Board of Regents Members with Archbishop Mardirossian and Dr. Kaloust Hagopian, Executive Council Member
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.—The Board of Regents of Prelacy Armenian Schools held its 2017-2018 Annual Professional Development Day (APDD) conference on Saturday, October 28th at California State University, Northridge.
This year’s APDD, which has been taking place for over fifteen years, was once again organized in cooperation with CSUN’s Armenian Studies Program. Alongside the Prelacy Armenian Schools and Preschools, the conference also included teachers and faculty from Sahag Mesrob Armenian Christian School, Armenian Sisters Academy, Charlie Keyan Armenian Community School of Fresno and Armenian Relief Society Saturday Schools, bringing the number of participants to over 400.
Dr. Hasmig Baran, Board of Regents member, welcomed all the participants to this year’s APDD and invited Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, to deliver the invocation. In his address, the prelate emphasized the significance of ongoing professional development. Archbishop Mardirossian stated, “Competent and well-performing teachers are the most valuable assets to any educational institution, and can have a great impact on the quality of education. Thus, it is crucial for both new and veteran teachers to have adequate support and training and ongoing opportunities to learn from each other, as well as to keep up-to-date on new learning methods and resources, emerging technology, and more.
Lisa Gaboudian, Chairwoman of the Board of Regents of Prelacy Armenian Schools, welcomed the educators and expressed her appreciation for the level of dedication and commitment from all the participants. After commending the attending Armenian Daily Schools and Preschools and their respective Principals and Directors, she thanked Dr. Vahram Shemmassian, Director of the Armenian Studies Program at CSUN, for working in tangent with the Board of Regents and for once again hosting the Annual Professional Development Day conference. During her remarks, Gaboudian underscored the importance of “teachers becoming learners themselvesâ€
