Together with Teach For Ukraine Fellowship fellow Mariia Papchenko and their homeroom teacher, Valeriia Oleksandrivna, students of Class 8-V at Hrebinkivskyi Lyceum visited the Bila Tserkva Book Printing Factory. The visit became a key step in their student-led project — a collaborative book that began as a Ukrainian language class assignment.
The project aims to create a book filled with imaginative stories inspired by students’ real-life experiences. The learners are involved in every stage: writing and editing their texts, creating illustrations, calculating the budget, and even looking for a printing house. The factory tour helped them understand how books are made, from paper cutting to cover design.
“I’m genuinely thrilled — I enjoy working with my students and feel a real connection with them. We’ve already done so much for this project. I can tell they value my efforts — like arranging this field trip,” shared Mariia.
“We were greeted warmly at the factory. The trip started on a lovely note — there was a dog at the gate the kids got to pet. Inside, we moved through each step of the process: from rooms where large sheets of paper are counted and trimmed, to the area where book covers are made. Even when the students weren’t listening closely to the guide, they were still soaking in everything around them. They explored, observed — and luckily, didn’t stick their fingers where they shouldn’t,” she laughed.
The students are taking ownership of their book project — from content and visuals to budgeting and printing. Their recent visit to the Bila Tserkva factory gave them a behind-the-scenes look at how ordinary sheets of paper turn into real, tangible books.
This wasn’t just a field trip — it was an experience in project-based learning, a glimpse into their potential, and a reminder of just how much students can achieve when they lead the process.
