At Linganore High School (LHS), a student-led activism took center stage this April with “Wednesdays in Ukraine,” which is a powerful, student-organized initiative aimed at raising awareness about the war in Ukraine and combating misinformation.
The series of optional educational events, held on April 9, 16, and 23 during 3rd block PREP in the learning commons, culminated on April 30 with a day-long series of presentations where multiple teachers across departments brought their classes to experience the full presentation in the auditorium. All days also included a Q&A session at the end for students to engage personally with the topic.
With the support of the LHS Social Studies department, including leading teacher Darren Hornbeck, the project focuses on bringing together student voices and international perspectives.
One of the key voices in the program is senior Kateryna Omelkovets, a Ukrainian student who experienced the outbreak of the war before relocating to the United States. Her moving narrative and ability to add human depth and details helps students connect with the real human cost behind many given headlines and statistics.
“After I moved here, I felt like there is nothing I can do about it now. I can’t help, I can’t fight, and overall the whole moving experience was really hard for me. But then I realized that I have a very unique opportunity to educate people, and that will be my way to help my country.” said Omelkovets describing what made her want to share her story with students at Linganore.
With each session designed to educate, encourage questions, and foster empathy above all, these “Wednesdays in Ukraine” stand as an example of how education and student leadership can intersect to promote awareness and informed living.
“I hope that people remember the war crimes that were committed by Russians… Not one, not ten, not even a hundred but one-hundred-fifty-nine-thousand war crimes committed by real people. It is not ‘just politics’. Please keep educating yourself and make good decisions!” Said Omelkovets as the ultimate message of her activism efforts going forward.
