“Keeping Pace with Change” A Conversation with Principal Hasmik Sargsyan

“Can you imagine it? A school with what many would call modest conditions entering a competition—and winning.”

At Henry Morgenthau No. 126 Basic School in Yerevan, there is one classroom where lessons are noticeably noisier than usual—and that is exactly what makes Principal Hasmik Sargsyan happy. The classroom is right next to her office. It is where the smart board the school earned through the Smart Boards for WorldView Schools Competition has been installed.

“Do you know how wonderful it is to hear the children’s excited voices every day—their questions, their curiosity? The excitement in that classroom is unlike what we usually hear during regular lessons. Modern technology captures students’ interest. Today, it is technology that is driving education forward,” says Hasmik Sargsyan, who has worked at the school since 1986 and has served as its principal since 2021. “It had been a long time since I had witnessed this kind of enthusiasm.”

Principal Sargsyan speaks with pride about the school’s victory in the Competition and about its partnership with the Visual Armenia Foundation. For her, this achievement carries special significance for several reasons.

The first is the school itself.

Henry Morgenthau School is a small, older school surrounded by larger, renovated schools equipped with modern facilities and technology. A smart board was not simply a desirable addition—it had become essential for remaining competitive and giving students another reason to choose their school.

The second reason was the students themselves.

They had entered the competition once before but had not won. They were disappointed, yet they did not give up. When the next competition was announced, they decided to try again. This time, they developed their project around the life and legacy of Henry Morgenthau, the school’s namesake—and it brought them victory.

“For our school, this was an enormous achievement. Can you imagine it? A school with what many would describe as modest conditions managing to enter the competition and win. It filled our students, teachers, and parents with tremendous excitement. To be honest, I never expected the celebration to be quite like that,” Principal Sargsyan recalls.

“The winners were going to be announced during a live broadcast at eight o’clock in the evening. I came to school expecting to see only the teachers and the students who had worked on the project. Instead, the parents had come too. When our school’s name was announced, one of them even ran out to buy a bottle of champagne.”

Winning the competition brought much more than a smart board.

It changed the atmosphere of the school.

Principal Sargsyan smiles as she describes how the roles occasionally reverse in the classroom. Sometimes it is the students who teach their teachers how to use the smart board. What began as a new piece of technology has become a new source of inspiration, bringing curiosity, excitement, and a renewed sense of energy into everyday learning.

“Everything is changing so quickly that we have to keep pace with it. It is difficult to spark the interest of today’s students using only old methods and traditional textbooks. I believe lessons now have to be more engaging, more dynamic, and more meaningful for children.”

When asked what message she would like to send to the Visual Armenia Foundation, her answer comes without hesitation.

“Continue to grow and flourish. The more the Foundation develops and moves forward, the more schools like ours will feel that progress in their everyday work. Everyone at our school is excited about working with Visual Armenia. We are looking forward to more professional development opportunities so that we can fully unlock the potential of both the smart board and the innovative WorldView educational platform.”