‘I AM ARMENIAN’
By James Guy / The Fresno Bee
Fresno Bee , CA
April 6 2007
Elementary school’s new Clovis location won’t change its
Armenian-English curriculum.
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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.
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