MONTREAL (Horizon)–Through negotiations by the Trustee Board of the Sourp Hagop Church and Montreal’s Academic Board (Commission Scolaire de Montral–CSDM)–Quebec’s only Armenian high school–Sourp Hagop–will be purchased from the Montreal Board in order to prevent the loss of the school–which was being recalled by the CSDM.
Until recently–the CSDM had refused to renew the lease–which ends on June 30th–and had requested that the school be emptied by the end of July due to a lack of student space in other CSDM institutions.
The school and its land–which is worth $10,216,200 (CAN) and spreads across a total of 303,000 square feet–will be acquired at $4.5 million (CAN) and a $1 million (CAN) renovation project is being planned for this summer–with the emphasis being placed primarily on new windows for the school.
Donations have already started rolling in–with Hagop Pastrmadjian generously contributing $1 million (CAN) and Vartkes Sarafian providing the community with a $500,000 (CAN) advance from the Sarafian Educational Fund.
Nonetheless–these amounts only scratch the surface of what is needed and it will be up to Montreal’s Armenian community to raise $1.5 million (CAN). The rest of the money will be borrowed from a banking institution.