Armenian Sisters Academy

Private school

Armenian Sisters Academy

Location

Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania, United States (Radnor postal address)

Coordinates| 40°03′41″N 75°21′13″W﻿ / ﻿40.06139°N 75.35361°W﻿ / 40.06139; -75.35361Coordinates: 40°03′41″N 75°21′13″W﻿ / ﻿40.06139°N 75.35361°W﻿ / 40.06139; -75.35361
Information
Type| Private
Motto| Hye Qyooreroo Varjaran
Established| 1967
Head of school| Sr. Emma Moussayan
Faculty| 20 full-time
Enrollment| 180 students
Color(s)|  Blue and Gold

The Armenian Sisters Academy (ASA; Armenian: Հայ քույրերի վարժարան) is a Pre-K through eighth grade institution located in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania suburb of Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania, with a Radnor postal address.[1][2] It is in proximity to Radnor Township.[3] Its campus is a former estate.[4]

The name is also shared by two sister schools founded later in Boston and Los Angeles. The Armenian Sisters Academy is run by Sister Emma and Sister Hovanna who teach Armenian and religion classes, while a mostly American faculty teach homeroom classes.

## History[edit]

In 1963, at the request of Msgr. Stephen Stepanian, then pastor of St. Mark's Armenian Catholic Church in Philadelphia, three nuns, Sister Valentine, Sister Hripsime and Sister Arousiag, were sent from Rome to establish an Armenian day school.[citation needed] All three originated from Lebanon.[4] After four years of preparation, the first Armenian day school on the East Coast was started in a two-room facility,[citation needed] a rowhouse, with an initial enrollment of 16 children, in 1967. The school was initially in Southwest Philadelphia.[4]

The Board of Directors was formed in 1968 made up of Armenian-Americans of the Philadelphia area community. Generous financial and moral support of the Armenian community assisted the Board and the Sisters in their efforts to establish this school. Between 1967 and 1975 a grade was added each year, and the enrollment grew to 165. The school was relocated three times to accommodate its growing needs.[citation needed] At one time it was in Newtown Square.[4]

In October 1975, after eight years of moving from one facility to another, the first students of the new school building moved into the current hilltop campus in the Radnor area. Thanks to the financial generosity of the Philadelphia Armenian community it has been able to keep tuition low in order to provide an education to any Armenian child that desires it.[citation needed] It received an expansion in 2004.[4] In 2005 the Academy doubled in size when it added a new state-of-the-art educational wing and gymnasium. The Radnor location was renamed the Armenian Sisters Academy- Vosbikian Campus in honor of Peter and Irene Vosbikian for their great support of the expansion project and the school itself throughout the years.[citation needed] In 2002 the enrollment was about 225.[4]

In 2012-2013, the school added smartboards to all the classrooms which significantly helped teachers have the resources they needed to maintain the students' education.[citation needed]

The eighth grade class of 2012 visited Armenia as their class trip after graduating, and the eighth grade class of 2014 did the same. These two grades were able to visit many historical Armenian sites and give them a true vision of what they had been learning while at the Academy.[citation needed] By 2012 the enrollment was down to 135. Kristin E. Holmes of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that by 2012 area parents were more cautious about spending money and the public schools in the area were considered to be of high quality. It was scheduled to begin a program for children aged 1 1/2-2 1/2 in September 2012.[4] During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania, the school has remained open for in-person classes.[5]

## Curriculum[edit]

It has a Montessori education curriculum for preschool.[4]

## Demographics[edit]

People of at least partial Armenian origins, in 2012, were about 90% of the student body.[4]

## See also[edit]

* List of Armenian schools

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Home". Armenian Sisters Academy. Retrieved 2019-09-01. "440 Upper Gulph Road | Radnor, PA 19087"
2. ^ "Township Zoning Map". Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2019-09-01. \- Also see: Township Street Map and Map of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
3. ^ Panosian, Sevana (2019-07-04). "The Battle Cry for Armenian Schools in the Diaspora". Armenian Weekly. Retrieved 2019-09-01. (Opinion article) - The article describes it as being in Radnor Township, but an analysis of maps shows that it is in Upper Merion.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Holmes, Kristin E. (2012-04-04). "An Armenian school in Philadelphia fights to survive". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
5. ^ "ASA Re-Opening Plan". Armenian Sisters Academy. 2020-09-02. Retrieved 2020-12-17.

## External links[edit]

* Armenian Sisters Academy official website

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Upper Merion Township (King of Prussia area) in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Neighborhoods|

* Gulph Mills
* King of Prussia
* Swedeland
* Swedesburg
* Wayne (part)

Attractions|

* Bridge in Upper Merion Township
* Hanging Rock
* King of Prussia Mall
* King of Prussia Town Center
* King of Prussia Inn
* King of Prussia Volunteer Fire Company 9/11 Memorial
* Valley Forge Casino Resort
* Valley Forge National Historical Park (part)
* National Memorial Arch
* Washington's Headquarters
* Washington Memorial Chapel

Education|

* Upper Merion SD
* Upper Merion HS
* Armenian Sisters Academy

Industry|

* AmeriGas
* Universal Health Services
* Radial, Inc.

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Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, schools

Main school districts

Abington|

* Abington Senior High School

Bryn Athyn|

* Does not operate any schools

Cheltenham|

* Cheltenham High School
* Cedarbrook Middle School

Colonial|

* Plymouth Whitemarsh High School
* Colonial Middle School

Hatboro-Horsham|

* Hatboro-Horsham Senior High School
* Keith Valley Middle School

Jenkintown|

* Jenkintown Middle/High School

Lower Merion|

* Lower Merion High School
* Harriton High School
* Bala Cynwyd Middle School
* Welsh Valley Middle School

Lower Moreland Township|

* Lower Moreland High School

Methacton|

* Methacton High School

Norristown Area|

* Norristown Area High School

North Penn|

* North Penn High School

Perkiomen Valley|

* Perkiomen Valley High School

Pottsgrove|

* Pottsgrove High School

Pottstown|

* Pottstown Senior High School

Springfield Township|

* Springfield Township High School

Upper Dublin|

* Upper Dublin High School

Upper Merion Area|

* Upper Merion Area High School

Upper Moreland|

* Upper Moreland High School

Wissahickon|

* Wissahickon High School
* Wissahickon Middle School

Other schools

Boyertown Area|

* Boyertown Area Senior High School
* Other schools are in Berks County

Private schools|

* Abington Friends School
* Academy Of The New Church Boys School
* Academy Of The New Church Girls School
* AIM Academy
* Armenian Sisters Academy
* Calvary Baptist School
* Coventry Christian Schools
* Dock Mennonite Academy
* Episcopal Academy
* French International School of Philadelphia
* Friends' Central School
* Germantown Academy
* Huntingdon Valley Christian Academy
* Indian Creek Mennonite School
* Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
* La Salle College High School
* Lakeside School
* Lincoln Academy
* Main Line Academy
* Martin Luther School
* Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Catholic School
* Meadowbrook School
* Merion Mercy Academy
* Mount Saint Joseph Academy
* New Life Youth & Family Svcs
* Reformation Christian School
* Saint Aloysius School
* Saint Basil Academy
* Saint Katherine Day School
* Shipley School
* Stowe Lighthouse Christ Academy
* The Baldwin School
* The Haverford School
* The Hill School
* The Pathway School
* The Perkiomen School
* Torah Academy of Greater Philadelphia
* Trinity Christian Academy
* Valley Forge Baptist Academy
* Wyncote Academy

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia|

* Bishop McDevitt High School
* Country Day School of the Sacred Heart
* Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School
* Lansdale Catholic High School
* Pope John Paul II High School

Souderton Area|

* Souderton Area High School
* Other schools are in Bucks County

Spring-Ford Area|

* Spring-Ford Senior High School
* Other schools are in Chester County

Upper Perkiomen|

* Upper Perkiomen High School
* Other schools are in Berks County

Sections of the Boyertown Area, Souderton Area, Spring-Ford Area, and Upper Perkiomen school districts extend into other counties; only schools in Montgomery County should be listed in this template

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Armenian schools outside of Armenia

Primary and secondary

Canada|

| Quebec|

* École Arménienne Sourp Hagop

|

Egypt|

| Cairo Gov.|

* Kalousdian Armenian School

|

India|

| West Bengal|

* Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy

|

Tamil Nadu|

| Closed|

* Armenian School

|

Israel|

| Jerusalem|

* Sts. Tarkmanchatz Armenian School of Jerusalem

|

Lebanon|

| Beirut|

* Armenian Evangelical Central High School
* Armenian Evangelical Guertmenian School
* Yeprem and Martha Philibosian Armenian Evangelical College

|

Mount Lebanon|

* Armenian Evangelical Peter and Elizabeth Torosian School
* Armenian Evangelical School of Trad
* Armenian Evangelical Shamlian Tatigian Secondary School

Beqaa|

* Armenian Evangelical Secondary School of Anjar

Turkey|

| Istanbul|

* Getronagan Armenian High School

|

United States|

| California|

* AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School
* Armenian Mesrobian School
* Ferrahian Armenian School
* Krouzian-Zekarian-Vasbouragan Armenian School
* Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School

| Closed|

* AGBU Vatche and Tamar Manoukian High School
* TCA Arshag Dickranian Armenian School

|

Massachusetts|

* St. Stephen's Armenian Elementary School

Michigan|

* AGBU Alex and Marie Manoogian School

Pennsylvania|

* Armenian Sisters Academy

Lebanon|

* Haigazian University (Beirut)

Tertiary

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