Changes at Uni: Two teachers leaving, Russian program to be discontinued

By Gargoyle Staff
Published: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 - 4:25pm

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News

By Gargoyle news staff
Posted Tuesday, June 19, 2007, The OG, news

THE UNI HIGH faculty will be missing two familiar faces next year.

Health teacher DeeDee Wright and Russian teacher Katya Dunatov have informed Director/Principal Kassie Patton that they are leaving Uni.

Wright's husband, Lance Wright, has accepted a job offer as assistant director of the Lory Student Center at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Wright is a Colorado native.

Dunatov, meanwhile, is leaving Uni for another job, also in Colorado.

Patton and foreign languages executive teacher Paul Weilmuenster have chosen not to seek a replacement for Dunatov. With the agreement of the school's curriculum committee, they have decided to discontinue Uni's Russian program.

According to Patton, student interest in taking the language had declined. Three students took Russian II last year, and four had signed up for Russian I in 2007-08.

For more information about the Russian change, see Patton's response below to the comment from Uni alumnus Sergei Pourmal (Class of 2006).

[Note: This article was updated on Thursday, June 21.]

Comments

June 20, 2007 - 5:56pm — Sergei (not verified)

I feel it's sad to see the [Russian] classes go.

although I never took part in the Russian curriculum at Uni, as a Muskavite, I feel it's sad to see the classes go. It was always a welcoming surprise to see fellow classmates interested in learning my native tongue, and I hope that in the near future Uni finds the resources and teachers to revive it's unique program. In a time when Uni is trying to diversify itself, Russian classes are something that shouldn't be casually tossed aside. They always provided an alternative and often unrepresented language for high school students to discover. Till then, I want to say thanks to Katya Dunatova for bringing our culture to Uni. From Amsterdam, Sergei

June 21, 2007 - 4:54pm — Kathleen Patton (not verified)

Student interest has dwindled significantly

Hi, Sergei: I hope you are all having fun on your Europe trek. I want to let you know that Herr W and I share your sadness to see Russian go. The problem was not just losing our teacher, but also that student interest has dwindled significantly. This year, there were 3 students in Russian II, and only 4 students had requested Russian I for next year. When you take schedule conflicts into consideration, it is conceivable that only 1 or 2 (or maybe none) of those students could have fit Russian into their schedule. It is always possible that if student interest soars again in the future that Russian could make a comeback.