{"id":6634,"date":"2024-02-16T12:08:42","date_gmt":"2024-02-16T17:08:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=6634"},"modified":"2024-02-16T12:08:45","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T17:08:45","slug":"ukraine-war-makes-a-local-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=6634","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine War Makes a Local Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

1st Place, Diversity Coverage <\/strong>
2022-23, Division 2, News Writing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Riley Ashbury & Peter Worden <\/strong>
Occidentalist
Traverse City West Senior HS

When Kateryna Nitsenko left her home in Voznesensk, Ukraine to partake in a yearlong exchange program in Traverse City, Michigan, she couldn’t contain her excitement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“[I was excited] because I wanted to have a great American experience, to get to know American life, traditons, people and to share Ukrainian culture and values here,” Nitsenko said. \u201cI was also excited to start a new life with a host family and get to know their family and routine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nitsenko was looking forward to embracing school dances and games and has contributed o the schools’ musical to further explore her love for dance. But, last month Nitsenko’s world was turned awry when Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Nitsenko is one among many students here who fear for their friends and loved ones and the future of her beloved country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I have pictures of territories bombed. My friends are calling me. My mom is in a bomb shelter. My mom first texted me that, if soething happens to her, to call my grandma or dad to try and find them because she has her money and documents and she doesn’t know what’s going to happen,” Nitsenko said. “People can’t walk out on the streets because the soldiers are everywhere. I didn’t know it would be this year. [Russian soldiers] are literally walking on the streets and killing people.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nitsenko didn’t know what happened until her friend, who is also an exchange student from Ukraine (located in New Hampshire), told her to turn on the news. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I was shocked. Everybody started calling me and I was checking the news every minute. I’m very stressed and worried. I just can’t live normally because at any time my best friends or my parents can die. I don’t wish this feeling on anyone,” Nitsenko said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twin sisters, freshmen Nataliya and Sophia Silkovsiy have family from Ukraine that cannot leave due to their medical backgrounds as doctors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Emotionally it affects us because we don’t know if they’re going to be safe tomorrow or by the end of today whats going to happen to them, so we’re always on edge,” N. Silkovskiy said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only are these students on edge constantly, but they can’t even do anything for Ukraine which makes things even harder for them. Chemistry teacher Juleen Jenkins-Whall wanted to see if she could do anything to help out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were just talking and she asked if there was anything we could get, so I gave her a list. She ended up sending it to everyone she knew. They collected a lot of stuff and packed it away and it\u2019s ready to be shipped,\u201d Silkovskiy said. \u201cIt feels nice to know that she cares and she goes out of her way to ask how I\u2019m doing or if I need extensions on anything that she understands. She also went out of her way to do the drive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although teachers are trying to spread awareness for Ukraine, some students don\u2019t understand the seriousness of what is really happening. This refusal to understand has impacted students who are tied to the conflict and in some cases hurt them in a certain way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel like a lot of people don\u2019t really understand what is going on. They\u2019re like \u2018the war has been going on for 80 years\u2019 or they\u2019re like \u2018it\u2019s another part of the world and they\u2019re just bombing airports and buildings,\u2019 but it\u2019s not just that. They\u2019re killing people. They actually bomb buildings with people, and they go into people\u2019s backyards and kill them. I don\u2019t think the people here understand it fully, and a lot of people are asking me if my family is safe and if I\u2019m okay. Of course I\u2019m not okay. My mom is in a bomb shelter,\u201d Nitsenko said. \u201cShe can\u2019t go back to her apartment for her belongings because it\u2019s all been bombed and been destroyed, and the entire life I\u2019ve been living before has been destroyed, and I don\u2019t even know what\u2019s going to happen to me in a month or two. I don\u2019t know if I will be going back or staying here and going to college. I don\u2019t know about my visa and if I will have to seek asylum. I have no idea, so I don\u2019t think people understand enough, and I think they should be more conscientious. Some people make jokes here even about me and the situation, but it\u2019s not about jokes right now when there\u2019s a possibility of my family not waking up tomorrow.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silkovskiy has the same kind of feelings toward her peers and how inconsiderate they can be when they bring up or talk about the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel like it\u2019s really disrespectful. People just use the excuse of it being a coping mechanism when it\u2019s not funny. It\u2019s really stupid,\u201d Silkovskiy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the U.S. seems to be doing all they can do, Nitsenko wishes that they could do something more along with NATO than implementing sanctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think that the U.S. government, of course, is not doing enough. I understand they can\u2019t send troops to Ukraine and they\u2019re trying to send weapons for the war and implement sanctions,\u201d Nitsenko said. \u201cI just feel like every country in the world tried to put all of these sanctions on Russia and it\u2019s not helping because they\u2019re still bombing and sending more troops, so it\u2019s only getting worse. I think the President and NATO could do more than just sanctions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from wishing the U.S. could do more, the people can. There are a couple ways that we can help Ukraine by donating several different things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUkraine needs supplies because they\u2019re having shortages like medical supplies. Finding a way to [send] money would be the best thing to do,\u201d Silkovskiy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NW-16. Diversity Coverage<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This story tells about the lifestyles, challenges and potential of those from a diverse background. It will cover not just the plight of the subjects, but may also look at how subjects deal with their diverse backgrounds and how diverse backgrounds are dealt with by others. The term \u201cdiverse\u201d is not limited to ethnicity and may focus on a wide range of subjects, depending on the author\u2019s story angle. Submit a PDF of the print page(s) on which the story was published or the URL to the story on an online news site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JUDGING CRITERIA<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Topic relevant to the school or students and reflects lifestyles, challenges and potentials of those from a diverse background<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Sharp, attention-getting lead grabs reader and arouses curiosity<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Shows thorough reporting skills through research and interviewing<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Effective use of facts\/quotes from both primary and secondary sources<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Balanced, fair and sensitive presentation<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Sentences, paragraphs of varied length; written clearly, concisely and vividly<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Proper diction\/grammar; use of third person<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n


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