since I’ve been here but I prefer gymnastics though I would like to be an actress and I hope I can take part in some acting while I’m here.”
Howells Academic Head Emma Jones said: “All the girls from the Ukraine settled in very well at the school and we’ve been glad to have them here.
“It’s been a good opportunity for them and it has helped their English and it’s a good experience for our pupils as well to have contact with students from different parts of the world.
“Howells is a very cosmopolitan place and I think that’s good and an important part of what the school has to offer.”
