ST. STEPHEN’S ARMENIAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TURNS SETBACKS INTO ADVANTAGES
Now into its 36th year, St. Stephen’s longtime principal Houry Boyamian, accompanied by Rev. Archpriest Antranig Baljian opened the new school year remotely on September 14, greeting students and teachers.
The Principal’s Office worked very hard this summer to create the best learning and working conditions possible for the students and teachers in this pandemic, taking into consideration the CDC, EEC and DESE guidelines. In their efforts they were supported by COVID-19 Advisory Task Force, as well as by the Education and Health Committees.
The school started the year with the following models:
-At the Preschool: In-person teaching five days a week
-At the Kindergarten: In-person four days and one day remote teaching.
-At the Elementary Grades they had two models: 100% remote or hybrid (two days in-person teaching and remote teaching on three days). On October 19, this model changed to 4-day in-person and 1-day remote.
The school hired additional support staff to satisfy the demands created by COVID 19
The school staff also held remote meetings with class parents to present the unique circumstances created by the pandemic this year and the measures adopted to tackle these challenges.
Armenian Culture Day Celebration
St. Stephen’s students marked Armenian Culture Day with a rich program, which included a presentation by Mrs. Boyamian of the different facets of culture; a film about the creation of the Armenian alphabet, and a talent show with violin and piano performances, singing and drawing, mostly with Armenian themes. The celebration was closed with a movie about the Kochari dance, which also served as a tutorial for students.
Christmas
The school has also begun planning a remote program to celebrate Christmas virtually. The program will include songs, poems and artwork dedicated to Christmas and the New Year.
Fundraising for Artsakh
Students gathered $5,776 in a fundraiser to support Artsakh. With the contributions of the school board and staff, the final donation totaled $10,000.
In addition to the fundraiser, the students started a drive to write letters and send drawings to our soldiers wounded at the frontlines or recovering from their injuries.