ANCA Glendale Celebrates GUSD’s Adoption of Western Armenian Dual Language Immersion Program
Glendale, CA – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) –Glendale Chapter welcomed the Glendale Unified School District Board’s direction to staff to develop a plan for the implementation of a Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program in the Western Armenian Language. This will be a landmark achievement resulting from years of community advocacy, partnership, and sustained engagement with the District.
Throughout this process, ANCA Glendale has worked collaboratively with educators, administrators, parents, and community stakeholders to advance an educational initiative that reflects both the needs and values of Glendale’s diverse student population.
Western Armenian – the primary dialect spoken by the Armenian Diaspora – is officially classified by UNESCO as a “definitely endangered” language, meaning it is no longer consistently transmitted to younger generations. The establishment of this Dual Language Immersion program represents a critical and proactive step toward reversing that decline through public education.
“ANCA Glendale applauds the Glendale Unified School District Board of Education for approving the Western Armenian Dual Immersion program, a decision that reflects a clear and long-standing need in our community,” said Lucy Petrosyan, Chair of the ANCA Glendale Chapter. “We are grateful to the Board for its leadership and responsiveness, and proud to have advocated for this important step alongside community partners, including Dr. Suzie Abajian, to help ensure our students’ language and cultural heritage are preserved for future generations.”
“This is a major step forward for language equity, cultural responsiveness, and justice for a community that has been subject to erasure. We are eagerly anticipating the approval of a rollout plan by the board of education in January and we hope that the implementation of the program is swift and without delay. Our community has been waiting for this for a long time”, stated Dr. Suzie Abajian, the Glendale City Clerk who has been actively leading this effort.
The Dual Language Immersion model will allow students to achieve academic excellence while developing fluency in both English and Western Armenian – fostering bilingualism, biliteracy and a strong sense of cultural identity.
“This decision by Glendale Unified School District is the result of principled leadership and meaningful collaboration with the Armenian Community,” said Oshin Harootoonian, Chairman of the ANCA – Western Region. “ANCA has long championed the preservation of Western Armenian, and this program demonstrates how advocacy, when paid with responsible governance, can deliver lasting educational and cultural impact.”
Glendale is home to one of the largest Armenian communities outside of Armenia, and this program positions the District as a national leader in culturally responsive and inclusive education. ANCA Glendale looks forward to continuing its partnership with GUSD as the program is implemented and expanded in the years ahead.
