ENCINO, Calif.—The Board of Regents of Prelacy Armenian Schools held its 2018-2019 Annual Professional Development Day conference on Saturday, October 6 at Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School.
Joining the Prelacy Armenian Schools and Preschools were teachers from our community’s other Armenian daily schools, namely the Armenian Sisters Academy, Sahag Mesrob Armenian Christian School, C. & E. Merdinian Armenian Evangelical School, AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School and St. Gregory A. & M. Hovsepian School, bringing the number of participants to more than 400.
Lisa Gaboudian, Chairwoman of the Board of Regents, welcomed all the educators to this year’s APDD and invited Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, to deliver the invocation. In his address, the prelate stated, “As teachers you know that teaching is not just a job; it is a calling that necessitates love, passion, patience, utmost care and devotion. Day in and day out you work with heart and soul to educate, enlighten, and enrich not just the minds, but the hearts and souls of our youth. As teachers in Armenian Schools, and in this Armenian Culture Month, especially, you have the added mission of ingraining love and reverence for our faith and heritage in the lives of our youth. You are one of the most valuable facets of society, for you can, and do, have a profound and lasting influence in the life of a child. Thus, I take this opportunity to convey my blessings and commendation to all of our educators who have committed themselves to this challenging yet most rewarding mission and who faithfully and diligently carry out their noble calling.”
Following Archbishop Mardirossian’s invocation, Chairwoman Gaboudian expressed her appreciation for the level of dedication and commitment from all the participants. She underscored the importance of “nurturing our next generation so they become successful Armenian American citizens of our society” and “incorporating moral values into the everyday curriculum.” Chairwoman Gaboudian closed her remarks by thanking the small group of secondary school Armenian language and literature teachers who had worked closely with the Board of Regents to create a multimedia Eastern and Western Armenian literature curriculum for grades 9-12.
- An unprecedented variety of topics were presented by experts in their own fields.
- Recognizing Developmental Delays and What to Do – Tamar Chorbadjian
- Building Positive Relationships Within the School Community – Madlen Aslanian
- How to Incorporate Music in the Classroom & How Students Learn Music at a Young Age – Garineh Avakian
- Applied Behavior Analysis: Concepts and Strategies for Behavior Management and Modification in the Classroom Setting – Pierre Diaz
- Applied Behavior Analysis: Concepts and Strategies for Behavior Management and Modification in the Classroom Setting – Sareen Nersis
- Student Engagement – Armineh Alexan Papazian
- Empowering Young Writers to Tell Our Shared History – Laura Michael
- Increasing Student Engagement – Gagik Galfayan & Patrick Davarhanian
- Create a Positive Learning Environment Through Mindful Meditation & Classroom Yoga – Sandra Halajian
- Using Technology in the Classroom – Mashelle Kirkman
- Bullying and Cyber Bullying – How to Recognize and Prevent – Laura Ourfalian
- Engaging Students in Next Generation Science – Zovig Minassian
- Everyone Matters: Fostering Positive School/Classroom Environments – Maxine Langdon Starr
- Myths & Realities about Bilingualism – Henriette Langdon
- Positive Approach with Students – Nora Chitilian
- Teaching with Testimony: Voices of the Armenian Genocide – Sedda Antekelian
- Բարոյախօսութիւնը եւ Դասապահը – Գերշ. Տ. Թորգոմ Եպս. Տօնոյեան
- Արուեստով Հայերէն Սորվինք – Թամար Թիւֆէնքճեան
In addition to the above workshops, the Board of Regents had reached out to Golnar Fozi of Meyers Fozi & Dwork Law Group to provide all Prelacy Armenian school teachers and staff with a Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, which is mandated by the state of California. As such, Ms. Fozi conducted a two-hour training to all attending educators.
Based on the positive feedback from the attendees, the Board of Regents is confident that this year’s conference was a tremendous success. The Annual Professional Development Day conference serves as a unique opportunity for educators of Armenian Schools to come together, get acquainted with one another, and share their experiences and expertise. These workshops are designed to further advance the educational knowledge of the participants, while expanding their horizons with innovative and new educational approaches.