Highlights of the 2004 co-curricular program included:
a two-week visit by acclaimed movie director Alla Surikova (during which time she visited classes, screened and discussed a number of her films, and directed the Film Club in the production of a short documentary film);
guest performances by lecturer and singer Vladimir Frumkin of Voice of America, actor Veniamin Smekhov, pianist Lydia Frumkina (Oberlin College Conservatory of Music);
folk-music and carillon concerts by the members of the folk ensemble Zolotoi Pljos;
the film festivals "Love in Russian" and "Contemporary Russian Cinema";
a trip to the Orthodox monastery in Jordanville NY;
hiking trips & picnics; 
in-house lectures and roundtables;
twice weekly informal tea salons and game nights;
a performance of Chekhov's "Cherry Orchard" under the direction of Moscow directors Sergei Kokovkin and Anna Rodionova (video here);
a 'Russian Mardi Gras' concert and performance by the Russian School Choir under the direction of the members of Zolotoi Pljos (video here);
charades night;
karaoke night (video here);
a talent show (video here);
and weekly soccer and volleyball games.
In addition, the Russian School offers a number of clubs and groups. In 2004 these included:
Choir: Led by members of folk group Zolotoi Pljos, the choir staged a concert/variety show on the theme of "Maslenitsa: Russian Mardi Gras."
Cooking: Olga Solovova taught students how to prepare and serve traditional Russian dishes.
Film: Visiting movie director Alla Surikova, Associate Director Galina Aksenova (Smith College), and Technology Assistant Kathleen Evans-Romaine (Ohio University) taught students the basics of video production and editing. The club produced a DVD containing a short documentary film on the Jordanville monastery and a number of other short projects.
Folk art: Olga Solovova taught students the art of Russian decorative painting and showed student work in the Middlebury College Center for the Arts during a Zolotoi Pljos concert.
Hiking: Level 5 instructor Stuart Goldberg (Georgia Institute of Technology) led a number of hikes to lakes and mountains, including Silver Lake and Snake Mountain.
Criminal Lexicon: Level 7 instructor Anna Yatsenko (Reed College) brought students up to speed on the nuances of Russian 'gangsta' slang through readings, lessons, and viewings of popular films and television series. At least one student took advantage of the Talent Show to flaunt his new skills, playing a very convincing Moscow thug.
Newspaper: Technology Assistant Kathleen Evans-Romaine (Ohio University) worked with faculty and students to produce a daily newspaper featuring headline news from around the world, news from the Russian School, as well as student essays, articles, poems, and cartoons.
Poetry: Renowned Pushkin scholar Oleg Proskurin led an enthusiastic group of students and faculty in the reading and analysis of Russian poetry.
Radio: Vika Dryagina (Pennsylvania State University), Lyuba Golburt (Stanford University), and Kathleen Evans-Romaine (Ohio University) stood in the 
background and did very little as a talented and courageous (and large) group of students took to the airwaves, broadcasting live on Radio WRMC once a week. "Radio Kaif" featured political debates, call-in shows and contests, Russian music, live performances, and interviews. New to Middlebury this year: The "Mr. Middlebury" and "Ms. Middlebury" contest, which resulted in one of the liveliest broadcasts in Russian School history.
Soccer: Bilingual assistant Brian Minier (University of Wisconsin) led a dedicated and enthusiastic group of students.
Theater: The theater club put on a successful production of Chekhov's "Cherry Orchard," under the direction of Moscow directors Sergei Kokovkin and Anna Rodionova.
Volleyball: The Russian School volleyball team, coached by Jason Galie (Columbia University) was undefeated this year – for the first time since 2000. The Russian School was reputed to have the most enthusiastic fans on the Middlebury campus in 2004.
Last update: October 27, 2004