«The whole story is ruined»: the fate of Mykolaiv Lyceum №60

The building of Lyceum No. 60 in Varvarivka, destroyed by a rocket strike, March 2024. Photo: Serhii Ovcharyshyn, NikVesti

Today, more than 800 million dollars are needed to rebuild the educational institutions of Mykolaiv Oblast destroyed by Russia, according to this year's updated data of the third assessment of damages and needs (RDNA3), which the Ukrainian government conducted together with the World Bank and the United Nations.

Part of these funds is needed for the reconstruction of the Mykolaiv Lyceum №60 in the Varvarivka microdistrict. A rocket hit the educational institution in July 2022. Then one of the buildings of the lyceum was destroyed, the main building and the playground nearby were damaged. Today, the institution teaches children online and is awaiting reconstruction.

How the lyceum lives today and what awaits the institution in the future — read in the article NikVesti.

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The guard called and said «there is no school»

The last time the students of the lyceum sat at their desks was on February 23, 2022. Since then, the institution does not accept children. Before the war, 650 students studied here, but their number has not changed — now everyone continues their education online, said Tetiana Polishchuk, deputy director of education.

«Even those children who are abroad also study remotely at our institution,» she clarifies.

Tetiana Polishchuk, deputy director of Lyceum No. 60 for educational work, March 2024. Photo: Serhii Ovcharyshyn, NikVesti

The news about the rocket attack on the lyceum building was painfully received by the students, said Tetiana Martychenko, the deputy director for educational work.

«The children were crying. Many of our children were abroad at that time. Mothers and grandmothers came here and showed them where their classroom used to be. It was a child's pain. On September 1, one girl even shot a clip. She came here with flowers as a ruler, but here are ruins. Eleventh graders also danced their prom here. This is their life, this is their story,» she said.

That day, the guard called Tetiana Martychenko and informed her that «the school is no longer there.» All that the woman remembered was a large amount of ash that rose up after the explosion and went beyond the territory of the institution.

«It was around 6 in the morning. The janitor called us and said that the school was no longer open. Then they sent us the video and we saw that one hull was missing. Then when I came here, there was nothing but tears and a lump in my throat. There was so much dust in the air that my white dress was all grey,» says Tetiana Martychenko.

Tetiana Martychenko, deputy director of Lyceum No. 60 for educational work, March 2024. Photo: Serhii Ovcharyshyn, NikVesti

Her colleague Tetiana Polishchuk also recalls the large amount of dust that covered the territory of the lyceum after the explosion: «It still seems to me that our school yard is covered with ash after the explosion.»

The destroyed building housed an elementary school, chemistry, physics, biology, computer science and choreography classrooms, as well as a library, three museums, and a dining hall. Before the war, «life was raging» here, recalls Tetiana Polishchuk. Today, only the remains of the walls and the land on which the building used to stand remind us of these memories. The remains of the destroyed building were removed in December 2023.

The place where Lyceum №60 building used to be located in Varvarivka, March 2024. Photo: Serhii Ovcharyshyn, NikVesti

More than one generation of families studied at the lyceum, says Tetiana Polishchuk: «Great-grandmothers, grandmothers, parents studied here, and now children study here. The entire story is ruined».

The family of Tetiana Martychenko, the deputy director for educational work, was also a student of the lyceum: «I, for example, am a student of this school myself, my daughter graduated from this school, and so did my brother. It's a part of me. And when I saw that this building is no longer there, it's just a personal pain».

The destroyed building of Lyceum №60 in Varvarivka, March 2024. Photo: Serhii Ovcharyshyn, NikVesti

The authorities promise to start reconstruction in April

Teachers and students of the lyceum are already waiting for the reconstruction of the institution and hope to get a «small educational town» as a result. «It will be quite an event,» says Tetiana Martychenko. Minor work was done last year. For example, they dismantled the building destroyed by the missile strike and installed new windows in the main building of the lyceum, which were knocked out by the blast wave. The education department of the city council spent 310,000 hryvnias on their replacement.

Dismantling of the destroyed building of Lyceum №60, the photo was provided to NikVesti by the management of the educational institution

For the reconstruction of the destroyed building, the department of town planning, architecture and capital construction of Mykolaiv RMA last year ordered the development of a project for the restoration of Lyceum №60. It is already ready and has passed the examination, the department informed NikVesti. 1.4 million hryvnias were spent on its development.

The cost of rebuilding the building was estimated at 111.3 million hryvnias, of which 106 million hryvnias are construction works, and the rest are funds for technical supervision and maintenance of the customer's service, the department explained.

The Department of Architecture and Capital Construction of RMA has already selected a contractor who will rebuild the building of the institution. It became the Interbud Construction Company, which offered to perform the works for 102.5 million hryvnias.

In 2021, this company received a contract for the construction of a kindergarten in the Severniy microdistrict, which was never built, and was also engaged in the reconstruction of the «Artania» stadium in Ochakiv. «The construction company «Interbud» is registered in Mykolaiv, the director is Mykhailo Mazur.

Remains of the destroyed building of the educational institution after a rocket attack, March 2024. Photo: Serhii Ovcharyshyn, NikVesti

It is planned to rebuild the building of Lyceum №60 entirely with state funds — from the fund for liquidation of the consequences of armed aggression of the Russian Federation. This year, the government allocated 76.6 million hryvnias for this, as evidenced by the order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated March 5, 2024. At the same time, the budget committee of the Verkhovna Rada has already approved the allocation of these funds, Oleksandr Pasichnyi, a member of the parliamentary budget committee, told NikVesti.

The site of the destroyed building of Lyceum №60 in Varvarivka, March 2024. Photo: Serhii Ovcharyshyn, NikVesti

«On March 25, we agreed to this resolution at the budget committee. The funds are planned to be used this year — at least the task is worth it. The city defines this school as a defining one for the Varvarivka microdistrict and even, perhaps, for nearby communities that will be able to bring their children here,» Oleksandr Pasichnyi said.

And the rest of the funds for the completion of the works are planned to be allocated from the state budget next year, the department of architecture and capital construction of RMA explained to NikVesti. The building of the school is planned to be built by June 2025.

«The work will begin when the funds are transferred to the accounts of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration. But the funds have already been agreed and, we think, will be available in the near future. We are just entering the time of year that allows us to carry out these works without interruption. Therefore, we think that the work will start from April,» the department said.

How do they want to build a new building?

A new three-story building is planned to be built there, according to the developed project provided by the editors of NikVesti. On the first floor, it is planned to place a dressing room, classrooms, a library reading room, a choreography hall, bathrooms and utility rooms. On the second floor there are classrooms, the director's office, bathrooms, physics and chemistry rooms, a chemistry laboratory, a sports hall, a projectile room, bathrooms and utility rooms. And on the third floor — a rehearsal hall, an assembly hall, a dressing room, a teacher's room, a resource room, an office and a biology laboratory, a sports hall, classrooms, bathrooms and utility rooms. An elevator is also planned to be installed in the new building.

Reconstruction project of lyceum №60 in Varvarivka, photo NikVesti provided by the department of architecture and capital construction of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences

Reconstruction project of lyceum №60 in Varvarivka, photo NikVesti provided by the department of architecture and capital construction of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences

The facility is planned to be rebuilt in two stages of work.

The institution is going to be rebuilt in two stages of work. If the first involves the construction of a new building on the site of the destroyed one, the second involves the construction of another building on the site of two buildings of the institution. There used to be a library and a workshop there. After the rocket attack, these buildings were damaged, but their walls survived, so they must be demolished to build a new building.

Buildings, on the site of which it is planned to build Lyceum №60 in the second place, March 2024. Photo: Serhii Ovcharyshyn, NikVesti

Buildings, on the site of which it is planned to build Lyceum №60 in the second place, March 2024. Photo: Serhii Ovcharyshyn, NikVesti

The construction of the second building of the lyceum was initiated by the city authorities, the department of architecture and capital construction of RMA told NikVesti.

«The second stage of construction is the desire of the local authorities. That is, to modernize the school in the event of its reconstruction,» they added.

It is not known exactly when the work will begin with the second phase. It is also unknown at whose expense they plan to build another building of the lyceum. However, as reported in the architecture department of the OVA, they still plan to send a request to the government for the allocation of funds from the state budget for the second phase of works.

Director of Lyceum №60 Nataliia Boiarska against the background of the remains of the destroyed building of the educational institution after a rocket attack, March 2024. Photo: Serhii Ovcharyshyn, NikVesti

At the same time, the city authorities are considering various options for financing the second stage: state funds, donor funds or funds from the local budget, first deputy mayor of Mykolaiv Vitalii Lukov told NikVesti.

«At the expense of the second phase, we do not know how the story will continue: again through the state, with the funds of donors or with the funds of the city. It will happen later, but the project is made by the region both first and second. We will now see how the work from the first phase will continue, and we will look for an opportunity in parallel. The school is still in the city, even if it is temporarily handed over to the state to be rebuilt. Therefore, we will also look for funds, and whether they go through the city or through the region is not so important,» said Vitalii Lukov.

The reconstruction of Lyceum №60 in Varvarivka today does not seem like a distant prospect, as in the first months after the missile attack, but rather a near reality. However, the question remains whether the government will provide funds for the completion of the construction of the new building and whether the authorities will be able to implement the second phase of work. Despite this, the students and teachers of the lyceum are already waiting for complete reconstruction and hope to return to their school life, but already in the new walls of the institution.

Yuliia Boichenko, NikVesti

This publication is supported by the Partnership for the Sustainability of Ukraine Fund, which is funded by the governments of Great Britain, Canada, the Netherlands, the United States of America, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of online media NikVesti and does not necessarily reflect the position of the Fund and/or its financial partners.