Moscow State School 57

Moscow State School 57 (Russian: Пятьдесят седьмая школа) is a public school located in the Khamovniki District of Moscow, Russia. The school was founded in 1877 and is best known for its specialized secondary program in mathematics and its alumni.^[3]

Moscow School 57
New logo of The Moscow School 57, redesigned in 2019
Address
7/10 Maly Znamensky Lane Moscow 119019 Russia
Coordinates	55°44′55″N 37°36′18″E / 55.748616°N 37.605134°E / 55.748616; 37.605134
Information
Type	State school
Established	1877; 147 years ago (1877)
Principal	Anna Vakhneeva
Faculty	123.3 (on FTE basis)....^[1]
Grades	1st–11th
Enrollment	1,100 (as of 2014–15)^[2]
Website	sch57.ru

History

Founding and School 4 (1877–1968)

 

The school circa 1877.

In 1877, Karl Masing [ru], a Russian engineer and educator, founded a realschule in Maly Znamensky Lane,^[4] which soon became one of the most progressive vocational schools in Russia.^[5]

After the October Revolution, the realschule was converted into a boarding school with courses in aesthetic arts and renamed to School 4. It became popular with the Soviet establishment, with top government officials sending their children there.^[6]

In 1936, the school was transformed again, converting back to a vocational school and acquiring the number 57 in Moscow's educational system.^[7]

Math classes and new campuses (1968–present)

 

School 57 today

In 1968, Nikolay Konstantinov, a Russian educator in mathematics, established specialized math classes at the school. Konstantinov's teaching methodology still is used in these classes to this day and has been shared with other educational centers.^[8]

The high school offers specializations in humanities, biology, and mathematics, as well as a general track. In 2008–2013, the school merged with two other schools in different locations of the Khamovniki District of Moscow, in conformity with recent reforms in educational policy.

Enrollment

The school has a total enrollment of over a thousand students, entering first, eighth and ninth grade.

Admission to elementary school is competitive and based on test results of the students previously enrolled in the school's tuition-based mandatory preschool program.^[9] In 2015, the admission committee considered over a thousand applicants for 130 positions. By maintaining good standing the students can guarantee their further education in the school's general track middle and high school.

School 57 has general track classes along with its specialized programs and holds a separate admission process for specialized classes in mathematics, humanities^[10] and biology, a joint project^[11] of the school and the Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics [ru] of Moscow State University.^[12] The admission committee considers a few hundred applicants for 20–25 places in each class.^[13]

School 57 launches two math classes each year, with four- and three-year curriculums, each admitting around 20–25 students who have demonstrated the best problem-solving abilities during the application process. The school organizes free preparatory courses that help interested students to develop said abilities. A portfolio that includes prizes from math competitions can strengthen an application.^[3]

Academics

Students in the specialized classes receive extensive training in their areas of expertise, often covering college-level material in their junior and senior years. Graduates of the specialized classes often go on to pursue college degrees in Russia's best universities,^[14] including the Higher School of Economics, Moscow State University, and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.^[15]

Physics classes

One of the faculties in the school. Best specialists in STEM subjects are working with students from 8th to 11th grade in order to make them able to win All-Russian Olimpiad of schoolchildren. Academic curriculum includes advanced calculus (differentiation, integration, number theory, eyc), advanced mechanics, optics, molecular theory as well as English language for academic purposes.^[16]

Mathematics classes

Individual approach lies in the core of the specialized math classes' educational process. Teaching the specialized math classes isn't limited to faculty staff – additional instructors, many of whom are volunteering alumni, are involved in order to give every student necessary attention. Rather than having to learn the material from a textbook, students discover it through solving sequences of problems. Solutions are presented by the students to the instructors in one-on-one discussions.^[17] This method, introduced by Konstantinov, proved to be effective and was adopted by other educational institutions in both Russia and abroad, including School 179, the Independent University of Moscow and the Faculty of Mathematics at Higher School of Economics. Several School 57 teachers have also written textbooks^[18][19][20] that follow the method.

Awards and recognition

 

Classical logo of The Moscow School 57, designed in 1984 by students

The school is consistently ranked among the top 10 Russian schools.^[21] In 2016, school 57 was ranked fourth in Moscow by the Moscow Department of Education^[22] and fifth in Russia by Uchitelskaya Gazeta [ru] (Teacher's Newspaper), the leading educational periodical in Russia.^[23] Several teachers from the school received honorary awards, including the President's award.^[24] The school was also awarded grants by the George Soros' Open Society Foundations and the American Mathematical Society.^[25] In 2016, fifteen students of the school received awards of the All-Russian Mathematical Olympiad.^[26]

Extracurricular activities

School 57 offers a number of free courses for middle schoolers preparing students who intend to apply to the mathematics, humanities and biology classes.^[27] The math program includes weekly problem solving sets for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders, some of the courses are published.^[28] The biology track includes lectures in math, biology and chemistry for eighth graders, and future humanities students study literature and history. The school also offers a course preparing for TOEFL and IELTS standardized English tests.

Class vacations, including those involving intense work (lectures, presentations, field trips), are popular in the school, though not mandated by the administration. Math classes usually tend to have mountain hiking journeys, while humanities classes organize urban trips, focusing on cultural and historical studies. Since 1996 the school worked together with the Tauric Chersonese museum to organize volunteers from the number of students and alumni to work and learn on different archaeological sites in the area.^[29][30]

Open Oral Maths Olympiad

School 57 holds an annual math competition for sixth and seventh graders from Moscow schools, sometimes accommodating more than 300 students.^[31] During the competition, students interact with professors, as well as mathematics graduate and postgraduate students of Moscow universities. The competition consists of two rounds and a series of lectures on various subjects by school teachers and alumni professors.^[32]

Summer Мath Сamp

Since 2012,^[33] the school has been hosting a mathematical summer camp for high school students, where university professors offer a number of introductory courses in different areas of college level mathematics. School 57 students are admitted automatically, students of other Moscow schools receive a spot in the camp based on results of a competition. The Summer Мath Сamp is jointly organized by the school, the Higher School of Economics and Yandex. In 2016, the Summer Мath Сamp had 15 courses and 80 students. The topics covered in the camp's course include the Young tableau, knot invariants and Schubert polynomials. Students who have the School 57 math camp's honors certificate have a better chance at getting into the Higher School of Economics.^[34]

 

Collection of graduation pins and badges of Moscow School 57 from 1970s to 2018

Lectorium

In September 2016, a series of lectures by notable alumni was launched in a joint effort by the school's alumni and students' parents.^[35] Lectures take place in all three buildings of the school, the speakers include Alexander Barulin [ru] and Anatoly Starostin.

Traditions

School 57 has a tradition of keeping in touch with its alumni.

Logo

Classical School 57 logo contains a mathematical root symbol hidden in its counterform.

Controversies

In August 2016, several school graduates publicly accused two school teachers of sexual misconduct and the school administration of deliberate concealment of these misconducts. This scandal led to the retirement of the principal Sergey Mendelevich. The school was still undergoing legal investigation as of November 2016.^[36]

Notable people

Alumni

Among the notable alumni, most work in the field of mathematics. However, the list also contains well-known scholars in other disciplines, as well as politicians, businessmen, and public figures.

 

Elena Bunina

 

Vadim Moshkovich

 

Konstantin Sonin

• Vitaliy Arnold [ru] (1968-2017), mathematician.
• Pavel Bardin [ru] (born 1975), film director, screenwriter and producer.
• Boris Barkas [ru] (1953–2007), poet, songwriter, author of songs for Alla Pugacheva and Mashina Vremeni
• Valentin Baryshnikov, editor of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
• Roman Bezrukavnikov (born 1973), mathematician, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Alexei Bondal [de] (born 1961), mathematician
• Alexandre Bouzdine (born 1954), theoretical physicist in the field of superconductivity and condensed matter physics, professor at the University of Bordeaux
• Maxim Braverman [ru] (born 1966), mathematician.
• Grigory Bubnov (born 1970), economist, president of Moscow Technological Institute
• Elena Bunina (born 1976), mathematician, former head of Yandex in Russia
• Dmitry Dolgopyat (born 1972), Russian-American mathematician, professor at the University of Maryland, College Park
• Ruben Enikolopov [ru] (born 1978), economist, former rector of New Economic School.
• Alex Gerko (born 1979), english trader and billionnaire
• Mark Greenberg (translator) [ru] (born 1953), interpreter, winner of the Andrei Bely Prize
• Mikhail Kalyakin [ru] (born 1963), director of the Zoological Museum of Moscow University
• Mikhail Kapranov (born 1961), mathematician, professor at Yale University
• Azim Karimov [ru] (born 1991), conductor
• Tatyana Kasatkina (born 1963) philosopher, philologist
• Anna Kashina, writer, author of The Princess of Dhagabad
• Andrey Khazin [ru] (born 1969), historian, art critic, professor of Moscow State University
• Yegor Kholmogorov (born 1975), publicist, political figure
• Natalia Kholmogorova (born 1976), public figure, interpreter, journalist
• Mikhail Khovanov (born 1972), Russian-American mathematician, inventor of Khovanov homology, professor at Columbia University
• Alexander Klyachin (born 1967), entrepreneur and investor
• Andrey Kozarzhervsy [ru] (1918–1995), philologist, professor of Moscow State University
• Ekaterina Krongauz [ru] (born 1984), journalist
• Alexander Kuznetsov (born 1973), mathematician, professor at the National Research University – Higher School of Economics
• Artemy Lebedev (born 1976), designer, founder of the design company Art. Lebedev Studio
• Mikhail Levandovskii [ru] (born 1972), a four time world champion in What? Where? When?
• Ernst Lissner (1874–1941), painter
• Sergei Lukianov [ru] (born 1963), biochemist, president of Russian National Research Medical University
• Yuri Mahlin [ru] (born 1969), physicist
• Vladimir Matetsky (born 1952), composer and producer
• Alexander Mezhirov (1923–2009), poet
• Roman Mints (born 1976), violinist
• Petr Mitrichev (born 1985), competitive programmer
• Maksim Moshkow (born 1966), public figure
• Vadim Moshkovich (born 1967), businessman and philanthropist
• Nikolai Nadirashvili [ru] (born 1955), mathematician, professor of Aix-Marseille University
• Nikita Nekrasov (born 1973), physicist, professor at Stony Brook University
• Mikhail Ostrovskiy [ru] (born 1979), economist, professor of Stanford Graduate School of Business
• Igor Pak (born 1971), mathematician, professor at the University of California, Los Angeles
• Nikolai Pertsov [ru] (1924-1987), scientist
• Nadezhda Plungyan [ru] (born 1983), art historian
• Iosif Polterovich [ru] (born 1974), mathematician, professor of the Université de Montréal
• Viktor Przhiyalkovsky [ru] (born 1982), mathematician
• Kirill Reshetnikov [ru] (born 1975), poet
• Leonid Reyzin, computer scientist, professor at Boston University
• Valery Rubakov (born 1955), physicist
• Alexei Savvateev [ru] (born 1973), mathematician
• Irina Shostakovskaya [ru] (born 1978), poet, winner of the Andrei Bely Prize
• Vera Serganova (born 1961), mathematician, professor at the University of California, Berkeley
• Konstantin Sonin (born 1972), economist, professor at the University of Chicago
• Maxim Sonin (born 1998), writer
• Georgiy Starostin (born 1976), linguist
• Anton Suvorov [ru] (born 1973), economist, rector of New Economic School
• Yana Tokareva [ru] (born 1976), poet, philologist, interpreter
• Larisa Trembovler (born 1966), Israeli politician, wife of Yigal Amir
• Askar Tuganbaev [ru] (born 1977), businessman, creator of Rutube
• Misha Verbitsky (born 1969), mathematician, professor at IMPA in Rio de Janeiro.
• Mikhail Voloshin (born 1953), Russian-American theoretical physicist, professor at the William I. Fine Theoretical Physics Institute
• Alexander A. Voronov (born 1962), Russian-American mathematician
• Boris Zakhoder (1918–2000), poet and children's writer
• Olga Zondberg [ru] (born 1972), author
• Anton Zorich (born 1962), mathematician, professor at the Institut de mathématiques de Jussieu – Paris Rive Gauche

Faculty

The schools faculty includes a mathematician and professor Alexander Shen [ru], an educator, geometer, author of several geometry textbooks Rafail Gordin, director of the Moscow Center for Continuous Mathematical Education [ru], head of development of Unified State Exam Ivan Yashchenko [ru].

Former faculty includes poet and novelist Igor Vishnevetsky, mathematician and Soviet dissident Tatyana Velikanova, biologist, founder of the biological classes at School 57 and other Moscow schools Galina Sokolova [ru].

References

1. (in Russian). Moscow Department for Education. Archived from the original on 2016-10-17. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
2. (in Russian). Moscow Department for Education. Archived from the original on 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
3. Vogeli, Bruce (2015). Special Secondary Schools for the Mathematically Talented. World Scientific. ISBN 9789814667487.
4. "Karl Masing". Discover Moscow. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
5. "Успех учеников - успех школы" [The success of pupils is the success of schools]. Uchitelskaya Gazeta Moskva (in Russian). No. 34. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
6. ""Познавательный фильм": Школа №57 -- братство умников и умниц" ["Educational film": School No. 57 -- the brotherhood of brainies] (in Russian). Moscow 24. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 2016-10-27 – via YouTube.
7. "Сергей Менделевич: Я - «пятидесятисемит»" [Sergey Mendelevich: I am a "fiftysemite"] (Interview) (in Russian). Interviewed by Leonid Kleyn. polit.ru. 31 August 2005. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
8. Gerovitch, Slava. "Parallel Worlds: Formal Structures and Informal Mechanisms of Postwar Soviet Mathematics" (PDF). Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
9. "Группы развивающего обучения" [Preparatory classes]. sch57.ru (in Russian).
10. Shapiro, Natalia. "Гуманитарные классы" [Humanities classes]. sch57.ru (in Russian).
11. "Биологический класс 57-й школы г. Москвы" [Biology classes at Moscow's School 57] (in Russian). Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University.
12. "Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics". Moscow State University.
13. "Приём в школу" [Admission to the school]. sch57.ru (in Russian).
14. Collier, Sabrina (25 July 2016). "Top 10 Universities in Russia 2016". TopUniversities.
15. Vityuk, Kseniya; Gofman, Anna; Ivanova-Gladilshchikova, Natalia; Ivanova, Anastasia; Stulikova, Alina (22 April 2013). "Лучшие школы Москвы. Топ-20" [The best schools of Moscow. Top 20]. Bolshoy Gorod (in Russian).
16. https://57.mskobr.ru/proekty/nashi-proekty/fiziko-matematicheskie-klassyi
17. Yurkevich, Victoria; Davidovich, Boris (2009). "Russian strategies for talent development: stimulating comfort and discomfort". In Balchin, Tom; Hymer, Barry; Matthews, Dona J. (eds.). The Routledge International Companion to Gifted Education. Routledge. ISBN 9781136028861.
18. Davidovich, Boris; Pushkar, Pyotr; Chekanov, Yuri (2008). Математический анализ в 57-й школе. Четырехгодичный курс [Calculus at School 57: A Forty-Year Course] (PDF) (in Russian). Moscow: MCCME Publishing House. ISBN 978-5-94057-360-9.
19. Yashchenko, Ivan; et al. (2010). Элементы математики в задачах [Elements of Mathematics in Problems] (PDF) (in Russian). Vol. I. Moscow: MCCME Publishing House. ISBN 978-5-94057-579-5.
20. Sergeyev, Pyotr (2008). Математика в спецклассах 57-й школы. Математический анализ [Mathematics in Specialized Classes of School 57: Calculus] (PDF) (in Russian). Moscow: MCCME Publishing House. ISBN 978-5-94057-359-3.
21. "School 57 Results" (PDF) (in Russian). Moscow State Department of Education.^{[dead link]}
22. "Рейтинг вклада школ в качественное образование московских школьников" [Moscow Schools Rating] (in Russian). Moscow Department for Education. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
23. "Топ-25 лучших школ России. 2016 год" [Top 25 Best Schools of Russia. 2016]. Uchitelskaya Gazeta (in Russian). 5 October 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
24. "Support Program for Math and Science Teachers". Dynasty Foundation.
25. "Homepage". sch57.ru.
26. "XLII Всероссийская олимпиада школьников по математике (Заключительный этап)" [XLII All-Russian Mathematical Olympiad (Final Round)] (in Russian). MCCME.
27. "Наши кружки" [Our circles]. sch57.ru (in Russian).
28. Dorichenko, Sergey (2011). A Moscow Math Circle: Week-by-week Problem Sets. Translated by Shubin, Tatiana. MSRI. p. xi. ISBN 978-0-8218-6874-4.
29. Pronina, Margarita; Fomin, Dmitry (10 August 2016). "20 лет на Маячном полуострове Севастополя "Гераклейская экспедиция" ведет раскопки "Страбонова Херсонеса"" [Digs in Chersonesus] (in Russian). Independent Television of Sevastopol.
30. Sedikova, Larisa (30 September 2015). "Зачем гражданину Путину нужна присяга граждан Херсонеса?" [Why Citizen Putin needs an oath from the citizens of Chersonesus] (Interview) (in Russian). National News Agency. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
31. "Открытая устная олимпиада 57-ой школы по математике" [School 57's Open Oral Maths Olympiad] (in Russian). Olimpiada.ru.
32. "The Open Oral Maths Olympiad at School 57". sch57.ru. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
33. "School 57's Summer Мath Сamp". sch57.ru. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
34. "Addmision rules document" (PDF) (in Russian). Higher School of Economics.
35. "Лекторий 57" [Lectorium 57] (in Russian). Retrieved 10 October 2017 – via Facebook.
36. Litvinova, Daria (7 September 2016). "Sexual Assault Scandal Hits Elite Moscow School, Rocks Russian Intelligentsia". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 2018-11-07.

External links

• Moscow State School 57 on Facebook
• Litvinova D. Sexual Assault Scandal Hits Elite Moscow School, Rocks Russian Intelligentsia — The Moscow Times. September 7, 2016