The remarkable achievement of the Kessab United Ousoumnasirats Djemaran.

Ազգային Ուսումնասիրաց Միացեալ Ճեմարան - Քեսապ

Vahe H. Apelian

 

KEA of Los Angeles Emblem designated by the late Soghomon Hekimian (Apelian)

First and foremost, let me state that there is no English equivalent word for “ousoumnasirats”, nor the word is present as a single word in the Armenian dictionaries. At least I could not find it listed in the Nairi dictionaries. “oursoumnasirats” is a complex word. The two root words are “ousoum’ (ուսում), which means:  study, institution, instruction, teaching, lesson, education. The other roots word is “sirel” (սիրել), which means: to love, to be fond of, to like, to have a passion for, to delight in, to have an affection for, to be in love with. Consequently, the complex word “ousoumnasirats” means those who love, or fond of, or like, or have a passion for, or delight in, or have an affection for, or are in love with study, instruction, education. “Djemaran means: Academy, seminary; lyceum, college, institute. 

I have not heard or seen “ousoumnasirats” used anywhere else other than among the Kessabtsis. But, I do not doubt that the word has been used elsewhere but it appears it's endemic of Kessab lexicon. Consequently, I will not attempt to find an equivalent word for it in English and will resort to calling that unique Kessab secondary school Kessab United Ousoumnasirats Djemaran. The word United is included in the naming of the school because of its historical evolution at is founding days. The secondary school came about by uniting the other existing schools into one single high school.

The school has an interesting story that also reflects the resilience of Kessabtsis and their quest for education. It begins over a century ago, in 1910.

1910 may have been the worst and the best of times for the Kessabtsis – people of Kessab. The year before, the massacre that started in the city of Adana – historically known as the Adana massacre - spread like a wild fire to the other cities of the historical Cilicia and in northern Syria. The pogrom reached Kessab in the latter part of April 1909. The ransack of Kessab and the pogrom of its inhabitants was followed by a bitter winter in Kessab adding to the misery of the survivors who had not been able to tend to their harvest due to the carnage, and they needed shelter and sustenance.

Garod Saghdejian

The Kessabtsis, however, responded to this tragedy by rebuilding their lives anew and embarked on an unprecedented program. In 1910, in the aftermath of the tragedy, instead of dwelling on despair, a group of young Kessabtsis envisioned to establish an educational association. They named it Ousoumnasirats. The goal of the association was not only to further the state of education in Kessab but also to render Kessab a college level educational center for the Armenians in the historical Cilicia. The Kessab Ousoumnasirats Association (KEA) was thus born. The founders however could not realize their aspiration. In a matter of a few years the Medz Yeghern befell on the Armenian people that forever altered their millennial way of life in their ancestral land, that is to say the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

Two thirds of the Kessabtsis perished during the genocide. In 1918 the surviving Kessabtsis started rebuilding their lives again. 

In spite of all the hardship Kessab Ousoumnasirats Association established in 1924 the Kessab United Ousoumnasirts Djemaran - High School. In a short period of time the high school achieved a remarkable academic success. The colonial French government in Syria recognized the high school and its graduates were accepted in institutions of higher learning in France and many did.

 However, the ensuing political situation put a damper on the academic progress. In 1938 Kessab lost considerable portion of its arable lands to Turkey and the subsequent economic hardship resulted in the great migration of many to Lebanon, America, Canada and Australia. In 1946 and 1947 the great repatriation took place and many Kessabtsis moved to Armenia further depopulating Kessab and curtailing the academic excellence of its schools. 

The Kessabtsi immigrants however did not let go of the mission of the Ousoumnasirats and established Kessab Educational Association branches in the cities they moved to, such as Beirut in 1951 and Los Angeles in 1957. In Beirut the Association ran an evening school that lasted until 1975 when it became a casualty of the Lebanese civil war. During a quarter of century service, the school, supported by the Kessab Educational Association of Beirut, offered free of charge educational to young Armenian men and women who had dropped out of school early on to pursue a trade. The KEA also continued and continues to this day supporting  the Kessab United Ousoumnasirts Djemaran.

Ardavast Terterian and Vazken Abdoulian

I became reflective because I read that this year three of its graduates achieved academic success. Garod Saghdejian graduated from Haigazian College with distinction in his line of specialty.  Ardavast Terterian and Vazken Abdoulian received their Master of Science in Computer and Information Science from the American University of Armenia. Among the founders of the AUA was Dr. Stepan Karamardian, who hailed from kessabtsi parents.

I wish the graduates of Kessab United Ousoumnasirts Djemaran much success in their future endeavors.