Children who never let you down
The story of a class in Kharkiv region that grew up during wartime
- Українська
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Lyubov, a maths teacher in Zlatopil, recalls her last class — the one she shaped for ten years — with particular tenderness. But when the full-scale war engulfed Kharkiv region and the country, he had to gather her pupils urgently to discuss how they would continue their studies.
"I had to call everyone together at once. And at once meant twenty minutes. I sat waiting, thinking: will no one come? Then they started to arrive — one, two, three — and filled the classroom. It was so touching to see they hadn’t let me down. They remain children who never let you down"
That memory returned as the class teacher waited, emotional, for her pupils on the steps of Zlatopil Lyceum No. 6 on their graduation day. This was a moment that Lyubov thought may never happen. But they came, one by one, bringing flowers, hugging her and thanking her for the years they’d shared.
Last day of school
Each pupil’s graduation morning was different. 17-year-old Veronika, in a long gold dress that matched her gold medal, walked to the town’s memory alley to lay a red rose by the portrait of her father, a medic who died in the war. She knows he would have been proud.
Seventeen-year-old Liza, head of the senior students’ league, checked the graduation script, handing out sheets of poems and speeches, giving final instructions so the ceremony would run smoothly.
Sixteen-year-old athlete and pianist Mykyta rehearsed the school waltz with his mother, practising the steps so nerves wouldn’t trip him up on the square in front of the school.
There were 36 children in the class in Year 1 with Liza, Veronika and Mykyta; now only 25 remain. When the war began pupils dispersed worldwide — from Poland to Australia. Not all could return for the graduation, yet everyone recalled ten years of shared mischief, friendships that deepened and the support that helped them through wartime hardships.
UNICEF previously shared the stories of Liza, Veronika and Mykyta and how their lives and plans were altered by the war, as well astheir teacher’s Lyubov. She kept the class together, nurtured their learning and shaped their futures. Today they leave school for adulthood.
"The war changed us all"
Zlatopil is a small agricultural town in eastern Ukraine, around 100 km from Kharkiv. In February 2022, all schools switched to online learning.
Lyceum No. 6 only returned to blended learning last autumn. For Lyubov’s class, in their final school year, this was a major event.
"Finally being able to meet each other, even sometimes, did them so much good. 2022 was the hardest year, complete helplessness: hide, cry, flee? We knew nothing. This year they opened up thanks to meetings and communication. I’m grateful to UNICEF and everyone who helped create shelters in our lyceum so children could learn"
This year was decisive for university applications and life choices. Liza, Mykyta and Veronika attended UNICEF catch-up lessons that helped them prepare for entrance tests.
Veronika plans to study medicine in Kharkiv despite the risks. "The war changed our views. It hit my family hard. I lost my father, my mentor. After he died I decided I wanted a profession that helps people. That’s why I chose medicine," she says, smoothing her graduation dress.
Liza, whose ambitions shifted because of wartime isolation, now wants to create a charity for children affected by war and help them socialise. Volunteering and running workshops at school last year reinforced that goal.
For Mykyta, who changed schools and countries during the war, this year back with his classmates was the happiest. "My best memories are our trips, excursions, train journeys. Those are the things you’ll remember as an adult," he smiles, promising to visit Zlatopil every weekend while studying law in Kharkiv.
Memories for life
The class’s celebration is joyful but tinged with sadness. When the pupils say goodbye, Lyubov cries. she will not take another class. These children, raised before her eyes, are special.
"They were hard work. All different: many creative, many quiet. But they always help each other. That humanity matters, not just at school but in life: don’t be indifferent," she says proudly, watching Liza receive her diploma.
Liza smiles through tears and laughter, remembering a childhood scraped knee and the girl who raced to her first school bell. Memories she will carry always.
