The 1564th anniversary of the Battle of Avarayr, the first battle of the Vartanants War (451-484), was celebrated by students in Kindergarten through fifth grade. Thanks to the supreme sacrifice made by ancestors, the Armenian nation

was able to defend and maintain its faith, language, and homeland. The elementary students recited, sang, and danced during the program, which attracted a substantial number of parents and relatives. The highlight of the program was a play, performed

by Mr. Sebouh Avedikian’s fifth grade class. The Elementary and Middle School Principal, Ms. Dyana Kezelian, offered welcoming and closing remarks, congratulating the students and their Armenian teachers for putting on a wonderful program.

Southfield, Michigan A.G.B.U. Alex & Marie Manoogian SchoolMarch 2015

America and Me

Vartanants Celebration

Three students from the eighth grade have been named local winners in the 46th annual America & Me essay contest, sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance.

The three students, who earned the first, second, and third place awards, are Mary Rose Azar, first, Nayiri Sagherian, second, and Anastasiya Baskevych, third.

Mary Rose’s first place essay now advances to the state level competition, from which the top ten essays in Michigan will be selected. Several thousand eighth grade

students from over 40 Michigan schools participated in the contest. The topic of the essay was “My Personal Michigan Hero.”

Bravo, Senior Class Girls

Nikole Davtyan, Mariya Nakonechna, and Elleanna Saco admitted to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, on full four-year scholarships

From left to right: Mary Rose Azar, Nayiri Sagherian, Anastasdiya Baskevich

After a several-year hiatus, Manoogian Idol returned to the Manoogian School, thanks to the efforts of guidance counselor, Mrs. Joanna Holsinger, who brought together dozens of high school students to sing, dance, and play musical instruments, to the delight of the student body and faculty. A group of teachers even participated in a song and dance routine which brought the house down. The judges: Mrs. Joanne Karagosian, Mrs. Molly Kilgore, Mr. Adam Novak, and Mr. Martin Griffin, deliberated long and hard before announcing the winners. Sophomore Jacob Garabedian claimed first prize playing the piano; Juniors Nikole Davtyan, Michelle Hami, Mary Kachal, Mariya Nakonechna, and Senior Zohrab Tomboulian won second prize for their dance number; and Raffi Vandevelde took third place with his guitar performance. In his closing remarks, High School Principal, Dr. Hosep Torossian, commented how truly impressed he was by the sheer number of participants in the talent show and by the many who displayed their “lighter side.” He also praised the faculty for demonstrating their school spirit through an enthusiastic and artistically choreographed dance performance. This program is destined to become an annual fixture for years to come.

In January, the Manoogian School Middle School participated in the 27th annual National Geographic Bee and for a chance at a $50,000 college scholarship. Each class competed for the top three places in their grade. These winners then moved on to the finalist round to determine the school winner.

In sixth grade: Lisa Ogua placed first; Julia Avram, second; and Karine Calukyan placed third.

In seventh grade: Mano Achekian came in first; Gavin Moore placed second; and Angela Yuhana placed third.

In eighth grade: Jason Cosma placed first; followed by Mykyta Mihalkin; and Aida Richardson placed third.

These nine students then competed against each other to determine the school winner which was Julia Avram. As the school winner, Julia took the finalist competition – a written test that was submitted to the National Geographic Society. The top 100 scorers of the written test from Michigan will then move on to compete against each other in May.

Good luck, Julia!!!

The 27th Annual National Geographic Bee

Manoogian Idol

Manoogian Stars

Manoogian Singers

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Members of the National Junior Honor Society went to Gleaners Community Food Bank in Detroit on January 30 to participate in the “Kids Helping Kids” program. The students spent the morning filling bags of nutritional snacks to be distributed to Metro Detroit schools for their after-school programs.

Game Club: a place for Middle School students to meet at lunch and compete; where, as the students say, we work hard and play hard!

Last November, Game Club provided a place for 25 students to meet, cooperate, and compete in different kinds of games.

The first few weeks were spent on students learning and helping each other to understand the game of chess. Once students felt comfortable, a tournament for one middle school winner ensued and was awarded a new chess set.

Hanging on the wall is another competition. Each team picks one member to be tape duct to the wall – no touching the floor! The first team to achieve this wins! Each member of the winning team received a roll of duct tape.

Pop the balloon has become a club favorite. Each team member ties a balloon to each ankle. The object of the game is to pop the other team’s balloons.

The last team member with one unpopped balloon tied to his/her ankle wins.

Some days, club members play board games (Monopoly is a favorite), Uno, card games, and cup stacking races.

As a part of its Educational Outreach program, The Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, conducted a 3 day session for three consecutive weeks from February 24-March 10 on “Science and Sound” which was designed specifically for Third Grade. Our enthusiastic students learned about the physics of sound and music, while focusing on vibrations, sound waves, frequency, pitch, and acoustics. A trio of musicians performed musical renditions on percussion instruments, bass, and the flute. The students learned through both lecture and hands on demonstrations how these particular instruments produced their own unique sounds. As a culminating activity, the third graders were actively involved in using rubber bands and a variety of recycled materials, such as tin cans, metal lids, and plastic containers to produce musical sounds that were performed alongside the live musicians.

It came down to eight letters – a u d i e n c e.It wasn’t the hardest word that Renee Kesto has ever

spelled, but it sealed her first place finish as the Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion of Manoogian School.

The spelling bee included all sixth-, seventh-, and eighth graders. Each grade competed independently and the top three winners of each grade met to determine the school champion.

In sixth grade, Simon Yeldo placed third, Liliya Pytys placed second, and Renee Kesto won first place.

In seventh grade, Alex Muawad placed third, Rose Mouradian second, and Angela Yuhana won the round.

In eighth grade, Anastasiya Baskevych came in third and Naiyri Sagherian placed second. The class winner was Mary Rose Azar.

The next level of competition will take place at Oakland Schools. Good luck, Renee!

National Spelling Bee

Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings Visit Third Grade GAME ClUB

The JAGBU Club is a fund raising organization comprised of students from grades 3 through 5. This past fall the students participated in selling items from the Fundraising Company of America’s Holiday Brochure. The students worked hard to raise a total of $ 2,719. Our next fundraising activity is a Spring bake sale, so get your sweet tooth ready!

Visit Manoogian School’s Web Site: www.manoogian.org

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDSouthfield, MIPermit No. 314

A.G.B.U. Alex & Marie Manoogian School22001 Northwestern HighwaySouthfield, Michigan 48075

Mrs. Nayiri Karapetian and Ms. Lara Zanazanian, the school’s dance choreographers, Mrs. Paulette Apkarian, the choir director, and the Armenian teachers worked tirelessly and diligently to produce a Christmas program that included Armenian songs and dances, as well as American Christmas carols. Students from first through fifth grades lit up the stage at St. John Armenian Cultural Hall, thrilling the massive audience who had come to see the talented Manoogian School youngsters perform. School Principals, Ms. Dyana Kezelian and Dr. Hosep Torossian, called the program a fitting tribute to the holiday season, which will live on in the minds, hearts, and spirits of the Manoogian School community.

Elementary Christmas Program

6th and 7th Grade Girls Science ClubWe focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) by

doing a variety of experiments, challenges, and team building exercises. The students are given the needed supplies, along with a goal, and they must collaborate to find a solution. So far we have worked with paper flyers (flight), planting seeds in various locations (life science), and ingredients needed to bake cookies (chemical changes).

8th Grade Girls Science ClubWe focus on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math)

by working with a kit called Pretty Brainy. The group covers all aspects of designing and creating clothes. We incorporate STEAM through fashion design, which also includes team building exercises.

School food drive winners – our senior class with 2338 food items! Second place winner was the junior class with 2236 items!

Fantastic Thanksgiving and Christmas spirit. Thank you to all donors and to the National Honor Society for organizing the drive.

Fantastic meeting with Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr