Portrait of a Graduate
As a direct result of our MEGA educational values,
the Hovnanian School graduate is:
Confident
- Hovnanian School provides opportunities for students to develop a deep sense of self through knowledge of the legacy of their Armenian heritage. A sense of belonging to the larger Armenian community boosts their self-esteem and confidence.
- Through various activities, such as public-speaking, debates, and performances, our school helps students build their confidence and prepare for future success.
- Faculty and staff offer positive reinforcement and support, encouraging students to take risks and believe in their greatest potential.
- Our school fosters a safe and inclusive learning environment, where students feel comfortable expressing themselves and their ideas.
Articulate
- Our school prioritizes the development of effective communication skills as a critical component of academic and personal success.
- Ample opportunities are offered for students to practice and refine their communication skills through various activities such as debates, presentations and team projects.
- Through ongoing feedback, coaching and support, our school helps students develop the confidence and competence to communicate effectively in diverse settings and situations.
- Faculty and staff members model and promote effective communication in all aspects of school life, setting high expectations for students.
- Hovnanian School graduates incorporate values, culture and traditions, as well as the Armenian language, into their daily lives. They express themselves confidently and articulately – in writing, orally and creatively. They value and embody expressive leadership.
Curious
- Our school promotes a culture of curiosity, encouraging students to question, explore and discover knowledge beyond the walls of the classroom.
- Offering a wide range of extracurricular activities, such as the school newsletter, reading groups and field trips, provides students with opportunities to explore new subjects and hobbies
- Faculty and staff members cultivate a love of learning by providing engaging and thought-provoking lessons that spark students’ interests and creativity.
- Through personalized learning plans and continuous feedback, our school helps students set goals and develop a growth mindset, fostering a love of learning that extends beyond the school years.
Innovative
- Our school recognizes the importance of adaptability in the rapidly changing world, and prepares students with the skills to not only navigate, but embrace, the inevitability of uncertainty and change.
- Faculty and staff members model and promote creativity by cultivating a culture of pioneering, through projects like invention convention, science fair, graphic design, etc.
- Through challenging and complex tasks, strategic thinking games and even building toys from a young age, our students are encouraged to approach problems from different angles, think critically and learn from failures, fostering resilience that prepares them for success in various contexts.
- Given ample opportunity for reflection, our students absorb information more deeply, enhancing their creative contextual understanding of new concepts.
Civid-Minded
- Our school values and promotes humanitarian principles and traditional Armenian values such as respect, empathy and social responsibility, and incorporates these values into the school’s culture and curriculum.
- Our multilingual approach inherently instills in our students multiple viewpoints and allows them to be more empathetic.
- Faculty and staff members model and teach students how to treat others with kindness and dignity, emphasizing the importance of empathy and understanding toward others, and that understanding does not necessarily mean agreement.
- Students are exposed to diverse perspectives, cultures and experiences, helping them develop empathy and tolerance for different ideas and ways of life.
- Our school provides opportunities for students to engage in community service, volunteer work and advocacy, to help them develop a sense of social responsibility and civic engagement.
- Our multilingual curriculum exposes students to diverse perspectives and challenges them to reflect on the ethical dimensions of their decisions, cultivating a strong commitment to humanitarian values.
We have a strong sense of self:
We develop confidence as a direct result of our nurturing environment. We are invited to self-reflect and find our unique place in this larger framework. We become unapologetically ourselves by having a sense of belonging and community. We have deep connections to our roots, which build us up even stronger as individuals.
We practice thoughtful and meaningful communication:
We incorporate our values, culture, and traditions, as well as the Armenian language into our daily lives. We express ourselves confidently and articulately – in writing, orally, creatively. We value and embody expressive leadership.
We engage in learning that is relevant and relatable:
We approach learning with curiosity and introspection. We advocate for what we believe because we have deep, meaningful connections with our faculty – we trust our teachers and they trust us. We earn academic freedoms in our work by taking an active role in our learning both inside and outside our time in the classroom.
We encourage and appreciate a growth mindset:
We believe in failing forward and learning from our mistakes. We persevere and embrace the power of “yet” – you can learn anything given enough time and effort. We are brave and resourceful. We value innovation and thinking outside the box.
We enrich the Armenian-American community:
We transform our values into action. We lead with empathy, kindness and respect. We are globally & civically minded leaders of our communities. We build a strong network around us and support our fellow leaders.
We believe in healthy habits for the mind & body:
We value consistency with developing healthy habits and routines. We strengthen our self-regulation muscles as much as our physical ones. We develop a sense of well-being and a process of becoming aware of our choices toward a healthier lifestyle.
