PRESS RELEASE
"Knights of
Vartan" Communication Office
2 Arshagunyats Ave,
Yerevan, Armenia
Contact: Gohar Palyan,
Liaison
Tel: +374 94 20 64 68
Web: www.kofv.org
Knights of Vartan’s Nareg-Shavarshan
Lodge Renovating
KV #106 School
in Yerevan
Yerevan
– Knights of Vartan Inc. Nareg-Shavarshan Lodge in Greater Detroit is
continuing to make improvements at the Knight of Vartan #106 School in Yerevan,
Armenia. Since 2018, the Lodge will have
raised $61,500 for renovation projects at this school.
The Knights of
Vartan, in 1993, initiated the “Adopt A
School Project (AASP)” to financially assist public schools in the Republic of Armenia. During the early years of Armenia’s
independence, the new Republic did not
have the resources to adequately fund the needs of its public school system.
With inadequate teacher salaries, deteriorated conditions of school facilities
and a lack of school supplies, helping schools in Armenia was a worthwhile
endeavor for the organization.
It was at this time
the Knights of Vartan made significant improvements to School #106 in Nor Nork,
Yerevan. After a few years of cooperation the school was renamed Knights of
Vartan School #106 and Past Grand Commander (PGC) Everett Berberian and PGC Ara
Avakian traveled to Armenia on April 5, 1995 to attend the ceremony marking
this event.
For a few years the Knights
of Vartan (KV) implemented additional projects in the school, built in the
1960’s, through the Armenian Social Investment Fund (ASIF.) Some of the major renovations after Armenia’s
independence at this time included installing a new central heating system,
replacing the roof and many of the windows and doors and what was supposed to
be renovation of the gymnasium.
However, the windows
installed in the 1960s remained in place in the gymnasium hence one could
easily see broken windows, warped wooden floors placed over the ground (dirt)
and peeling plaster on the walls due to excessive humidity from poor drainage
and air circulation.
In 2016 the Knights
of Vartan Inc. celebrated the 100th Anniversary of its founding in
Yerevan. The Grand Commander that year, Steven Kradjian, reestablished a
relationship with the Knights of Vartan School #106 Principal, Mrs. Marine
Vardanyan, and invited her to attend the organization’s official event.
Coincidently she was
a graduate of the same school and her mother was one of the first teachers
there. This facility is not just a job for Mrs. Vardanyan but rather she
considers it her identity. Because of her
exemplary administrative skills and intellectual insight, she has raised the
standard level of education which has resulted in the doubling of the number of
students attending the school. In addition, she formed a club to stage plays
and perform recitals and created a singing and dancing group. Even with
scarce resources available, Mrs. Vardanyan was able to purchase new desks and replace
some of the windows and doors, but large amounts of money would be needed to
complete the required number of necessary improvements.
The next project in
support of the Knights of Vartan School #106 was initiated by then Grand
Commander Dr. Gary Zamanigian while on one of the organization’s “Back to
Homeland” Mission Trips in 2017. Appalled by the deplorable condition of the
gymnasium, he was inspired and determined to make certain it would be renovated
in 2018. He said recently “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I actually saw the
condition of the gym; at that moment I felt nothing is going to stop me from
acquiring the necessary funds to refurbish the gym”. During one calendar year
$30,000 was raised by Nareg-Shavarshan Lodge members to complete the project. Additionally, $2,600 was donated by Arshavir
Lodge in Worcester to purchase new gym equipment which was available for use when
the students returned to school in September 2019. The Paros Foundation was
contracted by the Detroit Lodge to implement the project and they did so in a
manner far beyond the expectation of all who were able to see the end result.
The renovation included replacing the old windows
throughout the 284 square meter gym, installing new vinyl gym flooring on
cement with proper drainage, installing new electrical wiring, 21 light switches
and plugs, repairing the heating system, restoring the plaster and painting the
walls and the ceiling, installing new ceramic tiles in the locker rooms, installation
of new netting over the windows to protect them from damage and installation of
new basketball backboards, rims and nets.
In September 2019, the Knights of Vartan “Back
to the Homeland” group, led by Grand Commander Steven Adams, attended the
ribbon cutting ceremony officially opening the fully renovated gymnasium. The
school’s younger children presented a beautiful program with dancing and
acrobatics and the play “Vartanank” was preformed by upper grade students.
In the past, Mrs. Vardanyan had created a list
of much needed renovations by priority. It included replacing the remaining old
windows and doors of classrooms, changing all the outdated electric wires from the
1960s and a total renovation of the auditorium with a gradual incline of the floors
for easy viewing.
Nareg-Shavarshan Lodge once again, with PGC Dr.
Gary Zamanigian as the initiator, pledged to raise the needed funds for the
final renovation. Gomidas Lodge in San Diego having been informed of the
project has already made a much appreciated monetary contribution proving that
in the Knights of Vartan “brothers help brothers”.
In the future additional improvements will be
made as needed and they will continue to be implemented by the excellent work
of the Paros Foundation.
The Knights of Vartan Inc. is a fraternal leadership
and service organization of Armenian men dedicated to safeguarding and
perpetuating the Armenian heritage and cultural traditions. Its membership
represents the spectrum of the leadership of the Armenian community. It was
founded in 1916 in Philadelphia and is based the United States with 23 local
chapters which support Armenian causes around the world.
For more information about the Knights and
Daughters of Vartan, visit .