To honor classmates from Ukraine, students at Tallulah Falls School raised close to $1,500 for refugee relief. The school’s Key Club led the initiative to raise funds.
It’s not unusual for the learning community to support a cause, but the current need is in response to an active war relief effort.
A global community representing 22 countries, TFS students are experiencing this crisis in real-time.
One of those students, junior Ninel Tarasova of Zaporizhzhia, a city in southeastern Ukraine, is in her first full year on campus at TFS, starting as a distance learning student in January of 2021.
Tarasova is in frequent contact with her parents via email and WhatsApp. Her mother, stepfather and two younger siblings, 6 and 10, escaped the conflict, relocating to a town in Western Ukraine.
Since then, Tarasova’s mother and siblings fled to Hungary seeking safety, leaving her stepfather behind.
“They are having to move around a lot,” Tarasova said. “The shelters are overwhelmed; it’s crowded and loud.”
Her father is still living in Zaporizhzhia, Tarasova said.
She was moved by the show of support generated by several dress-down days at both the middle and upper school.
“No matter the amount, it will help provide for the Ukrainian people,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how much. If it is only $1, they can buy a water bottle. It means a lot; they [friends and teachers] are always ready to help and give support. I can talk, and I know they will listen.”
She is incredibly grateful for Assistant Academic Dean Jim Van Hooser; she collaborated with him to identify a relief organization, ultimately selecting the American Red Cross.
She remarked on the resolve of the Ukrainian citizens.
“I’ve never seen Ukraine that brave!” she said. “I’ve never seen our people so united and ready to help.”
The future is uncertain for the student studying so far away from home. Tarasova will spend the summer with a family friend in New York before returning to TFS for her senior year.
Being at TFS has been a realized dream, she said, sacrificing an early love of dancing to attend a U.S.-based school to better position herself for college admission.
After graduation, she hopes to attend college in the United States to study psychology criminal justice, perhaps following her mother’s career path as an attorney.
“I am proud of our students for stepping up to help,” said President and Head of School Larry A. Peevy. “This is truly a tribute to the power of friendships with our TFS family across the globe.”
