U.S. students learning about Armenian Genocide

PanARMENIAN.Net - Efforts to introduce an Armenian Genocide curriculum throughout high schools north of Boston are gaining impetus, Lowell Sun reports.



The latest schools to take part are Wilmington and Tewksbury, where students have immersed themselves in the education process and have acquired knowledge and understanding of countries, like Armenia, that have endured massacre and hardship throughout their history.



At Wilmington, juniors and seniors, under the tutelage of Maura Tucker and Lisa Lucia, are utilizing the text, Facing History and Ourselves. The semester was launched by a guest appearance from 101-year-old survivor Ojen Mazmanian, who rendered a personal account of her escape from Ottoman Turkish hordes.



Planting the seed are members of the Armenian Genocide Curriculum Committee of Merrimack Valley, headed by Dro Kanayan, who laid out the groundwork at the schools



"Students who participate in this interdisciplinary course will achieve academic, personal and social growth," Wilmington Instructor Lisa Lucia said. "Using the Holocaust and genocide as case studies, students will examine the origins of these atrocities, the role ordinary students played and what we can do today to prevent these crimes from happening again."



Appearing before the students were committee members Tom Vartabedian and Albert Movsesian, who covered everything from the genocide to history, geography, Armenian community in the U.S., literature and contributions to world civilization.



The students were also given a lesson on how to interview a survivor. One project that will be activated is an appeal to the U.S. Postal Service to commemorate a Genocide stamp reflecting "man's inhumanity toward man."



"We will make an appeal to the postmaster general and ever President Obama if necessary," Lucia said. "The Armenians deserve to be recognized with a stamp, and we shall empower our youth to step forward in this mission."