6 The <strong>Armenia</strong>n Reporter | November 8, 2008<strong>Community</strong>THIS ARMENIAN LIFECulmination points:Beirut <strong>and</strong> Yerevanby TamarKevonianCrossing Syria’s southern borderinto Lebanon, I finally breathe asigh of relief. Under Syria’s cosmopolitanveneer there is a sense of silentoppression that becomes morepronounced the further we moveaway from Kessab, an <strong>Armenia</strong>nvillage on the far northwesterncorner of the country, across theTurkish border.We are heading to Beirut, mybirthplace. My father, Nazareth,<strong>and</strong> I are on a journey through theancient <strong>Armenia</strong>n kingdom of Cilicia,now the southeastern end ofTurkey along the Mediterraneancoast, <strong>and</strong> have exp<strong>and</strong>ed the tripto include the city where both Dad<strong>and</strong> I were born.It has been a number of yearssince my last visit <strong>and</strong> I’m lookingforward to seeing not just friendsbut the city itself, because duringthe last couple of years it has experiencedtremendous upheaval <strong>and</strong>growth. We arrive from the norththrough Tripoli, Lebanon’s secondlargest city, <strong>and</strong> drive by the Palestiniancamps that were bombardedlast summer. They’re the latest reminderof the variety of social <strong>and</strong>political ills that have plagued thecountry for the last 30 years.We’ve decided to avoid the city forthe moment <strong>and</strong> stay at a beach resortjust south of Jbail (Byblos), theancient seaside city that was an importantcenter for trade throughoutthis region’s history as well as a jetsetters’paradise during the 1960s.It is heavenly to wake up toa view of the sea <strong>and</strong> swim in itssalty waters every day. Dad <strong>and</strong> Ispend a week in Lebanon visitingfriends, walking down city streets,trying to imprint their new adaptationsonto the older versions in ourmemories.Sometime during our time inBeirut we decide to travel to Yerevan.We arrive a few hours beforedawn. The airport is full of passengersfrom several other flights thathave arrived within minutes of ours.Collecting our luggage, we make ourway through customs. The new airportis beautiful <strong>and</strong> modern, so differentthan what I had seen on mylast visit. The hotel has arranged forour transportation <strong>and</strong> Sevag, thedriver, is there to greet us. It is theweek leading up to the muronorhnek,the blessing of the holy oil usedduring mass, an <strong>Armenia</strong>n-churchritual that takes place every sevenyears.The hotels are full <strong>and</strong> we havehad much trouble finding a placeto stay for the few nights we will bein town. By the time our luggage isloaded on the mini SUV <strong>and</strong> we’vetaken our seats, it is past 4:30 in themorning. I can’t wait to get to theAdventures in historyhotel <strong>and</strong> crawl between the coolsheets for a few hours of sleep. Thecar won’t start. Sevag has left theheadlights on <strong>and</strong> drained the batteries.I’m off looking for jumpercables while Dad helps push the carinto position. Welcome to <strong>Armenia</strong><strong>and</strong> all its beautiful absurdities.We spend our short three daysexploring the plains at the foot ofMount Ararat. The mountain itselfis shy <strong>and</strong> stays hidden behind theclouds throughout our sojourn. Yerevanhas changed a lot since mylast visit six years ago. The clean,wide streets, the upscale shops, theplethora of luxury cars are all indicationsof the growing affluence ofthe city. It is a giant leap forwardfor a young, Third-World republicthat has experienced 70 years ofcommunist rule. What an incrediblefeat it is for <strong>Armenia</strong> to reducemass poverty <strong>and</strong> step into the 21stcentury in such a short period. Perhapsall the assistance by the diaspora<strong>and</strong> its goodwill, along withgood old <strong>Armenia</strong>n hard work, hadan effect after all.One late night, suffering fromthe insomnia that occasionallyafflicts me while switching timezones, I hear noises <strong>and</strong> mutedsnippets of conversation from thestreet outside my window. I leanover the windowsill <strong>and</strong> look ontothe wide, unlit, boulevard. There isa small, moving circle of light. It’scoming from a flashlight searchingthrough the trash bags collected in<strong>and</strong> around the two metal bins onthe sidewalk just outside <strong>and</strong> to theleft of the hotel entrance. There arethree people, a woman, a man, <strong>and</strong>a young child, searching throughthe garbage. The city has acquired ashiny persona of progress, but thepoverty I remember <strong>and</strong> which somany organizations have focusedtheir efforts to help alleviate is stilla way of life for many in <strong>Armenia</strong>,albeit now existing in the shadows.With the trip to Yerevan, ourvoyage has come full circle. Westarted in Istanbul, the jewel ofthe East, drove through the ancientl<strong>and</strong>s of Cilicia, visited Kessab,a 2,000-year-old village fromthe days of the Roman Empire, toDer-Zor, site of some of the mosthorrific chapters of the Genocide<strong>and</strong> the end of life as our ancestorsknew it, down to Beirut, one ofthe hubs of the modern <strong>Armenia</strong>ndiasporic experience, to Yerevan,the capital of the modern Republicof <strong>Armenia</strong>. Within our month oftravel, we experienced the vestigesof a thous<strong>and</strong> years of <strong>Armenia</strong>nhistory <strong>and</strong> witnessed the progressionof <strong>Armenia</strong>n life.All the high-school years of reading<strong>Armenia</strong>n history, of studyingthe names of long-dead kings <strong>and</strong>dates of long-ago battles had notmade as much of an impression asa few weeks treading in the footstepsof my forebears. Hearing thecrunch of gravel under my shoes<strong>and</strong> seeing the three-dimensionalplaces of the names learned only inhistory books brought all of it intothe present. Knowing where I, as aDiasporan-<strong>Armenia</strong>n, came fromfinally gives me the perspective toknow where I will be headed. Everythingis illuminated as the pastwalks alongside the present. New principal brings change to A.G.Minassian School in Santa Anaby Alene TchekmedyianORANGE COUNTY, Calif. – Inthe past five years, student enrollmentat Ari Guiragos Minassian<strong>Armenia</strong>n Elementary School inSanta Ana has decreased significantly;in 2003, the student populationexceeded 120, but now theschool only has 60 students.With the economic crisis at itspeak, the high cost of transportation<strong>and</strong> the availability of Saturday<strong>Armenia</strong>n schools, parentshave found it difficult to spendthe extra time, money <strong>and</strong> effortto send their children to a private<strong>Armenia</strong>n school.Others deem it necessary to keep<strong>Armenia</strong>n culture <strong>and</strong> traditionalive for generations to come. Dr.Niary Gorjian, the newly hiredprincipal of the school, <strong>and</strong> Minassianfaculty members have a visionfor change to increase student enrollment.Having served as a visiting assistantprofessor of managementat the School of Business <strong>and</strong>Management of the American Universityof <strong>Armenia</strong> in Yerevan, Dr.Gorjian firmly believes in properprofessional training for teachersto capitalize student learning.To complement the annual trainingsessions for teachers providedby the Board of Regents, the MinassianSchool has hired gate-certifiedtrainers to provide monthlyin-house professional developmenttraining to teachers, extending theknowledge gained while pursuingtheir teaching credentials. Amongthe many topics of training areeducating teachers of how a child’sbrain functions, how to identifymultiple types of intelligence <strong>and</strong>how to develop a child’s emotional<strong>and</strong> social intelligence.“[My] primary [goal is] additionaltraining for teachers, so they canbetter meet the needs of students.My main emphasis to make surestudents are at a point where theycan transition to the public schooldistrict <strong>and</strong> be able to h<strong>and</strong>le thatappropriately,” said Dr. Gorjian.The Western Association ofSchools <strong>and</strong> Colleges (wasc), a credentialingprogram in Californiathat accredits public <strong>and</strong> privateschools, colleges <strong>and</strong> universities inthe United States, has accredited A.G. Minassian School until 2011.The academic curriculum of thePre-K through sixth grade schoolincludes two hours of <strong>Armenia</strong>nlessons daily, math, science, English,social studies, physical education<strong>and</strong> electives: computers, art,religion <strong>and</strong> music.The tuition to attend the schoolis currently over $400 per monthper student, which is high in atime of economic instability, butis relatively low compared to otherOrange County private schools.Allise Panosyan, Parent TeacherOrganization (pto) Chair <strong>and</strong> parentof triplets who attend Minassian,believes the tuition <strong>and</strong> highlyranked public schools in OrangeDr. Niary Gorjian, principal of A.G. Minassian School, with her students.County have contributed to theenrollment decline. “Before publicschools were not so great <strong>and</strong> nowparents feel safe sending their kidsto public schools. Now they are ontop of the list of all the cities [ofOrange county] <strong>and</strong> are competitivewith private schools,” she said.“Because of great public schools inthe neighborhood, parents don’twant to make the effort or feel theneed to drive kids to Minassian,”she added.To combat this, school officialswill implement a bus system to pickup children from far cities in thenear future to increase enrollment.Panosyan has always valued raisingher children with a strong culturalbackground <strong>and</strong> plans to sendher children to Minassian untilthey graduate sixth grade. “I get aknot in my stomach thinking theywill be in different school. They getevery necessity academically <strong>and</strong>socially, especially our cultural education…they are learning reading<strong>and</strong> writing…you would be shockedhow well [my children] write in <strong>Armenia</strong>n,”she said.Among the academic improvementsthe school plans to employnutritional, environmental <strong>and</strong>safety changes. Every day, thepre-Kindergarten students eat anafternoon snack that the parentsare responsible for providing inshifts, based on a list of appropriatesnacks parents were allowed tobring. “I identified things that arelow in sodium <strong>and</strong> cholesterol <strong>and</strong>contained no saturated fat. I waswary of food allergies that childrenhave a tendency toward, which includegluten in wheat <strong>and</strong> peanuts,<strong>and</strong> am trying to make [the snacks]much more nutritional. [The ideais to make them] more health consciousbecause nutrition starts atan early age <strong>and</strong> what they are exposedto shapes what they eat incoming years,” Dr. Gorjian said.Dr. Gorjian <strong>and</strong> the (pto) are concernedabout the safety of the elementarystudents <strong>and</strong> have soughtout an electronic gate. Sponsoredby the pto, the gate will be monitoredby the secretary in the office<strong>and</strong> monitor everyone who enters<strong>and</strong> leaves the school.Parents <strong>and</strong> teachers recognizethe importance of this addition, althoughthe school was never unsafe.“When you don’t have that manychildren, you always know whensomeone is missing. The parentsmay feel much safer now…I neverdoubted safety in our school,” saidAstrik Ashkarian, a preschoolteacher at the Minassian School for11 years.Another safety change to graceA. G. Minassian is the replacementof black top to Astroturf where thestudents have physical education,which is set to happen by the end ofDecember. Dr. Gorjian has a samplein her office of the artificial grass,which keeps students excited aboutthe upcoming change. “The kids areexcited to play soccer; looking attheir faces <strong>and</strong> excitement makesme excited,” she said.Dr. Gorjian has also been conductingneeds assessment researchto discover the dem<strong>and</strong>sof the Orange County <strong>Armenia</strong>ncommunity. “I’m trying to collectsurvey research from those wholeft <strong>and</strong> those still attending toget a snapshot of what the communityneeds, <strong>and</strong> underst<strong>and</strong> thecurrent situation better. I’m workingon the surveys now; I haven’timplemented or distributed themyet,” she said.Another major long-term additionDr. Gorjian plans to bringto A. G. Minassian is a trip forher graduating class to <strong>Armenia</strong>at the end of each year. “I thinkits extremely critical to make thattrip as graduating class from an<strong>Armenia</strong>n elementary school togo see the country that they havelearned so much about as theymake their transition to the publicschool district. They can keepthe values they learned duringelementary schooling <strong>and</strong> whatthey observe in their country willbe an extremely powerful intervention,”she said.Astrik Ashkarian recognizes theimportance of cultural education.“This is how we are going to pass ourculture to future generations,” shesaid.College studentneeding cash forbooks?Part-time salespositions available.Email jobs@reporter.com
The <strong>Armenia</strong>n Reporter | November 8, 2008 7<strong>Community</strong>Catering to the community, both locally <strong>and</strong> abroadA profile of veteranentrepreneur <strong>and</strong>philanthropist VaheKarapetianby Jon AlexanianLOS ANGELES – Even underthe current economic conditions,construction <strong>and</strong> filming is stillvividly noticeable around all partsof Los Angeles. And if you happento be driving around anytime remotelyclose to breakfast or lunchhours it’s likely you will see a cateringtruck or two surrounded bycrowds of hungry workers.For the last 38 years, veteranentrepreneur <strong>and</strong> philanthropistVahe Karapetian has manufactured<strong>and</strong> distributed cateringtrucks worldwide. His business, AACatering, has flourished from itsoriginal concept of building cateringtrucks to a conglomerate thatnot only manufactures trucks, butalso develops customized trucks,distributes food for trucks, <strong>and</strong>also owns a truck storage facility.Karapetian also has his own fleetof catering trucks that operatethroughout the southern Californiaregion.“Karapetian Enterprises hascome a long way <strong>and</strong> we are stillexp<strong>and</strong>ing our trucking business. Iam fortunate to have accomplishedthis much in my life but it camewith a lot of hard work <strong>and</strong> determination.In life, luck only gets aperson so far. Working hard <strong>and</strong>adapting to new business climatesare key in staying successful,” saysMr. KarapetianMr. Karapetian was born in Lebanon<strong>and</strong> moved in 1946 to <strong>Armenia</strong>,where he graduated from the polytechnicuniversity. In 1968 Vahe,along with his mother <strong>and</strong> youngestbrother, moved to the UnitedStates with very little. Like manyimmigrants, Karapetian was willingto work anywhere in order toprovide for his family. “When I firstgot to the United States, I took onjobs doing any type of work. EventuallyI got a job working in the airconditioning industry for DaveResnik,” he recalls.While working for Mr. Resnik,Mr. Karapetian developed drafts<strong>and</strong> plans to create a catering truckthat could be mass produced <strong>and</strong>approached his boss with the idea.Vahe Karapetian (l.) on the stretch of the Stepanakert-Goris highway that he maintains.“He wasn’t interested in developingit so I decided to take a risk <strong>and</strong>make it myself,” says Vahe.The first prototype took sixmonths to make <strong>and</strong> was built atMr. Karapetian’s house. Soon thereafterorders started coming in <strong>and</strong>Vahe set up a shop in Montebello.As his business grew he moved tohis downtown L.A. facility, wherehe employees 150 workers, most ofwhom are <strong>Armenia</strong>n.A catering truck, which took sixmonths to build in Karapetian’shouse, now takes only one day to bemanufactured. The downtown L.A.factory produces one truck a day;trucks range in price from $110,000to roughly $200,000, if customized.Over his 38 years, Vahe Karapetianturned a one-man operation into a$25 million business.Mr. Karapetian has designed<strong>and</strong> manufactured custom trucksfor companies such as McDonalds,Carls Jr, Taco Bell, <strong>and</strong> even In ‘nOut.Currently, the corporation is privatelyheld <strong>and</strong> is family managed.Vahe’s son, Vahe N. KarapetianJr., is taking AA Catering to thenext level by developing long-termcontracts with various Fortune500 companies. The company currentlyholds a large market shareDetroit community celebrates50th anniversary of Father DiranPapazian’s ordinationthroughout the Dallas, Houston,Miami, <strong>and</strong> Phoenix areas <strong>and</strong> alsosetup partnerships abroad to caterto the European, Asian, <strong>and</strong> MiddleEastern markets.Although Vahe is deeply involvedin all aspects of his businesses operations,he still makes sure to stayactively involved in the <strong>Armenia</strong>ncommunity as well. His philanthropicefforts reach out to boththe local <strong>and</strong> international communitiesof <strong>Armenia</strong>ns.“Throughout my years in businessI always made it a point to giveback to <strong>Armenia</strong>ns <strong>and</strong> support the<strong>Armenia</strong>n cause. Whether it’s employing<strong>Armenia</strong>ns, giving contributionsto the church, or spreadingawareness to the <strong>Armenia</strong>ncommunity at large, I have alwaysmade sure to incorporate it in mylife both in <strong>and</strong> out of the office,”explains Karapetian.In 1981, Vahe played a pivotalrole in building Alex Pilibos <strong>and</strong>Sourp Garabed Church – the <strong>Armenia</strong>nprivate school <strong>and</strong> church inLittle <strong>Armenia</strong> (in Hollywood).“At first the church approachedme as a donor, <strong>and</strong> then I endedup heading the building committee.With only six months left on thebuilding permits, we had little tonothing finished in terms of planning<strong>and</strong> we dismissed the committee.However, I wasn’t willingto let the project fail, so I took asix-month leave from my business<strong>and</strong> finished the project,” reflectsMr. Karapetian.Mr. Karapetian has also playedan active role in the <strong>Armenia</strong> Fund<strong>and</strong> has voluntarily decided to coverthe annual costs in maintainingthe roads to Stepanakert, an annualexpense of $300,000.“I strongly believe that <strong>Armenia</strong>nsare on the right path to building aself sustaining future. It brings megreat joy to aid in the maintainingof roads in Karabakh. They need tostay functional in order to help thelocal economy <strong>and</strong> allow for accessinto the region,” he says.Vahe was selected by KarekinII, Catholicos of All <strong>Armenia</strong>ns, tobe godfather for the second time inhis philanthropic career. In Feburary2000, Mr. Karapetian served asgodfather for the consecration ofHoly Martyr’s Church, which liesright on the border of <strong>Armenia</strong> <strong>and</strong>Karabakh.Illustrious in career, philanthropy,<strong>and</strong> community involvement,Vahe also has a passion for politics.“Although I am not a politician, nordo I belong to any specific <strong>Armenia</strong>nparty, I find myself constantlystaying updated <strong>and</strong> challengingthe beliefs of our social leaders. Ido this because we are fortunateas <strong>Armenia</strong>ns to be able to critiqueourselves <strong>and</strong> I truly believe bydoing so we will improve our <strong>Armenia</strong>ncommunities around theworld,” he says.For over four years Mr. Karapetianhosted a weekly television programcalled Patsahydootyunn, (Discovery)which served as a forum todiscuss social topics, political topics,<strong>and</strong> trends that played a role in<strong>Armenia</strong>n lives daily.“I wanted to be able to preachunity, togetherness, <strong>and</strong> communityinvolvement to the masses asobjective as possible so that peoplewould not think that I was representinga specific demographic,”explains Mr. Karapetian. Everyweek he had a different topic withthe ultimate underlying goal beingto educate the community atlarge.“As a diaspora <strong>Armenia</strong>n I feelthat, as a whole, we need to organize<strong>and</strong> work together because weare an extension of our <strong>Armenia</strong>nnation. Without our homel<strong>and</strong> weare nothing. Of course there arechallenges in our communities (asthere are in many groups worldwide) but we need to always worktoward fixing them. And at the endif we put our best efforts forwardthe only thing that will prevent usfrom succeeding will be God’s will.A homel<strong>and</strong> without a Diaspora isvery hard to visualize,” he explains.Mr. Karapetian is adamant that<strong>Armenia</strong>n organizations are in direneed to form a unifying body thatwill represent fairly all voices of thediasporian communities in orderto work globally to improve the <strong>Armenia</strong>nhomel<strong>and</strong>.“[As <strong>Armenia</strong>ns] we have a lotof individualistic organizations,unions, <strong>and</strong> associations but it isimperative to have a unified voicethrough a global Diaspora congressin order to unite under one people<strong>and</strong> progress toward developing aconstructive future,” Vahe Karapetiansays.SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Theparish of St. John’s <strong>Armenia</strong>n ApostolicChurch honored ReverendFather Diran Papazian, archpriest,at a banquet commemoratingthe 50th anniversary of his ordination.The daylong event, heldin the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Cultural Hall, beganwith Fr. Diran’s celebration ofthe Divine Liturgy, followed by aprogram <strong>and</strong> sumptuous banquetfor 800 parishioners <strong>and</strong> guests.Closed-circuit television accommodatedthe overflow crowd in thenearby Vartan Room.During the Divine Liturgy, an encyclicalfrom Catholicos KarekinII, honoring Fr. Diran’s half centuryof service, was read to the congregation.The afternoon program openedwith an invocation by ArchbishopKhajag Barsamian <strong>and</strong> a musicalinterlude by Deacon Rubik Mailian.Congratulatory letters fromPresident George Bush, GovernorJennifer Granholm, SenatorsCarl Levin <strong>and</strong> Debbie Stabenow,Rep. Joe Knollenberg, StateSenator John Pappageorge, Oakl<strong>and</strong>County Executive L. BrooksPatterson, <strong>and</strong> Southfield’s MayorBrenda L. Lawrence celebratedFr. Diran’s accomplishments, <strong>and</strong>a tribute video highlighted Fr. Diran’sministry through the years.Dr. Raffy Hovanessian, vice chairof the Diocesan Council of the EasternDiocese, delivered the keynoteaddress.A graduate of the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Patriarchateschool in Jerusalem, Fr.Diran also attended the EpiscopalDivinity School of Philadelphia<strong>and</strong> received his bachelor’s degreefrom the Episcopal TheologicalSchool in Cambridge, Massachusetts.He completed his graduatestudies at Harvard DivinitySchool, where he received hismaster’s degree.Fr. Diran’s retirement in 1993did not mark the end of his activeservice. He continues to serve St.John’s <strong>Armenia</strong>n Church as archpriestemeritus <strong>and</strong> is often assignedas visiting clergy member to<strong>Armenia</strong>n parishes throughout theUnited States. Fr. Diran is knownfor his deeply rooted passion forknowledge, <strong>and</strong> his dauntless effortsto serve his people <strong>and</strong> hiscommunity.
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