Glendale: a $9.6 million gift to create the city’s first Armenian high school
- Published
- Place
- Glendale, California
- Event date
- Past event —
Summary
Alex and Lina Megerdechian have donated $9.6 million to buy a property in Glendale, California, which is to house the city’s first Armenian high school. The gift, honoured on Friday 6 November at the Western Prelacy by Archbishop Kegham Khacherian, fully funds the purchase of a property that will be placed under the Prelacy’s auspices. The institution will be named Alex and Lina Megerdechian High School and will extend Chamlian Armenian School, which the couple’s children attend, through the end of secondary education. “That dream is no longer a distant aspiration, but a promise taking shape,” the Prelate said, presenting Alex Megerdechian with the “Cilician Eagle” honorary pin. No opening date or enrolment details have been announced yet.
Analysis
Glendale, north of Los Angeles, is home to one of the largest Armenian communities in the United States. Until now, Chamlian’s pathway stopped before high school, and pupils had to continue their education elsewhere. A local high school funded by a single private gift fills that missing link and shows how much Armenian education in the diaspora relies on major donors and community initiatives.
Possible consequences
The building still has to be fitted out and an opening timetable set; the Prelacy has not yet announced one.
