PRESS RELEASE
Shushi Music School Society
6000 Topeka Dr.
Tarzana, CA 91356
Contact: Hrayr Khanjian
Tel: (818) 577-8480
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
September 19, 2006
Shushi Music School Society’s Third Annual Summer Camp a Success
The Shushi Music School Society was established in 1994. Its Mission
is to support the Daniel Ghazaryan School located in Shushi, in
the heart of Nagorno-Karabagh. This institution, with a current
student enrollment of 100, provides superior academic and music
instruction. The Society’s goal is to prepare the future intellectuals
and leaders of Shushi, once a vibrant cultural center of Artsakh.
With years of arduous work, and after surmounting many obstacles,
the Society was able to completely renovate the main building of the
school, where all the academic and music instruction takes place,
and construct a basketball court, a soccer field, a playground, a
concert hall, a library, a computer laboratory and cafeteria. This
was accomplished thanks to the support of various individuals and
organizations in the Diaspora who believe in the importance of the
existence of such an institution in this war devastated area.
The first summer camp was held in 2004. It generated so much enthusiasm
among the children of Shushi and the volunteers from Los Angeles
who helped to organize it, that the Board of Directors of the Shushi
Music School Society decided to make it a yearly event.
Summer Camp 2006 was held from July 10 to 18. A total of 14 volunteers
from Los Angeles, some high school students and some college students,
led the various daily activities for the 80 camp participants.
For some, this marked their second trip to Shushi.
Once again, the travel expenses of many of the student volunteers
were subsidized by various individuals and businesses in Los Angeles.
Daily activities at the camp included the traditional clinics and games
in basketball, volleyball and soccer, classes in English language,
computers, arts and crafts, and dance.
This year, a nurse and a dentist from Los Angeles accompanied the group
of volunteers to provide health services to the children of Shushi.
Most camp attendees received eye vision screening tests. Some of the
children were taken to Stepanakert to have prescription glasses made,
thanks to the generosity of our volunteer nurse. Lice checks were
performed and instructions on how to prevent lice were provided to
the parents.
The children also received free dental care by our volunteer dentist
who was given the opportunity to use the only dental clinic in Shushi,
which is fully sponsored by the Armenian Canadian Medical Association
of Ontario (ACMAO). She also gave a presentation on the importance
of maintaining proper oral hygiene.
Moreover, each camp attendee received toothbrushes and educational
pamphlets on dental care.
The summer camp is truly a source of joy and entertainment for the
children of Shushi who are given the opportunity to participate in
well organized activities and to further their knowledge in specific
areas. It provides them with the much needed change from the challenges
they face daily due to the economic constraints of the region. It is
also an invaluable life-altering experience for the young volunteers
from Los Angeles who undoubtedly are impacted by the chance they are
given to help and make a difference.
Tro DerSarkissian, a senior student attending Crescenta Valley High
School, who also participated to summer camp ’05, thus describes
the Daniel Ghazaryan School and its surroundings: "You’re driving
through war-torn streets with broken down homes and main streets that
require off-road vehicles to pass through. You see several wide-open
manholes that young children play alongside of. You ask yourself a
second time why you actually came here. Then, from the bottom of the
street, a mystical tune waves through your ears and reminds you of
what you’re actually here for. The walls of Daniel Ghazaryan School
of Music resonate to the harmonious sounds of Shushi’s youth. That’s
what I’m here for."
Sophomore UCLA student, Paleny Topjian, who gave instruction in
English and dance, gives the following description of her students:
"As young Armenians, interacting with the children inevitably stirs
up emotions in us. We see in them a thirst for knowledge, which
is unfortunately limited to them in so many ways. There is so much
talent hidden between the broken buildings and roads, that it fills
me with great joy to be able to provide an outlet for their creative
and intellectual abilities."
Maral DerSarkissian, a sophomore student attending U.C. Berkeley,
and who also volunteered her time to this project last year, reflects
on her last day in Shushi: "I will never forget the tears a child
cried the night before we left for Yerevan. His tears ushered forth
our own tears and staggering aches in our hearts. Knowing that you
can affect a child that deeply is worth more than words can tell.
We found new brothers and sisters in Shushi, and left them with
promises of our return. More than that, though, I think we all left
a piece of our hearts in Shushi."
For Terenig Topjian, a senior student enrolled at Cal State Northridge,
the summer camp experience was different from his many previous trips
to the Homeland. "My experience with this group was far different
in nature from my previous visits, which consisted of leisurely bus
rides to the routine tourist destinations. For about a week and a half
we interacted with the children of Shushi. We lived in the same war
torn city that these children grew up in.
We worked with them, played alongside them, and at the last day of the
camp we danced with them during the "khurakhjank." Such an experience
brought us much closer to understanding what life is truly like for
most of our fellow Armenians, something that no tour organized by a
travel agency and that no amount of sightseeing or brief encounters
with locals could give. Every Armenian should give himself or herself
the opportunity to leave the more visitor friendly streets of Yerevan’s
"Gendron" and get involved in one of the many voluntary, hands on
programs dedicated to serving the vast array of needs of the people
of Armenia."
On the final day of camp, the children and volunteers gathered in
the school’s Concert Hall. In her opening remarks, the school’s
principal, Mrs.
Gohar Mkrtchian, welcomed the guests and thanked the volunteers for
their time and effort. The spectators were then able to enjoy vocal
and dance performances, taught to the children during the week long
camp. In the second part of the program, the gifted students of the
Daniel Ghazaryan School demonstrated their outstanding skills in
music, by performing various traditional Armenian selections.
The Shushi Music School Society’s Board of Trustees would like to
thank all those individuals who have supported the organization’s
endeavors to date. For more information regarding the Society’s various
undertakings, including additional pictures about the summer camp,
or to make a tax-deductible donation for a specific project, you may
contact the Society by visiting its website at
or by writing to
Shushi Music School Society
6000 Topeka Dr.,
Tarzana, CA 91356.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
