MIRAK FAMILY PLEDGES GIFT TO ST. STEPHEN’S ARMENIAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Arlington Advocate
/education/x1658743155/Mirak-family-pledges-gift-t o-St-Stephen-s-Armenian-Elementary-School
Feb 17 2009
MA
WATERTOWN – The Mirak Family Foundation has generously pledged a
leadership gift of $200,000 to the St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary
School of Watertown. Following a meeting between Robert Mirak and Julia
Mirak Kew and school principal Houry Boyamian, the Miraks offered
to support the school’s mission to educate a second generation of
Armenian Americans.
The Mirak Family was enthusiastic about the quality of bilingual
education at the school, the low student-to-teacher ratio, the quality
of the teaching staff, and that, since 2003, the school has been
accredited by the Association of Independent Schools in New England.
Since its establishment in 1984, more than 400 students have been
educated in Armenian language and history and 177 students have
graduated from St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School. Students
in several grades score in the top 10-15 percent nationwide on the
Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills for Language and Math, and graduates
have attended prestigious universities with full scholarships and
gone on to become community leaders.
Dr. Mirak is the son of the late John and Artemis Mirak, who were
survivors of the Armenian Genocide from Arapkir. His book, "Torn
Between Two Lands: Armenians in America, 1890 to World War I" was
published by Harvard University Press. As a scholar and community
leader, he expressed the importance of preserving an Armenian identity
in the diaspora.
Mirak’s granddaughter Christina Kew attends the school, and daughter
Julia, trustee of the Mirak Family Foundation and the Armenian
Cultural Foundation, has commended the staff and school leadership for
providing a nurturing environment and helping her family preserve their
Armenian heritage. "My sister Jennifer Mirak Leach is also part of
our family foundation, and she is envious that I can send my daughter
to St. Stephen’s School," Julia confided. "I can speak for all of us
when I say our family is proud that we can help the school upgrade
its existing space, keep tuition affordable, and enhance the school’s
library so students will have access to cutting edge resources."
The Mirak Family has supported a number of charitable and education
institutions, including Arlington’s hospital, libraries and the
preservation of historic structures, the Armenia Tree Project, and
the Armenian Cultural Foundation in Arlington.
St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School is a private pre-kindergarten
through grade five school dedicated to educational excellence in an
environment rich in Armenian culture.