Mountaineer Moments
Editor: Makayla Wise
MVHS Georgian, Ukrainian foreign exchange students recount war experiences
War is a thing of the past for many of us. It’s hard to imagine a barbaric act such as killing for land and power occurring during the time of cell phones and push-to-start cars.
However, there are some people for whom war is a harsh and current reality.
Sophomore Oleksandr Kopishynskyi, a Mount Vernon foreign exchange student, is one of those people. The war in Ukraine, though he is thousands of miles away, is an exceedingly pressing issue for him.
"...basically, you're living two lives at the same time."
-Oleksandr Kopishynskyi
“It is hard because basically, you’re living two lives at the same time,” Kopishynskyi says in a gripping explanation of life here in the U.S. as terror takes root in his home. “Here, you’re happy. Here, you have everything. There, you are afraid [for] your parents, afraid [for] your friends. People [are] dying. So basically, you split your brain in two parts.”
Kopishynskyi, luckily, is no longer alone. This year, a foreign exchange student from a neighboring country, Georgia, has joined him. Her name is Nana Giorgidze, also a sophomore.
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Both she and Kopishynskyi recognize the war as worsening. The fighting has nearly reached the entire country, and cities are routinely being bombed as Russia’s overwhelming aggression spreads like a disease.
Giorgidze is at a loss for words when it comes to her feelings on the matter. She expresses a sort of denial regarding the war in Ukraine. “I was there when it started…I can’t comprehend that something this bad is happening,” she says.
She is afraid for her family, some of which are in Ukraine, and others that have fled the country or are in the military. She also fears that Russia will turn their attention to Georgia, the violence making its way into her country.
While the war is not truly in Georgia, it still wreaks havoc on Ukraine’s neighbor.
Russia and Ukraine are responsible for many of Georgia's goods. As both of those countries undergo financial stress with the war, Georgia experiences their own issues. Giorgidze describes this as “the worst recession ever.” Furthermore, the country is being overwhelmed by Russian refugees, adding even more stress to the financial situation.
Regardless of their own struggles, the people of Georgia are overcome with sympathy. Giorgidze explains that it was only a few years ago that her country was in the same boat Ukraine currently occupies.
"War is real; war is happening even right now."
-Oleksandr Kopishynskyi
Ukraine Video.mp4The fighting has reached dangerously close to his home. “A couple days ago, I [saw] a video. A missile destroyed one piece of street…that video was recorded from my house,” Kopishynskyi shares.
Regardless of the stress and missing his family, he is happy to be here.
For most of the student body, and the country, it is easy to ignore the trouble Ukraine is in. It is possible to turn off the news and forget about it. For Kopishynskyi and Giorgidze, that isn’t the case. There is a constant fear for their families, friends, and homes. They face a kind of anxiety and stress that no one, much less high school students, should have to.
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They strongly encourage people to take the time to learn about the war in Ukraine.
“War is real,” Kopishynskyi says; "war is happening even right now.” He pushes for MVHS to educate themselves, to recognize that just because Ukraine’s story isn’t flooding the news doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.
What he hopes for more than anything is that America and other countries will step in and offer aid to Ukraine. Following the Budapest Memorandum, there was a belief amongst Ukrainians that in the event of an attack, they would have a number of countries coming to their aid. While there was some help provided, and greatly appreciated, Ukraine is still overwhelmed by the acts of Russian invaders.
American forces helping to train Ukrainian soldiers and pushing for sanctions are examples of actions Kopishynskyi would love to see.
He cautions everyone about the future ramifications of a victory for Russian president Vladimir Putin. Concern is evident as he poses his question: if this dictator wins, what message does that send to all the other dictators in the world? The violence spreading to countries across the globe is a great fear of Kopishynskyi’s.
“All [of] the world [is] afraid of one person,” he emphasizes, explaining the irrational power Putin holds and the vulnerabilities it creates. In Kopishynskyi’s eyes, the dictator rolls over global rules, taking what he wants when he wants it and nations everywhere allow him to do so. “If [there are] no rules, [there is] no peace.”
Due to the Russian troops’ underestimating the strength of Ukrainian forces, the war has gone on for much longer than expected, leaving them short on supplies. Though Kopishynskyi believes the war is far from over, he and Giorgidze both have hope that Ukraine will be able to fight off their aggressive invaders.
Giorgidze says, “I think people in Ukraine are really brave to go through all of this and still have the will to fight.”
Though Giorgidze and Kopishynskyi have escaped immediate danger, the war takes a great toll on them. Despite this, they both show abundant pride and respect for the people of Ukraine, as well as hope for the future.
"I think people in Ukraine are really brave to go through all of this and still have the will to fight."
-Nana GiorgidzeEsports program gains momentum
If you were not already aware, MVHS’ esports club is quickly climbing up the ranks in their competitions. This success is new to them as they are a newer club and they are learning how to navigate the world of competitive gaming. They have a whole new set of coaches this year: Mr. Taylor Bond, Mr. Chance Cornell, and Mr. Taylor Hopkins! These coaches are all putting in lots of hard work to get the team started off on the right foot!
They were able to obtain six gaming PCs for the team. Mr. Bond explained how important that is for their competitions: “We’re able to run all of the current titles that we’re competing in such as rocket league, overwatch, [and] Valorant." Additionally, the PCs are capable of handling video and photo editing as well as programming. Students will get the opportunity to hone those skills with esports to prepare them for technical employment.
On the visionary side of things, Mr. Hopkins is also in the process of designing and sending the team jerseys to be manufactured. This is very exciting for MVHS, the first time that esports has been able to dedicate serious time, effort, and resources to be able to compete, and hopefully dominate, in their competitions!
Currently, Mr. Bond said, “Both of our Rocket League teams are ranked second and third respectively… Varsity being in second and JV being in third.” (Since the interview, they are now both third; the playoffs, which could potentially send them to state, will take place this week Oct 24-28.) He also mentioned that if they won their next match they would “be in a three way tie for first in the region, which could potentially send us to state [in] November." It is obvious that they have very quickly risen to the top and are doing really well at the moment. But they don’t want to stop there, Mr. Bond said he would love to see the team grow and diversify. Esports is welcome to anyone!
The Green and White Review congratulates esports on their continued success and everyone is looking forward to seeing them succeed even more and hopefully make their way to state. They should be extremely proud of how far they have come this year and what they have achieved!
