As you leave your third period class on a Monday, you might wonder how to fill your time until fourth period during JLC. You then realize that there’s a new club you’re interested in trying out: the Ukrainian Culture Club.
The Ukrainian Culture Club is an opportunity for students to learn about and celebrate Ukrainian traditions together during weekly meetings.
“Since my mom is from Ukraine and I have a Ukrainian background, I decided to start this because it seemed like something interesting,” freshman founder Julia Brennan said.
The Ukrainian Culture Club was previously active during the 2020-2021 school year for a short period, but this is the first year it has had in-person meetings and a plan to continue meeting for the long term. Members of the Ukrainian Culture Club have various connections to Ukrainian culture.
“I have stayed in Ukraine a couple [of] times in the past,” Brennan said. “Ever since the war started, however, we haven’t been to Ukraine.”
The club typically meets during JLC on Mondays and learns about Ukrainian culture with presentations, activities and Kahoots.
“At home, we celebrate Ukrainian holidays,” Brennan said. “My grandma makes Ukrainian food, like borscht and varenyky.”
Borscht is a common soup in Eastern Europe made with meat stock and vegetables, and varenyky are small dumplings originating from Ukraine. This is an example of a cultural tradition that members of the club might discuss at meetings. While Brennan was inspired to start the club by Ukrainian culture in her own home, other members are inspired by education and outreach to Ukraine.
“Before I joined the Ukrainian Culture Club, I’ve been running my own Ukraine and USA pen pal program,” sophomore member Minati Divakar said. “In this pen pal program, I want the people who participate to be educated about Ukraine so they know what their future pen pal’s life is like before they meet them.”
Members plan to accomplish goals related to the original reasons they joined, such as teaching others about Ukraine.
“For this year, I’m planning to have this club be more of a social group,” Brennan said. “I also [want] to start a fundraiser to help Ukraine with the war.”
The club also plans to participate in school events such as iNite later in the school year and expand attendance over the next few years.
“There are a lot of other Ukrainians in the school, so it would be interesting to meet others if they come,” Brennan said.