Revitalized Manoogian School Focuses on Heritage and Academies
Southfield Observer & Eccentric Newspaper July 13 2000

by Jeff Kaplan staff writer

Far from the republics of the Caucasus in which it is surrounded, far from the conflicts with its neighbors and its oft-contested borders, the tiny republic of Armenia and its people have found a small retreat in Southfield devoted to preserving Armenian history, language and culture.

Attached to the Armenian American Veteran's Memorial building and sharing a parking lot with the landmark gold steeple of St John's Armenian Church along the Lodge freeway, the foundation for this cultural preservation is the A.G.B.U. Alex and Marie Manoogian School, which is tucked in the southeast corner of the Southfield Freeway and the Lodge.

It is an unspectacular place from the outside, built in brown brick and landscaped in concrete and asphalt. The greenery is minimal and there is a small playground on the north end with a basketball court, swings and monkey bars.

But from the inside it is evident that Manoogian is intent on fulfilling its mission of preserving "the Armenian language and culture."

If bricks could talk, the school would tell a story about 30 years of bonding, friendships and successes that have been produced there.

Beginnings

The Manoogian began as a private school in 1969, founded and financed by Alex Manoogian, the late founder and chairman of Masco Corp., and his wife, Marie, and the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) of which Manoogian was president for 36 years.

The school began with a kindergarten class of 10 and was originally located in the AGBU Cultural Building in St. John's Armenian Church.

The school added first through third grades over the next two years and in September of 1971, when it finished construction on its current schoolhouse, grades four through six were added.

The school has always been open to non-Armenian students although both Armenian language and culture is part of the curriculum from kindergarten.

Nadya Sarafian, the school's principal for the last 15 years, said the school currently has Russians, African-Americans, Chaldaens, Romanians and even a Loatian among the 300 students.

In 1974 an addition to the school was completed and grades seven through 12 were added.

The school, said Sarafian, is a good way for foreign students to assimilate into American culture and still maintain a network of people with whom they can maintain their own traditions.

Assimilation

Sarafian herself came to the United States from Istanbul, Turkey, in 1980 with three children. All of her children attended Manoogian where she said they had a chance to learn English and were still able to communicate in their native Armenian.

"They could have gotten assimilated anywhere," she said, "but at least they didn't lose their background affiliations - their identity."

In the front hallway of the school, to the left of the doorway are photographs of each of Manoogian's graduating classes.

Sarafian points proudly to the photo of the class of 1979 in the upper left corner of the wall showing Manoogian's first graduating class.

There is a gap in the pictures, however. 1991 would see the last graduating class of the 1990s as the school ended its high school program, a casualty of declining enrollment.

In 1995 Manoogian made a change from private school to public charter school when Central Michigan University decided to sponsor Manoogian's authorization.

"What we look for in a charter school applicant is a promising vision, a solid business plan and a quality educational program," said jim Goenner, CMU's director of the charter school office. "They really try to build a comprehensive K-12 (kindergarten through 12th grade) program . . . with a heavy emphasis on math and sciences and also an emphasis on Armenian history."

The school decided to change its status because, "That was an innovative approach to education," said Sarafianr "and we didn't really want to keep enrollment strictly for Armenian students exclusively."

Although it was never exclusively Armenian, she added that there is an aura

of mystery surrounding a private school that they were able to dispel by allowing public enrollment.

As a charter school Manoogian receives from the state about $6,000 per student, although vice-principal Hosep Torossian said it costs about $7,500 per student each year to run the school The difference is made up with private donations and charitable events. The walls of the main hallway are lined with plaques dedicated to those who have made significant donations

Judith Kadri is the head teacher of the upper school and spent eight years in both the Detroit and Flint public school systems among her 34 years teaching. She has been with Manoogian for three years.

"Here I think we're really listened to and respected as professionals," she said.

We're much more likely to get a chance to try something innovative than you are in a large school."

Kadri said the time she has to put students on independent programs because class sizes are limited to 25 students. She said she is also able to work with teachers in other curriculum to develop projects for students.

The drawback, she said, is the lack of funds that make it difficult to invest in new technologies to teach with, although the school is planning on starting a $4-S million renovation in November that will create a state-of-the-art media center, a computer lab, six new classrooms and a new dining room.

Gauging success

Their previous charter contract expired this past year and the school is currently under evaluation for a new contract. Goenner said the evaluation is based on three criteria:

"Has the academic program been successful? Is the organization viable? Has there been a demonstration of good faith in complying with the charter contract and applicable law? .

CMU, he said, is recommending a reauthorization of the charter contract because, "We feel (Manoogian School) met and exceeded those criteria."

There are two members of the original 1979 graduating class on the current school board and another who returned to the school to teach.

Also, the class of 2000 saw the first child of that 1979 graduating class receive her diploma from Manoogian.

Sarafian and Torossian cite these milestones as a testimonial to Manoogian School's endurance and its success in passing the Armenian tradition down through the generations.