Snejana Iovtcheva
Program Coordinator and Registrar
Member of the Board of Directors
"Sv.sv. Kiril and Metodii”, Boston and Cape Cod
snejana@bg-school.org
Over the course of three days between May 9th and May 11th, a number of exciting events took place in Boston to mark the 25th anniversary of the Bulgarian School in Boston. The quarter-century anniversary of the school gathered the Bulgarian community and many guests among which were: Mr. Georgi Panayotov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria in Washington, Mr. Angel Angelov, Consul General of the Republic of Bulgaria in New York, Mr. Adam Portnoy, Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Mrs. Raina Mandjukova, Executive Director of the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad (EABA), Mr. Georgi Boshnakov, Director of the Board of "Little Bulgarian School" in Chicago and Mrs. Gergana Neykova, Director of the Board of the Bulgarian School in Nantucket.
Meeting with Representatives from the Community
The 25th anniversary celebrations began on Thursday evening, May 9th, with a meeting and dinner in the building of the Bulgarian School. The guests toured the building and the educational facility and met with the school management, representatives of the Bulgarian Center in New England, the Bulgarian Church in Boston, the Bulgarian Cultural Center Madara, the organizers of the Rose Festival and the leaders of the dance ensembles Ludo Mlado and 7/8mi. We spent the evening in friendly conversations and productive discussions about future cooperation and initiatives. We would like to remind you that the school, the center and the church reunited a few years ago in their desire to purchase their own building, which now houses not only the school, but is also home for the entire Bulgarian community. It hosts social and cultural events, classes, private events and Sunday church services.
Meeting with Local Businesses and Professionals
The second event took place on Friday evening, May 10th. The official guests met with local scientists, professionals, and entrepreneurs, many of whom are long-term donors, sponsors and supporters of the school and the Bulgarian Center. Mr. Georgi Panayotov, Mr. Angel Angelov and Ms. Raina Mandjukova also participated in this meeting and met many representatives of the community who expressed interest and desire for cooperation and networking. The acquisition and maintenance of the building and the community events are possible thanks to the generosity, responsiveness, and social engagement of the local Bulgarians. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts for their continuous support that allows us to unite the community and to maintain and spread the Bulgarian language and culture! The work meeting turned out to be extremely productive and gave the beginning to talks on creating a local "Club of Bulgarian Businesses", which would facilitate a common platform for contacts, information, and friendships.
Methodological Forum and Lunch
The third event took place on Saturday morning, May 11th. We had a methodological forum with a working lunch to discuss the mission of the Sunday schools abroad. Bulgarian teachers from Boston, Cape Cod and Chicago shared their experience and discussed best practices for more effective teaching and engagement of students. We thank Mr. Georgi Panayotov, Mr. Angel Angelov and Ms. Raina Mandjukova for their participation at the forum and for being open to hear our needs and ideas. We discussed the many challenges of sustaining the heritage schools in the United States, which are largely supported by the enthusiasm of individuals and small businesses. In the spirit of national revivalists, Sunday schools abroad survived through difficulties and have continued to be the torch of Bulgarian education. Such is the case with our Cape Cod branch, which was forced to close during the pandemic in 2020, but as of 2023 has reopened its doors to the enthusiastic 26 students and their families. At the meeting, we also discussed the success of our students who pass the Bulgarian language exams organized by Sofia University and receive the Seal of Biliteracy in Bulgarian. Some of these students attend institutions of higher education in Bulgaria. In the words of Ms. Mandjukova, "25 years is an awful lot" and we have long since answered the questions "if" and "why". We have established ourselves as an institution with a stable base, valuable experience, and organizational structure. According to her, from now on we must continue with the question "how", to meet the needs of future generations, so that our children's children continue to come to Bulgarian schools.
School Concert "The Magical World of Childhood"
Immediately after the work meeting, the guests went to the historic Robbins Memorial Town Hall in Arlington, a suburb of Boston, where a spectacular school concert "The magical world of childhood" took place. Over 350 guests, parents, teachers, and students enjoyed a wonderful concert, where each class had prepared a favorite song from our childhood: Djado Rjapa Vadi, Chervenata Shapchica, Yan Bibian, Pipi Dalgoto Chorapche, Boratino, Detsvo Moe and many more favorite songs prompted the audience to sing along and rise to their feet.
In his role as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Georgi Panayotov read out loud and presented a congratulatory letter from Prof. Dr. Galin Tsokov, Minister of Education and Science in Bulgaria. Ms. Raina Mandjukova presented our school with a plaque for overall merits for maintaining and spreading the Bulgarian language abroad and awarded the school head Ms. Silvia Mihaleva with the "Ivan Vazov" medal (link to the other article). The president of the school, Mr. Rosen Dimitrov, was awarded an honorary badge by the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad for his significant contribution to preserving the Bulgarian linguistic and cultural-historical heritage and for keeping the Bulgarian spirit and self-awareness alive in Boston and the region. Celebratory greetings from the "Little Bulgarian School" in Chicago and the "Rodna Rech" school in Sarasota, Florida, were also presented to the public. The Nantucket School greeted us with a cheerful rachenica dance on stage.
School Gala
The last event for the day was the school’s gala. The elegant event took place in the Royal Sonesta Hotel on the banks of the Charles River with a fabulous view of Boston's night skyline. More than 100 guests attended the gala. After the cocktail and greetings, the Bulgarian Honorary Consul in Boston Adam Portnoy presented a citation to the school and its accomplishments from the Governor of the State of Massachusetts, Mrs. Maura Healy. The most active members of the school were awarded for their unreserved dedication to the mission of the school.
The gala entertainment included a number of exciting performances. Students from the local Cambridge Ringe & Latin School choir greeted the guests with an a cappella version of the Shopska folk song "Dilmano Dilbero". The choir director and fellow countrymen, Mr. Ivan Stefanov chose this song as a gift to the school and elevated the energy of the event from the very beginning. The Boston dance group Ludo Mlado, the young girls from the 7/8th folk formation, and musicians from Berklee College of Music charged the atmosphere with Bulgarian rhythms and invited guests to the dance floor. The crown of the evening was the presentation of our alumni. Their casual, warm, and cheerful memories from their time at the school moved the audience. We are proud that our school has been a learning center and a place for friendships for more than 1000 students over the 25 years of its existence.
The school's 25th anniversary has turned into an emblematic and memorable event! We thank our amazing organizing committee who dedicated their time and energy to organize the celebratory events with such attention to the smallest detail.