The best public ecologist of the year was chosen in the Vitebsk region
Oksana Pochepko with students Denis Tereshko, Victoria Sheregovaya, Elena Verkhovich
“Recently, I was on a three-day expedition to the Belovezhskaya Pushcha with colleagues,” says Oksana Pavlovna. “First of all, we were interested in ecological trails. There is an idea to create observation decks on the Yelnya swamp and from the side of Sharkovshchina, similar to those made in the territory of the Miory district.”
A native of the urban settlement of Sharkovshchina, she returned to her small homeland after graduating from the Vitebsk Pedagogical University. She worked at Secondary School No. 1, which she herself graduated from, for almost 20 years.
“And now I have been teaching biology at Secondary School No. 2 for 5 years,” continues Oksana Pavlovna. “This is a school with an aesthetic focus on the upbringing of the younger generation. Although recently more and more attention has been paid to environmental issues. Not only teachers but also parents are interested in this: they help, take part in campaigns and thematic events.”
The environmental club "Green Patrol" and the "Winged Watch" club, created with the support of the public organization "Association for the Protection of Birds of the Fatherland," are regularly attended by more than 20 students.
“The children are fascinated by studying the diversity of the surrounding world. For example, 4th-grade student Denis Tereshko is a participant in many environmental competitions,” says Oksana Pochepko. “Among the permanent activists are seventh-graders Victoria Sheregovaya and Elena Verkhovich.”
Students of Secondary School No. 2, which has the status of a green school, have been involved in various international environmental projects for several years, including those on energy saving and research of small rivers in the Disna River basin. More than once, residents of Sharkovshchyna have seen students by the water's edge with a portable chemical laboratory that allows them to check for harmful substances. In the future, Oksana Pavlovna plans to equip an ecological trail from the school to the bank of the Disna.
– There are no special requirements for public ecologists, – explains Oksana Pochepko. – I try to do what I think is necessary. I attend various conferences, establish contacts with public organizations that study the environment, and participate in research work with children. It is interesting, and most importantly, it is necessary for preserving the beauty of our native land and raising worthy citizens of the country.
For example, as part of the pan-European campaign "Living Spring," residents of Sharkovshchyna observed birds, particularly white storks. To count nests, they organized a bike ride. The result of prolonged research was first place in the republican stage of the educational program "Busel."
The list of valuable awards includes victories at the regional stage of the republican competition "Green School" and at the international children's environmental forum "Green Planet." Last year, residents of Sharkovshchyna took second place in the republican competition "Youth for the Purity of Cities and Villages." They actively participated in the all-Russian competition "Guardians of Water."
– Together with Marina Fedorova, a teacher from the Hermanovichi School, who was also once named the best public ecologist of the Vitebsk region, we have repeatedly traveled to the Yelnya bog to count gray crane individuals, – says Oksana Pochepko. – Last time, my husband Rostislav also helped me. Then, together with him, we counted over a thousand feathered birds in a few hours. We hang artificial nests for owls and birds of prey in the forest. I am proud that two years ago I became a guardian of the TВП "Yelnya Bog." This is a great responsibility.
The best ecologist cannot indifferently pass by unauthorized dumps, which are found, unfortunately, not only on the outskirts of villages, but even on the territory of the town, near the river. Yet, containers for garbage are installed hundreds of meters away.
– It's as if they don't see them, and they even mow the grass near the dump to make it more convenient to approach and store garbage, – notes Oksana Pavlovna with indignation. – The district inspection of natural resources and environmental protection quickly responds to all calls, issues fines, and calls people to account. And our guys don't consider it shameful to remove garbage, to clean the coastal strip. I urge everyone to love their region, to protect its priceless treasure – nature.
Diana Bernikovich, "Vitebskiye vesti".