Two teachers from Armenia will visit Pingree School in early February as part of the first exchange between an American independent school and an Armenian school.
After the visit by the Armenian teachers, Pingree’s Director of Multicultural Education Trina Gary and English teacher Michelle Ramadan will travel to Armenia to visit a school in Armenia in March. The teachers visiting from Armenia and those from Pingree will spend time in each other’s classrooms with students and faculty, sharing culture, history, pedagogy, philosophies of education and more for nearly two weeks. The exchange was facilitated by Jack and Eva Medzorian of Winchester who worked with the staff and administration of Pingree School on the project.
To introduce Pingree students, faculty and staff to Armenian culture and history, an exhibit and assembly are planned at Pingree for January. In the cabinet in the main lobby will be many objects from Armenia including jewelry, carved and ceramic vases and bowls, dolls, miniature models of churches and musical instruments, handmade lace, and other items. These are on loan from the private collection of the Medzorians.
On display boards in the library will be photographs from Project SAVE Armenian Photographic Archives in Watertown. These photographs represent life in Armenia before and after 1915, as well as Armenian American life in the United States.
In the library will be several fiction and non-fiction books from the private collection of John Soursourian of Beverly whose wife, Judith Klein, is director of communications and marketing at Pingree. Soursourian’s father was born in Armenia when it was part of the Ottoman Empire.
At an assembly on Jan. 10, Ruth Thomasian of Project SAVE will project the photographs and discuss their significance and the power of seeking and discovering one’s family roots. Her presentation will be followed by a screening of the trailer of a film by Nubar and Abby Alexanian of Gloucester who have traveled to old Armenia to document their family roots. They will talk about their venture and goals. Nubar is a renowned photographer whose work has appeared in many books and periodicals including the National Geographic magazine.
