AGBU/Chicago Armenian School reports on "Trees All Around Us"

This year, AGBU/Chicago students continued their interaction with the Ohanyan School in Yerevan through our collaboration with the Armenia Tree Project. The exchange combines cultural awareness of how our childrens' peers in Armenia live with education on environmental issues that affect youth around the world. Toward these goals, we created a video project titled "TREES ALL AROUND US."

The short film we produced gave us the opportunity to describe local trees,
what's important about them, and what natural or manmade hazards these trees face.

We look forward to exchanging films, creating service projects, comparing notes on environmental concerns, and forming friendships that strengthen the bonds of our common heritage.

Our film was created during a field trip to the world-renowned Chicago Botanic Garden on October 15. The tour of the Garden, a 156-hectare property with more than 20 planted spaces including an English walled garden and a Japanese garden on three separate islands, was guided by Gary Topalian, a landscape architect with the highly regarded firm of Scott Byron. After visiting a oakland forest preserve and the Garden's "Trees of Illinois" collection, students enjoyed touring some of the garden areas and the Garden's very popular model railway exhibit.

Hi, I'm Jacey!

"Did you like our video?  I was in it!   Your presentation was really good. I wish we had an orchard behind our school!  I'm wondering, why do you like ash trees so much?"








Hi, I'm Talya!

Did you like our video? I was in it too!  I liked your presentation.  I also like how you carved ATP in the bushes!

Hi, I'm Anto--that's Tony in English

 What did you think about our video? I loved yours!

Hi, my name is Vartkes!

I was in our video too!  I liked learning about your trees.