Lana Gazhenko has been the custodian at Oak Hill Elementary School in Covington, Georgia for 21 years and is loved by students and teachers. Needless to say, it’s been difficult for the Ukrainian-born women who still has family in her native country to watch as Russia invades.
That’s where her second family at Oak Hill came together to support Mrs. Lana. Armed with coloring pages featuring Ukraine’s national flower and symbol of hope, the Sunflower, students worked on creating colorful images of hope to encourage their beloved custodian.
Together with teachers, the school covered the walls with hand drawings, a Ukrainian flag and even a special mural featuring Mrs. Lana’s family still in Ukraine. The special moment was captured by one of the teachers and you just might want to grab a tissue before watching!
Mrs. Lana was definitely not expecting to see the beautiful display as she walked into the school that morning, which makes it all the more special. She was completely taken aback and visibly emotional as she took her time taking it all in.
The teacher recording the moment took her on a tour, showing her all of the artwork and especially drawing attention to the rainbow drawing featuring her Ukrainian family’s names.
This isn’t the first time the teachers at Oak Hill Elementary have rallied alongside Mrs. Lana. Jennifer McDonald, a third grade teacher, tells USA Today that they “supported her as she studied to become a U.S. citizen” as well.
The act of kindness is one of many all over the world as we seek to find meaningful ways to support the Ukrainian people during this crisis. If you are looking for ways to help, you can check out out how to help pets in Ukraine or make a donation to organizations that have boots on the ground and are assisting with medical supplies, meals and much more.
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