IRVINE : U.S.-Russia Exchange Is From Heart

The class project Monday at Bonita Canyon School was to turn pink and red pieces of construction paper into “Valentine’s Day mailboxes.”

But 12-year-old Sasha Salnikov was distracted by something else. While others dutifully cut the colorful paper into hearts, Salnikov sat transfixed in front of the classroom’s personal computer, gently tapping the keyboard and watching the screen intently.

Salnikov’s classmates seemed to understand his intense interest. He is one of 13 students visiting Orange County from St. Petersburg, Russia, as part of a two-week exchange program.

During their stay, the Russian students will regularly attend classes at Bonita Canyon School and stay with families in the area. In turn, the Russian teacher accompanying them will give Bonita Canyon students Russian lessons.

The visitors said their first trip to the United States was both a cultural and climatic shock. On Monday, some members of the Russian entourage were dressed in shorts and joked about the weather in St. Petersburg, where it dipped to 9 degrees below zero.

“This is a very good school. The computers here are very good,” Salnikov said. “It’s been fun here.”

The students from the 2nd Street St. Petersburg Gymnasia have been communicating with Bonita Canyon students since 1990, when Irvine parents donated about $2,300 to purchase an Apple computer for the Russian school.

“It was our first computer, so everyone was very excited about it,” said Tatyana Guryeva, the Gymnasia teacher who traveled with the students to Orange County. “People were astonished by it. Everyone wanted to use it.”

The St. Petersburg Gymnasia, which opened in 1805, is one of the first public schools in Russia. The school has about 1,000 students and has traditionally specialized in the teaching of foreign languages.

Bonita Canyon parents are providing room and board for the visitors, but the Russian students and their families had to pay for the plane tickets.

One mother sold her wedding ring so her child could make the trip, and others borrowed the money, Guryeva said.

“The parents know how important it is to help the development of their kids,” Guryeva said. “They know how important it is to develop attitudes between our two countries.”

Bonita Canyon teacher Clyde A. Dodge III, the exchange program coordinator, said a goal is to help students from both countries better understand each other’s culture and customs. The Russian students plan trips to local attractions such as Disneyland and the beach.

Over the weekend, student Egor Snopkouski, 12, went to Los Angeles to see the musical “Sunset Boulevard.”

“It was very nice to see the play,” he said. “I liked it very much.”