Holodomor – Page 7 – Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Visiting with St. Sofia students; thank you HREC ED

Visiting with St. Sofia Byzantine Catholic students feels like coming home. No I was never a student at St. Sofia, but I’ve visited so often, virtually and in person, and their students and staff are so welcoming. This year, with the heartbreaking war in Ukraine, there are many more students. And speaking about Winterkill and the Holodomor with kids who have fled war as they sit among the kind and welcoming people of St. Sofia is a poignant experience.

Here are some pics.

St. Joseph’s School and Winterkill

Look at these smiling faces! It was such a pleasure discussing Winterkill and so much more with these Penfield NY students. Thank you, Scholastic Book Fairs!

Hickson Central PS and Winterkill

Quoting Mrs. Van Wyk from her Instagram page: Our students had the privilege again today of meeting with the amazing Marsha Skrypuch to talk about her newest book, Winterkill. There are always so many take-aways from these meets; including perseverance, critical thinking, and the need to tell the stories of those who have been intentionally silenced. 4 million Ukrainians were forever silenced during the Holodomor. 4 million. The past informs the present. Think critically. Thank you Marsha.

Twain Sullivan Elementary

It was a pleasure to visit with 6th grade students at Twain Sullivan in Houston BC on Monday! Thank you, Scholastic Book Fairs Canada for organizing.

Visiting Gildersleeve, VA, with Scholastic Book Fairs

Isn’t this an utterly beautiful library? Loved speaking with 8th grade students about Winterkill.

Caledonia Park School, AB Winterkill visit

This is my favourite pic from the Nov 3rd visit with Caledonia Park School in Alberta. This is Bonnie N Eldon Wurban and what I love about this pic is what’s on her desk — a printout about #rheaclyman whom I dedicated Winterkill to. Rhea was a Canadian journalist and absolutely fearless. She did not take bribes from Stalin during the Holodomor like so many journalists did. Instead, she wrote the truth about the genocide she was witnessing. Rhea Clyman has a cameo role in Winterkill. Alice, one of the two main characters in Winterkill, is based on the real Alice that Rhea met in her Kharkiv hotel.

Winchester PS: Winterkill presentation

I am in the midst of doing presentations about Winterkill and many of them are funded by HREC ED. Want to know more about that? Go here.

Thanks, grades 6 to 8 students for the great questions. My favourite was about when interviewing a survivor face to face, how do you gain their trust and get them to open up.

Winterkill, in person event Brantford Public Library

https://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/news/local-news/author-aims-to-build-empathy-in-young-readers

Scholastic Book Fair visits: Winterkill

Deerwood ES in Humble Tx and Raisinwood ES in Monroe MI. Such great questions from students about the real history behind Winterkill and the real people I based my characters on.

Winterkill: HREC ED Webinar for educators

Here is the complete video of the webinar on Winterkill and the historical background of the Holodomor. Thank you, Dr Mateusz Świetlicki for the perceptive questions and Valentina Kuryliw for the curriculum connections. And of course, thank you HREC ED for all your amazing work and resources.