"Russian Gazette" has brought together schools from Gatchina and Kyrgyzstan

The meeting of students and teachers from Gatchina was held at the highest level.

Colleagues from Gatchina have long been patrons of the Naryn Gymnasium in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan). It received the name Chkalov not by chance: in 1937, after the legendary pilot made his unique non-stop flight to the USA, this name was assigned to the newly opened school in the mountainous area. Now it is one of the most prestigious in the republic. Teaching here is conducted in Russian. Among the graduates of the gymnasium are two presidents, ministers, generals, and scholars. The name of the Russian hero-pilot is honored here even today.

Chkalov spent his youth in Gatchina—he served here in the Red Banner Fighter Squadron. School No. 9 is one of the best in Gatchina.

— We are a multidisciplinary educational institution, — says its director Elena Glybina, — we have physics and mathematics classes, natural science classes, and philological classes. And I have always considered it necessary for children, firstly, to broaden their horizons. Secondly, to give them the opportunity to get acquainted with a large number of different cultures and ways of life.

According to the director, her graduates should be citizens of the world who know Europe and Asia well. They should be able to understand different peoples and engage in dialogue with them.

This dialogue was initially virtual: the director of the Naryn Gymnasium, Aichurek Samakova, and Elena Glybina communicated via Skype. Later, Kyrgyz children participated in two research conferences. The first, organized by School No. 9, was dedicated to the works of Chingiz Aitmatov. Gatchina eighth-graders presented literary reports exploring the features of the works of the Kyrgyz classic, who is read and respected in Russia. Meanwhile, students from Naryn presented reports online about the writer's biography and the environment in which he grew up and was formed.

— There were surprises on both sides, — says Elena Glybina. — They were amazed by the depth of our students' understanding of Aitmatov's works, and we were impressed by the wonderful Russian language that the children command, their attention to their traditions, costumes, and folklore.

By the way, in Naryn, where only 40,000 people live, there are only a few Russian families. Nevertheless, the competition for the Russian gymnasium is extraordinarily high. It is not uncommon for first-graders with zero knowledge of Russian to enroll here, but by the time they graduate, they are already fluent in our language.

For Kyrgyz people, knowledge of the language of a neighboring country and strategic partner is an expansion of opportunities, a kind of social lift.

The second major joint project was the participation of Naryn schoolchildren in a municipal multidisciplinary conference in Gatchina.

They not only gave this event international status but also took first place in the natural science section.

— Without any bowing or exaggeration, — emphasizes Elena Glybina, — their reports were recognized by scholars from St. Petersburg, who were part of our jury, as the best. A natural continuation of the contacts was the visit of students and teachers from Gatchina School No. 9 to Kyrgyzstan.

— The reception was absolutely amazing, — says Elena Glybina. — Tears welled up in my eyes when the entire school lined up to greet us with balloons in the colors of the Russian tricolor. Our children quickly found common ground. There were several informal meetings that ended in complete brotherhood. Moreover, in Bishkek, we were introduced to another school—the private Russian Orthodox school named after St. Prince Vladimir. All three schools participated in all the events of our visit.

In turn, the Gatchina delegation brought several exhibits from the Great Patriotic War era to Naryn, which enriched the school museum.

They met with the Kyrgyz society of blockade survivors—after all, it was in Naryn that small Leningraders were evacuated during the war, who found warmth here in their second home.

— Our people have arrived! — this is how the delegation of Gatchina was welcomed by former blockade survivors, their children, and grandchildren, who were born and grew up in Kyrgyzstan.

The meetings with neighbors were held at the highest level: students and teachers from Gatchina were welcomed by the mayor of Naryn and the heads of the education committee. Numerous excursions around the country took place, including to Aitmatov's places, Lake Issyk-Kul, and even to the Russian military base Kant, where the children were allowed to climb into the cockpits of the planes. According to the director, it was very important for the children to see that Russia has friends ready to defend it at all borders.

A reciprocal visit to St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast is expected in May of next year.

Moreover, in the prospective plans of now three schools, there are many joint projects. Among them are creative competitions, interdisciplinary research conferences, and of course, a deeper acquaintance of Kyrgyz children with the heroic biography of Valery Chkalov. After all, in Gatchina, the memory of Valery Chkalov lives on not as a character from a history textbook, but as a close person.