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Eighty-eight students of Armenian State Pedagogical University have spent their winter holidays at the ASPU training base in Aghavnadzor.
Sports games, intellectual competitions, seminars, debates, musical soirees, songs and dances… Every year, the University organizes unique holidays for students before the start of studies.
This year, the Student Council and the Chair of Chess and Sports organized a joint 5-day program combining the useful with pleasure and focusing on the importance of active and complete rest.
Arman Gevorgyan, a lecturer at the Chair of Chess and Sports, was in charge of supervising the students’ winter holidays. Talking to old.aspu.am, he said that he was pleasantly surprised by sports and cultural capabilities of the future teachers. “There are gifted and multifaceted people who are able to organize different events, demonstrate their abilities to the best in competitions, be initiative and friendly,” Arman Gevorgyan said adding that gatherings of this kind help the youth to unite and develop their collective thinking.
While in Aghavnadzor, the students were visited by ASPU vice-rectors who discussed with the holiday-makers issues related to the rest and the educational process. The students were interested in a number of issues, starting from the construction of a gym to the efficiency of the e-learning system. The vice-rectors gave detailed answers to each and every question raised by the students and promised to discuss the possible implementation of each question.
“Entertainment and active rest are of great importance for everyone. During those 5 days students of different faculties were cut off from their professional activities, everyday problems and had the opportunity to get acquainted with new people and have new interests,” said Srbuhi Gevorgyan, ASPU Vice-Rector for Educational and Scientific Affairs. As a Doctor of Psychology, she assured everyone that such initiatives would contribute to the revelation and development of new collaborative approaches.
Mher Melik-Bakhshyan, Vice-Rector for Education Process Planning and Organization, added that holidays of this type have a positive influence on students' learning process: students strive to demonstrate high academic performance and make use of different opportunities provided by the University. The vice-rector said that meetings with students enable them to identify the existing problems, listen to students’ suggestions and outline future actions.
It is due to mention that six students from each faculty of the University, as well as Best Readers of 2017 of the ASPU Base College, athletes of the University's female volleyball and football teams spent their holidays in the Aghavnadzor-based center within the framework of the program.
Armen Tamazyan, ASPU Vice-Rector for General Affairs, says organization of winter holidays in this way is a unique way to encourage the best students and one of the best traditions of the Pedagogical University which enables students to demonstrate their abilities, communicate with others and make friends with them.
The students speak about their rest with great admiration and gratitude stressing that everything was well organized before the start of the studies. They are especially pleased with the varied menu, delicious and useful dishes, and the attitude of the staff. “We feel at home here,” they said.
Representatives of the ASPU health service and security guards were also in Aghavnadzor to ensure the students’ safe and healthy rest. Talking to old.aspu.am, Aghavnik Tsaturyan, one of the nurses on duty, said they were able to prevent a few cases of acute respiratory diseases. She confesses that she combined work with rest and spent joyful days with the students.
Hripsime Hovhannisyan, a first-year student of the Faculty of Primary Education, was participating in such a gathering for the first time. Now she is convinced that students should not limit themselves to studies: entertainment and similar events have their important and unique place in student life.
Ashot Vanoyan, an 11th-form pupil studying in the Physical and Mathematical stream of the ASPU Base College, confesses that he did not have serious expectations before arriving in Ahavnadzor, but he is back with good impressions and in high spirits. When talking about changes and suggestions, he said that he was unable to wake up early, and suggested reviewing the time.
Summing up the results of the 5-day holiday, Edik Gulyan, Vice-Chairman of the Student Council, said that they were able to ensure active and complete rest for the students.
“From the very first day, we heard various proposals [by the students] regarding the organization of the rest. We held joint discussions and tried to implement them taking into consideration students’ wishes and preferences," Edik Gulyan said. On behalf of the students, he assured old.aspu.am that this is a unique assessment the university gives to the best students and pupils which encourages and makes students learn better.
On the last day of the holidays, the teams and students who became winners in different sporting events and competitions, received diplomas. They spent the evening around the traditional fire.
