Monday, December 10, was a very rewarding and exciting day for St. Mary’s Richard Tufenkian Preschool and Kindergarten students who walked six very long blocks to Fire Station #25 and delivered boxes filled with toys. Again, this year as in the years past, Tufenkian Pre-School enthusiastically joined ABC7 and the Southern California Firefighters 25th annual Spark of Love Toy Drive.
The Tufenkian preschool has been in operation for over 43 years and is one of the oldest Armenian language preschools in the region. The school began participating in the Spark of Love Toy Drive recently and this was their second school donation in what promises to be an ongoing annual tradition.
“Our school is committed to creating a secure, caring and stimulating environment where our students grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically and socially,” said School Director Arsine Aghazarian, “And this philosophy includes teaching our children the importance of the Holiday Season, community service and charitable giving to those who may be less fortunate.”
“We are deeply grateful to our benefactors, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph and Savey Tufenkian, the School Board, and our outstanding Parent Support Committee, who are steadfast in their endless giving to our school, setting an example to our school community.” Aghazarian added.
Earlier in the season, Tufenkian’s students made a collective donation to the annual Armenia Fund telethon as well. Funds from the telethon are distributed in Armenia to support infrastructure projects and to build housing for the homeless.
St. Mary’s Richard Tufenkian Preschool and Kindergarten has maintained a continuous two-decade long accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) as well as participation in Quality Start Los Angeles (QSLA). The school received a Tier 4 rating by the QSLA having been voluntarily evaluated in the following seven areas: child observation, effective teacher-child interaction, ratio and group size, program environment, and the Director’s qualifications. For more information about Tufenkian Preschool and Kindergarten, visit the school’s website.