“My WorldView: Mapping the Monuments of Tavush” – Smart-Board Winning students On Air

The “Smart Boards for WorldView Schools 2024” series continues on Radio Arevik. This time, the “Zartucich” program welcomed the team from Sevkar Secondary School in Tavush Province—history teacher Narine Bozinyan and two team members, Haykaz Bejanyan and Hasmik Tamrazyan. Sevkar School is one of the 100 winners of the program, and their project was titled “My WorldView: Mapping the Monuments of Tavush.”

When asked why the school chose to participate in the Smart Boards competition, history teacher Narine Bozinyan explained that she had been closely following how schools across Armenia were winning and effectively using these advanced smart boards. For their school, securing a smart board became a dream, which inspired her to form a team and join the competition.

The team selected the project topic, “My WorldView: Mapping the Monuments of Tavush,” to explore the historical and cultural heritage of their community. While they initially studied monuments across the Tavush region, they ultimately focused on their village, Sevkar, as information about its monuments was limited. “Our goal was not only to highlight the cultural treasures of our village but also to study them in greater detail, uncovering their origins and historical significance,” says Ms. Bozinyan.

Team members Haykaz and Hasmik shared their roles and responsibilities in the project. They explained that they already had some experience with project-based work and eagerly participated in various programs where they could research and discover new information. They highlighted their interest in projects requiring creative approaches and innovative ideas. However, in this competition, the smart board held special importance for them as it would be a significant achievement for their school. The students emphasized that their work would contribute to the school’s development by enhancing the quality of education and making the learning environment more engaging and effective.

Describing their project workflow, the students explained: “We divided the work into parts, and each team member took on specific roles—researchers, data collectors, operators, directors, and video editors.” Hasmik shared that the girls focused on collecting materials, while the boys focused on conducting interviews with village elders who were well-acquainted with the village’s history. Throughout the process, they even discovered several local legends they had never heard before.

Haykaz shared his findings on Sevkar’s historical importance, noting that it was once the residence of meliks (local rulers). The research team further uncovered that the Saint Martyrs Chapel in Sevkar was built after the Russo-Persian war on the site where many Sevkar residents had been martyred.

Speaking about the project’s final outcome—a video documentary about Sevkar—Haykaz reflected on his role as the project’s video producer: “While preparing the video, I paid close attention to every detail. As important as the content was, it was equally essential to present it accurately and thoroughly.”