Project SAVE Partners with St. Stephen’s Elementary

WATERTOWN, Mass.—Principal Houry Boyamian of St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School, and Ruth Thomasian, the executive director of Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives, both located in Watertown, have entered into a teaching collaboration to engage fourth-grade students in discovering their Armenian heritage through vintage photographs. On Oct. 23, as part of their Armenian Cultural Day celebration, students were introduced to this discovery process with a unique classroom program presented by Thomasian, a former elementary school teacher herself.

Fourth-grade students hold a Project SAVE Archives photo enlargement they have just ‘read’ in an exercise to help develop observational and critical thinking skills. (L-R) St. Stephen’s principal Houry Boyamian, teachers Cathy Bass and Mark Boylan, Project SAVE Archives executive director Ruth Thomasian, and Armenian teacher Ardemis Megerdichian.

Using enlargements of vintage photographs from the collections of Project SAVE Archives, Thomasian engaged students in observing details and using clues to “read” the photographs and discover their deeper meaning. She asked students to observe all the many “things” in the photo, and went on to ask “What-do-you-think?” types of questions followed by, “And your reason is?” In this way, students learned to support their thoughts with details they had observed. The challenge for students was to be observant and to support their ideas with visible details.

Every year, St. Stephen’s will incorporate Project SAVE Archives’ “Reading Photographs” into the fourth-grade enrichment program.

As a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, Project SAVE Archives’ mission is to preserve and promote Armenian heritage through the photograph. Its “Reading Photographs” program at St. Stephen’s School is both a contribution to the community and a thank-you for local support of its archives and educational programs. Project SAVE appreciates that St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School distinguishes itself with its bilingual curriculum, academic strength, devoted staff, and low student-to-teacher ratio.

St. Stephen’s is fully accredited by the Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE), the accrediting body for independent elementary schools. AISNE has commended the school “for creating an environment where all the students love to read and appear committed to academic excellence and for recruiting a remarkably talented and dedicated staff.” The AISNE accreditation puts St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School academically on par with other prestigious private schools in the region. To learn more about SSAES, visit www.ssaes.org.