The roots of the Sahag Mesrob Armenian School were spreading long before that first spade touched the earth to pave the way for building St. James. In researching the past history of the school, we find that in 1923, a devoted Armenian mother and teacher, Mrs. Gulenia A. Nazar, organized her first Armenian School somewhere in the Watertown area. Wife of the editor of the Baikar, and mother of four children, Digin Nazar, as she was popularly known, somehow found time to devote several afternoons a week to conducting the Armenian School by herself. Teaching in a one-room classroom, she alone instructed all abilities, ages, and grades in language, literature, history and music. Students remained until they had learned all they could and then they left the school. Graduation did not occur until the Church acquired the Armenian School. "Her work was the guiding force of her life," wrote her daughter. "Teaching was her life and she was totally devoted to it".

The school operated under difficult circumstances during the depression years. Digin Nazar charged a nominal fee for the school year, but if the parents could not pay it, she did not discharge the student. That, of course, would have defeated the prime purpose of the school.

The Armenian School was rarely held in the same location two years in a row. A series of empty stores, usually poorly heated in the winter and in all parts of Watertown, were rented on a monthly basis. Some popular sites were: the East Watertown Fire Station, Dexter Hall, on the corner of Dexter and Nichols Avenue, and in Dr. Apelian's house, on the corner of Dexter Avenue and Mt. Auburn Street. One year, Digin Nazar coerced the town officials into letting her use the classrooms of the Hosmer School after regular school hours. Taking into consideration the cost of the rentals, desks and chairs, writing materials, textbooks and the constant moving expense, Digin Nazar indoubtedly paid from her own pocket to keep the school functioning. Some years she had an assistant, whose salary - meager as it was - became an added financial burden.

To counteract the influence of Protestant missionaries that had Sunday Schools for Armenian children, Digin Nazar began to hold classes on Sunday mornings as well, concentrating on Armenian church history. Not only did she try to teach the students reading and writing but also "kaghakavaroutioun and henazantoutioun" (politeness and obedience).

In 1933 when the St. James Armenian Church became a reality, the Parish Council, led by Nishan Barsamian, accepted Sahag Mesrob as its Armenian School. Classes were held at the ADL Club until 1947, when the Parish House, (no longer standing) on the corner of Winsor Avenue and Mt. Auburn Streets was acquired. In 1967 the Sahag Mesrob Armenian School found its current home in the Cultural and Youth Center.

The first graduating exercises were held in 1936. Criteria for graduation was not age, but rather knowledge and evidence of excellence. In those depression years, many children were forced to leave public school at the age of 16 to go to work and were unable to attend Armenian classes in the afternoon. Thus, the concept of graduating students around the age of 16 developed.

Digin Nazar directed and taught the Armenian School until her retirement in 1949. At that time, St. James gave a banquet in her honor in the St. James Church Hall, celebrating her 50 years of teaching.

The first graduates of the school formed an alumni association known as the Sahag Mesrob Junior League, which later became the Sahag Mesrob Alumni Association. Its primary purpose was to assist the alma mater financially. This organization, the only one of its kind in the United States, flourished into the 1940's, when, upon the directive of the Diocese to have a single youth organization in each parish, it merged with the ACYOA.

Several people have been instrumental in building the school. Many Armenian spirited men and women have spent years performing the small, endless details, as well as the large fund-raising responsibilities to advance Sahag Mesrob Armenian School. It would be impossible to list  the names of those who should be credited and applauded for a job well-done. Not all these people have been parishioners of St. James. Many have been associated with other churches, even other faiths, and other nationalities. But they all had one thing in common - the desire to have their children learn something about their Armenian heritage, even if they came away only with "feeling Armenian".

The tradition of our school are strong and alive, but our goal is not to rest upon the proud tradition set by our predecessors, but rather to increase our efforts to improve that tradition and to involve our children in doing so. We applaud the parents who send their children to Armenian School to keep the Armenian language alive. The strong involvement of the faculty, parents, and student body in all school-related undertakings is enthusiastic. We are confident that the Sahag Mesrob Armenian School will continue to preserve our ancestral heritage for the Armenian children of tomorrow and the tomorrow of our beloved St. James Armenian Church.

Please contact us if you would like to learn more about the Sahag Mesrob Armenian School.