LOS ANGELES — Marking the school’s 30th anniversary, the commencement ceremonies of the fifth grade (elementary), eighth grade (middle) and 12th grade (high school) graduates of the Tekeyan Cultural Association Arshag Dickranian School took place on Saturday, June 25, at the school’s Walter and Laurel Karabian Hall.
Very Rev. Dajad Yardemian, Archpriest Manoug Markarian, benefactresses Eleanor Dickranian and Laurel Karabian, members of the Tekeyan Cultural Association Board of Directors were amongst the honored guests, joined by members of the school board of trustees, faculty and a capacity audience comprised of jubilant parents, relatives and friends.
The processional entry of the three graduating classes was followed by the school choir’s rendition of the national anthems of the United States, the Republic of Armenia and the hymn of the Dickranian School.
Acting as the master of ceremonies, Vice Chairman of Board of Trustees Parsegh Kartalian delivered the opening remarks of the event, introducing and welcoming guests and graduating students alike. “We are gathered here today to graduate 16 students into the next chapter of their lives,” said he. “They will leave this school and pursue higher education in prestigious universities and make us all proud.”
Following Kartalian’s remarks, Principal Vartkes Kourouyan presented awards of excellence to fifth- and eighth-grade students. He then invited Board of Trustees Secretary Gia Aivazian to present the fifth graders with their diplomas as Ashley Kirakossian, their homeroom teacher, called their names. Respectively, the eighth graders were then called one by one by their homeroom teacher Alvard Uzunyan to receive their diplomas by their one time teacher Vatche Semerdjian.
Board of Trustees chairman, George K. Mandossian, and TCA Board of Directors chairman, Haroutiun Arzoumanian, were then called upon to jointly present the 16 graduates of the Class of 2011 with their diplomas as Soukiassian read their names, thus calling on: Lusine Aleksanian, David Aghabekyan, Rozi Demirtchian, Lusine Zeitountsian, Khachik Haladjian, Alex Garibyan, John Gukasyan, Mariam Meliksetyan, Anahit Mestchyan, Harout Mishikyan, Ani Nercessian, Hykouhi Shamlyan, Grace Chilyan, Shake Dzhulfayan, Vardan Vardanyan and Gevork Keshishyan.
