A group of graduating students from the Armenian Relief Society Armenian Private School in Toronto visited Armenia under the supervision of the principal, Raffi Sarkissian
The “Eye for an Eye” Documentary Community and the Hamazkayin Artsakh Office jointly met the visiting students on March 16, 2025. The gathering was held at the Mkhitar Sebastatsi Educational Complex in Yerevan.
Students sponsored by the Hamazkayin Artsakh Office, living as refugees in the city of Masis, participated in the meeting, as did members of the Artsakh Writers’ Union, and Davit Ghahramanyan, a photographer and documentary maker from Artsakh.
Hermine Avakyan, the director of the office, opened the program. She said the participation of the children from Artsakh was important and said this meeting could be the beginning of a productive partnership between schools and students. She discussed the activities of the Hamazkayin Artsakh Office and presented the writers from Artsakh who were present for the meeting.
Principal Sarkissian also addressed the group. He said the school plays an essential role in keeping Armenian generations in Toronto firmly connected to their roots and their national values. He said the school has more than 600 students and organizes visits to Armenia every year.
The visiting students showed a video describing the activities of the Armenian Youth Federation of Toronto, including their educational and political work around the Armenian Genocide, the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, and the hostages held in Baku. They also read some literature.
Mr. Ghahramanyan, the photographer, spoke of the 44-Day War, the siege of Artsakh, and the deportation of the population through his documentary photographs.
The students from Artsakh recited poetry by Artsakh writers.
Authors Tatev Soghomonyan, Alisa Baghdasaryan, Tzovinar Baghdasaryan, and Ms. Avakyan read some of their works and gave copies of their books as gifts to the school.
The gathering ended with the song, Dzon Artsakhin.
