In Irkutsk, the fourth city scientific and practical conference, Education of Spirituality in the Modern World, brought together over 100 teachers, students and parents. Participants discussed moral education, the role of literature, history and church architecture, and presented the experience of School No. 32, where spirituality is developed through music salons. Special interest was drawn by reports on traditions, the history of the Irkutsk diocese, and cooperation of family, school and society in raising children.

Without changing tradition, the fourth city scientific and practical conference “Fostering Spirituality in the Modern World” was held in the city of Irkutsk. The conference took place at the methodological resource site of Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution Secondary School No. 32 of Irkutsk, at 209 Baikalskaya Street. It was attended by more than 100 people: teachers, additional education instructors, kindergarten teachers, orphanage staff, as well as schoolchildren and their parents.
The ceremonial opening of the scientific and practical conference began with the anthem of the Russian Federation. Participants were given the opportunity to see and learn from slides about the hardships, greatness, and victories of our great multinational country. The participants were welcomed by N.V. Prokofyeva, methodologist of the Municipal Educational Institution of Additional Professional Education CIMPO of Irkutsk. She noted that this conference is being held as part of the anniversary city educational forum.
The principal of School No. 32, Svetlana Ilyina, on whose basis the conference was held, presented to the public the experience of her educational institution as a municipal resource site for the spiritual and moral education of schoolchildren. Svetlana Ilyina spoke about the organization of musical salons at the school as one of the forms of fostering spirituality and the desire for harmony, beauty, and knowledge. During the plenary session, those who came to the conference were introduced to the musical salon “The Trembling Sounds of Romance.” It was presented by teachers Ekaterina Eduardovna Bagatyrenko, Russian language and literature teacher at Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution Secondary School No. 32, Olga Vladislavovna Kotovshchikova, music teacher at Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution Secondary School No. 32, graduate of Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution Secondary School No. 32 Valeria Valentinovna Markelova, a fourth-year student at the F. Chopin Music College, as well as 17 ninth-grade students. The school principal also expressed her views, thereby voicing the opinion of the majority of the political elite. – “Ensuring the spiritual and moral development and upbringing of the personality of a citizen of Russia is a key task of the modern policy of the Russian Federation. The main and significant answers to existential questions have formed and exist in the spiritual culture of society. Thus, spirituality allows everyone to distinguish and define themselves not only in nature, but also among other people in society through self-knowledge.”
In addition, as part of the conference, reports were presented by teachers and schoolchildren, addressing important issues of fostering spirituality in literary works, and the role of Innokenty Kulchitsky in the formation of the Irkutsk diocese, the features of Irkutsk church architecture, and the history of the Great Patriotic War in posters and leaflets.
All conference participants noted the importance of the presented reports, and also especially emphasized that the spiritual and moral education of schoolchildren is impossible without close cooperation between parents and teachers with the public. Afterward, the teachers’ presentations continued in sections.
In conclusion, the conference participants were awarded certificates for active participation and compact discs of the Irkutsk ensemble of authentic music “Time of Rains.”
The prize winners of the scientific and practical conference “Fostering Spirituality in the Modern World” were:
In the first section:
Ilyina S.V. Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution Secondary School No. 32, teacher of Russian language and literature;
Golovnykh E.D. Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution Secondary School No. 53, teacher of the basics of Orthodox culture;Golovko O.G. Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution Secondary School No. 27, teacher of history and social studies.
In the second section:
Statsenko A.V., Non-state Educational Institution PJG, teacher of history and social studies;
Konstantinova I.V., Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution Secondary School No. 5, teacher of history and social studies;
Kunitsyna T.A., Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution Secondary School No. 76, primary school teacher;
Lazukova N.N., senior educator of Municipal Budgetary Preschool Educational Institution Kindergarten No. 101
In the third section:
Kuzmina Anastasia, Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution Secondary School No. 23
Kopylova Alexandra, Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution Gymnasium No. 44
Ashikhina Lyubov, Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution Secondary School No. 30
Bataeva Irina, Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution Secondary School No. 27
Melnikov Anton, Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution Gymnasium No. 44
The introduction of publicly accessible systematic spiritual and moral education and development of students in schools in academic and extracurricular activities means the renewal of the school’s educational work as a whole, as well as the value content of academic subjects. Basic national values underlie the entire way of school life.
Based on materials from the press service of the Irkutsk city administration.