site.btaBulgarian Sunday School in Istanbul Celebrates 10th Anniversary

The Bulgarian Sunday School Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Istanbul celebrated its tenth anniversary.

The festivities coincided with the celebration of the most holy Bulgarian holiday May 24 - the Day of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius, of the Bulgarian alphabet, education and culture and of the Slavonic script.

The observances took place under the auspices of the Bulgarian Consul General in Istanbul Vasil Valchev.

The garden of the Bulgarian Consulate General proved insufficient to accommodate the respect and appreciation for Bulgarian literacy beyond the borders of Bulgaria, which was demonstrated by students, teachers, parents and numerous guests.

The celebration began with the performance of the anthem "Varvi narode vazrodeni".

The program of poems and songs, which was carefully prepared by the students under the guidance of the school's teachers, emphasized that for the past 10 years the Bulgarian school in Istanbul has established itself as a symbol of knowledge and unity of teachers, students and parents.

Memorable moments from the school's foundation in 2015 were screened.

An almanac was also presented, a deluxe edition in which the students' successes in the educational process, participation in international competitions, and the efforts of the founders, led by the then Consul General of Bulgaria in Istanbul, Angel Angelov, are revealed in photos and text.

In his remarks, the Bulgarian Consul General of Bulgaria Vasil Valchev, as well as Pavlina Lozanova from the Parents' Council also highlighted the role of the late Angel Angelov for the establishment of the school in 2015, as well as the role of the then chairman of the Bulgarian Exarchate Vasil Liaze.

Special guest of the celebration was Natalia Mihalevska, Head of the Cabinet of the Minister of Education and Science Krasimir Valchev.

Mihalevska presented a congratulatory address to the school on behalf of Minister Krasimir Valchev, as well as honorary plaques to the Consul General of Bulgaria in Istanbul, Vasil Valchev, the school's principal Pavlina Kopano and the Chairman of the Bulgarian Exarchate, Dimitri Yotef.

Congratulatory addresses on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of school were also received from the Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, as well as from the Shumen University.

Honorary plaques were awarded to Natalia Mihalevska, the Consul General of Bulgaria in Edirne Radoslava Kafedzhiyska, Vasil Liaze, Dimitri Yotef, Hristo Kopano, former and current lecturers.

On behalf of the Parents' Council, Pavlina Lozanova thanked the Consulate General of Bulgaria, under whose auspices the school operates, for its care for the development of the school as a center of literacy, knowledge, history, traditions, culture and Bulgarian identity in the megalopolis of Istanbul.

On behalf of the students of the Father Alexander Cikirik Bulgarian Sunday School in Edirne, books made under the "Untold Stories" program, dedicated to the Petar Beron Male High School in Edirne, were presented as a gift by Consul Radoslava Kafedzhiyska.