How did the US Founding Fathers ensure a fair and balanced central government? What is the role of citizens in a representative democracy? When did Armenians begin immigrating to the US and who was the first Armenian known to have moved to America? Why do we punish criminals? These and other questions regarding US society, culture, values, and institutions were answered during an event hosted by the students of the 11th and 12th grades of Mkhitar Sebastatsi Educational Complex high school on November 18, 2022, to wrap up “The USA in a nutshell” project presentation. The event brought together leading practitioners in the education sector – guests from EducationUSA, PH International and Armenian English Language Teachers’ Association (AELTA), interested teachers and students, as well as members of EducationUSA Competitive College Club and European Youth Parliament Armenia to celebrate the traditional Sebastatsi Days and International Education Week with the project team.
Angelina Hakobyan, host of the event introduced the aim of the project, namely to generate interest and raise intercultural awareness about the country of the language studied at school and the project team.
Under the sounds of the US national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Tigran Harutyunyan read the founding document of the United States, the Declaration of Independence. Karine Gomtsyan and Shushan Pashinyan’s presentation Through the USA focused on the US coat of arms and Stars and Stripes, the national flag of the USA. Meri Yeremyan carried on, presenting other symbols of the USA, such as the Statue of Liberty, Uncle Sam, animal symbols for political parties and the Liberty Bell.
The keynote address, the Branches of Government was delivered by Ilona Sahakyan, who explored the separation of powers and the checks and balances system. Ilona has been interested in the topic since she attended RA National Assembly Summer School this August.
It was followed by Shushan Pashinyan’s presentation who addressed her cherished issue: Citizenship and Democracy. Karine Gomtsyan came up with her distinguished speech, revealing Armenian Community in the US. Nare Navasardyan, who is an ardent fan of music reflected on US Music. At the long-awaited coffee break, Anahit Asatryan and friends treated the participants to the snacks they had made in the school kitchen.
During the second part of the presentation Amalia Zakaryan and Arax Kalijyan presented Americans’ favorite National Holidays, Angelina Hakobyan spoke about the US cities: New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago. Tigran Harutyunyan brought NASA into focus, drawing parallels between cutting-edge space research in Armenia. Arax Kalijyan came up with her favorite topic Crime and Punishment, trying to answer how punishment could work to create a better society. Her presentation was based on statistics. Since Arax was much interested in law, she was advised by Mariam Martirosyan, Armenia Country Director at PH International (Project Harmony) to study Probation Service in Armenia. Last but not least was Arshil Khachatryan’s provoking presentation on the October surprise.
Marianna Manukyan, an 11th grader from Irina Apoyan’s class marked in her blog post: “I want to say that I liked the presentation, all the topics were interesting and amazing, everything was well-organized and our special guests were listened to with pleasure.”
Yura Ganjalyan, the Head of the European and Regional Languages Department of Mkitar Sebastatsi Educational Complex wrote an article on the event, which was published on the school’s website. In particular, he wrote: “Actually this is an informative project. Learners study the characteristics and various aspects of the United States: values, symbols, history, economy, law, education, science, culture – art, music, movie making, literature, holidays, branches of government, sports, national cuisine, and prepare short presentations about these aspects.”
Inna Ghabulyan, EducationUSA Adviser at American Councils for International Education stated in her address: “The series of sessions in the framework of “The USA in a nutshell” is a great occasion for students to learn more about the US, and understand its history, values, and culture. This undoubtedly helps students to boost their level of English as well as public speaking, research, and presentation skill. So, once again, thank you for your hard work and dedication!”
Mariam Martirosyan noted: “I’ve been in hundreds of schools across Armenia and rarely have I witnessed and enjoyed such autonomy of students as I’ve seen in Mkhitar Sebastatsi Educational Complex. Thoughtful teamwork and creativity coupled with the excellent English skills demonstrated by the students made this event truly memorable for me. I’d like to thank Sebastatsi students for their efforts towards a culture of excellence, and also would like to thank Nune Aydinyan, their English teacher, for supporting her students’ self-paced learning and independent work.”
Meri Arakelyan, AELTA Vice-President, who was a graduate of the EduCompex mentioned: “It felt great to attend the event and meet the talented students who did their best to present the U.S. to the best of their knowledge and skills, by using impressive English and creative digital tools. Way to go, Mkhitar Sebastatsi EduComplex students and teachers! Thank you for allowing me to be part of the event!” She also gave the students valuable pieces of advice for their further research.
About the project team
We are 11th and 12th-grade English class students at Mkhitar Sebastatsi Educational Complex high school. Our school offers student-centered, project-based learning. We are involved in school clubs and extra-curricular activities. We are good campers and travelers and take part in various competitions, festivals, assemblies, exhibitions and other school events. We like science, IT, music, sports, art and crafts, debating and cookery. We have a representative at School Council, a Member of the Public Council on the Rights of Children and Youth adjunct to the Human Rights Defender, and a Founder of an Educational Complex. Some of us are from the school Zenith Band, Akner Folk Group, Drama Circle, Cookery and Free Speech Clubs. We are also fond of learning foreign languages. Besides English and Russian, we learn regional languages Georgian, Turkish, and Persian, as well as European languages Spanish, French, German, and Italian. We learn Arabic and Chinese as well. Some of us go in for various sports, to music schools, others to Tumo Center for Creative Technologies. Some of us are EducationUSA Armenia’s Competitive College Club (CCC), and European Youth Parliament (EYP) Armenia members. We take part in Jinishian Memorial Foundation’s debate club projects and Yerevan State University’s Student Conferences. We are also fond of volunteering.
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