ST. STEPHEN’S ARMENIAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL UNVEILS EXPANDED BUILDING
Community | November 2, 2012 9:19 am
Anna and Noubar Afeyan cut the ribbon of the new Afeyan Building, as
Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan and school board members look on. (Garo
Lachinian photo) WATERTOWN – St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School
(SSAES) held a grand opening ceremony for its recently completed
building project, located at 46 Elton Ave., on Sunday, October 14.
The event, which marked the completion of the largest building project
supporting the Greater-Boston Armenian community in the last 20 years,
provided an opportunity for the school board and administration to
thank all the volunteers, partners and donors who gave their time
and financial support to realize the project.
The newly-expanded nursery school building includes the addition
of a new, 6,000-square-foot, two-story structure encompassing new
classrooms, a learning center as well as indoor and outdoor recreation
areas.
The project was funded solely by donations, which allowed the school
to cover the cost of the project without the need to use its endowment
fund or incur any debt. The primary donors, Noubar and Anna Afeyan, the
Mirak Family, the Bilezikian Family and Aurelian and Anahid Mardiros,
were all recognized with certificates of merit from the Prelacy of
the Armenian Church of America. Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan,
Prelate, handed out the certificates. Noubar Afeyan, for whose family
the new building is named and who has been a longstanding supporter of
the school, took the opportunity to commend the achievements of the
school and highlight the importance of supporting Armenian education
in the diaspora.
The financial generosity of the community was coupled with the
support of volunteers, including Ara Krafian, CEO of the design and
engineering firm SMMA, who designed the new building and oversaw
the abbreviated construction process. His father, Yervant Krafian,
was one of the founding members of the school 28 years ago.
As Houry Boyamian, the principal of SSAES, noted at the event,
“The expansion of our facilities is a commendable accomplishment
and a testament to what we can achieve when we come together with
one purpose – but the real accomplishment is the learning that will
take place inside the walls of this building, and for that I thank
our teachers and students.”
She added, “During our fundraising efforts it became very clear to us
that our community viewed St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School as
a vital institution that not only provides an excellent education, but
one that is essential in the preservation of our culture and heritage.
We had a vision and you helped us make it a reality. This beautiful
new addition, that you see, not only solved our space issue, but
it also created new possibilities for our school. With it, we have
been able to continue offering small class sizes, imperative for an
effective learning experience, as well as introduce enhancements to our
curriculum such as the Science Technology Engineering and Math program
(STEM Initiative), launched this year that will arm our students
with the tools they need to be successful in this technologically
driven world.”
St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School was founded in 1984. It is
the only Armenian day school to be fully accredited by the Association
of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE), the accrediting body
for independent elementary schools. AISNE has commended the school
for “creating an environment where all the students love to read
and appear committed to academic excellence” and for recruiting a
dedicated staff. To learn more about SSAES, visit
From: A. Papazian
http://www.mirrorspectator.com/2012/11/02/st-stephens-armenian-elementary-school-unveils-expanded-building/
www.ssaes.org.