Beirut, Lebanon

This year the students of Mesrobian High School celebrated St. Vartan's holiday on different days.On Tuesday the 29th of January 2008, the students of the secondary school, gathered in the Farajian Auditorium and watched a DVD about the Artzakh survival-battle.
After watching the DVD, the students listened to the editor-in-chief of Aztag newspaper Shahan Kandaharian’s word who told them that Vartanantz is the confirmation day of Armanians’ attitude and that today's Hazgerds are Turkey and Azerbaijan. And new Vartans are needed to strive, always clinging to our faith and culture.
On Wednesday,  the 30th of January 2008, the students of the Intermediate classes were gathered in the same auditorium, and they watched the same DVD. Then, the president of Hamazkayeen's  Levon Shant Center spoke to them who insisted on the important role of the martyrs of a nation, saying that "The Vartans are the ones who build a nation's and people's history and fate". Reflecting on the person of Vartan Mamigonian, Mr. Demirdjian said, "Talking about Vartan Mamigonian, we don't talk about a man who has come and passed away, but we talk about a man who has built the Armenian history". He went on saying that “Vartan Mamigonian is the essential representative of his people's countenance. He was martyred bravely and all the other martyrs followed his footsteps, like Kevork Tchavoush and even Hrant Dink". 
 
After Mr. Demirjian’s speech, the principal Mr. Gregoire Kaloust instructed the students to go towards the school yard, where the monument of St. Mesrob Mashdotz is placed. There, they received blessing from the book that was in the hand of St. Mesrob and that which includes the Armenian Alphabet. The students took an oath to remain loyal to the national values that they had inherited from their forefathers, to cherish the Armenian language always remembering the history of their nation and clinging firmly to the national roots and to their religion, similar to what the heroes at Vartanantz did.

The students of the first, second and third elementary grades participated in the drawing competition dedicated to St. Vartan's holiday. Among the best drawings, Andre-Vahe Doumanian, Sybel Yapoujian and Haig Tabakian received the first, second and the third prizes. And for the students of the fourth, fifth and sixth elementary classes a different contest was established. They were given a composition with the topic "Meeting with the brave Vartan Mamigonian, for a day". The writers of the best compositions were Rita Tekeyan, Sirag Toranian and Chantal Isahagian. They became the first, second and the third prize winners.