May 29, 2004

Tree Project Awards Winners of International Youth Art Contest
By Sossi Essajanian

WATERTOWN, MA (Armenian Weekly) — On May 23, students, parents, and teachers of three local Armenian schools gathered at the Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA) in Watertown for a ceremony awarding the winners of the First International Youth Art Competition sponsored by the Armenia Tree Project (ATP).

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the ATP announced the winners of an art contest titled "Trees for Life," held at six schools in Yerevan and Gyumri and in six schools in Massachusetts. The contest included the artwork of 200 students of ages 7-12 from Armenia and the US.

The winners were presented with special certificates and prizes at the ceremony by ATP Associate Director of Special Programs Hasmik Kouchakdjian and art consultant Sarah Pace.

Kouchakdjian said that awards were based partly on how each piece "reflected ATP's mission of increasing environmental awareness," while noting that it was almost impossible to choose winners because all of the entries were quite impressive.

After thanking all of the children for the submissions, Kouchakdjian said, "Environmental awareness is critical in Armenia. Environmental concerns are not in the forefront of people's thinking. Through the youth, however, we are planting the seeds of this awareness in the younger generation."

Students were presented with special certificates from the ATP in recognition of their enthusiasm for nature protection in Armenia. The first, second, and third place winners will have ten, seven, and five trees planted, respectively, in their honor. Students whose work merited honorable mention will have two trees planted for them. Also, 10 trees will be planted for each of the three schools.

Art works were required to be produced on 16 x 22 inch paper, accompanied by a statement in support of the environment from the artist. All artwork is available for purchase, with the proceeds going to the development of an environmental curriculum for Armenian schools.

Participating schools included St. Stephen's in Watertown, the Moorad School of Providence, RI, and the Sisters' Academy in Lexington, MA, as well as selected schools in Armenia. The 18 winning posters from Armenia will also be exhibited with the winning US posters during the ATP anniversary celebrations at the Seaport Hotel in Boston next month.

The aim of the contest was to raise the level of environmental awareness among younger schoolchildren — the upcoming generation that will play a crucial role in preserving forests in Armenia.