STORY OF IMPACT : NAVASARD GRADUATION AND AWARD CEREMONY
On August 25th , 2021 , Teach For Armenia hosted the Navasard Graduation and Award Ceremony to celebrate outgoing Teacher-Leaders . We chose the theme Navasard , an ancient Armenian harvest festival , to symbolize the fruits of their labor in classrooms across Armenia and Artsakh . The ceremony was dedicated to fifth-generation Teacher-Leaders just ending their two-year commitment , as well as fourth-generation Teacher-Leaders whose 2020 graduation ceremony had been online because of the pandemic . We came together as a community to celebrate their work for educational equity , their growth as educators , and the start of a new chapter as Alumni-Ambassadors .
One hundred fifty people were welcomed to the ceremony , which took place in Yerevan . The program was hosted by a Teach For Armenia student and Alumni-Ambassador and started with an introductory video summing up our year – from the onset of COVID-19 and the Artsakh war to stories of resilience and innovation from our school communities . The program included testimony from Armenia ’ s Deputy Minister of Education , Science , Culture and Sports Artur Martirosyan , Teach For Armenia Board Member Alice Petrossian , our Founder and CEO Larisa Hovannisian , Deputy CEO Ruiz Clark , and others . At the end of the ceremony , graduates were awarded crystal blackboards and a certificate of program completion designed by our Marketing and Brand Strategy Team .
The Navasard Graduation and Award Ceremony was our chance to come together as a community for the first time since the onset of the pandemic and the Artsakh war . After a very difficult year , we were able to bond and celebrate seven years of Teach For Armenia ’ s impact in Armenia and Artsakh . Best of all , the evening culminated with hands linked dancing the Kochari and enjoying a live set by the local band Nemra .
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