By Lalig Musserian
LEXINGTON, Mass.—“I watch the growth of spirit in the children who come to my class,” wrote William Saroyan in “The Human Comedy.” There were no more appropriate words to describe the sentiment of the teachers and guests that gathered at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston on Feb. 11 to celebrate the 30thanniversary of one of our Armenian educational treasures, the Armenian Sisters’ Academy of Lexington. The event raised close to $90,000 for the school.
More than 200 guests and dignitaries attended the black tie-optional event, including Ambassador and Mrs. Rouben Shougarian, Rev. Raphael Andonian of the Armenian Catholic Church of Belmont, and Rev. Fr. Arakel Aljalian from the St. James Armenian Apostolic Church of Watertown. Middlesex County Sherriff Peter Koutoujian, who has three children at the school, served as master of ceremonies for the evening. Guests included alumni, the parents of alumni, current parents, teachers, staff, and friends and supporters of the school from across the Boston-Armenian community.
The evening’s formal program began with the singing of both the American and Armenian national anthems by Ani Zargarian, the lead singer for the Arev Armenian Folk Ensemble and an ASA alumnus. Principal Sr. Cecile Keghiayan presented the mission and history of the school, and Vice Principal Mayda Melkonian gave an overview of recent school accomplishments and investments. She also highlighted that the school holds membership with two different accreditation organizations, NEASC and AISNE. Rev. Andonian offered words of inspiration to those gathered, and a slide show took everyone down memory lane, remembering all those who had walked through the school’s doors over the past 30 years.
In his keynote presentation, Shougarian conveyed the important message that Armenian schools are an asset not only for the families they directly serve, but also for the future of Armenian communities more broadly. He concluded by pointing out the collective responsibility of the Armenian community in supporting schools such as the ASA so that it can continue the mission they embarked on so long ago.
The school’s academic success is directly linked to its noteworthy faculty and staff. Accordingly, an important part of the evening’s program included formal recognition of each teacher and staff member for their numerous years of service and dedication to the school.
A live auction raised additional funds, with guests bidding on several items, including three Boston Harbor cruises, two lithographs by renowned French-Armenian painter Karzou, a pair of diamond earrings, and a painting by Boston-based artist Daniel Varoujan Hejinian.
Following a sumptuous meal and a cake-cutting ceremony, the Ellie Berberian Band from Montreal, Canada, provided multilingual entertainment for the evening, with renditions of old favorites and new songs that delighted the audience and moved everyone onto the dance floor.
This elegant event offered the opportunity for new and old friends to come together for an evening of joy and the celebration of an institution that has given so much to the Boston-area Armenian community and is a treasure for our youth and our parents.
The enthusiastic and devoted Parents Committee, as well as several members of the school’s Advisory Board, worked tirelessly to plan this event down to every minute detail. The school administration would like to thank all the parents, friends, and committee members who came out for this event and helped make the evening so successful.
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