AIT becomes a Russian tea room
Reprinted from The Stamford Times (November 21, 2004)
By Kathryn Moschella, Times Correspondent
It had all the elements of a feast served in Moscow to visiting dignitaries only the setting was Stamford. Amid a blend of Russian and Ukrainian music and Cossack outfits, students, teachers, family and friends celebrated an evening of Russian culture at the first-ever “Russian Tea Room” hosted last Friday evening at the Academy of Information Technology (AIT) High School.
AIT is the only high school in Stamford to offer a class in Russian language, introduced to the curriculum this year along with a Russian history course. The population of Eastern European and Russian immigrants in Stamford has been increasing; the courses are a reflection of that growth.
The celebration featured an extensive array of Russian cuisine, prepared and served by AIT students including Pirozhki (little filled meat turnovers), Galubtzi (stuffed cabbage), Blini, Russian Mardi Gras pancakes, Vareniki, Ukrainian dumplings, and the well-known Borscht, a traditional Moscow vegetable soup. For dessert, there were Blinchikis, or Russian crepes filled with whipped cream and strawberries, an array of different Pryanikis (cookies), chocolates, and Russian teas.
To add to the ambience, there was Russian dancing and singing, a fashion show, chess matches, a live Easter egg demonstration, a raffle and door prizes. A gallery was set up in the foyer of the school at Rippowam Center on High Ridge Road to display Russian art and antiques and foods that are favored in Eastern Europe, such as caviar, smoked fish and pickled delicacies.
Guests who attended the Russian Elegant Evening were invited to make a small donation to support three field trips next year for AIT students who plan to visit Italy in February, Russia in April and Greece in the spring.
The night was inspired by Russian language teacher Anna Koltypin, who is also fluent in Latin, French and Spanish and has been teaching language at AIT since the school opened.
“I am happy beyond words and I couldn’t have made this possible without my husband, my twin daughters, and my son, a Captain in the U.S. Army, who came from Iraq and is here tonight, “ Koltypin said. “Our principal Mr. Gross is also a visionary.”
“This is just one example of some of the unique things that we do here to enrich the lives of our students,” said AIT principal Paul Gross, who was busy meeting and greeting family and friends and enjoying the evening with his students.
“We have a growing Eastern European and Russian population in town and this night is a chance to connect to family, tradition and language. We will be expanding our language course offerings next year and we even have a Russian history course.”
Teacher Steve Castagneto teaches Russian history as an elective to AIT upperclassmen. He switched gears during the evening to challenge a student, Sergiy Podolsky, to a chess match.
“Chess was ingrained in that section of the world in the old trading routes. People exchanged everything and exchanged games while they were doing business. It was a great form of communication,” Castagneto explained. Ukrainian-born Sergiy added, “Russians do play chess often and it’s a big part of their culture.”
“We so appreciate everything, the food, the music, the costumes, the atmosphere, and the Russian teacher did such a good job,” thanked Maria Hirnyk, who came to Stamford from the Ukraine and is the mother of AIT senior Yuliya Suliana who is taking the Russian language course with Mrs. Koltypin.
Ilyn Melnikov, who was dressed in a traditional Cossak outfit, said he wasn’t surprised the evening was such a success. “Mrs. Koltypin has been thinking about this for months. I came here five years ago from Russia. Where I came from on the East of Siberia, there was no computer technology so that’s why I chose AIT because the school is advanced in computer technology. I want to be a civil engineer.”
Frank Dell, a 34-year Stamford resident, was invited to the celebration with his wife after the school read a recent article about his consulting business that frequently takes him to Russia. Dell has been actively involved in establishing a chain of modern supermarkets in Russian that is expected to earn $1 billion dollars in sales next year.
“For someone who travels all over the world, I can tell you this is truly a step in the right direction,” Dell said as the evening was coming to a close. “Americans are the least knowledgeable about what’s across their border. There are lots of great ideas all over and this gives our kids something past the Atlantic and the Pacific. If you approach a new country and culture with an attitude of ‘let me look for the good ideas,’ it’s outstanding what you will find.”
For AIT, that journey of discovery has already begun.
