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PRESS RELEASE
Thursday, August 14, 2008
AGBU Tarouhy-Hovagimian School in Lebanon Graduates Record Number
On July 6, 2008, the graduation ceremony of AGBU Tarouhy-Hovagimian took
place in the AGBU Demirdjian Center near Beirut, Lebanon with the
largest-ever number of graduates, 56, who passed the Baccalaureate II
exams in General Science, Socioeconomics and Life Sciences, as well as
the Arts.
Principal Jirair Tanielian called this year’s graduating seniors "Ara
Topjian Graduates," in memory of the school’s founding principal, who
served the institution for forty years. After reflecting on Topjian’s
contribution to Tarouhy-Hovagimian, Tanielian gave statistical data that
demonstrated the high level of achievement of the school’s students.
AGBU Lebanon Chairman Avedis Demirdjian and AGBU Lebanon Board Member
Garbis Markarian joined Principal Tanielian in handing out the diplomas.
Those pupils having achieved high results were given gifts, generally
consisting of valuable publications and monetary allocations, by Fr.
Antranig Granian and Lebanese State Minister Jean Oghasapian.
The address in Armenian was given by Talar Der Vartanian who stressed
the importance of firmly holding on to the Armenian language and the
culture it generates. The address in Arabic was given by Sezan
Kirishjian, who expressed gratitude, on behalf of her classmates, for
the education they received and the rich lives of Lebanese Armenians.
This year’s program included the recitation of an original poem by Tamar
Sarkis, which was selected by Lebanon’s Department of Education’s poetry
contest judges as one of the top 10 poems out of submissions from over
600 Lebanese schools. This was an exceptional achievement, given the
fact that Tarouhy-Hovagimian was the only Armenian school represented.
Tamar’s recitation earned hearty applause from the audience.
The farewell address to the graduates was delivered by Very Rev. Fr.
Antranig Granian. He spoke in a simple and heartfelt manner, exhorting
them not to forget their national origin and obligations as Armenians.
He counseled the students not to be afraid of being different from
others, to love mankind, to love God and love their fellow compatriots.
A large number of student awards were handed out in various categories,
including "model student," and for various subjects, including Armenian
language, Armenian history, science, English, and Arabic. Top students
in both the junior and senior high schools were also recognized for
their accomplishments.
The program concluded with words of thanks from the administration
delivered by Avedis Chakmakian.
Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually serving some
400,000 Armenians on six continents.