POETRY CONTEST IN HRAZDAN

Each year Peace Corps sponsors a poetry contest for the students of Armenia. Poems are selected for recitation for grades seven through twelve. Each of the fourteen Marzes (counties) in Armenia is represented. Each school in that chooses to participate holds a contest and selects a winner from each grade to go to the regional contest, ours being held in Hrazdan. The winner for each grade from that contest will go to the national contest in Yerevan, this year on May 10th. The judges for the regional contest are often administrative staff from the Peace Corps office in Yerevan.
We held our contest this year last Sunday. I had only one student from my school, Narine, an eighth grader go to the regional contest. Guess what? She won the regional contest out of about 10 eighth graders from other schools. YAY!!!! So, we will go to Yerevan for the national contest.

This is me and Narine and Nellie. Nellie recited too.

Narine and Nellie after the contest.....

This year I also introduced music to our regional contest. I played fiddle and one of my eighth grade students, Nellie, played back up guitar for me.

Nellie and me playing before the contest begins . . . .

I also had my second grade boys who I heard play at one of our Christmas programs play the Armenian drums. They were a major sensation at our contest.

Hayk and Navagh on the Armenian drums . . .

We all played 1/2 hour before the contest started.

The musicians . . . ..

I also played at another regional contest in Yerevan with Hannah, another Peace Corps volunteer who plays the flute.

Hannah and me playing at the Yerevan Regional Contest . . .

So Hannah, Nellie and I will now have a band to play at the national contest in Yerevan... Trying to think of a good name for us. Will let you know when I think of it. Also I will take our little drummer boys, Hayk and Navagh with us too.