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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
AGBU ALEX & MARIE MANOOGIAN SCHOOL CELEBRATES 35th ANNIVERSARY OF
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND LEADERSHIP
Commitment to Education Spans More Than Three Decades
Southfield, Michigan – Marking its 35th Anniversary, AGBU Alex & Marie
Manoogian School in Southfield, Michigan, is the nation’s leading
American school that balances both the Armenian and American cultures
in their curriculum, student body and school environment.
Established as a private school in 1969, the Manoogian school was
founded to provide a solid education in a nurturing and dynamic
environment. Now in 2004, as a charter school, the institution
continues with the same commitment to those educational principles but
with an emphasis on diversity that serves the larger community.
As a testament to its 35 years of teaching excellence, the school has
more than tripled its enrollment and now boasts 370 students grades
K-12. The official anniversary commemoration took place on October 8,
2004 at the Saint John’s Armenian Church Cultural Hall and was
attended by 400 alumni, faculty members, and parents came together to
celebrate this landmark in the school’s history.
Dr. Nadya Sarafian, who has been Principal of the AGBU Alex & Marie
Manoogian school for two decades, commented on the recent anniversary.
“Without a doubt, the biggest milestone over the last 35 years was
going from a private school to a charter school in 1995. As you know,
the Manoogian School currently offers non-tuition classes for students
in grades K-12. Becoming a charter school helped remove the pressure
for families who desperately wanted their kids to have a top-notch
education, but struggled with the tuition costs that accompany private
schools.”
Dr. Sarafian added that the Manoogian School remains unique because of
its academic excellence. The school has been recognized for two
consecutive years with the prestigious Golden Apple Award, based on
the students’ performance on the Michigan Educational Assessment
Program (MEAP) test.
The last two years marked significant accomplishments for the
Manoogian School as a series of private donations allowed it to
renovate for future needs. Last summer, through the generosity of
Mrs. Louise Manoogian Simone and Mr. Richard Manoogian, the school
underwent a complete renovation, which included a state-of-the-art
media center, enabling students easy access to both print and
electronic information, a new pre-school unit, including a new
playground for younger students. This year, the Walton Family
Foundation awarded the Manoogian School a $153,000 grant based on
academic excellence. The money will be used toward upgrading the
science and computer labs.
Established in 1969, and chartered by Central Michigan University
since 1995, the AGBU Alex and Marie Manoogian School
() follows the Michigan State of Board of Education
guidelines for all schools in addition to emphasizing the study of
Armenian language, history and culture. The result is a unique
educational program combining the Armenian and American cultures, and
fosters a strong individual identity through a well-balanced
curriculum of language arts, mathematics, science, social studies,
computer science, art, music and physical education. For more
information on AGBU and its schools, visit