The St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School was established in 1984 in Massachusetts. In the beginning, it served as a preschool for eight children. Today, the School has a nursery, five preschools and a kindergarten. The teachers at the nursery are Armenian. Some of them speak in Eastern Armenian, while others speak in Western Armenian. This helps the pupils become familiar with the two ramifications of the Armenian language at an early age. Instruction is based on the American curriculum. The School also offers art and music lessons, lessons on the history of religion and other subjects.

“We do everything we can to create an Armenian environment around the children so that they learn their native language with pleasure. True, most of them face some difficulties during the Armenian language lessons since they live in families where English is the household language, but they overcome the linguistic “barrier” thanks to the consistent efforts of our professional teachers and learn how to read and write in Armenian wonderfully before graduation,” Principal of the School Houry Boyamian said in an interview with Hayern Aysor, adding that the pupils receive comprehensive knowledge and become fully ready to get accepted to state colleges and universities.

In 2011, the St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School was recognized as the best school by the House of Representatives and Senate of Massachusetts for disseminating Armenian language, culture and history. Every year, the U.S. President grants certificates to outstanding students, and this has already turned into a beautiful tradition as well.

Every year, the School sends the graduating students to Armenia for a two-week visit during which they go sightseeing and learn about the historic and cultural riches of Armenia along with their parents and an Armenian language teacher. During this year’s visit, the graduating students also expressed their solidarity with the parents of the heroes who fell during the Four-Day Artsakh War in April 2016 and transmitted the funds they had raised.

According to Houry Boyamian, the School is always in contact with the RA Ministry of Diaspora, which quickly solves all issues such as the provision of textbooks. As a matter of fact, the St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School won in the Best Armenian School in the Diaspora category of the 2011 Awards “For Notable Contribution to Preservation of the Armenian Identity” organized by the RA Ministry of Diaspora, the World Armenian Congress and the Union of Armenians of Russia.

“All Diaspora Armenians look towards Armenia. We Diaspora Armenians are always ready to do our best to help the Homeland since our goal is to have a strong and safe country with strong foundations. Living abroad, we think about helping young Armenians preserve their national identity and providing them with an Armenian education and upbringing day and night. This is the only way we can strengthen the Armenia-Diaspora partnership,” Houry Boyamian concluded.

Houry Boyamian has been the Principal of the School since 1988. She graduated from the French Protestant College with a Bachelor’s Degree in French Literature and Philosophy.

Later, she continued her education at the University of Massachusetts and obtained a Master’s Degree in Education.

In 2005, she received the Mesrop Mashtots Order of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, and in 2008 – the Queen Zabel Medal of the Armenian Holy Apostolic Church.

Gevorg Chichyan