LOS ANGELES, Calif.—On Jan. 23, St. Mary’s Richard Tufenkian Pre-School, under the Auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, celebrated its 40th anniversary with a gala attended by over 400 guests at the Taglyan Cultural Complex. Parents, alumni and community leaders were present to witness a student art exhibit and a program honoring the school’s teachers, some of whom have served the school for over 36 years.
The highlight of the evening was the announcement by Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian of a $100,000 donation by the school’s benefactors, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph and Savey Tufenkian, towards the purchase of the property adjacent to the school. For the last 25 years, Mr. and Mrs. Tufenkian have provided continued financial and moral support to the school in memory of their son, Richard.
The school’s goal to raise $40,000 with 40 donors was vastly surpassed with contributions exceeding $70,000 from over 65 donors. Arsine Aghazarian, the pre-school director, stated, “On behalf of Tufenkian Pre-School, I would like to thank all our donors and sponsors who have generously supported our school’s 40th anniversary celebration. We are excited for our future expansion and grateful to the Tufenkian family for their continued support of our school.”
Among those in attendance were Adam Schiff, U.S. Representative for California’s 28th congressional district, Glendale City Council member Ara Najarian and Glendale City Clerk Ardashes Kassakhian, and California Association for the Education of Young Children’s President Elect, Cary Larson-McKay, Ph.D.
A touching video produced by Ara Soudjian of Friendly Filmworks presented a glimpse of the pre-school children at their home away from home. Following the video, Sara Kalemkiarian Cipolla presented an emotional message from her mother Sandra Kalemkiarian, Richard Tufenkian’s sister, and thanked the teachers, parents and school for honoring Richard’s legacy through the school’s continued success and achievements.
For more information, contact the school office at (818) 240-7030 or email info@tufenkianpreschool.com.
