ANCA Glendale Highlights Effort to Introduce Western Armenian Immersion in GUSD

Calls on community to fill out Glendale survey and support groundbreaking initiative

Glendale, CA – For several years, students in Glendale Unified School District have had the chance to study Eastern Armenian through the district’s dual immersion program. Now, for the first time, GUSD is exploring a program dedicated to Western Armenian, and ANCA Glendale is calling it a turning point for language development and community identity.

The City of Glendale has opened a survey to collect community feedback on this proposal. ANCA Glendale is urging residents to respond and show strong support, stressing that the adoption of the program can depend on community members making their voices heard.

“We fought hard for Armenian language programs to have a place in Glendale schools, and for years Eastern Armenian has thrived,” said Lucy Petrossian, Chairperson of ANCA Glendale. “But Western Armenian is endangered worldwide. Every time a child in Glendale learns to read and speak it, we are helping secure the future of our culture. This is not just a program, it is an answer to a decades-long call from our community. We need every household to take the survey and help push this across the finish line.”

Glendale City Clerk Dr. Suzie Abajian emphasized the urgency of community participation, “We are grateful that GUSD is taking an important step by conducting a feasibility study, but its success depends on community voices being heard. Surveys like this may seem small, but they are often decisive. If residents want Western Armenian to be included in our schools, now is the time to say so. Every single response tells decision-makers that the community is serious about keeping this language alive.”

ANCA Glendale has long advocated for Armenian language education and sees this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity. By completing the City’s survey, residents can help shape a future where children in Glendale are able to learn and carry forward both branches of the Armenian language.

The survey is available online at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScJ56EvaMUhl2wdHvCOJh0oBfdqQTYQA_c7S4As8Uvj9EhMuQ/viewform