Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Mekhitarist Fathers' Armenian School. On Saturday, February 28, 2004, members of the Armenian community in Southern California will gather to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Mekhitarist Fathers' Armenian School.
The school is the pride of the Armenian community. Its impressive curriculum, dedicated faculty and administration, quality extracurricular activities, devoted parents, alumni and committed Trustees serve as strong pillars of this unique educational institution.
The Mekhitarist Fathers' Armenian school was established in 1979 with dreams of rearing and educating young Armenians about their past. Yet they taught their pupils to appreciate their new home in America and establish respectable, productive and thriving communities as well as the importance of making lasting contributions to society.
In 1998, when the school had prospered to more than 350 students, they leased a campus in La Crescenta. The school was facing unlimited difficulties. Mekhitarist Fathers had a very short time to find a home for those whose educational responsibilities were put upon their shoulders. They proved without a doubt that despite insurmountable obstacles, they fulfilled their seemingly impossible responsibility toward this community when they purchased their own land on Foothill Boulevard, in Tujunga.
Today, the number of students has dropped due to obstacles that the school has had to overcome. Yet, that is what has made this institution stronger. As Fr. Augustine Szekula said, "It is the very existence of nurturing Armenian schools in the Diaspora that supports and indeed, enables our Mother country [Armenia] to exist, and for our rich Armenian cultural heritage to continue to flourish with dignity and grace."
It is my distinct honor to recognize the Mekhitarist Fathers' Armenian School's invaluable service to the community and congratulate them upon their 25th anniversary.