In 2021, a small private Adventist Christian school opened in the city of Sumy, northeastern Ukraine, with just seven students. Parents, volunteers, and local church leaders launched the project despite uncertainty about salaries, staffing, and enrollment.

Principal Nataliia Korobchenko and pastor Oleksandr Prysakar decided to begin classes, following the example of other schools in the region that had started with very little.

Only months later, the Russo-Ukrainian conflict began, placing the school in immediate danger. Within hours of the February 2022 escalation, tanks had reached the outskirts of Sumy. Teachers and parents faced urgent new questions: how to protect children, and whether to stay or leave the city.

After more than a month, the front line shifted about 30 kilometers away. The school’s leaders chose to reopen with in-person classes, even while most schools in Sumy continued online. Lessons were first held in the courtyard of a local church, drawing the attention of neighbors. Interest in enrollment grew quickly, and the challenge soon shifted from finding students to finding space.

Today, Sumy remains one of the most dangerous regions in Ukraine. In the first half of 2025 alone, air raid sirens in the region lasted a combined total of 117 days—the highest figure in the country. Despite this, classes continue.

As of September 1, 2025, the school enrolls students from grades one through nine (with the exception of grade four). In just four years, it has grown from seven students to a full school program, sustained by determination and community support amid the realities of conflict.

The school in Sumy is part of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist education system, which operates nearly 9,000 schools, colleges, and universities in more than 160 countries. In Ukraine, Adventist schools aim to provide both academic instruction and values-based education, even under the difficult circumstances the region is facing.

The original article was provided by the Ukrainian Union Conference. Join the ANN WhatsApp Channel for the latest Adventist news.