Chicago “Ararat” Juniors resume in-person meetings

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With most of the seniors at school and the Shahnazarian Hall being closed because of COVID, we had to keep our meetings and socials virtual for most of last year. We were able to have a meeting in person back in October, but then Shahnazarian Hall closed again, and we had to stay virtual. As a chapter executive, we were so excited when the Hall reopened in February; we just had to have our meeting in-person. 

We recognized that not everyone felt comfortable being in person, so we did conduct the meeting over Zoom simultaneously. Everyone was wearing masks. We took temperatures, and there was hand sanitizer available as well. 

During our virtual 2020 meetings, we played many games like Kahoot, Quizlet Live, Scattergories and Jeopardy. Everyone’s favorite is Scattergories (Անուն, բոյս), so we thought it would be fun to play in-person. AYF members on the Zoom call also played. Scattergories is when you are given a set of 10 subjects, like color, and you have to answer those with an answer that starts with a specific letter, such as “b”, so blue, would be an answer. If another team says “blue” as well, then you and any other team that says “blue” does not get a point. It’s fun working and competing against each other!

Although most of us see each other at dance practice or Homenetmen, it was still really nice to see everyone participating and playing the games we used to play virtually. After almost an entire year of social distancing and virtual gatherings, it was clear that in-person meetings are far more impactful and enjoyable. We had also paused singing during previous meetings because of how difficult it would be on Zoom, but we were able to do so last week!

It was a special moment to witness the eyes of AYF members light up when their friends walked into the Hall after being separated for so long. We can’t wait to see more of our dedicated chapter members in March!

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Karoon Krikorian

Karoon Krikorian is 15 years old. She has been in the AYF Chicago Ararat Junior Chapter for five years and has served on the Executive for four of those years. She participates in Taniel Varoujan Armenian School and Chicago Hamazkayin. She loves to help people, listen to music and watch movies with her family.

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• Chicago “Ararat” Juniors resume in-person meetings - February 22, 2021