WATERTOWN, Mass. — St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School (SSAES) will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a gala on Saturday, November 16, at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge.
The gala will honor Houry Boyamian, who had presided over the school as principal for 35 years, until her retirement over a year ago. Boyamian led the school from its early days with a handful of students to a well-established educational institution.
SSAES alumni have gone on to a myriad of top colleges, including MIT, Tufts, Dartmouth and Northeastern. SSAES is accredited by the Association of Independent Schools in New England. In addition to a challenging bilingual education, students are exposed to a variety of cultural and social events, culminating with the fifth-grade class trip to Armenia. The trip previously included a visit to Karabakh (Artsakh).
“My 35 years at the helm of SSAES were the most fulfilling and rewarding of my life. Serving the school was not a job — it was a mission. It is with great satisfaction that I have watched our students develop their sense of identity, grow, advance and succeed at SSAES and beyond. Their involvement, active participation and leadership role in the Armenian community, both in the US and Armenia, has been a great source of pride for me. SSAES is a magical place. My wish is to see our community and the community at large cherish and protect this beacon of light and hope for many years to come,” Boyamian said.
The program will feature as keynote speaker Dr. Mary A. Papazian, executive vice president of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. Papazian has been a noted leader of public universities, including serving as former president of San Jose State University, as well as Southern Connecticut State University. In addition, she was the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Lehman College. She is a scholar of Renaissance and Early Modern Literature.
Guest performer will be powerhouse vocalist Angelina Nazarian, who appeared on the NBC vocal competition program, “The Voice,” in 2023 and is currently a student at the Berklee School of Music.
