“100 Years Is a Meaningful Milestone”
The official part of the celebration was opened by Elvira Shamonova, Deputy Chairman of the Primorsky Krai Government and Minister of Education. She read a congratulatory message from Oleg Kozhemyako, Governor of Primorsky Krai.
The Minister presented the school staff with a letter of gratitude from the Governor “for many years of conscientious work, professionalism, and in commemoration of the institution’s centennial,” and then proceeded to award staff members.
Olesya Shaykhislamova, Head of the Press Service of the Russian Fishery Company, noted that for RFC supporting the school has long ceased to be merely a social obligation and has become part of the corporate philosophy — and for many employees personally, it has turned into a genuine friendship with the staff and children.
"Today is truly a significant event for our sponsored children. One hundred years is a beautiful milestone. There is an opportunity to look back and see what has already been accomplished, and we have something to build on. There are many plans ahead, many dreams among the children and their mentors, and we will definitely help make them a reality. For us, the school has become more than just a sponsored institution — we do good deeds for them, and they have become true friends and family to us. We want to help, to interact. It’s important to us that children here receive not only knowledge but are also truly socialized — through the creative programs we establish, through trips, through meetings with interesting people",
These words reflect a warm longstanding friendship that has grown into a social mission long ago. In 2019, the company took patronage of the boarding school and immediately helped create the animation studio “Slyshariki” here. Young animators gained access to digital and light tablets, an acoustic screen, voice recorders, professional software, and most importantly — a permanent teacher whose work RFC continues to fund. The studio has become a real window for children into the world of creativity and modern technology.
In 2024, the friendship took another important step — the company donated a fully equipped photo studio to the school. Now the students have a teacher, professional equipment, lighting equipment, cameras with powerful lenses, printers, computers, and software for processing images.
Larisa Novikova, Director of the boarding school, while accepting congratulations, thanked the partners and specifically emphasized the role of RFC in the life of the institution. She emphasized that the company gave not only equipment but also a real opportunity for her students to acquire a profession and confidence in the future.
"First of all, I want to thank everyone who supports us, who together with us makes the lives of children in need of special support better, of higher quality, helps them develop and find their way in life. There are no someone else’s children. A representative of the Russian Fishery Company is present here today, with whom we have been great friends since 2019. Thanks to RFC, our children attend the photo studio and animation studio, and participate in workshops at Soyuzmultfilm. This is true social business. And of course, without the help of caring people and socially responsible companies, we could not have made such progress",
“The Language of Goodness Needs No Translation”
Official speeches and awards gave way to the creative part — its students, those for whose sake the school has been living and developing for a century — took the stage. The Russian National Anthem sounded, and the children performed it in sign language. Silence hung in the hall for a few minutes, and it was in that silence that one could most clearly understand what the school has been working for over a hundred years.
Then a story created in the school animation studio “Slyshariki” was demonstrated on the big screen. Young animators presented a short film about life of a deaf boy. The footage told of his inner world, where darkness is overcome by the kindness and sensitivity of those around him. And the main heroine of the story was Empress Maria Feodorovna, wife of Paul I, who after a chance encounter with a deaf-mute child in Pavlovsky Park founded Russia’s first school for deaf-mute children in 1806.
This thread of goodness, stretched through the centuries, the children felt and portrayed in their own way — in their cartoon, the story of how one person’s attention can change the world for those who cannot hear is intertwined with the century-long history of the school itself. This chronicle, begun centuries ago and continued in Vladivostok, is full of kindness. Boarding School No. 1 for hearing-impaired children met its 100th anniversary not just as an educational institution with a rich past, but as a true home where “kindness lives.”
From Cartoons to Photo: Workshops That Change Lifes
RFC’s support is not only equipment but also people who put their hearts into special children every day. The animation studio “Slyshariki,” opened by the company in 2019, today employs a young teacher, Anna Malina. She came to the boarding school quite recently but has already found an approach to the students.
"I have been running the animation studio since September, replacing the previous teacher. It’s probably too early to talk about any major achievements — I’m still getting used to it, looking for an approach, trying to understand how to open the world of animation to a deaf child. But we are already participating in competitions and winning — so there are certain positive results",
She entered the profession of special education by accident but quickly fell in love with it, and after an internship at this school in her fourth year, she decided to work here. Her main goal now is to teach children to create a cartoon from start to finish by themselves.
The photo studio that RFC donated to the school in 2024 is also buzzing with life and professional plans. Alina Likhacheva, a teacher of additional education, has been conducting classes here for the second year and can already speak of the first serious results.
"The main results we are proud of are related to the Abilympics Professional Skills Championship (0+). The students showed very impressive results — we have first, second, and third places. They also shot our school events and field trips, participate in various competitions, and generally spend their time here very actively",
According to her, working with hearing-impaired children turned out to be not as difficult as one might assume — nature has helped in many ways.
"They are visual learners by nature, very creative, and this creative side definitely needs to be developed. I feel very comfortable with them. They have their own special vision, their own understanding of how to capture a shot, how to interact with people through photography. We learn technical settings, master the camera, and their visual perception is already excellent",
Now her mentees are graduating — they are already aged 17–20. A new stage lies ahead — the teacher plans to recruit a group of younger students, starting from sixth or seventh grade, to lead them again to the Abilympics championship and beyond — to professional mastery of the camera.
Behind Boarding School No. 1 lies a century-long history with events of any kind, but kindness has remained the
main constant. Today it lives in every frame shot in the photo studio, in every cartoon drawn by “Slyshariki,”
in the smiles of teachers and graduates. And the support of partners like the Russian Fishery Company turns this
kindness into real action: it helps special children not just receive an education but acquire a profession, believe
in themselves, and find their place in life right here in Primorye.
