Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Staff Report
This year Dr. Sergio La Porta, Haig and Isabel Berberian Chair of Armenian Studies at Fresno State, was elected to serve on the board of the Charlie Keyan Armenian Community School. The school, located in Clovis, has approximately 95 students and includes classes from pre-K through 6th grade.
Dr. La Porta said he was eager to serve on the board because he felt that the school provides an important benefit to the Armenian community of the San Joaquin Valley, instructing children in the Armenian language as well as in Armenian culture and history.
Dr. La Porta also praised the efforts of staff and parents for wanting to continually better the great education students receive at the school. He said that he thinks “the school is heading in the right direction” under the guidance of the principal, Zaroohi Der Mugrdechian, who has had many years of experience within the Fresno Unified system.
“We are determined to continue to push the standards for our teachers and students higher and to maintain our dedication to instructing them about what it means to be Armenian,” Dr. La Porta remarked. It is a challenge, he said, but it is the only way “to insure that our students receive the best education possible.”
Dr. La Porta noted the school has encouraged and helped teachers to achieve, maintain, and upgrade their credentials and that now nearly the entire staff is credentialed. The school is also aiming to receive full accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges this academic year so that its standards and educational excellence will become more recognized.
Dr. La Porta added that the board is further hoping to stabilize the school’s finances and has been pleased with the progress so far. “We have been fortunate,” he said, “to have received grants from the UCLA Dream Fund, for example, that allow us to run specific projects related to teacher training or to acquire new computers for the children.”
He also commented that the school and its supporters have run successful fundraisers, such as the recent “Fabulous 50’s” event put on by Ron and Barbara Mortanian, which help with the general costs of operations.
Dr. La Porta remarked that an endowment fund has also been established to encourage “generous and dedicated members of the Armenian community to donate. It would be great if some day all of our operational expenses could be covered through the endowment.”
In the meantime, he is enjoying his time on the board and attending the school’s wonderful functions.