The weather today is like I'd expect in Florida: the winds knocked down fences and made my balcony window bow in as rain was dumped from the sky.
Luckily, it wasn't there this morning, for Last Bell. There is a ceremony at the beginning and end of every school year, and they're very important. Since I have my English club at school #12, I was invited to their Last Bell ceremony.
Not all, but most of the graduating students wore the traditional Soviet "pioneer" school uniform. Mind you, these are kids that come to school in Western style clothes every day, so it was odd to see them dressed up like that. For guys, it's simply black slacks and a button down white shirt. For girls, though, it's a short black dress, a white lace apron (think French maid) and then two white fluffy barettes in their hair, their hair usually in pig tails. Footware seemed to be the only thing the girls didn't agree on, from high heels with straps that wound up to the knee to "tabuchki", the backless Ukranian slippers most people wear around the house.
There were some traditional dances and songs, and I was surprised to realize that one of the girls singing was one of my kids. I was used to seeing her in goth clothes (admittedly, she's the only Ukrainian I've ever seen in goth clothes), always wearing black eyeshadow and black lipstick. I honestly had not recognized her in her traditional uniform and normal makeup.
Unlike our graduations where only the graduating class is there, the whole school was on hand for the outdoor ceremony (the lack of seats, I think, was another throwback to Soviet times; or maybe there just weren't enough chairs so nobody got any). Awards were handed out to outstanding students of all grade levels. The best 11th form class handed their trophy to the best 10th form class.
You know, I think I've forgotten to mention how "classes" work in Ukraine. Basically, each "class" of 20 or so students stays together for their entire time in school, having all their subjects together. In some subjects, such as literature, math or foreign language, they will have the same teacher for their entire 11 years of schooling. In some ways, it makes sense: the teacher and the students know each other from an early age and the teacher is able to teach on a continum. In America, a teacher has to get to know a new set of students every year and is often trying to mesh their curriculum whatever the preceding teachers taught. Admittedly, though, this means that if you get a crap teacher, or if the teacher doesn't like you, you're stuck with him or her.
And, after all was said and done, a little girl, carried around on the shoulders of an older student, rang a big, brass bell: the last bell of the school year.
Four different teachers asked me if we had such ceremonies in America. Um, no.