Counseling in Torosian School?

The Armenian Evangelical Peter & Elizabeth Torosian School was founded in 1951 in Amanos area, which is located east of Beirut City. It started with kindergarten classes that developed into an Intermediate School by 1973. Rev. Yenovk Hadidian was the key person in the founding of this school and Mr. Augustin Badeer was another committed Evangelical who supported the growing steps of the school until it got the present three-floor building in 1981.

Torosian is a neighborhood school. Most of the students live a walking distance from school.

The school implements the Lebanese Government Curriculum in Kindergarten, Elementary and Intermediate levels.

The school's mission is to educate the Armenian new generation with Christian, Armenian, sound and decent education.
The present principal is Mrs. Seta Karagoezian.
Torosian today is the only school with a full time counselor, among all the other Armenian schools in Lebanon.

It is You Who Decides

The Internet is like a “knife” which is either used to help us cut the food we are going to eat or to kill someone and go to jail. It is like any other tool that can be used to our advantage or disadvantage. There is a common thinking among most Internet users that says, “It is under my control”; but in reality this is not the case. Once we enter a chat room, open a website or download a program the control is shared by both sides. It is not only we who are in full control of the situation; the other side also shares with us this control.

Undoubtedly, the Internet can be a useful tool in education, entertainment, and relationship building.

Using the Internet for educational purposes can help us in getting information within a short period of time and gaining knowledge easily. Today, there are even online schools and universities who can grant certificates and degrees, but in this case we should be careful whether this online academic institution is accredited or not.

By the same token, the Internet can entertain us through the websites which contain music (songs and video clips) and games. We can download the type of the music and game we want and enjoy our time listening and playing. However, we should be careful of viruses and spywares that most probably will invade our computers while downloading unverified programs.

Nowadays chat rooms and matchmaking sites play a great role in building friendships and relationships among people. We can have lots of friends from all over the world and get familiar to their culture without even traveling. Also, we can have a boyfriend / girlfriend just by chatting with him/her. In fact, there are a lot of couples who have met their spouses through the net.

According to psychologists and statisticians, disadvantages of Internet misuse outweigh its advantages. For example, in 2003 there were only 1.5 million pornography websites available to anyone who went online, whereas in 2007 the number of pornography websites increased to 4 million sites. Psychologists say that most people use the Internet in order to gratify their sexual desires and fantasies. This issue becomes more serious when children and teenagers come across these sites and get hooked on it. They start with simple nude pictures and end up performing what they watched on the net.

This is not the only reason that we should be careful about the tremendous availability of porn on the net. According to psychologist M. Douglas Reed, watching pornography has a profound effect on the human brain which secretes a drug-like hormone that has the ability to make the brain get addicted to pornography. Moreover, watching porn makes the person violent and anti-social. He begins to disrespect his sex partner or spouse because for him sex becomes an act to gratify his sexual desires and not a complement of mutual relationship.

Beside porn sites, there are violent sites that post violent acts performed by soldiers, suicide bombers, adventurous people, and others. Frequent watchers of such sites will consciously or subconsciously try to act out the violence that they have seen or at least will become desensitized towards others people’s suffering and pain.
As for the chat rooms, we don’t know what kind of people we are chatting with. The chatter might be a very nice, decent, and “cool” person or he might be a sick psychopath who can be a serial killer. Hence, it is essential to be careful and think twice before taking the risk of meeting that “total stranger” in real.

Obviously we should not underestimate the power that the Internet has upon us. Undoubtedly, being aware of this power will help us take our precautions, prevent lots of troubles, and benefit from the advantages that the Internet offers us.

By Manoug Ibitian
-School Counselor-Armenian Evangelical P. & E. Torosian Int. School

CHS Principal Visits the US


The School’s Principal was invited by the US Alumni Association to go to Los Angeles to participate in a fund-raising dinner organized for the School.
On February 22, 2008, 145 alumni gathered in the Phoenician Restaurant (a very suiting name for the School’s location…) in Glendale ; the banquet started by a welcoming word cited by the Association’s chairperson, Mrs. Armine Der Garabedian, she presented the Principal and invited her to share her message with the invitee.
Mrs. Deyirmenjian thanked the Alumni Association for its committed dedication in helping the School, then she presented a 12-minute DVD which described the School’s rich heritage, its daily life, and the challenges it is facing at present. She then proceeded, with the aid of a power point presentation, to share some of the good news about the School, as well as, some of the financial challenges.
Mrs. DerGarabedian thanked the Principal and handed her two cheques for the School. The evening went on with some musical entertainment and socialization.
The Alumni Association had chosen Mr. Hagop Hagopian as the Alumnus of the year in recognition of his long years of dedicated service in the educational field. He was handed a recognition award and a plaque presenting the map of Armenia.
It was a very pleasant occasion; having all the alumni come together and express their concern and love for the School; it was also a wonderful chance to renew their commitment in extending a helping hand to its alma mater.

Chanitz Annual Banquet

Dear Chanitsagans and friends of Chanits,

You are most cordially invited to the annual Chanits luncheon, which is being held this year on Saturday, March 1, 2008, at the Hassesian Hall of the Nor Marash Church.

It is deemed that your presence is the one of the important aspects of this event. So, for the first time in the luncheon’s history, it is decided to have it on a Saturday night! Reserve your ticket from your church secretaries or from your varchoutyouns.

As we celebrate February as the Chanits month, let’s make it happen: let’s defeat the gloom of our Lebanese days and come together in big numbers to renew the hopes and trust that our churches have in us.

* The event is organized by Kordzatir Marmin of all the Chanits and Badaniats of Ashrafieh, Marash, Anjar, Emmanuel, Kaghak and Trad Social Center.

Special prices for chanitsagans!!!!!

The Kordzatir Committee members:
Rev. R. Missirlian (Chairman) from Anjar Church
Mr. G. Deyirmenjian (member) from Ashrafieh Church
Mr. A. Missirlian (member) from Marash Church
Mrs. A. Andonian (member) from Marash Church
Ms. H. Barsoumian (member) from Emmanuel Church
Ms. V. Balkjian (secretary) from Emmanuel Church
Mr. R. Chilingirian (treasurer) from Emmanuel Church

Howard Karagheusian Association for Child Welfare

Type of services offered by the Association
Child Welfare Center / Primary Health Care Center / Community Development center / clinics and Small Assistance Service.

Our Vision is:
  • To provide the complete well-being of the child
  • To relieve those in distress and endeavor to their physical, moral, and social development within their families and their environment
Our Mission is:
  • To follow up the child in the family, in the school, in the street, in his environment, and prepare him or her to meet the difficulties of time
Historical background
Howard Karagheusian Commemorative Corporation is established in New York in 1921 as a Child welfare Foundation. It has served in Turkey, France and Greece before moving into the Middle East in 1943.
The Corporation established its Center in Lebanon as Howard Karagheusian Association for child welfare in 1946. It is recognized as a Primary Health Care Center by the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health under an official permit number 2899 dated on 26 November 1946. The Association currently has its Advisory Committee who supervises the good governance of the Association.



Services of the Association
The good health and the full growth of the child being the primary and greatest concern, the Association extended its services in many directions in order to follow up the child and to prepare him or her to meet the difficulties of life.

1. Mother and Child Department
  • Pediatric Clinic: Consultation for TREATMENT
The pediatric service is for infants mainly up to five years old.
  • Vaccination for PREVENTION:
The vaccination program is greatly influenced by the vaccination campaign launched by the government, the media, and also by the supply of vaccine through the ministry of health.
  • Milk Distribution Service for ASSISTANCE:
Social Workers and Nurses continue to keep a list of needy mothers with babies above six months and below two years who have difficulties to feed their babies normally. The Milk Mothers program is of great help for such families.
  • Well Baby Service for EDUCATION:
The Well-Baby Service is part of mothers’ education system. Besides the lectures, demonstrations and counseling, this service proposed to mothers the regular medical follow-up of their baby’s growth by a pediatrician at least once a month without waiting that a health problem occurs.
  • Obstetric and Gynecologic Services (OBS-GYN)
The Gynecologic clinic started in 1988. The aim of the OBS-GYN clinic is to serve the young mothers who come to seek advice and some instructions or to consult a gynecologist.
Frequent lectures and talks are organized by this department to encourage the tests and exams for early detection of breast cancer and regular follow up during pregnancies.

2. School Health Services
  • Medical check up for all elementary classes:
The school health staff is divided into two teams, each team having a pediatrician and two nurses.
  • Ophthalmologic services for all students
Besides pediatric care, ophthalmology was a great concern due to the prevalence of trachoma and eye diseases in several countries of the region in the forties and fifties. Systematic vision testing in 33 different schools .The vision testing team is composed of an ophthalmologist and three nurses.
  • Dental care and tooth decay prevention programs
Dental care and department is also divided in to two teams. The first team is composed of a doctor and an auxiliary nurse who visit the schools for dental check ups. The second team is composed of a dentist and two auxiliary nurses who stay at the clinic and treat the children who have dental and teeth decay problems.
  • Milk drinking in kindergartens and first elementary classes:
  • Audiology services / Speech therapy sessions
3. Community Development Services
Community development / community empowerment can be defined as a system of social interventions in which the worker by entering into people’s familial and social tries to relieve the various problems of the families.
  • Family and Medical Assistance: Case work and group work
  • Training of young mothers in Vocational skills:
Regular courses are offered in Cooking, Dressmaking, Hair-dressing, Embroidery, Make up, First aid…. To empower young mothers.
  • School Social services
Regular follow up by social worker of complex medical and psychological cases in the schools. (PKU and Celiac Disease cases)
  • Social Re-integration and Empowerment of School drop outs
Bourj Hammoud area is considered one of the poor suburbs of Beirut district. Social problems are more noticeable in these areas because of overpopulation. A quick investigation in the schools in the area under the Associations’ social and medical supervision brought out that many school children leave classes before reaching the sixth elementary. These drop outs are threatened to become social delinquents. Exhaustive programmes of prevention, reintegration and follow up of school drop outs are necessary to diminish the problem. The objective of this program is the following:
  • Preventive work: in order to prevent school children from drop outs, a study room is created. The purpose of this study room is for tutorial sessions given to the students who need further help with their lessons and educate their mothers to follow up on the performance of their children. Currently 49 different children (age between 8 till 15 years old) benefit from this Center
  • Girls at Risk Program: (Daily 8:00 am till 2:30 pm) the focus of this program is to gather teenage school drop out girls and teach them basic languages, computer skills, hygiene courses, baby care, nutrition, arts, home economics and cooking sessions….
  • Evening Sessions for Working Teens (6:00 pm till 8:00 pm): The evening program runs three days per week for working teens (boys and girls). Language sessions, computer courses, preventive lectures and group works are given to the evening classes having a social worker as a supervisor.