500 Armenian School Educators Participate in Board of Regents Annual Professional Development Conference

The 2024-2025 Annual Professional Development Day conference was organized by the Board of Regents of Prelacy Armenian Schools on Saturday, October 19 and hosted by Holy Martyrs Ferrahian Armenian School in Encino.

Alongside the Prelacy Armenian Schools and Preschools, this year teachers and faculty from the following Armenian schools attended the conference: Charlotte & Elise Merdinian Armenian Evangelical School, Armenian Sisters Academy, AGBU Manoogian Demirdjian School, and ARS Saturday Schools.

The annual APDD conference, which has been running for twenty-five years, attracted a record number of 500 educators this year. Alongside educators, also in attendance were Western Prelate Archbishop Kegham Khacherian, George Chorbajian, Secretary of the Executive Council of the Western Prelacy, Very Rev. Fr. Zareh Sarkissian, Dean of St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church of Glendale, and Archpriest Fr. Razmig Khatchadourian, Pastor of Holy Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church of Encino.

Western Prelate Archbishop Kegham Khacherian opened the conference with a prayer and delivered a message of blessing. He welcomed Armenian daily school educators to this valuable gathering which has become a tradition in the Western Region of the United States.

HE expressed his admiration by stating, “Attending this event for the first time is truly a remarkable and inspiring experience. This gathering demonstrates the enduring strength and resilience of the Armenian community in this region in preserving and promoting our national identity. This gathering of educators also serves as a clear indicator of the value this region places on our national education and the Armenian school structure.”

The Prelate reflected on his first sermon delivered in the Western Region as the new Prelate of the Western Prelacy, where he described the Western Prelacy as a benefactor Prelacy. He declared that alongside being deemed a benefactor Prelacy, the Western Prelacy should also be deemed as a School loving and School building region.

In closing, Prelate Khacherian emphasized the valuable role educators play.

“Dear educators, teachers and staff, today’s unique gathering serves as a reminder that the hearts and minds of present and future generations are in your hands. Our parents have entrusted their children’s Armenian education to our schools and to you as educators, placing great faith in your abilities. We are confident that our children are in capable hands and we trust in your commitment to our educational mission,” the Prelate said.

The Prelate’s message was followed by opening remarks by Dr. Hasmig Baran, member of the Board of Regents of Prelacy Armenian Schools. Dr. Baran welcomed the educators expressed her appreciation for their dedicated service and the commitment to their students.

Dr. Baran emphasized that it was truly a remarkable sight to see around 500 valued educators come together to exchange new ideas, share best practices, and reinforce their commitment to student success.

“Let’s make today an inspiring day forward in our collective journey as educators. We are all aware of the challenges that educators face including teacher burnout, the growing demand of personalized learning, balancing between digital and traditional learning environments and supporting student mental health and emotional well-being, while maintaining academic rigor. Despite these challenges you have remained dedicated to promoting student success,” said Baran.

“The Board of Regents of Prelacy Armenian Schools is fully committed to doing everything in its power to ensure the continued success of our schools by investing in innovative educational practices while upholding the values that define our mission,” Baran concluded.

Sarkis Ourfalian, Chairperson of the Board of Regents of Prelacy Armenian Schools, expressed his appreciation for this year’s keynote speaker, Mr. Sam Simonian, the founder of the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies and the current president of the AGBU.
Simonian focused his keynote address on his personal experiences, his upbringing, his role and involvement in co-founding Inet Technologies and TUMO, and the revolution and impact of AI on education and our society.

Following the keynote speech, a special ceremony was held where 11 Armenian Subject Teachers from Prelacy Armenian Schools were acknowledged for their participation and successful completion of the virtual global professional development program for Armenian Subject Teachers, organized by the Caloust Gulbenkian Foundation and hosted by the Board of Regents of Prelacy Armenian Schools. This program spanned over three years and consisted of bi-monthly workshops held on Saturdays. The teachers who were recognized included Arpi Dabaghian, Hasmig Demirjian, Sevan Kekejian, Maggie Khacadourian, Maggie Yahyeyian, Shoghig Libarian, line Kavafian, Zepur Ohanessian, Sonnig Avedissian, Sossi Margossian and Ermioni Hagopian.

The agenda of the day was divided into two sessions. The first breakout session was scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to noon and included 17 workshops, during which the following topics were presented:

1. AI in Education: Tools and Hands-On Learning by Nare Avagyan & Raffi Krikorian.
2. Bullying & Cyberbullying by Ofelia Oundjian, LMFT.
3. Hidden Dangers of Substance Abuse Among by Dr. Violet Hovsepian Mesrkhani.
4. Engagement Instructional Strategies by Talar Topalian.
5. The Age of AI by Avedis Ekmekjian.
6. Self-Care & Social Emotional Well Being by Laura Ourfalian, LCSW.
7. Cybersecurity and Data Privacy: Best Practices for Safe Use of Educational Technology in Schools by Suren Hazarian.
8. Classroom Management: Theory & Practice for Maintaining an Engaged & Productive Learning Environment by Dr. Tamar Bourian-Manuelian.
9. Christian Education & Character Formation by Very Rev. Fr. Zareh Sarkissian.
10. Success and Brain Health by Dr. Megerdich Gezalyan.
11. Supporting the Social Emotional and Behavioral Needs of Students by Fimi Haddadian.
12. K-12 Math Education: Integrating Statistics and Machine Learning into the Classroom by Alex Kotolian.
13. «Սոկրատեան Սեմինար եւ Առցանց Հայերէն Դասածրագիր» by Kevork Sarkissian.
14. «Աշխատանոցի Միջոցաւ Լեզուի Իւրացում՝ PBLL-ի Ձեւաչափն ու Կիրառումը» by Dr. Marie Dakessian.
15. Imagination Ignited by Vivian Belmont.
16. «Ձեռք Ձեռքի» եւ Գործնական-Խօսակցական Դասածրագիր by Sevan Kekejian.
17. Creating Fun-Loving, Well-Disciplined Classrooms: Strategies for Teachers by Nora Chitilian, LMFT.

The seventeen workshops were repeated following a lunch break between 12:45 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. along with an additional workshop presented by Dr. Carla Kekejian on recognizing the signs and symptoms of autism and related neuro-developmental disorders. This allowed participants to take part in multiple workshops that they found interesting.

The Board of Regents deemed this year’s APDD conference as highly successful. The Annual Professional Development Day conference has become an annual tradition where our teachers can participate in educational workshops presented by professionals in their respective fields. These workshops aim to enhance the educational knowledge of the participants and introduce them to innovative and new educational approaches.

The Annual Professional Development Day conference organized by the Board of Regents of Prelacy Armenian Schools also provides a unique opportunity for educators from Armenian daily schools to meet, connect, and exchange ideas and experiences with each other.