By the beginning of the 19th century, Russia was in a situation where the capital's cadet corps were unable to provide the army with trained officers. In order to address this issue, Emperor Alexander I approved a plan proposed by Prince General P. A. Zubov. According to the plan, a network of military educational institutions would be established in provincial cities, funded by local noble societies, where young men would be taught general education subjects. These educational institutions were opened in Volhynia, Grodno, Kiev, and other locations:

I don't know if this fact was known to the principal of Secondary School No. 28 in Grodno, Igor Gereevich Akhmetov, when he decided to open the first military-patriotic class in Belarus. However, in the late 20th century, specifically in 1997, cadets once again appeared on the streets of the provincial Belarusian town! Why not in the capital city of Minsk, but in the border town of Grodno? Our regular correspondent for the Republic of Belarus, Colonel Vasily Zdanyuk, provided a simple answer to this question:

- Belarusians say, "Moscow is not Russia, and Grodno is not Belarus." The standard of living, culture, and

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science. The beneficial influence and proximity of Europe are also taking their toll. Additionally, the city is home to a significant number of military personnel, both former and current. This is due to the presence of the 28th Army Corps of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus and the Grodno Border Guard Unit.

We must give credit to Igor Akhmetov, who was able to foresee that sooner or later the young Belarusian army would need well-trained young men. Those who know firsthand about the army and the peculiarities of the future profession of an officer. This is how Akhmetov came up with the idea of opening a military-patriotic class. Igor Gereevich himself comes from a military family. His father, Gerey Minvafovich, and his brother Yuri are career officers in the Russian Armed Forces. Igor Gereevich once enrolled in the Zhitomir Higher Anti-Aircraft Missile School. But fate had other plans: instead of the admissions committee, Akhmetov ended up on an operating table. Later, he studied at the Physics Department of the University. Now, for the past twelve years, Igor Gereevich has been the principal of a school. However, he has not given up on his dream. He is a passionate advocate for military and patriotic education among young people. Akhmetov believes that the profession of "protecting the Motherland" has always been appealing to young people. Even though life has changed in many ways, they still gravitate towards this profession. But before the words "Comrades cadets, attention!" were heard at the 28th school, Akhmetov had to work very hard. For almost two years, the principal worked to establish a military-patriotic class at the school to prepare students for admission to the Military Academy of the Republic of Belarus. He found support and understanding from the head of the academy, Major General G.I. Flerko, as well as from the headquarters of the 28th Army Corps and the Grodno Border Guard Detachment. As a result, the military-patriotic class, also known as the cadet class, was established on September 1, 1997.

The school principal tells us how excited everyone was when the Military Academy announced that it was recruiting ninth-graders for a military-patriotic class.

"The first steps were the most difficult," Igor Akhmetov recalls. "The main thing we were striving for was to thoroughly prepare for everything. For example, we conducted a selection process in the middle of summer. Here's why. Those who decided to pursue a military career had already made that decision. We focused on them. If such a selection were held, say, in August, just before the start of the school year, many random people might be included in the pool of applicants, those who didn't enroll in a technical school or college after ninth grade and decided to go "wherever their eyes led them."

The selection process for the cadet class was conducted in four areas. All candidates, of which there were about 100, had to pass an interview in physics and mathematics. The physical fitness of the young men was also taken into strict consideration. The results were processed on a computer. After the testing, the candidates were evaluated based on their overall level of development. Ultimately, twenty-five individuals were selected for the experimental cadet class. In case any of the candidates changed their minds before the start of the academic year, two candidates who had slightly lower scores were kept in reserve. However, none of those who have already passed the test have changed their minds. This indicates that each young man has made their choice seriously.

Now the first class is already history. Most of the cadets became cadets at the Military Academy of the Republic of Belarus.

They were replaced by other students from schools in the city and the region. Many of them want to continue the family tradition. For example, Nikolai Dokuchaev and Daryush Ostasevich have fathers who are military officers, while Vadim Rudenko and Alexander Dbar have fathers who guard the border.

Cadet mentors Ivan Ivanovich Turik and Valery Ivanovich Avramov, who have spent many years in the army themselves, do not hide the fact that studying in cadet classes is not an easy task.

"Today, all the cadets (and these are the 10th and 11th grades) are diligently mastering the knowledge they need to achieve their dreams," says Igor Akhmetov. "They are working very hard. They are following a separate curriculum.

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It is recommended by the Military Academy and approved by the Ministry of Education. Naturally, special attention is paid to mathematics and physics, and the number of hours allocated for learning a foreign language has been doubled. Every six months, the academy's faculty, primarily the Faculty of Border Troops led by Colonel Viktor Petrikevich, conducts a so-called "control test" to assess students' knowledge. Those who fail are expelled. However, there have been no such cases, and I hope there won't be any in the future.

Another feature of the cadet class is their good physical fitness.

According to the school principal, this is not a matter to be taken lightly. The physical training requirements for applicants to military educational institutions are quite high. Igor Gereevich approached the Department of Physical Education Theory and Methodology at Grodno State University with a request to help develop a physical training curriculum that meets the requirements for military educational institutions. As a result, the cadets are now following a new curriculum.

The boys also receive good physical training during summer military field exercises. The director and mentors do not forget about the moral and spiritual aspects of educating future defenders of the Motherland. It has become a tradition for the cadet classes to visit the Brest Fortress and the Khatyn Memorial Complex. The Grodno cadets are well-known at the Ros airbase and the Sivachev border outpost in the village of Bruzgi. Cadets not only visit the units and formations of the Belarusian army, but also host military personnel, veterans, and, of course, representatives of the Military Academy. Once every six months, the teachers of the Military Academy of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Belarus come to take control exams in the cadet classes. They also attend the final exams. After all, they are equivalent to the entrance exams to the academy. Those who successfully pass them can consider themselves cadets. Those who fail must put their dreams on hold for a while. The same can happen to those cadets who receive a failing grade on exams taken during the academic year or at the end of a quarter. The requirements are high and strict for everyone.

Today, the Grodno cadets are trying to set an example in everything: their studies and their behavior. I hope that they will become an example for their peers in military service.

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