GLENDALE—After a year of meticulous planning and extensive research, a new Armenian Language Instruction program will be implemented at Chamlian Armenian School beginning this fall. The program’s mission, titled “The Saroyan Project,” was to develop and implement an Armenian language program that would follow a new instructional approach – one that would adopt a contemporary curriculum with creative and effective teaching methodologies.
To develop the program, the School Administration formed a committee consisting of members from UCLA’s Armenian Department, including Dr. Talar Chahinian-Mahroukian, Ms.Shushan Garabedian, and Ms. Myrna Douzjan, as well as Chamlian’s Western and Eastern Armenian Department Chairpersons, Ms. Arax Zarzavatjian and Mr. Saro Nazarian respectively.
“We are truly excited and hope that the program will be successful and appreciated,” said project director, Dr. Talar Chahinian-Mahroukian. She added, “We will start with grade one for now and propagate gradually to other grades.” Principal Vazken Madenlian proudly stated, “The Committee has performed an outstanding job and we are excited to move on to next phase as we implement the program.”
This is very exciting news. I hope that Principal Madenlian will share this new pedagogy with all other Armenian schools throughout the country, including the Saturday/Sunday schools. It is time that the Armenian schools catch up to the American schools in changing the way they teach so that the teaching will be more effective. This is an especially critical in terms of teaching Armenian language.