‘I am Armenian’

Elementary school’s new Clovis location won’t change its Armenian-English
curriculum.

The Fresno Bee
By James Guy
04/06/07

(Picture Caption)
Holding high the Armenian tricolor, Careen DerKalousdian and Razmig
Markarian, both 3, recited the poem, "Hye Em Yes" (I am Armenian), in a
performance that seemed to capture the spirit of the Armenian Community
School of Fresno.

The elementary school, which is proud of its bilingual Armenian-English
curriculum and its ranking on achievement tests, is the only Armenian school
between the Bay Area and Los Angeles.

It’s also on the move — a Tower District fixture since 2001, the school
plans to relocate to Clovis in the fall because St. Therese Catholic Church
is renovating church grounds, leaving no room for the school.

The school’s new location won’t mean a change of academic direction,
Principal Rosie Bedrosian said; instilling an appreciation for the Armenian
culture is an essential element of the school’s goals.

"We want them to know their roots and where they came from so they don’t
forget who they are," she said.

The school does that through the classroom, celebrating important dates in
Armenian history and through talent shows like the one in which the
preschoolers recited the poem.

About 90 students attend Armenian Community, which has classes from
preschool through sixth grade. Students spend about an hour a day studying
the Armenian language and heritage in addition to regular elementary school
subjects.

School officials tout the school’s academic performance: each year, grades
one through six collectively rank in the upper 20th percentile on the
Stanford Nine Achievement test, which measures aptitude in reading, language
arts, math, science and social science, according to Randy Baloian, chairman
of the school board.

Kindergarten teacher Jackie Chekerdemian credits much of that to small class
sizes.

"There is lots of one-on-one teaching, because there are only 11 in the
class," she said of her students.

In Chekerdemian’s class, Michael Mazman, 5, recently focused on an Armenian
alphabet workbook.

"Look at my writing," he said proudly to a visitor.

Asked to choose between which of two alphabets he enjoyed more, English or
Armenian, Michael did not hesitate.

"I like the Armenian," he said.

The 36-letter alphabet was developed by Mesrob Mashdots in the late fourth
century, language teacher Maral Markarian said. Two more letters have been
added to the modern alphabet. Like Michael, other students at the school
said they liked the alphabet’s elegant flowing letters.

"Armenian is more fun to write in," said Arthur Basmajian, 9.

"It’s more challenging," said Nareg Apkarian, 8.

The various backgrounds of students at Armenian Community are a reflection
of the Armenian diaspora. Some of the students’ parents were refugees from
the Lebanese civil war between warring Christian and Muslim factions in the
1970s.

Other students’ parents arrived from Iran after the overthrow of the Shah in
the late 1970s. Still another wave of students came to the U.S. in the
aftermath of a catastrophic 1988 earthquake in Armenia that killed nearly
50,000 and left 500,000 homeless.

Other students come from families who arrived in the first Armenian
migration in the early 20th century.

Since the children come from different parts of the world, the students
become familiar with two different dialects. Those from Lebanon and the
Middle East speak the western dialect. Those from Armenia speak the eastern.

The circuitous routes leading to Fresno are also reflected in faculty
histories. Principal Bedrosian’s Russian family was among Armenians on the
Black Sea coast who were forced by German occupiers during World War II to
become forced laborers in Germany. After the war, her family came as
refugees to Fresno.

Markarian, the language teacher, is a survivor of the Lebanese Civil War.

"We were caught in the middle," she said. "We suffered a lot."

She said the school carries on an Armenian tradition that has led to
Armenian churches in far-flung locations such as Singapore. "Wherever
Armenians go, the first thing they will do is build a church and a school,"
she said.

One of the first poems Markarian teaches is based on the history of St.
Vartan, a hero to the Armenian people. Historically, Persians and Armenians
enjoyed fraternal relations, but when a Persian emperor demanded Armenians
renounce Christianity and adopt Zoroastrianism, Armenians under Vartan
refused.

Vartan was slain in the ensuing battle and the Armenians were defeated by an
overwhelming force of Persians equipped with war elephants. But the
Armenians were able to keep their Christianity.

The poem proclaims, "I am Armenian. I am Armenian. I am the grandson of
Brave Vartan."

A relocation of the school to Clovis would be the fourth move since the
school began in 1976 in the basement of Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic
Church on Ventura and M Streets in downtown Fresno. Four years later, it
moved to Fresno Street and Weldon Avenue, then to the St. Therese site in
2001.

Baloian, of the school board, said the Clovis location is on a 21/2-acre lot
near Herndon and Willow avenues. Plans call for placing temporary school
classrooms on the site. School officials also hope to eventually offer
seventh- and eighth-grade classes as they once did.

The reporter may be reached at jguy@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6339.