|
Yellville woman sends English books back to Russia
By Chandra Huston
The Baxter Bulletin
YELLVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Elena Kirillova is building bridges. Those bridges span from Yellville to her native country of Russia simply by words.
The 35-year-old sends American books to Russian libraries in hopes of helping her countrymen learn English.
Her desire to provide books to libraries comes from her own struggles to find English books in Russia.
Since March, Kirillova and her American husband, Pat Barr, have sent nearly 2,700 books and 350 magazines to Russia in a program they began with their own $500.
The Ozark Book Connection, as they call it, collects donated books and mails them to 23 libraries in Russia that cannot afford to buy English books.
“I think I’m helping my country,’’ she said, eyeing a stack of books ready to be mailed. “It’s not just my country. I’m building a bridge between America and Russia.’’
Kirillova said there is a great interest from the Russian public in learning English and about the cultures of the United States.
“Everybody wants to learn English,’’ she said, an accent detectable. “Even in Soviet times people wanted to learn English. If you want a career, it’s good to have a second language.’’
Kirillova said she moved to the United States four years ago with her husband and still is improving her use of English.
She said she learned the language from her mother, who spoke limited English, and the Russian school system.
The avid reader of fantasy and fiction books said she often would visit libraries in Russia to gain knowledge of America and enhance her speech, but books written in English were hard to find.
That’s why Kirillova said she feels it’s important to get literature to Russia.
Barr also has a love of books that allowed him to embrace his wife’s program. He said it’s not uncommon for him to be reading four books during the same time period.
“If I take a break (from farming), I pick up a book,’’ he said. “I even have a book in the truck. I can read 400 to 600 pages a day.’’
Kirillova said the response to the program has been overwhelming.
More libraries are requesting books.
She said while it is expensive and time consuming to mail the materials, her payoff comes when she receives thank-you letters from library officials.
“They get excited about the books,’’ she said with a smile.
“They open them up and look through them. They are like children with Christmas presents.’’ |
Ark. examines legality of enrollment preferences at charters
ROGERS, Ark. (AP) — Enrollment preferences that some proposed charter schools want to give to children whose families are connected with the schools are getting a skeptical eye from the state Education Department.
The planned Northwest Arkansas Academy of Fine Arts at Rogers, for instance, wants to give preference to children of employees, board members, trustees and other volunteers when space is limited in classes.
State Education Department spokeswoman Julie Johnson Thompson said the legality of giving certain students enrollment preference is questionable for public charter schools, which are supported by taxes.
Unlike traditional public schools, charter schools are allowed to limit their enrollments each year. When there are more interested students than classroom spots, state law requires the charter schools to use “a random, anonymous student selection method.’’ Most charters use a blind lottery.
But some current charter applicants — whose proposals will be heard Jan. 8 before the Board of Education — want to allow some students to avoid such lotteries.
Applications from the Covenant Keepers Academy for College Bound Students in Little Rock, the Carver Project International in Rondo and Learning for Life Academy in Little Rock contain language that calls for enrollment preferences.
Caroline Proctor, director of the Arkansas Charter School Resource Center at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, said one state law appears to allow enrollment preferences.
The law says that a child of “at least a half-time employee of a public school’’ may attend the school where their parent works, she said, so children of charter employees should be exempt from a lottery.
Some existing charter schools offer some form of enrollment preferences. Haas Hall Academy in Farmington gives automatic admission for children of staff and board members. Academics Plus in Maumelle gives enrollment privileges to children of employees, founding and current trustees and siblings of current students.
The Knowledge Is Power Program: Delta College Preparatory Charter School in Helena-West Helena gives admission privileges to siblings and its staff’s children.
The state will present its findings at the Arkansas Board of Education meeting Jan. 8, just before the board is scheduled to vote on eight proposed charter schools.
Board member Naccaman Williams of Bentonville said he hasn’t yet decided how he’ll vote.
“On the one hand, (some preference) makes sense,’’ he said. “On the other hand, kids have got to have equal access to attend the schools. That’s why we have to have a lawyer take a look at it and give us some guidance.’’
|
Injured Arkansas Marine out of Texas hospital
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — A Marine injured in a roadside bomb attack in October has been released from the hospital.
Lance Cpl. Chris Traxson, a Rogers police officer, is being treated at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. He was released last week and is now living nearby the hospital while continuing treatment and rehabilitation, according to the Rogers Police Department.
Traxson, 26, was injured on Oct. 23 when a bomb exploded near his Humvee north of Baghdad. Another Arkansas Marine, Lance Cpl. Trey O’Connell of Fayetteville, also was injured in the attack.
An account has been set up at Arvest Bank to benefit Traxson and his family. Checks can be made payable to the “Chris Traxson Recovery Fund.’’
|
|
|
