Vivienne Clarke
Alex Ryzhuk, the Irishman missing in action and presumed dead in eastern Ukraine, was proud of his Ukrainian heritage, the principal of his Dublin school has said.
Clare Catterson, principal of Synge Street School, where Mr Ryzhuk attended from 2016 to 2021, told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that he always had a smile on his face.
“He always wanted to help others, that was a very strong trait. He had himself involved in all aspects of school life. He was on the judo team and the basketball team. He loved volleyball. He particularly loved Halloween. Every year we would do the Trick or Treat for Temple Street, and all our students would dress up. And every year he came in decked out from head to toe. Everyone would have been eagerly waiting to see what he would have been dressed up in that particular year.
“He was a very dedicated student as well of the business subjects. Accountancy, Business, Economics, took them all for his Leaving Certificate. He had often spoken about going on to study law when he was here.”
Ms Catterson said that the young man had been known as a good role model for younger students, showing them how to embrace all aspects of school life.
He was very proud of his Ukrainian heritage.
“He was very proud of his Ukrainian heritage. He was bilingual. We've always been a very multinational, diverse school here in Synge Street, very reflective of the city centre. So you would have heard Alex speaking to other Ukrainian students in his own language. He would often speak about having been home during the summers to visit relatives.”
There had been great shock in the school community when word came through of the situation, she said. Many teachers had contacted her, in shock and sadness as they all remembered the “young man who was just three short years ago walking these corridors in a school uniform with a smile on his face and wanting to help in any way he could".
“We are thinking of Nicholas and Nina at this time and his close family and his friends.”
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