AGBU’s American Century
A hundred years of expansion, community development, and contribution
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May 12, 2015
AGBU Vatche and Tamar Manoukian High School and AGBU Pasadena-Glendale Chapter Commemorate the Armenian Genocide through Art
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AGBU MHS students, alumni, parents, faculty and staff before the March for Justice on April 24, 2015. -
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Candlelight vigil at the AGBU MHS on April 23, 2015. -
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Artwork by MHS 12th grader Michelle Ganian (left). -
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(left to right) AGBU MHS Principal Armine Movsisyan, AGBU Western District Committee of the United States Chairperson Talin Yacoubian and AGBU Pasadena-Glendale Chairman Hrant Vartzbedian.
April 21, 2015 marked the opening night of “We Are the Monument,” a weeklong exhibition on Armenian art, history and culture organized by students at the AGBU Vatche and Tamar Manoukian High School (MHS) and by the AGBU Pasadena-Glendale chapter. The students’ artwork illustrated 4,000 years of Armenian art with paintings, recreations of relics, architecture and original pieces in honor of the centenary. The exhibit was the brainchild of the MHS students themselves who approached the administration at the beginning of the school year with the idea in the hopes of showing the community the beauty of Armenian language and culture.
On April 23, the AGBU Pasadena Glendale chapter held a candlelight vigil before the canonization of the victims of the Armenian Genocide as part of the weeklong exhibition. In her welcome address, AGBU MHS Principal Armine Movsisyan noted the importance of the students acting as “living, breathing and demanding monuments,” examples of survival and perseverance for present and future generations of Armenians. “Today is a very emotional, solemn and inspirational evening as everyone comes together as the living monuments of our shared history with hope for a prosperous future,” said Movsisyan. On behalf of the Armenian department that organized the exhibition, MHS Armenian teacher Lora Kuyumjian explained the origins of the exhibition and its symbolism: “Through this exhibition, the students grasped the foundations and development of their identity.”
During the vigil, MHS students Michele Raad and Vahe Yacoubian provided an in-depth review of the significance of Armenian Genocide monuments around the world followed by poetry recitations by MHS students Rita Miwalian and Taleen Nazarian. Talin Yacoubian, the chairperson of the AGBU Western District Committee of the United States, offered inspiring words about Armenian identity and addressed the route that led the Armenian people into the diaspora. The crowd then walked toward the MHS genocide memorial to place flowers and light candles one last time, as MHS student Maral Kurdian sang “Der Voghormia.” At the end of the ceremony, organized by AGBU Pasadena-Glendale chairman Hrant Vartzbedian, the crowd walked toward the exhibit to enjoy the students’ artwork.
The following day, MHS students and staff joined 160,000 demonstrators at the March for Justice in Hollywood. As certain students were marching, others were representing the school by cycling across the United States as part of the LA2DC campaign to raise awareness about bringing an end to genocide around the world: “The awareness of the importance of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide inspired us to show how we feel and how we understand that we are a part of something much bigger than ourselves. We are setting a path for our generation to take a stand right now,” said MHS students Elias Atme and Nicolas Yepremian.
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