2026 HREC Educator Award Recognizes Edmonton Educator Natalia Onyschuk
TORONTO, Canada | October 1, 2026
Natalia Onyschuk, a Music teacher at St. Matthew School in the Edmonton Catholic School District, is the recipient of the 2026 HREC Educator Award for Holodomor Lesson Plan Development. This is Onyschuk’s second HREC Educator Award, recognizing her continued work using music and the arts to help students engage with the history and human experience of the Holodomor.
Music has long been a passion for Onyschuk. As an elementary music teacher, she fosters a love and appreciation of music with students at St. Matthew School, which includes both Ukrainian Bilingual and Regular programs. She is also a vocalist, ensemble member, and chorister with St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, Dnipro Ensemble of Edmonton, Zemlia Vocal Trio, and Kappella Kyrie.
Each November, St. Matthew’s school choir is invited to sing at the Alberta Legislature as part of Holodomor Memorial Day commemorations. This experience inspired Onyschuk to write “Dry Tears” in 2013. The song is a musical picture book composed of lyrical vignettes conveying what children might have seen and experienced during the Holodomor.
In 2023, Onyschuk was inspired to write a second song, “Give Us Hope,” exploring the difficult feelings and circumstances a family would have endured during the Holodomor. Both songs conclude with a plea for change and hope for the future. The accompanying lesson plans use music and movement to help students engage with complex emotions such as sadness, despair, and empathy and to find ways to express those emotions.
2026 Award-Winning Lesson
Onyschuk’s 2026 award-winning lesson, “Understanding Holodomor Trauma Narratives Through the Song ‘Give Us Hope,’” builds on this musical work. Through singing, discussion, and movement, students from Grades 2-6 gently explore the trauma experienced by children and families during the Holodomor while developing empathy and a sense of hope.
“The lesson incorporates both student-developed and teacher-guided movement, allowing students to symbolically and physically express and reflect on their emotional responses,” Onyschuk stated. “The lyrics and accompanying discussions also encourage students to draw connections between complex emotions experienced by children during the Holodomor and emotions experienced by children today.”
Through this approach, Onyschuk seeks to help students develop a deeper understanding of trauma and its effects while empowering them to find their voices and envision a hopeful future.
Onyschuk is particularly proud of her school choir, which brings together students from both the Ukrainian Bilingual and Regular programs. Through their performances, these students help extend awareness of the Holodomor beyond the Ukrainian program and share its significance with the wider school community.
Natalia will be presented with the award and a HREC Holodomor Educator Certificate by the President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC)–Edmonton Branch at the branch’s November 27 Holodomor Memorial Day commemoration ceremonies.
The prize is nationally adjudicated and awarded from submissions on an annual basis to the educator of an outstanding lesson plan that contributes to the creative, innovative and interactive teaching of the Holodomor.
The Holodomor Research and Education Consortium (HREC) acknowledges with gratitude the invaluable financial assistance of the Temerty Foundation and the HREC Educators. HREC is a project of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, University of Alberta.