Armenian Academy at Blair Students March to Remember Armenian Genocide

On Friday, April 22, the Armenian Academy at Blair organized a march to the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial to commemorate the first genocide of the twentieth century.

In 1915, in an attempt to annihilate the Armenian population, the Ottoman Turks systematically killed 1.5 million Christian Armenian men, women and children.

To honor the victims of these atrocities, the Academy students marched the nearly two-mile route from Blair to Memorial Park. They were joined on the march by PUSD Board of Education President Dr. Elizabeth Pomeroy and PUSD Board member Scott Phelps. Joining the group at the memorial for the program was Superintendent Dr. Brian McDonald, PUSD Board Members Jennifer Hall Lee and Michelle Bailey, Past PUSD Board Member Roy Boulghourjian, Blair High and Middle School Principal David Ibarra and Webster Elementary Principal Kristin Forrest.

Maro Yacoubian, the Chair of the Armenian Academy Advisory Board, who was instrumental in the Armenian Academy’s creation, was in attendance to welcome the guests, parents and students. She was joined by fellow Advisory Board member Goldie Galstjan.

The program included student performances from both the Armenian Academy at Blair and Webster Elementary School. The students recited poetry and sang songs in both Armenian and English.

The program began with each student laying a flower at the foot of the memorial.

Superintendent McDonald delivered a touching opening speech as he impressed upon all the importance of recognizing the atrocities committed against the Armenians. Failure to reflect, McDonald told the students, only opens the doors for continued heinous violations against humanity as is currently being seen in Ukraine.

Dr. Pomeroy upon addressing the crowd, also made it clear that man’s inhumanity to man must not be tolerated, and she thanked the students and families for attending the commemoration.

Norayr Daduryan, the Armenian Academy director along with teacher Linda Kandilian Blair Community Assistant Taleen Nazarian, Webster Elementary Instructional Coach Arpy Khrolpian created the program.

Sopranist Maral Kurdian, the director for the Armenian Academy Choir, ended the program with a hymn dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide.