Greater Detroit ARS Zavarian School welcomes students back to class

Greater Detroit’s ARS Zavarian Armenian One-Day School welcomed students for a new academic year on Friday, Sept. 8 in Farmington Hills and Saturday, Sept. 9 in Novi, Michigan. Students aged 4-16 greeted old friends and met new ones as they received their schoolbooks and headed to their classrooms.

Now in its 80th year, the Zavarian School is operated by the ARS Mid-Council of Greater Detroit, which includes representatives from the ARS Maro, Shakeh, Sybille, Tsolig and Zabelle chapters. Students can attend class Fridays from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at North Congregational Church, Farmington Hills or Saturdays from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Novi Public Library.

Parents and students were enthusiastic about returning to school for a new year of learning Armenian language and culture.

“I love coming here,” said Liliana Bedikian as her mother Tamar completed school registration papers at the Novi school.

“We want to keep the culture alive,” Tamar added. “It’s important to us.”

Tamar Bedikian fills out registration papers for her daughter, returning student Liliana Bedikian (Photo: Georgi Bargamian)

Jennifer Morris enrolled her daughter Grace in Armenian school “for her to have a foundation with the language I wish I could have had.”

Lena Nazaryan will again lead the school and teach the older students at the Farmington Hills location. Narod Keyvanian will teach the younger students at the Farmington Hills and Novi locations.

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“I want to help the kids to be Armenian and stay connected to their heritage and culture,” Keyvanian said, explaining why she signed up to teach classes for a fifth year. “I see kids falling in love with who they are as an Armenian and wanting to know more about their culture and language.”

Parents can still register their children for the 2023-24 academic year by calling ARS Mid-Council representative Sirvart Telbelian at (248) 661-8145 or (248) 210-9333.

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Georgi Bargamian

Georgi Bargamian is a former editor of the Armenian Weekly. After 10 years working in community journalism, she attended law school and is an attorney, but she remains committed to her first love journalism by writing for the Armenian Weekly.