Without lowering the high standards

      By the start of the new school year, Dzerzhinsk Gymnasium No. 38 approached it with a new status. At the August regional pedagogical forum, based on the results of the past school year, it was recognized as the best school in the Nizhny Novgorod region and awarded the governor’s standard!

      Such a high appraisal is the result of the painstaking work of the leadership of the general education institution, its teaching staff and, of course, the students and their parents. Today we will take a look inside the gymnasium and get to know its remarkable team better. And we will not begin, no, with the administration — but with those who come here for knowledge…

      Uncovering each pupil’s potential

      There is no need to say much about the level of education at Gymnasium No. 38 — it is enough to recall the news feeds of the summer exam campaign reporting graduates of Dzerzhinsk schools who scored 100 points on the Unified State Exam (USE) in various subjects. A year ago students of this gymnasium distinguished themselves in literature, Russian and English; this past summer the coveted maximum scores were achieved in geography and physics.

      According to the results of the academic competition movement, MBOU “Gymnasium No. 38” has led the overall city ranking among schools for several years. In the 2024–2025 academic year, based on the regional stage of the All-Russian School Olympiad, it placed 11th in the Nizhny Novgorod region by number of winners and prize-winners. Every year the gymnasium’s students represent the city at the final stage of the All-Russian School Olympiad.

      Such figures may make the parents of prospective first-graders dizzy and bring doubts: can an ordinary Dzerzhinsk child handle such high demands in order to study at this institution? After all, as is known, the rule giving priority admission to children living in the nearby area still applies.

      “There are parents who clearly understand what they want in their child’s education, and there are children who already in primary school realize that they want to learn, to be better than others, to achieve something in life,” says the gymnasium’s principal Ekaterina Shchepina. “Our gymnasium has a certain image, and, in my opinion, parents make a sober assessment of their child’s potential when choosing a school. Every student at our gymnasium is talented: some in academics and science, others in the arts, volunteering, sports or social activities. The main thing is that we — teachers and students — are close in spirit, love our gymnasium and pursue our goals together.”

      The gymnasium’s teachers try to develop each pupil’s talents and help reveal hidden abilities. Ekaterina Yuryevna proudly says that the gymnasium is one big family where first-graders easily communicate with older students and strive to be like those who have achieved success through hard work.

      The principal notes that only a very small percentage of students transfer to other city schools. In addition, over the past two years the number of children at Gymnasium No. 38 who, thanks to their achievements, continued their education at prestigious schools in Moscow (for example, the MSU Lyceum or Letovo), at Sirius and in St. Petersburg has increased. When they leave, they thank the gymnasium for the knowledge they received within its walls.

      High school graduates also note that it is easy for them to adapt at universities because at the gymnasium they were taught how to learn; here they gained not only knowledge but also the persistence to overcome difficulties.

      A teacher must measure up

      It is no secret that every educational institution has its own characteristics, and working as a teacher in any school is not easy. At Gymnasium No. 38 there is in-depth study of English starting in the second grade. Parents’ demands regarding knowledge are very high, and the teacher must meet those demands. When a young teacher sees the results of colleagues’ work in the form of children’s won Olympiads or contest victories, they too want to improve. Because if the teacher does not master the material themselves, they cannot teach the child!

      Coming to a gymnasium with many experienced educators, such as Tamara Yuryevna Belkovich, an honored worker of the education sphere of the Russian Federation who has worked as an English teacher at this institution since its opening, young teachers also strive to grow professionally, take courses, and learn additionally, including by observing lessons of experienced colleagues.

      By the way, the gymnasium’s teaching staff includes its former graduates. Ekaterina Yuryevna Shchepina willingly lists them: deputy director for educational work Yulia Pavlovna Vasilyeva, organizer-teacher Marina Vladimirovna Solovyeva, Russian language and literature teacher Olga Anatolyevna Glushkova; senior-generation English teachers Tatyana Nikolaevna Gorbunova and Elena Alexandrovna Gruzdeva; their younger colleagues Maria Alexandrovna Baskakova, Vlada Vadimovna Makarova, Arina Olegovna Vasilieva, Darya Sergeyevna Goryacheva, Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dikova, plus physical education teacher Mikhail Vladimirovich Andrusenko. They all studied at this school and, having obtained higher pedagogical education, returned here to pass on knowledge to young Dzerzhinsk residents.

      The principal says the gymnasium’s staff are highly qualified professionals working with dedication and great love for their profession and for children. How could it be otherwise? Despite all teaching positions at the gymnasium being filled, young ambitious teachers are welcomed here with pleasure!

      Governor’s standard — for excellent work

      This year Gymnasium No. 38 celebrates its 45th anniversary. For Ekaterina Shchepina the new school year will be her fifth as director. In 2021 she replaced the legendary Aleksandr Borodachev at the head of the gymnasium, who led it for 30 years.

      “I worked my whole life as an English teacher and had no administrative experience,” Ekaterina Yuryevna recalls. “To take over the school from Aleksandr Vasilevich, under whose leadership the gymnasium achieved high results, and not to lower the bar is very difficult. But I hope we are not letting Aleksandr Vasilevich down…”

      Under Borodachev’s leadership the gymnasium won the national project “Education” award three times (in 2006, 2007 and 2008). Several years ago documents were submitted to receive the governor’s standard — however, at that time the prestigious trophy went to another school. And now, in the summer of 2025, the governor’s standard of the Nizhny Novgorod region has been assigned for a year to Dzerzhinsk Gymnasium No. 38!

      It remains to add that in the updated ranking of the Moscow agency RAEX (RAEX — Analytics), which determines the best schools taking into account the competitiveness of their graduates, Gymnasium No. 38 ranks a high ninth place in the top 20 for the Nizhny Novgorod region.

      In the 2024–2025 academic year Gymnasium No. 38 enrolled 841 pupils across 31 classes.

      The gymnasium employs 54 teaching staff, five of whom hold the title “Honored Worker of General Education,” one holds the title “Honored Worker of the Education Sphere of the Russian Federation,” and 17 teachers are winners of the national project “Education.” Seventy-five percent of the gymnasium’s teachers hold the highest or first professional categories. The school has a psychologist, a speech therapist, a social pedagogue, after-school group educators, an organizer-teacher and an advisor to the director on upbringing.

      Over 45 years of the institution’s operation, 2,433 people have graduated from it, of whom 375 graduates were awarded medals (217 gold, 158 silver).

      There are 52 equipped classrooms intended for student instruction, two gymnasiums, an assembly hall and a library with a reading room. The TsOS classrooms are used for conducting lessons in academic subjects and extracurricular activities, for educational work with students and for working with teachers. Classrooms are equipped with new technological means: interactive panels, MFPs and laptops.

      Nina Shumilova. Photo by Yulia Volkova.