The war in Ukraine is entering its second month with more than 3 million refugees fleeing for safety to nearby countries. And alongside the daily news feeds of the horrific events a group of students writing for The Olympian, Castro Valley High School’s award-winning student newspaper, have fanned out and reported on multiple facets of the war and its aftermath.

Staff reporters, Leah Janaway, Zoe Dorado, and Ali Nosseir are among a group of writers who typically provide news coverage of the Castro Valley High School (CVHS) community. Students in the school’s journalism class produce the print and online newspaper. But each of these students has found a unique approach to chronicling the human side of the overseas conflict, says Matt Johanson, CVHS journalism teacher and Olympian advisor.

"Our newspaper's motto is, 'We are born to seek the truth!' I'm proud that our students are doing that, which is more than the Russian government can say," Johanson told the Forum.

With permission from Johanson, we are able to share snippets of their reporting and encourage you to visit The Olympian newspaper online to read the full story. (vist http://www.cvhsolympian.com)

Leah Janaway shares the experiences of her Ukrainian friend Nastya, 18, who lives in Odessa as the war closes in around her family. The story, “Nastya’s Tale, Part 1: ‘At any second a war may happen’” has already generated dozens of comments with concerns for Nastya’s well-being.

“It’s almost impossible not to be anxious when all the news broadcasts say that any minute a war could start and my city could be attacked, but our president tells us that everything will be okay and that our military is strong enough to defend our country,” Nastya said. “We try to be happy in each moment, because at any second a war may happen.”

The follow-up article, “Nastya’s Tale, Part 2: ‘You can cry, but it won’t stop the war’” reveals a very personal tale during a horrific world event.

“I’m trying to crochet toys,” she said. “I’m crocheting a unicorn right now, and I hope I can finish it before we have to leave my city because I won’t be able to take any yarn with me. Also—” she laughed “—I’m trying to prepare for my exams. My parents told me that my exams probably won’t be occurring at all, but I’m scared to forget my English and lose those skills.”

Zoe Dorado tells the story of how the war affects CVHS families with Ukraine and Russia ties. The article entitled, “War touches Trojans’ families: ‘Hope is on our side’” recounts the difficulties facing people with ties from either country.

“A lot of people think these are two completely different people,” [Castro Valley resident Anna Teplov] said. “In reality, we have very similar cultures. We’re both part of the Slavic ethnic group and we both originated from the same place. Right now it’s really hard to find a Russian person who has zero connections to Ukraine.”

Ali Nosseir reports about CVHS graduates who are raising money for direct relief, more than $50,000 so far. His article, “CVHS grads help Ukrainians resist Russian invasion” discusses how a simple fundraising effort can change people’s lives.

“When I found out that Russia actually started to invade, my blood started to boil over. I started to see the refugee crisis and myself having a son of 14 months, it is really hard to see. UNICEF and other big organizations began to save people but it takes so long for supplies to get to Ukraine,” said Helen Nesteruk, a CVHS graduate from the class of 2002.

If you would like to help raise money for Ukrainian civilians, Nosseir lists various direct donation methods that Nesteruk uses. The list includes:

Venmo: @Helen-Nesteruk

Paypal: @helennesteruk

Cash App: $HelenNesteruk

Dogecoin: DLpLNdVBGVV2FQSBQEfd19wC8cRAQxzvzc

Bitcoin: bc1q3md8km29gn4sh3vrc6ed75ed4f6v9qptvykc6a

ETH and ERC20: 0x6A72f2F7815699eBa33C36EDF69699DEC497C79e

You can read more of The Olympian at https://cvhsolympian.com/

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