Students studying Russian delved into the rich cultural tapestry of Russia, immersing themselves in the festivities of Maslenitsa and exploring Soviet propaganda art. With a flurry of pancake-making and insightful discussions led by Dr. Olga Kenton from Birmingham University, the department witnessed a dynamic fusion of tradition and academia, fostering a deeper understanding of Russian culture.
Maslenitsa at OHS
Students had a chance to immerse themselves into the Russian-speaking world and celebrated Maslenitsa: one of the loudest and brightest traditions in many Russian speaking cultures. Maslentisa, or Butter Week, is a week of making and eating pancakes and having parties. Pancakes represent the Sun and the beginning of spring. So our students spent their time making pancakes and brought those to the lessons where they learnt more about the traditions and used their newly acquired vocabulary to talk about maslenitsa in Russian.
The pancakes were delicious and disappeared in seconds! They were served with SGUSCHENKA, condensed milk which is a popular filling.
Special SPASIBO goes to Alice Z (Year 9), Grace S (Year 9) and Lirit M (Year 12) for those amazing “pieces of sunshine” they treated their friends to.
A visit from Dr Kenton from Birmingham University
Dr Olga Kenton from Birmingham University visited OHS to talk to our A Level students about Soviet Propaganda posters and their link to the film we study as part of the course. We were joined online by a few other schools, including Marlborough College, Harrow School, Wallingford School and Presdales. The students had a chance to explore themes raised in the film by looking at soviet propaganda art and discussing how the director used those to deliver the main message of the film.