ARMENIAN EVANGELICAL SCHOOLS OF CALIFORNIA, INC. The Founding of the First School

ARMENIAN EVANGELICAL SCHOOLS OF CALIFORNIA, INC.

The Founding of the First School

Author: Unknown

I came across these three unsighned typewritten and stapled pages in my mother’s archives. I could not trash them without reproducing it here. It narrates the chronology of the founding of the CHARLOTTE and ELISE MERDINIAN ARMENIAN EVANGELICAL SCHOOL and in doing so, illustrates the community-wide efforts that were vested in the founding of the school that had its start with thirteen students.

February, 1980

Rev. Vartkes Kassouni convened a group of thirty-five members of the United Armenian Congregational Church (UACC) to discuss the possibility of the founding of an Armenian Evangelical School. He was responding to the many requests from recent Armenian immigrants.

After a comprehensive discussion of the subject, the group decided to form an ad hoc committee to investigate the possibilities in a systematic way and to report the findings. Seven persons volunteered to serve on such a committee. Rev. Kassouni then assigned specific areas to four Members: 

o     Hrant Agbabian (facilities)

o     George Guldalian (finances)

o     Alice Haig (curriculum)

o     Hagop Loussararian (enrollment)

Missak Abdulian was asked to serve as convener for subsequent meetings. Hrair Atikian and Eva Shahinian were to cover assignments as needed. Later Berta Bilezikian agreed to serve as an educational consultant. By the end of 1980, the committee reported that.

o     there is a need for such a school,

o     sufficient enrollment seems assured, and

o     the resources can be found.

The committee recommended, however, that the project be sponsored not by UACC alone but by the whole Armenian Evangelical community, led by the Armenian Evangelical Union of North America (AEUNA), the Armenian Missionary Association of America  (AMAA), and the local churches.

January, 1981

After reviewing the report of the UACC ad hoc committee, Rev. Kassouni referred the matter to the executive committee of AEUNA, and Rev. Dr. Giragos Chopourian, Executive Director of the AMAA, brought the subject to the attention of the board of director of the AMAA. Those two bodies the appointed a Joint Investigative Committee to study the feasibility of Armenian Evangelical schools in the United States. Although the consideration was nationwide, committee members were selected from the West Coast and they were asked to make a pilot study in the Los Angeles area, which has the largest Armenian population. The committee consisted of :

o     Dr. Mihran Agbabian

o     Alice Haig, Chairman

o     Roy Kaprielian

o     Rev. Vartkes Kassouni

o     Edward Maljanian

o     Arthur Arutian served as a consultant.

Rev. Dr. Chopurian was designated an ex-officio member. 

To receive input from the East, two additional members were selected as advisors Rev. Vahan Toutikian and Nazar Daghlian.

At the end of 1981, the Investigative Committee reported that a school would be feasible if a suitable location could be found.

October, 1981

The AMAA offered seed money ($25,000 to $40,000) to start the school.

January, 1982

The AEUNA and the AMAA gave the investigating committee a new name and mission—“site Search Committee”. Two new members were added: Hrant Agbabian and Creg Hekimian. Luther Eskijian agreed to serve as advisor.

April, 1982

Within three months, site possibilities were identified, and a target date of September 1982, to start the school seemed to be realistic. A new committee was selected—“Interim Organizing Committee”. Members of this committee included.

o   Aram Garabedian

o   Alice Haig, Chairman

o   Greg Hekimian

o   Roy Kaprielian

o   Zaven Khanjian

o   Dr. Pepronia Merjanian

o   George Phillips, Esq.

Consultants were: Hrant Agbabian and Edward Maljanian. The pastors of the four local churches were designated as ex-officio members:

o     Rev. Abraham Chaparian (Armenian Evangelical Church of Hollywood)

o     Rev. Vartkes Kassouni (United Armenian Congregational Church)

o     Rev. Norair Melidonian (Armenian Cilicia Congregational Church)

o     Rev. Edward Tovmassian (Immanuel Armenian Congregational Church)

This committee took the necessary preliminary steps for opening the school.

June, 1982

School bylaws and Articles of Incorporation were completed, and the school obtained its state charter. (To avoid the need to draw up new charters if additional Armenian Evangelical schools are founded in California in the future, a plural name was chosen for the corporation.) Official signatories were the four local pastors named above and the committee chairman, Alice Haig.

At this point, the Interim Committee was replaced by an actual Board of Directors of the school, selected according to the bylaws. The initial board consisted of ten members representing the sponsoring groups:

o     Hrant Agbabian (AEUNA)

o     Vahe Ashkarian (Immanuel Armenian Congregational Church)

o     Aram Garabedian (Armenian Evangelical Church of Hollywood)

o     Alice Haig (AMAA)

o     Greg Hekimian (AEUNA)

o     Roy Kaprielian (Armenian Cilicia Congregational Church)

o     Zaven Khanjian (AEUNA)

o     Hagop Loussararian (United Armenian Congregational Church)

o     Dr. Pepronia Merjanian (AMAA)

o     George Phillips, Esq. (AMAA)

The four pastors named above were designated “advisory members”.

The eleventh space on the board was reserved for the representative of the Parent-Teacher Organization when established.

Four standing committee chairmen were appointed:

o     Curriculum: Anahid Terjimanian

o     Finance: George Guldalian

o     Personnel: Hagop Loussararian

o     Public Relations: Hratch Baliozian

July 1982

Officers of the board were elected:

o   Chairman: Alice Haig

o   Vice-Chairman: Hrant Agbabian

o   Corresponding Secretary:  Dr Pepronia Merjanian

o   Recording Secretary/Treasurer: Zaven Khanjian

o   Associate Treasurer: Vahe Ashkarian

At this time, Rev. Dr. Chopourian approached Elise Merdinian, an AMAA supporter. He was aware of her wish to make a major donation if she could find a permanent memorial that could bear the family name. The school project appealed to her. She agreed to make some initial donations and more later, if the school could be called CHARLOTTE (her sister) and ELISE MERDINIAN ARMENIAN EVANGELICAL SCHOOL and if certain other stipulations could be made.

September, 1982

The school opened with thirteen students; by the end of the year, enrollment reached twenty-eight. Daniel Albarian, a ministerial candidate at the Fuller Theological Seminary, was designated Administrator/Chaplain. Two teachers were selected:

o     Kindergarten (four and five years old): Mrs. Vergine Mitilian

o     Grades 1 to 3: Mrs. Gilda Nargizian.

The UACC agreed to rent out three Sunday school rooms for the use of the day school, on the condition that the school would move as soon as a promised site became available at the First Presbyterian Church of North Hollywood. 

February, 1983

After detailed negotiators, the legal documentation for the first phase of Elise Merdinian’s pledge was completed.

September, 1983

The school moved to larger quarters at the First Presbyterian Church.