Emergency Preparedness and the Ferrahian High School Class of 1985
What do the 1988 Armenia earthquake, hurricane Katrina, Los Angeles community emergency response training, and the Ferrahian High School Class of 1985 have in common? It turns out, quite a bit, and these seemingly disconnected events all converged when the Ferrahian High School Class of 1985 held its 20-year reunion.
The reunion occurred June 11th, 2005, on the Encino campus. In attendance were any students, along with their families, who had been a part of the Class of ‘85, even if they had graduated from other schools. Joining the festivities were Principal John Kossakian, former Principal Gabriel Injejikian, teachers Marilyn Arshagouni, Parsegh Ananian, Varsenig Der Megerdichian, Arsine Gendal, and Kay Shaw. In total about 100 people, some flying in for the event, attended the celebration.
The Class of ‘85 Reunion Committee consisted of Jack Der-Sarkissian, Vache Keledjian, Alina Dorian, Tamar (Der Megerdichian) Tujian, Tamar Kevonian, Raffi Najarian, and Jirair Habeshian. Between them they have backgrounds that encompass four continents, seven countries, and a multitude of schools and experiences. They all work in different fields. They all agreed, however, that helping their school in the here and now was the best way to celebrate their reunion. Their classmates heartily agreed.
Most of the Class of ‘85 were new immigrants to the U.S. in 1979 when they entered Ferrahian. Many of their families had left countries to secure their very futures and here, in America, things appeared to be more promising. Yet their parents and guardians still wanted their introduction to the American landscape to come through an Armenian lens--one shaped by the experiences at Ferrahian High School.
While that Armenian experience is ultimately very individual and is open for interpretation, the parents and guardians appreciated a familiarity that the school provided to their children. That was true at the founding of the school in 1964, largely as a worldwide community effort steered by Mr. Gabriel Injejikian with a substantial bequest by Mateos and Yevgeeneh Ferrahian. It is still true today, though tempered by the stark reality that 90% of Armenian students in California do not attend Armenian schools, probably due to financial reasons. While our schools continue to subsidize the high cost of this education, their funding sources are being stretched. In this aspect the experience of anyone attending an Armenian school in America has been quite unique and privileged. And America, whose fabric is strengthened by its diversity, has benefited all the more from our experiences. The school’s founders sought to instill in their students the imperative of responsible adulthood in America yet with a tie to their Armenian cultural heritage.
Some twenty years later, the Class of ‘85 returned to their “home” base to celebrate their individual achievements and to renew the friendships forged so long ago. Everyone has been through a lot in twenty years, to say the least. The world itself has experienced a revolution during the last two decades, not the least being that Armenia has achieved its independence, albeit a precarious one. It is by destiny that this generation of Armenians, both in Armenia and the Diaspora, face the continuing challenges of independence. It has been schools like Ferrahian that have inculcated the seeds here in America to meet those challenges worldwide.
The Class of ‘85 chose to give back to Ferrahian with this appreciation for what it had provided. The reunion became a fundraising event with major sponsors from Jirair Habeshian (Jupiter Properties), Jack Der-Sarkissian (Kaiser Permanente), and Tamar Kevonian (MOSAIX Magazine), among others, enabling a donation of $3700 to the school. The Class of ‘85 recommended that the money be given to Holy Martyrs and Ferrahian teachers and staff from the school who chose to receive training in the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program.
While local government prepares for everyday emergencies, during a disaster the number and scope of incidents can overwhelm conventional emergency services. This was seen in the 1988 Armenia earthquake and more recently with hurricane Katrina in the Gulf States. The idea to train volunteers from the community to assist emergency service personnel during large natural disasters began, coincidentally, in 1985. This eventually developed into the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program. The CERT is an all-risk, all-hazard training program designed to help you protect yourself, your family, your neighbors, and your neighborhood in an emergency situation. It is an ideal program for teachers and staff at all of our schools. It may make the difference between an emergency and a true tragedy. This free 17.5-hour program, available to everyone, is conducted by the City of Los Angeles Fire Department and provides the tools for success. For information, call the Disaster Preparedness Unit at 818-756-9674 or visit www.cert-la.com
During August 3-5, 2005, 22 members of the Holy Martyrs Armenian Elementary & Ferrahian High School faculty and staff participated in the CERT program. Each participant received a $150 honorarium from the Class of ‘85. In Principal John Kossakian’s words, “We are pleased that the participants were very impressed by the CERT program and by the presenters. The contents of the syllabus have been very informative and very helpful.” If disaster strikes, the school will be well prepared to protect its students and staff, something that should make any parent feel much safer.
The Class of ‘85 has come full circle and has reestablished its roots in their school. “The administration, faculty, and staff…would like to extend sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Class of ’85 for spearheading a first-of-its-kind fundraising project and for supporting the CERT program,” Principal Kossakian stated. “[We hope] to encourage other alumni to continue such exemplary functions and fundraising activities.”
In the good-natured spirit of high school rivalry the Ferrahian Class of ‘85 awaits to see if its Armenian high school contemporaries at Alex Pilibos and Mesrobian will be able to match its accomplishment.
The stakes are simply too high to ignore, both for our community at large and for our schools and students.
What do the 1988 Armenia earthquake, hurricane Katrina, Los Angeles community emergency response training, and the Ferrahian High School Class of 1985 have in common? It turns out, quite a bit, and these seemingly disconnected events all converged when the Ferrahian High School Class of 1985 held its 20-year reunion.
The reunion occurred June 11th, 2005, on the Encino campus. In attendance were any students, along with their families, who had been a part of the Class of ‘85, even if they had graduated from other schools. Joining the festivities were Principal John Kossakian, former Principal Gabriel Injejikian, teachers Marilyn Arshagouni, Parsegh Ananian, Varsenig Der Megerdichian, Arsine Gendal, and Kay Shaw. In total about 100 people, some flying in for the event, attended the celebration.
The Class of ‘85 Reunion Committee consisted of Jack Der-Sarkissian, Vache Keledjian, Alina Dorian, Tamar (Der Megerdichian) Tujian, Tamar Kevonian, Raffi Najarian, and Jirair Habeshian. Between them they have backgrounds that encompass four continents, seven countries, and a multitude of schools and experiences. They all work in different fields. They all agreed, however, that helping their school in the here and now was the best way to celebrate their reunion. Their classmates heartily agreed.
Most of the Class of ‘85 were new immigrants to the U.S. in 1979 when they entered Ferrahian. Many of their families had left countries to secure their very futures and here, in America, things appeared to be more promising. Yet their parents and guardians still wanted their introduction to the American landscape to come through an Armenian lens--one shaped by the experiences at Ferrahian High School.
While that Armenian experience is ultimately very individual and is open for interpretation, the parents and guardians appreciated a familiarity that the school provided to their children. That was true at the founding of the school in 1964, largely as a worldwide community effort steered by Mr. Gabriel Injejikian with a substantial bequest by Mateos and Yevgeeneh Ferrahian. It is still true today, though tempered by the stark reality that 90% of Armenian students in California do not attend Armenian schools, probably due to financial reasons. While our schools continue to subsidize the high cost of this education, their funding sources are being stretched. In this aspect the experience of anyone attending an Armenian school in America has been quite unique and privileged. And America, whose fabric is strengthened by its diversity, has benefited all the more from our experiences. The school’s founders sought to instill in their students the imperative of responsible adulthood in America yet with a tie to their Armenian cultural heritage.
Some twenty years later, the Class of ‘85 returned to their “home” base to celebrate their individual achievements and to renew the friendships forged so long ago. Everyone has been through a lot in twenty years, to say the least. The world itself has experienced a revolution during the last two decades, not the least being that Armenia has achieved its independence, albeit a precarious one. It is by destiny that this generation of Armenians, both in Armenia and the Diaspora, face the continuing challenges of independence. It has been schools like Ferrahian that have inculcated the seeds here in America to meet those challenges worldwide.
The Class of ‘85 chose to give back to Ferrahian with this appreciation for what it had provided. The reunion became a fundraising event with major sponsors from Jirair Habeshian (Jupiter Properties), Jack Der-Sarkissian (Kaiser Permanente), and Tamar Kevonian (MOSAIX Magazine), among others, enabling a donation of $3700 to the school. The Class of ‘85 recommended that the money be given to Holy Martyrs and Ferrahian teachers and staff from the school who chose to receive training in the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program.
While local government prepares for everyday emergencies, during a disaster the number and scope of incidents can overwhelm conventional emergency services. This was seen in the 1988 Armenia earthquake and more recently with hurricane Katrina in the Gulf States. The idea to train volunteers from the community to assist emergency service personnel during large natural disasters began, coincidentally, in 1985. This eventually developed into the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program. The CERT is an all-risk, all-hazard training program designed to help you protect yourself, your family, your neighbors, and your neighborhood in an emergency situation. It is an ideal program for teachers and staff at all of our schools. It may make the difference between an emergency and a true tragedy. This free 17.5-hour program, available to everyone, is conducted by the City of Los Angeles Fire Department and provides the tools for success. For information, call the Disaster Preparedness Unit at 818-756-9674 or visit www.cert-la.com
During August 3-5, 2005, 22 members of the Holy Martyrs Armenian Elementary & Ferrahian High School faculty and staff participated in the CERT program. Each participant received a $150 honorarium from the Class of ‘85. In Principal John Kossakian’s words, “We are pleased that the participants were very impressed by the CERT program and by the presenters. The contents of the syllabus have been very informative and very helpful.” If disaster strikes, the school will be well prepared to protect its students and staff, something that should make any parent feel much safer.
The Class of ‘85 has come full circle and has reestablished its roots in their school. “The administration, faculty, and staff…would like to extend sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Class of ’85 for spearheading a first-of-its-kind fundraising project and for supporting the CERT program,” Principal Kossakian stated. “[We hope] to encourage other alumni to continue such exemplary functions and fundraising activities.”
In the good-natured spirit of high school rivalry the Ferrahian Class of ‘85 awaits to see if its Armenian high school contemporaries at Alex Pilibos and Mesrobian will be able to match its accomplishment.
The stakes are simply too high to ignore, both for our community at large and for our schools and students.
posted by JDS | 10:46 PM
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