Orange County Turkish School
1st Annual Children’s Day Celebration Report
23 Nisan Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı Kutlama Raporu
23 Nisan Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı Orange County Turk Okulumuzda 21 Nisan’da yoğun bir coşku ve 100’den fazla katılımla kutlandı. Kutlamalar program sunuculari Cenap Biyikli ve Melis Kocyigit'in hosgeldiniz konusmasi ile acildi. Melis cocuklar adina dedi ki "Atam seni gormek demek mutlaka yuzunu gormek demek degildir. Senin dusuncelerini ve duygularini anlamamiz, senin yolunda yurumemiz yeterlidir. Bize seni anlatanlar gibi biz de seni bizden sonrakilere anlattigimiz surece gelecekten korkumuz olmayacaktir...." Misafirlerin de katilimi ile Turk Ulusal Marsimizi ardındanda Melis’in esliginde andimizi tum ogrencilerimiz bayraklarini coskuyla dalgalandirarak soylediler. Okul Direktorumuz Aysu Tazebay, resimler esliginde gunun anlami, Ataturk'un cocuklara hitabi, Ataturk'un cocuk sevgisi uzerine konusurken, Ataturk'un "Turk evladi ecdadini tanidikca, daha buyuk isler yapmak icin kendinde kuvvet bulacaktir" sozunu tekrarlayarak,..."Biz gonulluler de Atamizin bu sozunden yola cikarak burada yasayan Turk Amerikan cocuklarina Turk benliklerini, kulturunu, Ata'larini ve tarihini ogretmek icin OC Turk Okulu'nu kurduk" dedi. OC Turk Okulu'nun ilk yili hakkinda bilgi verdi ve tum gonullulere, finansorlere tesekkur etti.
Program Los Angeles Baskonsoloslugu Egitim Atesesi Sayin Nazmi Ak’in Ataturk'un essiz kisiligi, liderligi ve 23 Nisan uzerine konusmasi ve kutlamasi ile devam etti. Okulumuzun yetiskinler sinifindan Ryan Wilson ve Aysha Ruya Cohen Turk Okulu'na tesekkur ettiler ve kutlama mesajlari verdiler.
Açılış konuşmalarina müteakip Minikler ve Yildizlar siniflari ogrencilerimiz 23 Nisan sarkilari ve 23 Nisan konulu şiirler okudular. Yildizlar sinifi oğrencilerimiz degerli ogretmenlerimiz Hande Can ve Sebnem Eler’in hazırlamış oldukları Turkiye Cumhuriyeti’nin ve TBMM’nin Kurulusu konulu piyesi sundular. Veliler tarafindan hazirlanan essiz kostumler icinde cocuklarimiz padisah ve esi, vezir, Turk askerleri, Ataturk ve millet meclisi uyelerini temsil edip buyuk begeni kazandilar. “Benim Turkiyem” konulu resim yarismasinin sonuclari aciklandi ve oduller sunuldu. Bu yarismada birinciligi kazanan ogrencimize onumuzdeki donem okul bursu hediye edildi.
Etkinlik finansorlerimizden Arzu Kocyigit Turk Okulu ogrencilerine Turk bayrakli sapkalar hediye etti. Yaklaşık 4 saat süren etkinlik cocuklarin Palyaco ve Spiderman esliginde eglenmeleri, yemek servisi ve kermes ile devam etti.
Etkinlik finansorlerimiz Arzu ve Adem Kocyigit’e, bagli oldugumuz cati dernegimiz Association of Turkish Americans of Southern California’ya (ATASC), comert bagislarda bulunan diger katilimcilara, unlu Turk mutfagindan lezzetli yemekler sunan dostlarimiza, zengin Turk urunlerinin yer aldigi kermese bagista bulunan misafirlerimize, velilerimize, gorevlerini mukemmel bir sekilde yerine getiren degerli Turk Okulu ogrencilerimize, emegi gecen gonullu tum dostlarimiza bu mukemmel gune katkilarindan dolayi sonsuz tesekkurlerimizi iletiriz.
Los Angeles Baskonsoloslugu Ticaret Atesesi Selen Eryuce’ye, OCTAA yonetim kurulu baskani Michelle Deniz Drousé’ye, ATASC Baskani Ahmet Atahan’a, ve ATASC eski donem baskani Dennis Aytekin’e bu etkinlige katilarak gosterdikleri destekden dolayi tesekkur ederiz.
Okul yonetim komitesi olarak, zengin Turk kultur, gelenek ve degerlerimizi Orange County’de yasayan Turk toplumu uyelerine, ozellikle 1. ve 2. nesil Turk-Amerikan kokenli cocuklarimiza, yasatmaktan dolayi mutluluk duyarak, sizlerin de destegi ile daha nice ulusal bayramlarimizi birlikte kutlamayi dileriz.
Bagislardan ve kermesden elde edilen gelirin tamami okulun yarari ve gelismesi icin kullanilacaktir. Kutlamalar ile ilgili daha fazla resim ve video kaydini izlemek icin okul websayfamizda 23 Nisan Fotoğrafları linkini tıklayabilirsiniz: http://www.octurkishschool.org/
Saygilarimizla,
Orange County Turk Okulu Yonetim Komitesi
Orange County Turkish School celebrated its first Children’s Day festivities on April 21st, 2007 at the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center in Irvine, California. More than 100 guests attended this joyful event.
Program began with co-presenters Cenap Biyikli’s and Melis Kocyigit’s welcoming remarks. Melis opened the festivities with a famous quote by Ataturk “To see me does not necessarily mean to see my face. To understand my thoughts is to have seen me...” The event continued with singing the Turkish National Anthem with participation from the audience followed by students’ saying the Türk Andı, a recitation that is similar to the “US Pledge of Allegience.” The program continued with our School Director Aysu Tazebay’s presentation on Ataturk’s address to the youth, his love for children, school’s mission and background, and the meaning of April 23rd Children’s Day. She completed her presentation by thanking all of the volunteers, students, parents and the sponsors for their invaluable contributions to the event.
Mr. Nazmi Ak, the Educational Attaché representing the Los Angeles Consul General, took part in the celebration as an honorary guest and spoke about Ataturk’s unsurpassed character and contributions to the establishment of modern Turkey and celebrated everyone’s special day. Ryan Wilson and Aysha Ruya Cohen, representatives from the adult Turkish classes, delivered in Turkish their thanks and congratulatory messages to the Turkish School and its guests.
After the speeches, the students from the Minikler (small ones) and Yildizlar (stars) classes recited 23 Nisan (April 23rd) poems and songs. Yildizlar students performed the special play written by their teachers Hande Can and Sebnem Eler about the establishment of the Turkish Republic and the Grand Assembly. The students, in their colorful costumes, acted out the parts of Ataturk, the Sultan, the Sultana, the Vizier, Turkish Soldiers, and the Ministers of the Turkish Parliament and received much applause from the audience.
The school committee announced the top three winners of the art contest titled “My Türkiye” and presented the first place winner with a free scholorship for the Fall 2007 semester.
One of our event sponsors, Arzu Kocyigit, presented the students with school hats, decorated with the Turkish flag. The program lasted about 4 hours and concluded with children’s entertainment by a Clown and Spiderman character, food service and a craft bazaar.
The school committee is grateful to the event sponsors Arzu and Adem Kocyigit, our parent organization the Association of Turkish Americans of Southern California’ya (ATASC), other generous donors, friends and parents who donated food and craft items, parents of our students, OC Turkish School students, and all volunteers (our heroes) for their significant contributions to the success of this event.
We also extend our gratitude to the Los Angeles Consul General Trade Attaché Selen Eryuce and her father, OCTAA Board of Director Chair Michelle Deniz Drousé, ATASC President Ahmet Atahan, and ATASC past President Dennis Aytekin for their support and participation in this celebration.
Our school executive committee is proud to provide this service to our community by offering classes where rich Turkish culture, history, traditions, and values are taught particularly to the 1st and 2nd generation Turkish-American youth to help them connect with their heritage. We hope to continue this tradition at our school and celebrate many Children’s Days with our community’s support in the upcoming years.
All proceeds from this event will be used to further develop the Orange County Turkish School. To view more pictures and the video presentation from this event, please visit our website at: http://www.octurkishschool.org/
Sincerely,
Orange County Turkish School Committee
