HOVNANIAN SCHOOL’S SECRET: TO LEARN WITH LOVE AND NOT UNDER COMPULSION

Noyan Tapan
April 30, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 30, NOYAN TAPAN. It is several years benefactor
Vahagn Hovnanian, the Chairman of the Hovnanian International and
some other companies, organizes a visit to Armenia for pupils and
latter-day leavers of Hovnanian College founded by him in U.S. city
of New Milford, New Jersey state, in 1976. As V. Hovnanian said in
his interview to Noyan Tapan correspondent, this year also the school
pupils were in Armenia from April 19 to May 1. This visit was a unique
present by the parents of school leavers to their children.

This year’s travel plan of American Armenian children was also large:
Amberd church, Byurakan Observatory, Oshakan, where Mesrop Mashtots,
the inventor of the Armenian alphabet, is buried, Tsakhkadzor, Lake
Sevan, Dilijan orphanage, Etchmiadzin, Sardarapat, Matenadaran,
on April 24 to the Memorial of victims of Armenian Genocide
(Tsitsernakaberd), Khor Virap, Noravank, Artsakh, Lori (House-Museum of
Hovhannes Tumanian, Haghpat, Sanahin), Garni, Geghard, House-Museum of
S. Parajanov. The children were impressed, they asked many questions,
which, according to Hovnanian College teacher Azat Kalajian, mainly
regarded history and culture of Armenia.

The children were accompanied by school teachers. Armenian
language teacher Silva Mesropian has been working at the college
for 23 years. She and her children have also attended Hovnanian
College. According to her, but for this college, "many generations
would be lost, as every minute they struggle against waves of
a huge sea, for the children living in the Diaspora to remain
Armenian." According to S. Mesropian, study is free in American
schools, but Armenians strive for taking their children to Armenian
colleges. Any parent wishes his child to receive Armenian upbringing,
and in America, according to the teacher, one has to struggle every
minute for his child to remain Armenian. Such visits to the homeland
are organized for the very purpose.

S. Mesropian said that 220 children attend the college at present. This
year the college will have 16 leavers.

H. Hovnanian said that the U.S. Education Department has given a
conclusion that Hovnanian School works at the highest level. In
his words, once every ten years the above mentioned department’s
commission studies correspondence of schools to education and
management standards. In 1997 the commission had given many tasks
to the school and gave a positive conclusion about their fulfilment
already during the 2007 visit. Besides, the commission has proposed
school administration sharing the secrets of successful management
to spread that experience throughout the United States. While,
according to V. Hovnanian, "the secret is learning with love and not
under compulsion."

Many of Hovnanian School leavers after studying at authoritative
universities return to the school already as teachers, many teach
at universities, take high posts, and are successfully engaged in
business.