Author: Vanyan Gary

GLENDALE—Chamlian Armenian School’s core values are the bedrock for its continued academic excellence and rich curriculum, developing students of high integrity grounded in their rich Armenian heritage in a safe, innovative school. Our Chamlian family celebrated the first day of its 45th Academic Year on the morning of Tuesday, August 20, as a Dahol u Zurna trio played traditional Armenian folk music.

As has been the school’s tradition, the 8th grade Tigers entered the ceremony holding hands with the 1st graders, a memory that is affectionately held by both the new families and the graduating ones. The large Chamlian community in attendance cheered the alumni parents, who led their 1st grade children and the Kindergarten, 1st, and 8th grade classes to the ceremony. After the attending clergy’s invocation, the school principal, Dr. Talin Kargodorian, announced the first day of school officially open with a confetti cannon. White flakes took flight in the midst of student and parent cheers, creating a magical moment in the school’s dynamic story.

This celebration is among the multiple events honoring Chamlian Armenian School’s leadership in the community and education industry. Year after year, Chamlian Armenian School has not only flourished academically, to the envy of other schools—both private and public—but has also creatively and judiciously invested donated funds to improve its 5.5-acre campus facility to reflect its excellent education program.

Two significant projects were completed during the short summer recess, both of which were realized through substantial donations from two school families who wish to remain anonymous. Interest in these projects was sparked at a presentation confirming that every donation is strategically invested in the school. One of the families present found the playground project close to their heart and wished to gift the funds necessary for project completion. Another family was very encouraged by the opportunity to accept additional students with new classrooms and committed to funding the full cost of converting an existing building to new classrooms.

The playground, endearingly called “Khaghavayr,” is designed to support our Kindergarten to 2nd graders’ outdoor exploration and physical development. The new yard has many features for student engagement, where they can play, socialize, and let their imaginations take flight; it is an environment that encourages both active and passive play with colorful shades, indigenous landscaping, and inviting visuals. These new classrooms provide complete flexibility to serve multiple purposes and grade levels. They are technology smart and still have elements familiar to students, such as a reading corner and areas for one-on-one interactions.

Without the incredible generosity of these two Chamlian families, and the many equally remarkable families in the past, Chamlian Armenian School would not be celebrating an outstanding history. The school is deeply grateful for their partnership in envisioning a future together and inspiring additional partners in realizing future campus improvements, one dream at a time.

The Chamlian Armenian School’s promise for its 45th Anniversary is to lead the way for the community’s academic future, celebrate its rich history, and build a school for our 21st Century learners.

Anti-mining protesters clash with police over the weekend.

Despite days of growing protests against a mining project in Amulsar, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday said his government will allow the Lydian International to move forward with mining gold, claiming that the mining operation will raise Armenia’s environmental standards to “unprecedented levels.”

Since the beginning of the Amulsar mining project, residents of nearby Jermuk, a resort town known for its mineral waters and natural springs, and surrounding areas have protested the effort, raising concerns about the environmental hazards of the operation and the impact it will have on Armenia’s natural resources, the residents and the drinking water.

While all roads leading to Amulsar have been blocked by residents since June of last year, Jermuk residents were joined by environmental activists beginning on Wednesday to protest the findings of an independent study commissioned by the government which concluded that the mining project did not pose significant environmental risks to the region, its habitat and its residents, specifically Jermuk and Lake Sevan.

When local residents blocked the roadway to Amulsar in June, 2018, Lydian International, the British-American joint venture, threated legal action, which led the government to hire a Lebanon-based environmental consulting firm, ELARD, to conduct an environmental impact study of the mining. At the same time, Armenia’s Investigative body launched a criminal probe of the government agency that green lit the project under the previous regime.

The Amulsar project, which could be deemed as one the largest foreign investment efforts implemented in Armenia, began in 2016, with Lydian claiming that it has spent more than $400 million in preparation for the actual mining and dismissing environmental hazard concerns. Pashinyan’s government said that it would wait for the report to make a decision.

The conclusions of the report were released on by Armenia’s top law enforcement official Hayk Grigoryan during Thursday’s cabinet meeting.

Summing up the results of the 200-page report prepared by ELARD, Grigoryan said that audit had found that the underground water at Amulsar has no “physical connections” with Jermuk’s water sources, or, for that matter, canals or rivers that flow into Lake Sevan, saying that the lake could be contaminated with “insignificant” toxic waste in the event of a powerful earthquake.

According to Grigoryan’s briefing, the greater environmental risks to other rivers flowing through the Vayots Dzor Province, where Amulsar is located, may be minimized by Lydian enacting “mitigating measures” outlined in the ELARD report. Grigoryan claimed that Lydian has signaled its readiness to take all steps necessary.

In light of the report, Grigoryan also said that the agency, which originally gave the green light to the project in 2016, will not face charges.

“We are relieved that the Audit Report has been made public, as the Government of Armenia has repeatedly conditioned Lydian’s ability to advance the Amulsar Project on its results,” Lydian’s interim chairman and chief executive, Edward Sellers, was quoted in a statement as saying after the release of the ELARD report.

“We look forward to reading the full text of the Audit Report and are confident it will confirm Lydian’s prudential approach to environmental stewardship,” Sellers added.

Over the weekend, protesters clashed with law enforcement officers who arrested six people from the growing number of demonstrators. Pashinyan held several consultations on Monday, including a closed-door session with his ruling “My Step” faction on Monday, following which he took to Facebook to explain to the people the rationale for his decision to green light the Amulsar project.

”In the event that Amulsar is developed under existing conditions, it will be developed under unprecedented environmental standards for the Republic of Armenia,” said Pashinyan on Monday adding that the so-called high standards would force other mining companies to reform their practices.

“Now the government has to go to the low-level mines and tell them that they should elevate their operations to [comply with] the new standards. This is a political obligation,” Pashinyan said Monday. “Now the companies that are operating in lower levels will be forced to spend tens of millions of dollars elevate their standards and the government has the levers to force those companies to do so.”

Meanwhile, a group called the International Federation of Human Rights issued a reportMonday saying that the ELARD report “while providing additional interesting and useful information, cannot be considered in any way a simple ‘green light’ to the company to pursue its operations in Amulsar region.”

Armenian Lawmakers Visiting Cyprus Were Confronted by Protesters Hoping Armenia’s New Leaders Can Make a Difference

The Melkonian Educational Institute in Nicosia “should reopen,” said Cyprus’ House of Representatives President Demetris Syllouris during a meeting on July 4 in the Cypriot capital with a delegation of Armenian lawmakers headed by Parliament Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan.

The decision to abruptly close the historic Melkonian School in 2005 became a topic of discussion between Cypriot and Armenian legislators. Also participating in last week’s meeting was Vartkes Mahdessian, an Armenian member of the Cypriot parliament.

According to the Nicosia-based Financial Mirror, the Cypriot side lamented the decision by school administrators to sell the land on which the school sits, despite appeals by Cyprus officials that the school should reopen in order to serve the needs of the Armenian Diaspora.

The Financial Mirror also reported that Syllouris had raised the Melkonian School issue with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during his visit to Yerevan in May, emphasizing that the school property should not be made available for any commercial activities, but a solution should be found to benefit the Armenian Diaspora and the community in Cyprus, with Melkonian becoming a center of excellence for education, technology and research.

Syllouris reportedly reiterated the Cypriot government’s opposition to Melkonian’s closure during a meeting with then parliament speaker Ara Babloyan, stressing that many Armenians and the entire Cypriot nation were against selling the Melkonian School and its property, which includes acres of forest whose first trees were planted by orphans of the Armenian Genocide when the Melkonian institute was initially operating as an orphanage.

Syllouris also fondly recalled being a guest of honor at a gathering in 2016 hosted by Melkonian alumni who gathered at the school’s grounds to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Melkonian Orphanage. During the event, Syllouris was presented with a special honor presented by Dr. Daniel Abdoulian, one of the oldest surviving Melkonian graduates from 1944, who had traveled to Cyprus from Los Angeles.

Syllouris had declared at the time that the award would be placed at the Presidential Palace because it was dedicated “to the entire nation of Cyprus.”

Syllouris and his legislative colleagues were at the forefront of efforts to keep the school open in 2004 and 2005, when the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), which was running the school, opted to close the venerable educational institution and sell the property. Syllouris also spearheaded the effort to designate the school and its property as a “protected national heritage site,” to prevent development and sale of the property.

Before the Armenian legislative delegation visited the Melkonian School on July 5, the chair of the Armenian Parliament’s Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Sport and Youth Affairs Mkhitar Hayrapetyan said that Melkonian’s closure was painful.

Hayrapetyan, who was part of the Mirzoyan-led delegation and until the December 9 parliamentary election was Armenia’s Diaspora Minister, said that the Melkonian School has always been a focal point of his visits to Cyprus.

The Armenian legislative delegation arrived at the Melkonian School on Friday, July 5 and they were met by community members, activists and Cypriot organizational leaders who were protesting the sale of the land and the school’s closure.

Organized by the Melkonian Global Initiative, the protesters hoped that they would find a sympathetic ear in the Armenian legislative delegation, most of whom represent the Pashinyan’s “My Step” alliance. MGI founder Arsine Shirvanian, who had traveled to Nicosia from the Los Angeles especially for this event, stressed the importance of Armenian education and educational institutions in the uphill battle to preserve Armenian identity and advance the Armenian Nation.

While the Armenian lawmakers were sympathetic to the protesters’ demands and pledged to further address various resolutions to the issue, they were non-committal.

“Melkonian [school] is not owned by the Republic of Armenian, it is owned by the AGBU,” Armenia’s parliament speaker told the crowd gathered at the school grounds last week.

“It is extremely painful for me to see that the school that became a home for Armenian orphans of the Genocide and for several generations is closed down. Words can’t describe my emotions,” said Mkhitaryan before visiting Melkonian last week.

“I would not be wrong, if I said that the Melkonian Educational Institute is a symbol of all Armenians, of their persistence to be reborn, struggle and succeed after the Genocide, and it is on this symbolic day that Ararat Mirzoyan and I will be visiting the once active, but now silent and melancholic corner of Cyprus,” said Hayrapetyan pointing out that July 5 was National Symbols Day in Armenia in addition to being Constitution Day.

Sympathetic, but non-committal. Will a new—and young—crop of Armenian lawmakers, one of whom expressed his “extreme” sadness about the Melkonian School closure, take active steps toward reopening the school? Or will fight for the school remain a torch carried by activist Melkonian alumni, the Cyprus-Armenian community and the government of Cyprus?