January 31, 2011

Fiftieth Anniversary of the Nareg Saturday School of New Jersey

On Sunday, October 3, 2010, the Nareg Saturday Armenian School of Sts. Vartanantz Church in Ridgefield (New Jersey) celebrated its 50th anniversary under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan. The celebratory banquet was presided by His Grace Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, vicar general of the Eastern Prelacy.

Eight graders, teachers, and guests

Since 1960, when the Nareg School opened its doors to 41 students, it has enriched the lives of more than 5,000 students. Maro Demirdjian, chair of the School Board, welcomed the audience and spoke about the current state of the school. She proudly announced the launching of the official Nareg School anthem—“Kaylerk Nareg Shapatorya Varjarani”—, with music and lyrics by Rev. Fr. Hovnan Bozoian, pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Church.
Banquet attendees witnessed a beautiful program of musical selections and recitals, as well as meaningful participation from graduates of the school who delivered their heartfelt messages. Graduates Stephanie Mangioglu and Niree Kaprielian sang the American and Armenian national anthems. And Raffi Charkhutian, a graduate who serves as a sub deacon at Sts. Vartanantz and volunteers at the Armenian Hour Radio of New Jersey, served as master of ceremonies in Armenian and English. Charkhutian was also instrumental in preparing a slideshow presentation of 50 years of photos, which allowed guests to reminisce about earlier days.
The program also highlighted the achievements of the school through messages from alumni Antranig Kasbarian, Nvair Kadian Beylerian, and Tamar Samuelian. All participating graduates continue to be active members of the community and church.


Some of the alumni attending the 50th Anniversary luncheon.
Former principal Yester Garabedian then provided an intriguing historical overview of the school, and two graduates from 2010, Siran Tchorbajian (vocal) and Ani Mouradian (piano), performed two beautiful musical selections. Prior to the conclusion of the program, the newly appointed principal, Knar Apkarian, addressed the audience. As a highly qualified teacher at the school for years, Apkarian has long held the appreciationof students and parents alike.
At the conclusion of the program, Rev. Bozoian gave a message of appreciation and Bishop Tanielian delivered remarks congratulating the school for its efforts on behalf of Armenian education.

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