Mattapoisett students support fifth graders forced to flee Ukraine

MATTAPOISETT — Students in Mattapoisett have sent a sign of support to fellow fifth graders forced to flee the devastation in Ukraine. 

When students of the Kyiv International School, now dispersed to locations around the world, log onto their Zoom class, they are greeted by banners of hope created by Old Hammondtown School students. 

The news of the of the Russian invasion of Ukraine got students in Amy Casi’s fifth grade class talking. They wanted to learn more. Most of all, they wanted to help. 

That’s when Casi came up with an idea. 

Lindsey Murff, a friend of Casi’s, has been teaching at international schools for the past ten years or so and now teaches at Kyiv International School. 

Casi invited all three classes of fifth graders at Old Hammondtown to make banners in solidarity with Ukraine that she sent to her friend. 

Murff messaged Casi right away when she received the banners. “She is thrilled, she just got the banner today and plans to hang it behind her in the background as she teaches.” 

Murff left the country during the voluntary evacuation for Americans and is now staying in Texas with her family, but she’s been teaching her students remotely.  

When she first began teaching remotely, some of her students were still in Ukraine. There were some who she didn’t hear from for days, and Murff worried for their safety.

“I just heard from her this morning and they are all now safely out of the country as of today,” Casi said on Monday, March 14. Murff has since gotten news that her neighborhood was “obliterated.” 

Murff gets up in the middle of the night to teach classes to students that are now all over the world. “She says her class is shrinking because they’re all over the place now, some of them are starting school locally instead.” 

Casi said that the kids in her class are news-savvy and had a lot of questions about the invasion. This project provided a way for them to do something and get involved while learning about what was going on overseas. “They were really interested in the other students, who are fifth graders like them.” 

“It’s neat that we could know and talk about what was going on,” said Genny Hebert, a fifth grader from Casi’s class. “Adults didn’t just say to us, ‘Oh, you’ll learn more about this when you’re older.’ ”

The banner project was a way for them to connect with the other fifth graders. 

“We want them to know that we support them,” said fifth grader Lillian Thompson, “and we hope they get the education they need.”

Casi read messages from Murff to her class, and informed them that all of the fifth graders from the Kyiv International School were safely out of the country. 

“Some of those students left behind dads or pets,” she told her class, explaining that Ukranian men between 18 and 60 were required to remain in the country to assist in resisting the Russian onslaught. “Some of them could hear bombs when they were in Ukraine, so even though they’re now safe, they are still nervous.” 

Murff was excited to receive the banner and share it with her students, Casi said.

The Mattapoisett kids said they were happy to help their fellow fifth graders, who face very different and difficult circumstances.

“We are proud of how strong they’ve been,” said student Will Lucy.