Student Program
STARTALK Discover Russian: Learn With Us!
STARTALK Discover Russia is a summer and year-long program for students who have either already studied Russian and want more than their school program offers or for heritage speakers of Russian who would like to improve their understanding of the fundamentals of Russian and learn more about Russia.
Program Features
60 hours of virtual summer camp (3 weeks) from June 26, 2024-July 17, 2024
60 hours of online programming during the 2024-25 academic year
Classroom activities will feature current, authentic materials to help students explore Russian language and culture in all four skills (speaking, reading, writing, listening)
Guest speakers and culture workshops thoughtfully connected with course content
Virtual field trips and connections with native speakers and experts in Russian language, history, and culture
Pre- and post-program testing that allows students to prove their knowledge of Russian
Opportunities to showcase students’ knowledge of Russian in the ACTR Olympiada of Spoken Russian, the National Russian Essay Contest, and NEWL exam
Highly experienced, award-winning teachers of Russian trained in communicative, student-centered methods
Eligibility
Students should be rising ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth graders (will be in 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grades in fall 2024)
Students must be U.S. citizens
Application
Application deadline is March 30, 2024.
The application requires one essay, a teacher recommendation, and a transcript.
Notification of selection decisions will take place mid-April, 2024.
MEET OUR STAFF
Program Director
Elizabeth Sandstrom
Lead Instructor
Kateryna Ratushnyuk
Instructors
Maria Geobert
Liudmila Smirnova
Anna Vasylieva