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Eastern Prelacy: ANEC Celebrates Year of the Armenian School With Fe

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  • Eastern Prelacy: ANEC Celebrates Year of the Armenian School With Fe

    PRESS RELEASE
    Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
    138 East 39th Street
    New York, NY 10016
    Tel: 212-689-7810
    Fax: 212-689-7168
    e-mail: [email protected]
    Website: http://www.armenianprelacy.org
    Contact: Iris Papazian

    JUNE 8, 2006

    ANEC CELEBRATES YEAR OF THE ARMENIAN SCHOOL
    WITH FESTIVAL OF SCHOOLS FOR MID-ATLANTIC REGION

    NEW YORK, NY - At the conclusion of the Festival of Armenian Schools
    that took place in New Jersey in March, Archbishop Oshagan addressed
    the students with this question: "Dear children, do you know where
    Armenia is?" The Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy quickly answered his
    question by telling the students, "Today, Armenia is here, because for
    the past three hours you all spoke, sang, danced, acted and recited
    in Armenian. I am very touched and very proud," he told them.

    The Festival of Schools was presented by the Armenian National
    Education Committee (ANEC), which is co-sponsored by the Eastern
    Prelacy and the Armenian Relief Society (Eastern Region), in
    celebration of the Year of the Armenian School proclaimed by His
    Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia.

    "In celebration of the Year of the Armenian School, we decided it
    would be appropriate to have a Armenian School Festival bringing
    together students from various Armenian schools," said Mrs. Nayiri
    Balanian, chairperson of ANEC. The Festival was dedicated to the
    1600th anniversary of the invention of the Armenian alphabet and the
    90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

    Seven schools and The Yeraz Dance Ensemble participated in the
    Mid-Atlantic Festival, which took place at Dwight-Englewood School,
    a private school in Englewood, New Jersey. Participating in the
    Festival were the Hamasdegh School, Washington DC; Haigazian School,
    Philadelphia, PA; Siamanto Academy, New York; Holy Martyrs Elementary
    School, Bayside, NY; St.

    Sarkis School, Douglaston, NY; the Armenian School of Brooklyn, NY;
    and the Nareg School, Ridgefield, NJ.

    An impressive parade of students entered the auditorium, following
    the bearers of the Stars and Stripes and Tricolor flags. They filled
    the large stage and offered inspiring interpretations of the American
    and Armenian national anthems, as well as Ov Metrzaskantch Too Lezou,
    Yerevan Yerepouni, and Chan Haiastan, under the talented direction
    of Maestro Vagharshag Ohanian.

    During the main portion of the program each school presented its own
    well prepared program of songs, recitations, plays and dances.

    Mrs. Hermine Menakian, a Armenian teacher in New Jersey for many
    years, was so impressed and proud that she congratulated all of the
    students, their teachers and the Festival committee, which included
    Knar Apkarian, Silva Kouyoumdjian, Prof. Asbed Vassilian, and Nayiri
    Balanian.

    Mrs. Zarmine Boghosian, a well-known teacher, principal, writer and
    intellectual, attended with her mother and later wrote: "I returned
    home from the Festival with a satisfied heart. My mother was so happy,
    she forgot her heart problems. Well done!"

    Mrs. Balanian expressed her deep thanks to Archbishop Oshagan and to V.

    Rev. Fr. Shahe Panossian, pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Church,
    Ridgefield, New Jersey, for their support and presence. She also
    expressed thanks to the Yeraz Ensemble and their dance instructors,
    and to the Festival's guest conductor, Vagharshag Ohanian.

    Mrs. Balanian acknowledged the deep gratitude that must go to the
    teachers, 44 of whom participated in the Festival. They were honored by
    ANEC with special certificates and 1600th anniversary commemorative
    pins which will be presented to them during public ceremonies in
    their respective communities.

    Mrs. Balanian concluded with this observation: "When I was a
    teacher, I would give my 8th grade graduating students an "Armenian
    Passport." Each student had the duty of being an Ambassador of
    Armenia, so that they would go and present their fatherland to
    others with pride. Today, I issue each of you an "Armenian Passport"
    and give you the duty to be Ambassadors of Armenian Schools. Go and
    tell everyone that Armenian Schools are the backbone of our nation,
    and encourage parents to send their children to Armenian day schools
    or one-day schools."

    For more than 45 years the Armenian National Education Committee
    has risen to the challenge of helping transmit the Armenian legacy,
    upholding it as a vibrant, evolving gift bestowed on the hearts and
    minds of emerging generations. ANEC provides educational leadership and
    guidance to Armenian schools under its jurisdiction, ensuring that high
    standards are maintained and that changing needs are addressed. Beyond
    offering logistical support at the administrative level, ANEC also
    directs a number of programs that bolster the long-term viability
    of Armenian education in America, including educators' seminars
    and forums, curricula direction and support for schools, cultural
    presentations for the community, and specialized programs for young
    adults like the Siamanto Academy, which offers college-level courses
    in Armenian studies.

    # # #
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