Month: February 2020

Armenian Revolutionary Federation Supreme Council of Armenia chairman Ishkhan Saghatelyan on January 30 and 31 visited Fresno and San Francisco where he met with community and organizational members to brief them about the party’s activities in Armenia and to become acquainted with community life in the Western United States.

Saghatelyan arrived in Fresno on January 30 accompanied by ARF Western U.S. Central Committee member Koko Topalian and was met by Fresno ARF Tehlirian chapter chairman Raffy Chekherdemian who took the visiting guest on a tour of the city’s Armenian landmarks.

The first stop was the Masis-Ararat Armenian cemetery where Saghatelyan paid homage to Armenian national hero Soghomon Tehlirian at his monument. He then visited the grave of renowned Armenian-American writer William Saroyan. He also visited William Saroyan Theater in downtown Fresno.

Later that evening, Saghatelyan met with the members of the ARF Soghomon Tehlirian chapter. He presented an informative overview of the status of the ARF in Armenia, the party’s relations with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, President Armen Sarkissian, as well as other political players in Armenia.
During a question and answer session, Saghatelyan diligently responded to all questions, providing more insight on the challenges facing Armenia and the work undertaken by the ARF to advance issues in Armenia and Artsakh.

ARF Western U.S. Central Committee members Garo Madenlian and Hrair Garabedian were also on hand during this meeting.

On January 31, Saghatelyan traveled to San Francisco where he was welcomed by ARF Western U.S. Central Committee member Rosdom Aintablian and chairpersons of the ARF San Francisco Kristapor San Jose Sardarabad chapters Khatchig Tazian and Maral Boursalian, who were joined by members of their respective chapters.

Saghatelyan met with members of the two local ARF chapters at the St. Gregory Armenian Church hall in downtown San Francisco where he provided a detailed briefing regarding the political situation in Armenia, ARF’s activities and policies in the homeland, and emphasized the importance of continuing to work together to help improve the situation in Armenia. A discussion followed the presentation.

LOS ANGELES—The 50th Anniversary of the Women’s World Day of Prayer for the Southern California Armenian churches will be held at the United Armenian Congregational Church in Los Angeles. The service will be held on Friday, March 6 at 3480 Cahuenga Blvd W, Los Angeles, CA 90068.

The Service will start with prayers at 10:30 a.m. and the main Worship Service will start at 11:00 a.m. Coordinator Mary Agulian has announced that the Armenian message will be given by Dr. Alina Muegerditchian and the English message will be given by Cynthia Ketenjian. All Armenian women of the Apostolic, Brotherhood, Catholic, and Evangelical Churches are cordially invited to attend this Annual World Day of Prayer event.

The origins of World Day of Prayer dates back to the 19th century, when Christian women of the United States and Canada initiated a variety of cooperative activities in support of women’s involvement in mission at home and in other parts of the world. It is an ecumenical movement of Christian women of various traditions who come together to observe a common day of prayer each year and who, in many countries, have a continuing relationship in prayer and service. Currently, it is carried out by women in more than 170 countries and regions, to promote justice and equality for women through prayer, partnerships, service, and celebration. Every year, women from a different country are responsible for preparing this ecumenical Program. This year’s Program is written and prepared by the women of Zimbabwe. Last year’s World Day of Prayer was held at the St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church of Glendale, CA.

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Southern California World Day of Prayer, a light luncheon will be served after the conclusion of the Worship Service.

FRESNO—The Genocide Education Project, in partnership with Fresno Unified School District, the Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee, Fresno, and Fresno educator and Holocaust education specialist Hillary Levine provided a day-long workshop for Fresno’s middle and high school social studies teachers.

Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson and History/Social Sciences Manager Stephen Ruiz welcomed teachers and emphasized the district’s commitment to providing professional development to help both teachers and students better understand Fresno’s diverse communities and their histories.

GenEd Education Director Sara Cohan presented foundational education about the definition and stages of genocide, Armenian civilization and history – including the Armenian Genocide – the geopolitical, economic, and social context in which it was perpetrated, its role as the prototype for modern-era genocide, its consequences, and the ongoing Turkish denial.

“I really felt empowered to teach about the Armenian Genocide on a deeper and more thorough level after this workshop,” remarked Tony Fiori, 10th grade World History teacher at Sunnyside High School.

Aligned with California’s History-Social Science educational framework and Fresno’s Instructional Practice Guide protocols, the workshop introduced print, video, and web-based approaches to teaching about genocide, with a particular focus on the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust, including two seminal cases through which important parallels and universal lessons are learned.

“Best workshop FUSD has ever put on!” said Heather Miller, 10th grade Advanced Placement European History teacher at Edison High.

Hillary Levine, educator and Holocaust specialist, introduced a variety of resources for teaching about the Holocaust, including oral histories of survivors and the educational project called “Violins of Hope,” a collection of violins, violas, and cellos rescued from the Holocaust and restored. Levine and Cohan also led an interactive session during which teachers prepared presentations utilizing the Ten Stages of Genocide.

The California Armenian Legislative Caucus is holding two scholarship contests for the 2020 commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. California high school students in 9th through 12th grades are invited to participate in an essay contest and/or a visual arts contest to increase greater awareness of the Armenian Genocide on its anniversary.

All winners will be contacted directly and announced to mainstream and Armenian media by the California Armenian Legislative Caucus on Friday, April 16. Winners will be awarded scholarships and a trip to the State Capitol in Sacramento to be acknowledged at the California Armenian Legislative Caucus’ annual Armenian Advocacy Day during a press conference on April 27. They will also receive special recognition from the members of the Armenian Caucus. Original artwork will be requested from visual arts applicants if they are selected as a finalist, for display in the California State Capitol.

Criteria for each contest are detailed below. Students may enter both contests, but submissions must be entered separately.

Essay Scholarship Awards include: $1,000 for First Place, $750 for Second Place, and $500 for Third Place.

Visual Art Scholarship Awards include: $1,000 for First Place, $750 for Second Place, and $500 for Third Place.

Submission Deadline for both contests is Monday, April 6.

Essay Criteria:
This year’s writing prompt will call upon students to assume that:

1. They have been asked to nominate a notable Armenian American to the California Hall of Fame, located at the California Museum in Sacramento CA.
2. The nominee must have lived in California or have a strong connection to California.
3. They are to share with the director, in the form of a memo, one person that should be featured in the Hall of Fame and the reason(s) that this person should so be honored.

The students’ nomination should be written using the template below (and accompanying instructions):

To: Amanda Meeker, Executive Director
California Museum

From: [Insert name]
[Grade] / [School Name]

Re: Nomination of a Notable Armenian American from California to the California Hall of Fame

Date: [Insert date]
________________________________________________________________
Name of Person Being Recommended:
(Insert here the name of the person you are recommending. Yes, it can be a relative or someone you know. It can also be someone you have only recently learned about. The person may be living or dead and must have lived in California or have a strong connection to California. Examples are William Saroyan, Kirk Kerkorian, Ana Kasparian, and Serj Tankian but there are many others.)

Do your research to find someone that you think will “motivate and inspire people to further their own dreams through your nominee’s unique story and accomplishments”.

Biographical Sketch (100 words max):
(Insert here a brief description of the life of the person you are recommending.)

Focused Sketch (500 words max):
(Insert here what you would want to have clearly presented in the exhibit about the person you are recommending. This is your chance to go into detail about this person, answering the question: What makes this Armenian American so notable?)

Personal Connection (100 words max):
(Insert here what caused you to want to recommend this person? Are you related to this person? Have they accomplished something that you too wish to accomplish? Does this person have a personal story that you somehow connect to? Share something about you that helps the museum exhibit visitor better understand why you recommended this person to be featured in the exhibit.)

Take Away (50 words max):
(Insert here either a thought or a question that you want the public to have in mind after learning about your nominee. In other words, what do you want the public saying to itself when it learns about the person you are recommending?)

Miscellaneous (50 words max):
(Insert here anything else you might like to add. This can include any photos, drawings, charts, book excerpts, etc., but no links to any video and/or audio clips or any webpages.)

All submissions must be received by the California Armenian Legislative Caucus electronically on or before the submission deadline of April 6 at [email protected]. Any submissions sent after the deadline will not be accepted.

Please include your name, age, address, high school, and grade along with the teacher’s name, email address, and subject area at the top of the essay.

Please save submissions using your name as the document title and email as an attachment to [email protected]. Any submissions sent after the deadline will not be accepted.

Visual Art Criteria:
This year’s theme is “Human to Human Interaction.” All applicants must develop their submission in keeping with this theme.

1. Personal statement (300-500 words) explaining the artwork and how it connects to the theme of human-to-human interaction. In the top left corner, applicant must include: name, age, primary address, high school, grade, teacher’s name and subject (if applicable), phone number, and email address (this information will not count as part of the total word count).
2. Only two-dimensional, visual art submissions will be accepted. Submission types are limited to drawings, paintings, photographs, digital illustrations, and graphic design.
3. Submissions may not exceed an 11×17 frame and must weigh less than 25 pounds.
4. Submissions may not include any nudity, excessive and/or graphic violence, racial slurs, derogatory and/or offensive language, profanity, and may not make use of or replicate existing artwork. All submissions must be original work created by the applicant.

Submission Contents:

1. Email subject, as well as titles of the attached document, must be formatted as follows: “CALC – Student Name – Title of Piece” (e.g. CALC – William Saroyan – The Time of Your Life).
2. Submissions must include the personal statement and meet the criteria listed.
3. Submissions must include a high-definition photograph of the artwork, be sure to take a close up picture with enough lighting for the reviewers to see the detail of the work. It is acceptable to submit up to five photos. Be aware of the lighting of the piece and provide different angles to showcase the depth of the artwork.
4. Submissions must include one recent high-definition photograph of the applicant, suitable for publication (e.g. cap and gown photos, professional headshots, or quality photographs/close-ups of the applicant).

All submissions must be received by the California Armenian Legislative Caucus electronically on or before the submission deadline of April 6, 2020 at [email protected]. Any submissions sent after the deadline will not be accepted.

Please include your name, age, address, high school, and grade along with the teacher’s name, email address and subject area at the top of the essay.

Please save submissions using your name as the document title and email as an attachment to [email protected]. Any submissions sent after the deadline will not be accepted.