It has been nearly 15 years since the Haiastan Armenian non-governmental/cultural/enlightening organization of the Tyumen Oblast of the Russian Federation established an Armenian one-day school.

For the past year, the school has been based in the newly built building of the Mesrop Mashtots Armenian Cultural Center thanks to the efforts of President of Haiastan NGO Hamlet Pashayan and benefactors Samvel and Sergo Stepanyan. The building is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment.

With this beautiful gift, the president of the organization and the benefactors provided the school with the opportunity to organize the education of Armenian children and young people and preserve the national identity at a higher level. It also helped increase the number of students (there are currently about 150 students). In addition to lessons on Armenian language, literature, history and native studies, the Armenian cultural center also has clubs for those interested in theater, fine arts, Armenian folk songs and dances and Armenian national instruments (duduk, dhol).

One of the best traditions of the cultural center is the organizing and conduct of open lessons and events during which the teachers don’t spare any effort to make the events interesting and meaningful.

On 19 March, director of the Armenian folk dance group Alyona Zikova conducted another open lesson attended by the cultural center’s teachers, parents and guests. The children had worked hard and rehearsed with a high sense of responsibility. The results of the director’s hard work were clear to see and satisfying. The guests left with great impressions, expectations and the hope to return.

It is also appropriate to  mention the other disciplinary and instructive lessons and events devoted to preservation of the national identity, including the events entitled “Yerevan is the capital of Armenia”, “155^th birth anniversary of Krikor Zohrab”, “Christmas” (teacher A. Poghosyan), “Poems of Avetik Isahakyan” (teacher R. Danielyan, senior Russian-language group), “Birth of the Armenian Army” (teacher M. Hambaryan), “Duduk: National Wonder” (teacher N. Musoyan), “National Instruments” (teachers N. Musoyan and R. Sarukhanyan), Back to Our Rots” (teacher S. Simonyan) and the performance of the play “Kaj Nazar” (Brave Nazar) by the members of the theater club (director B. Tadevosyan).

Such lessons and events arm Armenian children with a vast amount of knowledge about the past, present, customs and traditions of the homeland and remarkable Armenians.

Ruzanna Danielyan