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The 92nd anniversary of Armenia was celebrated by Levon and Sophia Hagopian Armenian College and K. Gulbengian- Harach School in a united celebration in Anjar, on Thursday, May 27.
In the morning of May 27 and after participating in the flag ceremony organized by the leading group of H.M.E.M. Bourj Hammoud, the students of the college headed to Anjar where they first visited the memorial monument for the martyrs of Mousa Mountain and put a wreath for the memory of its courageous and heroic sons.

Later, being welcomed by K. Gulbengian-Harach National School, they celebrated the 92nd anniversary of the Independence of Armenia in "Kalousd Gulbengian" hall of St. Boghos Church. On this occasion, the principal of K. Gulbengian-Harach National School, Mr. Armen Tashjian, delivered the welcoming speech. He welcomed the principal of Levon and Sophia Hagopian Armenian College, the Teachers’ Staff, and the students and said that the meeting of the two schools is the mirror of our existence. "An existence that is individual and independent and knows how to construct itself by victories; it has also depended on its personal power and never on the aid of foreign powers."

By continuing, the principal, Armen Tashjian, stated, "Our existence, as national schools, is the call of the blood, the tinkling bells of Sartarabad, and the heights of Shoushi, while our heritage is the heroic battlefield of Mousa Mountain, the self-defending motivator Bourj Hammoud, and the non-surrendering Anjar."

The program of the celebration was presented by the students of the two schools. The following students from Kalousd Gulbengian-Harach National School participated in the program: Joyce Karageozian (recitation "Blood and Sun"), Raffi Taslakian and Lale Andonian (music, flute and guitar "Wake up Son" and "Speak up Fedayi"), a group of students from the elementary section (a collective recitation, "Red, Blue, and Orange"), the choir of the school ("The Nights of Yerevan", and "Dear Yerevan") and the dance group. In their turn, the students of Levon and Sophia Hagopian Armenian College presented recitations, "Freedom" (Tsoler Aghjian), "Songs of May" (Karin Kandaharian), solos, "Mother Armenia", "Round Dance of Unity" (Loucine Demirjian) and chorus performed by the choir of the college (a series of songs dedicated to Yerevan, "Armenia", and "Armenian Soldier.")

The message of the day was delivered by the principal of Levon and Sophia Hagopian Armenian College, Mr. Vicken Avakian. Talking about the meaning of May 28, he said, "The birth of the Republic of 1918 from ‘chaos’ had its imprints on the psychology and the political consciousness of the Armenian people who after living for 600 years under foreign domination without an identity were reformed into new responsible and idealistic Armenians asking for their rights; it created the citizen of the Armenian Republic."

Vicken Avakian asked, "What would be our worth without May 28?" "We would be very pessimistic about the future without any dreams if the Genocide weren’t followed by the pride of Sartarabad and the ascension of May 28 and the formation of the united Republic weren’t achieved after the thousands of deaths on April 24."

After mentioning the achievements of the Independence of 1918, Vicken Avakian referred to the present condition of the Armenians and mentioned that many lack the ideal nationalism in them. As a result, he advised the presence, "Reevaluate the concept of Independence and always seek for a united, prosperous, and powerful Armenia to overcome the various difficulties that threaten the Armenian people and to do everything so that our motherland feels proud of us, and we feel proud of our motherland."

At the end of the celebration, the students of Levon and Sophia Hagopian Armenian College fare welled Kalousd Gulbengian-Harach National School with good impressions, and their gathering to celebrate the victory of May 28 continued with a picnic in the fields surrounding the fortress of Anjar by singing and dancing.