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PRESS RELEASE
Thursday, July 30, 2009
AGBU Najarian-Gulbenkian School Students Win First & Second in
Pan-Armenian Olympiad of Armenian Language Competition
On July 17, 2009, the Pan-Armenian Olympiad of Armenian language and
literature, as well as the Armenian studies competition, concluded at
the Arno Babajanian Concert Hall in Yerevan, Armenia. School teams from
12 countries took part in the Olympiad that started on July 10 and
included 133 student participants.
The Syrian team, which triumphed during the competition, was awarded the
top prize. Maria Shahinian, Arpi Dekirmenjian and Nushik Tutunjian from
AGBU Lazar Najarian Calouste-Gulbenkian School in Aleppo, Syria, were
among the participants in the competition. Maria Shahinian was among the
three first-prize winners of the Armenian studies competition, while
Nushik Tutunjian was among the three second-prize winners.
The main goal of the Olympiad and the competition was to encourage
diasporan Armenian students to deepen their love and knowledge of
Armenian language, literature, history and culture. During their stay in
Yerevan, the visiting students traveled to a number of historic sights
and enjoyed the cultural riches of Armenia.
Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian program, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.