PDF edition - Armenian Reporter

The Armenian Reporter | February 6, 2010CommunityWomen’s programs to be held at Mass. Armenian ChurcheswATerTowN, Mass.7 – Inan effort to reach out to the communityand raise awareness aboutits mission, the A.W.W.A. has beenhosting coffee hours at the variousArmenian churches in the area forthe past several months. Some ofthe parishes they have visited so farinclude Holy Trinity in Cambridge,the Church of the Holy Translatorsin Framingham, Sts. Vartanantz inChelmsford, and St. James.These visits have been an opportunityfor parishioners to learnmore about the organization andits service to the community overthe past 95 years. Board membershave presented a brief overviewof the A.W.W.A. and its work bothat the ANRC in Jamaica Plain andthe Elderly Care project in NagornoKarabagh. A recent video madeabout the A.W.W.A. has also beenshown.Church visitations have alsogiven Board members an opportunityto hear more fromparishioners about their experiencesat the ANRC. Severalpeople have commented on thewonderful care their relativeshave received at the ANRC; oneman told of the thoughtful carehis sister received and his instructionto his children thatthey take him to the ANRC whenthe time comes.Many parishioners were notaware of the A.W.W.A.’s project inStepanakert where 200 elderlyNancy Kasarjian, Karen Hovsepian, Tana Onanian, Rev. Father Khachatur Kesablyan, Pastor Sts.Vartanantz Armenian Church, Janet Jeghelian, Lillian Almasian and Anne Dorian.aged 63 or over, living alone, receivemedical care as well as foodand social care. The A.W.W.A. hasbeen providing a substantial sumfor the last five years to this program.Please join A.W.W.A at one ofthe coffee hours to be hosted atthe following churches in the nextmonths:February 7 St. Stephen’s in WatertownMarch 14 First Armenian Church,BelmontApril 11 The Armenian Church atHye Pointe, HaverhillMay 2 Church of Our Saviour,WorcesterSeptember 10 St. AsdvadzadzinArmenian Church, Whitinsvilleoctober 3 Armenian MemorialChurch, Watertown fNancy Kasarjian, Rev.Fr. Vasken A. Kouzouian, Pastor ofHoly Trinity Armenian Church, Tana Onanian, and MaryShervanian.Wilmington High students respond to Armenian GenocideFrom left: KarenHovsepian,Nancy Kasarjian,Karen Diranian,Rev. Fr. KrikorA. Sabounjian,Pastor ArmenianChurch of theHoly Translators,Janet Jeghelian,JoAnn Janjigian,and EstherStepanian.wilMiNGToN, Mass.7 – Studentsat Wilmington High Schoolwere so enamored by the ArmenianGenocide, they expressed their feelingswith words and actions.In a host of letters sent to theArmenian Genocide CurriculumCommittee of Merrimack Valley,they took exception to the country’slackluster effort to get a GenocideBill passed and vowed to helpthe cause in every way possible.The letter-writing campaign followeda program on Armenian Genocideoffered by committee chairmanDro Kanayan, whose grandfatherby the same name led the charge atBash Abaran and Karakilese.Kanayan was joined by membersAlbert S. Movsesian and Tom Vartabedian.Together, they spent theday addressing various classes inan effort to get the Genocide curriculumactivated in high schoolsnorth of Boston.“I can’t wait to spread the wordabout the atrocities of the ArmenianGenocide and the strengthof the Armenian people,” wroteHeather Crowe. “Until I was introducedto that important segmentin world history, I knewlittle to nothing about the atrocities.The history and experienceswill stay with me for the rest ofmy life.”Another student from Indiaequated the Genocide with similarturmoil in her native land.“The cultural and religious tieswith Armenia intensified the feelingsI have for my own Indian culture,”wrote Nira Pandya. “AlthoughI was born and raised in India, I, too,am struggling to keep my identityintact as I assimilate into the Americanmainstream. The ArmenianGenocide must not go unpunishedand coincides with the problemsthat face our society today.”Amanda Hollenbeck was unawarethat an Armenian Genocidetook place in 1915 and gravitatedto William Saroyan’s epic tale, “TheArmenian and the Armenian.”“The world would be a better placeif we all learned to live in harmony,”wrote Martin Bamberg. “The ArmenianGenocide was an event inhistory that should set a precedentamong other troubled nations. It’simportant for students like us toraise awareness and maybe somedayget Turkey to repay the Armeniansfor the crimes committed. Anadmission of guilt would be a stepin the right direction.”Among the initiatives being adoptedby the class is an approachto the United States Postal Serviceto get a postage stamp adopted reflectingman’s inhumanity to manin conjunction with the 95th anniversaryof the genocide this year.“Our class is actually working onthe stamp idea and sending it tothe Postmaster General,” wrote AllieGraham. “I find it particularlyfrustrating that the youth of Americais not learning about the injusticesagainst the Armenians.”Kristi Adley wrote about theimportance of ethnicity and howstudents like herself should identifywith their roots while learningabout others.“The only genocide I was familiarwith was the Jewish holocaust,” admittedVeronica Bell. “I’m very upsetthat Turkey will not make reparationsand return the land to Armenia.I will do all I can to help spreadthe word of the Armenian Genocideso more people can learn about it.”Students represented the juniorand senior classes under thetutelage of Maura Tucker and LisaLucia who are utilizing the text,“Facing History and Ourselves.” Accordingto Tucker, students havethe opportunity to reflect not onlyupon the universality of racism andsocial injustice but also upon theimportance of global awareness.“They will use inquiry, analysisand interpretation in order to confrontmoral questions imbeddedinto history and literature,” shepointed out.The Armenian Genocide subjectwas augmented by the country’sgeography, literature and contributionsto world civilization. Studentswere also given a lesson on how tointerview a survivor.“The response we’ve gotten fromthe outside community has beenextremely positive,” said Kanayan.“We’ll continue to push forward untilall the schools have been contacted.Our intent is to approachas many schools as possible to increasecredibility on the subject.”Contacts have also been madeto Lowell, Chelmsford, Haverhill,Westford and Andover. Curriculumsupervisors in those schools weremore than enthusiastic with thegenocide curriculum. At the veryleast, they agreed to open theirclassrooms to a program this spring.Other sessions have been completedat North Andover andTewksbury.The curriculum committee hasthe support and endorsement ofarea churches and organizations,including Armenian legislators andnoted educators.fLooking for the best and the brightest?Help Wanted with the Armenian Reporterclassifieds@reporter.am 612-436-2037