Leading off the week in the Upper School was Temuri Yakobashvili, Former Ambassador of Georgia to the United States. He spoke of the need for ideology to help Russia find its place in the world.

"Russian culture could be the common denominator in helping shape our national identity," he said. He went on to offer great insight as a neighbor of Russia about their history, economy and natural resources. He spoke of their role in international politics, and how geopolitics has influenced that very role.

A career diplomat who earned the 2012 Presidential Medal of Excellence, the former ambassador speaks four languages, Georgian, Russian, Hebrew, and English. He was born into a Georgian Jewish family in Tbilisi. He graduated from the Department of Physics at Tbilisi State University in 1984 and attended diplomatic courses at the universities of Oxford and Birmingham (1998), the Yale University World Fellows Program (2002), and the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government (2003).

The Lower School welcomed Beth Lalonde, who told Russian folk tales to the students.

Students in all divisions heard Russian folk music from the Beltway Balalaika Society. This quartet played several different songs including Lara's Theme, the theme song of the movie, Dr. Zhivago.

Throughout the week teachers incorporated Russian subjects into their lesson plans whether it was from a historical or environmental perspective. Art classes learned painting techniques used by Russian artists and painted bowls made by ceramics students that will later be sold during the Empty Bowls fundraiser for the Fauquier Food Bank this spring.

Upper School students also participated in a Trivia Bowl at weeks' end, where they were able to test their knowledge of Russia from throughout the week. Diane Von Goellner-Suppa created a fantastic display in the Center for the Arts Gallery that students visited during the week. She was on hand to answer questions and describe the exhibits.

The Russian exhibit will run through February.

For more information on Highland School, visit www.highlandschool.org or call (540) 878-2700.