GREENFIELD — Entering Newton School in November as a first-grader with little English experience, Mariya Stytsenko was already a voracious reader and a meticulous drawer.
When she settled into Mickey Warren’s class, making friends with her new classmates and learning the rhythms of the school day, Mariya started to shine.
“When she first came here she was a little timid and (learning) where her place was,” Warren said. “When she figured it out she just took off, reading up a storm and writing amazing — not only as a first-grader but also as a second English language learner.”
Now on a Friday May morning in the school’s gymnasium for its monthly all school meeting, Mariya received a round of applause from the packed gym.
Mariya, who came over to the States from Kazakhstan and is a Russian-native speaker, was honored for winning the 11th annual My Ideal School contest sponsored by the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
She and 10 others will head to Boston Wednesday to be acknowledged for their artwork, winning contest with about 2,500 entrants — and one will be selected for the top prize, which in addition to a $5,000 gift, it will be the cover art for the authority’s annual report. Last year’s contest also honored a Newton School student, Savannah Glenn.
The contest challenged first-graders statewide to draw what makes their school so great and further what can make it ideal. Mariya had a few ideas for her Greenfield school.
“It will be better if Newton School will be made of rainbows,” Mariya said. “And dinosaurs.”
Mariya, who was joined by her mother, Anzhelika and her baby sister Friday morning, explained how she enjoys drawing, painting, reading and recess.
“I want to be an artist,” Mariya said about her career ambitions.
She first found out about the award in her classroom. Warren said when Mariya found out she told her that she wanted to cry because she was so happy. The next day one of her best friends in class wrote a letter to her, congratulating her. Then Mariya wrote a letter back to thank her.
“She’s been a treasure since she came to our classroom,” Warren said.
You can reach Joshua Solomon at:
jsolomon@recorder.com
413-772-0261, ext. 264