Friday, Jan. 17, 6 p.m.
37569 S. Hwy 213, Mount Angel
Cost: $10 per person of $40 per family
503-899-7148 or 503-881-2969
By Kristine Thomas
Whenever 8-year-old Kira Bailey sees her teacher Dilfuza Johnson at the store or an event at Butte Creek Elementary School, she has to politely tell her mom, Sara Bailey, what to say.
Johnson teaches Russian at Butte Creek Elementary to students – two after-school programs for younger students and as an elective for middle school students.
“Her rule is that it is 100 percent Russian,” Sara Bailey said. “So even when her students see her at the grocery store or in town, they have to speak to her in Russian. Kira tells me how to respond and what to say when we see her.”
Although she grew up in the Butte Creek area and went to school with Russian Old Believers, Sara Bailey said she didn’t know much about the culture or the language. That’s one reason why she’s excited to have her daughter enrolled in the after-school program.
“Last year as a first grader, she struggled with learning the language and it was a challenge for her. This year, she’s doing well,” Sara Bailey said. “I am not having my daughter participate in the program so she has a competitive edge in the future but because in our family we believe learning a language at a young age is important and we believe it is important to learn about other cultures. I think it is wonderful we get to be a part of the language and culture of the local Russian community.”
When Stephanie Ayhan was growing up, she was only allowed to speak Russian in her parents’ home.
“If we spoke English, we were reminded that it’s OK to speak English outside the household but not in the home,” she said.
Ayhan is one of the parents who helped start the Russian language program at Butte Creek Elementary School a few years ago. Students learn to read, speak and write in Russian. The after-school program is open to students in the Silver Falls School District.
“I fear we will lose our language if our children don’t learn it,” Ayhan said. “We want our children to be able to understand our old Bibles.”
She said the Russian language program at Butte Creek is paid for by a fundraiser and students pay a small tuition.
She invites community members to attend Butte Creek’s fourth annual Russian Dinner at beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17 at the school, 37569 S. Hwy. 213. Guests will be treated to a five-course meal and there will by entertainment by the Russian class. The cost is $10 a person or $40 for a family of five or more.
“The food is very good,” Ayhan said. “It is all made from scratch.”
Both Ayhan and Bailey said they delight in hearing their children speak or sing in Russian.
“The reason I am so passionate about having my children be able to read, write and speak Russian is because our Bibles are written in Slovak,” she said. “If they can understand Russian, then they can read our Bibles.”
And they are both grateful for Johnson, who they said does a wonderful job teaching their children.
“I wanted a teacher who knew the language and knew how to teach it so children would enjoy learning it,” she said.
For information on the Russian dinner, call 503-899-7148 or 503-881-2969. As part of the event, tickets for Great Wolf Lodge, Blazer game and more will be available.
