NATIONAL POETRY CONTEST

A number of years ago a Peace Corps Volunteer created and made sustainable an English spoken national poetry contest for Armenian school children.Now there is a very active Peace Corps volunteer committee to organize and make this happen on an annual basis March through May of each year.  It was my pleasure to enable some of my students to participate this year.

The contest begins at a PC volunteer or not a PC volunteer public school.  Students in grades 7-12 can participate. A list of selected poems from Robert Frost to Keats is generated each year with a different selection for 7th and 8th graders and for 9th through 12 graders.  The student his or herself selects their poem, memorizes it and practices with their English teacher or volunteer.   A school contest is held and the best chosen reciter from each grade in each school participating goes to the regional contest.  Then the best in each region goes to the national contest in Yerevan, Armenia's capital.

The students are judged on of course the words of the poem, correct pronunciation and the feeling given to the recitation.  From the 'feeling,' a judge can deduce if the student really understands the meaning of the poem.

I had two of my students, Narine and Nellie in the regional contest in Hrazdan this year. They were both in the 8th grade. Narine went on to be in the national contest in Yerevan.

Narine and Nellie, Hrazdan regional contest

Narine, Nellie and me at Hrazdan regional contest

The girls and me at the national contest in Yerevan. ..

Narine and me after the national contest. . .

The national contest was held at The American University in

Yerevan. This was the girls' first visit there and very exciting for them.

With this year's regional and national contests I introduced music into the contest atmosphere by providing musicians from my school along with me to play before the contests started and in some contests during the break while the judges were making decisions. The music was both Armenian and American.  I had two second grade boys playing the Armenian drums called 'dhole,'  Nellie and I played fiddle and guitar with Armenian and American folk tunes and Hannah (another PCV) and I played flute and fiddle together with Armenian and American folk tunes.  This as the first time this has occured - music at the poetry contests and it was a great cultural exchange opportunity for Armenians and Americans.

Second graders playing 'Dhole' Armenian drums. . .

Nellie and me on guitar and fiddle . . .

All of us together . . . .

Me and Hannah Frantz playing together in Yerevan.

Up until this time of PC service Hannah had been only a 

classical flutist.... She is now an experienced flute player of

 Armenian and American folk tunes !!!!  We also played together

at our swearing in ceremony last November. 

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