Russian Orthodox School

The Russian parochial school at the Transfiguration Cathedral in Los Angeles began its work in 1951, when the rector of the Transfiguration Church, Father Gerasim Shorets (1866-1966), began to study the Law of God with children. In 1952, Vladyka Anthony (Sinkevich) arrived from Jerusalem and made teaching children at the church the main goal of his life. Vladyka spoke about the peculiarities of teaching Russian children in Orthodoxy and the importance of their knowledge of Russian history and literature. Attestation of students is held at the school twice a year: on the feast of the Nativity of Christ and at the end of the school year. Certification is carried out according to the five-point system adopted once in Russia, also indicating marks for behavior, attention and diligence. Awards are awarded by the Pedagogical Council of the school only to those students who have excellent (5) or good (4) successes. According to graduates, the school played a huge role in their lives. They all always looked forward to Saturday, as the school was the only place where they met and communicated in their native language, which rallied and united them. Culture, traditional food, common interests – all this cemented their friendship and many of them are still in contact with each other. After lessons at school, some continued to study in the Russian scout squad “Nizhny Novgorod”. The team, like the school, continues to exist today. To date, the school is the largest Russian school on the West Coast of the United States. The administrator of the school is Mrs. Zhanna Gass, the director is Father Alexander Lebedev.