 In Ukraine, September 1st is known as the day of open doors, marking the start of the new school year. For students in Storici, this year also was a celebration of their newly renovated school, made possible through the support of European Command and USAID. The most important thing to us is to give the children a place to help foster education, so even some of the most basic infrastructure, redoing walls and floors, and making the place more comfortable for learning is our first focus. UConn contributed $300,000 to the renovation project on the school, which serves a predominantly military community. Soldiers from the Office of Defense Cooperation and the joint multinational training group Ukraine attended the celebration. And finally, again, on behalf of all Americans here in Ukraine who work for the country team and the embassy, we look forward to continued fruitful cooperation and for the betterment of Ukraine. Army sergeant Jacob Holmes, US Army Europe, Yavrov, Ukraine