By Mikaela STONE

The Glendale Unified School District celebrated the spirit of Armenian resilience with an art and culture display for Armenian American Heritage month at Hoover High School. The event showcased the talents of Armenian students across the school district and provided a platform for community role models. 

Both the Clark Magnet and Glendale high school Armenian clubs showed up to fundraise in the auditorium lobby, offering concessions, bookmarks depicting the Armenian alphabet and necklaces. Funds raised by both clubs are dedicated for humanitarian aid in Armenia and to help displaced citizens of Artsakh. Through dance events and the annual Genocide Commemoration event, this year on April 23, the Glendale High club members keep in touch with their culture and spirit of patriotism.

Davit of the Clark Magnet Club defines such patriotic ideologies as “putting the homeland over yourself, not being selfish as much as giving. After you’re gone, that is what is left.” 

Also showcased in the lobby were pieces from the Committee for Armenian Students in Public Schools art competition, depicting figures such as the Armenian composer Komitas and symbols such as the tree of life and the pomegranate. 

The assembly kicked off with the presentation of the colors by the Glendale chapter of the Homenetmen Glendale Ararat Scouts while GUSD high schoolers Lily Tanossian and Alex Kalantaryan presided as masters of ceremonies. From there, filmmaker and journalist Ani Hovannisian Kevorkian took the stage to discuss her family history and her documentary, “The Hidden Map,” detailing her quest to find elements of Armenian history in modern day Eastern Turkey to prove that “as much as they try to get rid of us, it doesn’t happen. They cannot hide the truth.”

Hovannisian’s family moved to Ukraine to escape the genocide only to be forced into Nazi work camps during World War II. Ever resilient, the camp members turned their prison into a Little Armenia, working to preserve their culture and make life better for future generations. Hovannisian’s parents displayed this same tenacity in their own lives as hardworking role models for her; Richard Hovannisian preserved Armenian history forgotten within archives and became a teacher and an author while Dr. Vartiter Kotcholosian-Hovannisian was one of two women in her class to become a physician.

Ani Hovannisian’s offered this advice for young Armenian children – the same advice her grandparents gave her: “Live with honor the life they did not have.”

Hovannesian was not the only professional to speak; students Nelin Gharpetian and Andrew Shahvosian interviewed Los Angeles City College Vice President of Student Services Alen Andriassian, Kaiser Permanente Colorectal surgeon and doctor Armen Aboulian, Netflix director of Film Publicity Teni Karapetian, and Balboa Elementary School Principal Dr. Sona Arakelyan.

Aboulian noted that as an Armenian he got used to having to put in extra effort, which created a work ethic that served him well in medical school. Arakelyan concurred, adding, “When everything comes easy it’s not fun … you fail, you get up.”

When asked how she had contributed to the Armenian community, Karapetian recognized it was a question she had originally struggled with, wondering whether her “Armenian-ness” was enough. However, she recognizes how she has helped her culture on a granular level, by teaching her children her heritage and giving opportunities in the entertainment industry where she had been overlooked. Andriassian believes that how one acts in their life positions reflects on their community.

He added, “If we expect others to believe our genocide and embrace our culture, we need to uplift others.”

Contributing to his own role in society, Andriassian will be defending his dissertation next month. As for advice for present students, each panelist confirmed that the most important thing is to stay true to oneself and one’s goals. Karapetian added that all one has is their reputation and relationships –and both require cultivation. 

While each of the speakers boasted admirable achievements, the highlight of the GUSD event was the students themselves taking up the torch to keep Armenian traditions alive. Dancing, singing and recitations of poetry showcased how much effort these children had devoted to their performances. Students from R.D. White Elementary School’s Armenian Dual Language Immersion program danced to a series of Armenian folk songs. They were clad in gold and red, which drew attention to the dance’s graceful hand movements.

Two students from Clark Magnet High, Caitlin Keshish and Gianna Asadorian, danced the Shalakho as a duet, complementing one another with their high energy. Alongside the traditional dances, students uplifted classic Armenian instruments with a performance of the woodwind duduk and Sonata Music School students showed off dozens of skilled dhol drummers and an ensemble of qanun players – including a little girl so tiny her instrument stood as tall as she. On the piano, Leona Isakhanyan of Crescenta Valley High School paid homage to Armenian “People’s Artist” by playing his song “Melody,” tackling the complex piece with skill. While all the singers performed with talent, two students stood out in particular: Diana Karapetyan of Hoover High School, who performed Keler Tsoler by Komitas with swooping swanlike vocals that sounded almost operatic, and Angelina Herapetian of Balboa Elementary School, who sang Armenian folk song “Kilikia” with a voice well trained beyond her years. “Kilikia” is a song that stirs hope for “when the winter will leave … our graceful Armenian country.”

This hope resounded in each of the performances with love for Armenia, Cicilia and Artsakh.