Armenia lesson for Wilmington High students

by Tom Vartabedian

Published: Friday October 28, 2011

Students at Wilmington High School.

Wilmington, Mass. - Like several of her peers, the grade Kelley Fitzpatrick receives in a World History class at this school is inconsequential compared to the bigger picture.

-- To create peace and harmony among the beleaguered nations of the world and bring closure to the Armenian Genocide.

She was given a choice by instructor Lisa Desberg: write the postmaster general and request a postage stamp commemorating man's inhumanity to man; write her Congressman with hopes of passing a genocide resolution, and connecting with one of the last remaining survivors or their families.

She chose the former, thinking it was time the government complied with genocide recognition. The stamp she drew shows a woman cradling a child in her arms, set against an Armenian Tricolor. Her message was just as poignant.

"Often times we forget to recognize major catastrophes in the world that leave a lasting effect," she wrote. "In creating this stamp, you would be recognizing the struggles of an entire Armenian-American population. Such a stamp would signify the Armenian culture present in today's society and the story of an event some do not wish to recognize as genocide."

The idea of a woman escaping turmoil with her bundled child through the desert was purely visionary after hearing stories from members of the Merrimack Valley Armenian Genocide Education Committee who visited her school in conjunction with "Facing History and Ourselves."

In all, 20 students stepped to the forefront under Desberg's tutelage in hopes of making a difference in the world, be it Armenia, Darfur or any other crimes against humanity.

"They have a sincere desire to learn from outsiders who've approached our school with such motivation as the Armenians," Desberg pointed out. "They want to be students who make a big difference in the world."

Other postage examples touched the gamut from the eternal flame at Tzezernagapert in Yerevan surrounded by flowers to a map of Armenia with the message" Take a stand," done in red, blue and orange.

"Could there ever be an occasion of genocide that is forgotten?" writes Beatrice Banda. "Could a nation of people be murdered without justice? This has happened to Armenia. Everyone knows about the Holocaust but the horrific things that happened to the people of Armenia lay hidden in documents or are lost as survivors die. The perpetrators refuse to call this a genocide, denying anything ever happened. How can you deny the brutal deaths of over 1.5 million victims?"

Sabrina Mirabella feels the sale of an Armenian remembrance stamp would be an excellent opportunity to justify a means and gain a profit through sales.

"It would not be a depressing stamp," she feels, "but a stamp that symbolizes compassion, equality and remembrance."

The letters were directed to Congressman John Tierney and sent to his Peabody office, the contents of which suggested governmental recognition.

"The only thing that has ever come to my head when I hear the word ‘genocide' is Hitler's extermination of the Jews," writes Marianna Tassone. "I am shocked that this subject has not received more attention in the classroom and the entire country as a whole."

Tassone implored the Congressman to take an immediate legislative stand and encourage his peers to share a similar bond toward recognition.

"Students should be taught true events in history," Emily Crannell brought out. "Everyone should be given the right to be educated about a defining moment in history that has affected citizens of our state."

At Haverhill High School, the inception of a human rights club proved the direct result of classroom presentations and a panel discussion on genocide, organized by curriculum director Debbie Sasso.

"The students are really into this," reports Sasso. "Plans are in the works for follow-up programs."

Seven other high schools throughout the Merrimack Valley are in the process of arranging visitation times to accommodate genocide education. The committee has also reached out to neighboring colleges and private schools such as Northern Essex, Merrimack and Rivier.

"The impact we're making at schools like Wilmington remains huge," said Dro Kanayan, committee chairman. "Students are receiving a first-hand approach to Armenian Genocide education not often found in textbooks. And they're putting their education to good use by serving as human rights activists. Their voices may be young but they are being heard."