LOS ANGELES — Armenian school campuses across California came alive this week as students returned to their classrooms for the opening of the 2026–2027 academic year at schools operating under the auspices of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America.
From Hollywood, Encino, North Hills and Glendale to Pico Rivera, Orange County and San Francisco, Wednesday, August 19, marked the principal opening day for the Western Prelacy’s Armenian day schools, bringing students, teachers and families together for another year of academic achievement grounded in Armenian language, Christian faith, culture and identity.
At Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School in Hollywood, the return took place over two days, with TK through second-grade students beginning on Tuesday, August 18, followed by grades 3 through 12 on Wednesday.
Pilibos enters the new academic year under a newly announced theme: “More…”
Principal Dr. Souzy Ohanian explains the theme through a series of aspirations: “More possibilities. More curiosity. More discovery. More questions. More growth. More purpose.” The theme is rooted in Ephesians 3:20 and, as Ohanian explains, reflects the belief that there is always “more to learn, more to discover, more to contribute, and more to become.”
The message places academic growth alongside faith, Armenian heritage and identity, character, leadership, service, innovation and discovery, setting an expansive tone for the year ahead at Pilibos.
In Encino, Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School welcomed students for its first day on August 19 under the leadership of Principal Sossi Shanlian. Ferrahian continues its college-preparatory program alongside Armenian language and Armenian Studies, with its mission emphasizing the preparation of students to contribute both to the Armenian-American community and to American society.
This school year is particularly significant for the larger Ferrahian-Cabayan educational family, as a major expansion begins to take effect. In the first phase of the plan for 2026–27, sixth grade has been introduced at Holy Martyrs Marie Cabayan Elementary School’s North Hills campus, while kindergarten, first grade and second grade are being introduced at the Ferrahian Encino campus. The changes represent an important new chapter in the long-term development of the two campuses.
At Cabayan, grades one through six began instruction on August 19, with kindergarten beginning Thursday, August 20. The addition of sixth grade makes this opening especially noteworthy for the North Hills school community.
At Vahan and Anoush Chamlian Armenian School in Glendale, the youngest students had their Welcome Day on August 18, followed by the school-wide opening ceremony at 8:15 a.m. on Wednesday. The opening of classes is being followed Thursday by the grand opening of the Balassanian Lab, adding another new academic resource to the Lowell Avenue campus.
Chamlian begins the year following its recognition as a California Blue Ribbon School and with an emphasis on combining academic excellence and innovation with Armenian identity. Head of School Dr. Talin Kargodorian describes the objective as preparing students to lead with “innovation, integrity, and a deep understanding of their heritage.” For Kargodorian, herself a Chamlian alumna, the school’s educational mission is inseparable from the responsibility of preparing the next generation while preserving the Armenian character of the institution.
In Pico Rivera, Armenian Mesrobian School welcomed students back on August 19 with a theme that places Armenian continuity directly at the center of the new academic year.
Mesrobian’s official 2026–2027 Theme of the Year is “LEGACY — Ժառանգ.” The theme was introduced with a message from Principal Lena Garabedian, who leads the Pre-K through 12th-grade institution.
The choice of Legacy is particularly fitting for a school whose history stretches back to 1965 and whose generations of graduates have become part of the broader Armenian-American community. Mesrobian’s current educational program combines college-preparatory academics with the Armenian Apostolic faith and the preservation of Armenian language and heritage. Its longstanding institutional motto, “Tradition ♦ Innovation ♦ Excellence” — «Աւանդութիւն։ Նորամուծութիւն։ Գերազանցութիւն։», remains prominently identified with the school, but is distinct from this year’s specific Legacy — Ժառանգ theme.
In Orange County, Ari Guiragos Minassian Armenian School also began classes on Wednesday, August 19. The opening comes 40 years after the school’s founding in 1986, a milestone that underscores AGM’s unique role as the only Armenian day school serving the Orange County community. The school serves students from preschool through sixth grade.
Principal Ani Sarkissian describes Armenian schooling as possessing a special “magic,” creating a home away from home where students connect with their roots and understand that they are part of something larger than themselves. Her philosophy is perhaps best summarized in a simple statement on AGM’s current principal’s page: “our youth is our most vital investment.”
Hundreds of miles north, Krouzian-Zekarian-Vasbouragan Armenian School in San Francisco welcomed students back on August 19, continuing the Western Prelacy’s Armenian educational mission in Northern California. KZV serves students from preschool through eighth grade and has provided bilingual and bicultural Armenian education in San Francisco for more than four decades.
Principal Grace Andonian emphasizes the close-knit character of the school, where small class sizes allow each child to be “known and valued.” KZV’s program combines academics with Armenian language and culture, visual and performing arts, leadership, ethics, public speaking and other opportunities designed to develop the whole student.
Across the schools, the first day brought the familiar scenes of students carrying new backpacks, classmates reuniting after the summer, parents taking photographs and teachers welcoming their classes. Yet the opening of an Armenian school year carries a significance extending well beyond the ordinary return to the classroom.
Each of these institutions has its own history, traditions and educational approach. Pilibos begins the year asking its students to seek “More…” Mesrobian places “Legacy — Ժառանգ” at the center of its year. Ferrahian and Cabayan are entering a new phase of physical and academic expansion. Chamlian continues to build upon academic distinction and new educational resources. AGM marks four decades of Armenian education in Orange County, while KZV carries that same mission forward in Northern California.
What unites them is a responsibility that Armenian schools have carried for generations: not simply to educate successful students, but to ensure that Armenian children grow into educated, confident young men and women who know their language, understand their history, remain connected to their faith and heritage, and recognize that they too have a role in the future of the Armenian people.
With classrooms once again full across California, another generation has begun that journey.
Բարի վերամուտ եւ բարի երթ 2026–2027 ուսումնական տարեշրջանին։
