LocationsA school that trains champions
Mykolaiv Higher School of Physical Education continues to operate despite the challenges of war
Olena Petrukhina’s sports career began when she was 24 years old. She initially studied to become a history teacher but then decided not to pursue a career in that field, instead becoming a coach and teacher of athletics. Today, Olena heads the Mykolaiv Higher School of Physical Education, where she worked for over 20 years as the deputy director for academic and methodological work.
“I started working in a school with athletics programme,” Petrukhina recalls. “Then I worked at the Olympic training centre. The whirlwind of sports captivated me so much, and it hasn’t let me go.”
The school offers 18 sports for students to choose from. Before the war, more than 50 physical education teachers worked with students. However, after the full-scale invasion, many students went away – some left the city, and others left the country. Currently, 235 children are enrolled in the school, with 140 attending in person and the rest studying at home or online.
“Our college has produced outstanding athletes and continues to do so,” Petrukhina says proudly. “Among our alumni are fencers Olha Kharlan and Olena Khomrova, rower Oleh Kukharyk, and trampolinist Oleksandr Satin. Over 30 of our graduates have participated in the Olympic Games.”
The training schedule consists of a workout from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., followed by lessons until 3 p.m. After that, there’s another training session lasting up to two hours. However, this schedule only resumed on 1 September 2024. Before that, the academic building and the nearby dormitory hadn’t hosted students for more than two years – at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the dormitory took a direct hit by a missile, and a blast wave also damaged the academic building.
“When everything started, we immediately switched our students to online learning and sent everyone home,” Petrukhina recalls. “After the first missile strike on the dormitory roof, everything was severely damaged. We managed to get the academic building in order, boarding up the windows with plywood. But then, a second strike hit the building next to the academic building. The blast wave created more damage, and it became impossible to stay there.”
In 2024, with support from the EU and UNDP in Ukraine, under the “EU4UASchools: Build Back Better” project, renovation work began to restore the buildings and, with them, the educational process. With the help of partners, a shelter was also created, equipped with ventilation and restrooms, allowing students to return to in-person classes. New modern furniture, including desks, chairs, boards, and bookshelves, was purchased as well.
“The renovation lasted about 10 months,” says Petrukhina. “And on 1 September 2024, we returned to in-person education. The children are very happy to be back at their desks, to see their friends, and to interact with their teachers face-to-face. Everyone was really tired of being at home behind computers.”
The dormitory is currently being repaired, so the school is unable to accommodate students from the region and other cities for in-person learning, which means some of the students are still studying remotely. However, Petrukhina and the other teachers are eagerly awaiting the moment when all the students return to campus.
“The war has changed our lives, but our children continue to learn and develop,” Petrukhina says. “Sport is life. Before the full-scale invasion, I often travelled with our students to competitions, and it was such a valuable experience. When you look at these kids who are training, striving to achieve their goals, you also become inspired. You see the results of all the efforts. We teach them, and they teach us.”
Photo credit: Oleksandr Himanov / Reporters / UNDP in Ukraine
