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Area Students Sample Russian Culture

On Monday, March 24, the Kotlas Connection held its sixteenth annual Russian Sampler. Co-sponsored by the Russian Program at Colby College, Russian Sampler is an annual day of workshops and presentations for teens and tweens on Russia and Russian culture.

This year, around 150 students from middle and junior high schools in Waterville, Winslow, Fairfield, Readfield, Oakland, Newport, and Damariscotta attended, as well as several home-schooled students. For the first time, we also had a sizeable contingent of high schoolers. Forty-five students came from Erskine Academy in China, the only area high school where Russian is taught.

Each student attended three classes of their own choosing. Offerings included sports in Russia, Russian politics, Russian language contemporary Russian cinema, life in Kotlas, birch bark carving, Easter egg decorating, and baking teacakes. All participants attended a closing assembly where our three Kotlas visitors taught a couple of simple Russian songs.

The Kotlas Connection has held Russian Sampler at Colby College on the fourth Monday of each March since 1993. Whenever possible, we arrange to have guests from Kotlas here to lead Sampler sessions.