State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Visits California Blue Ribbon School to Highlight STEM Learning and Heritage-Based Education

GLENDALE—Today, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond visited Chamlian Armenian School, which earned a 2025 California Blue Ribbon School recognition, to learn more about the school’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-aligned learning and heritage-based educational programs. During the visit, Superintendent Thurmond toured classrooms and school facilities alongside student leaders and school administrators before delivering remarks to an assembly of approximately 700 students, educators, and staff.

“What I saw today impressed me, and I believe we can learn from this school’s focus on STEM learning while grounding students in their heritage and cultural history,” said Superintendent Thurmond. “There’s a reason Chamlian Armenian School was recognized as a 2025 California Blue Ribbon School. Students need to be prepared for the economy of the 21st century and have the skills necessary for the future job market while also having a sense of shared community. This approach provides that foundation.”

Chamlian Armenian School is a private K–8 school in Glendale that was one of 31 California schools nominated for National Blue Ribbon School recognition in 2025. However, the U.S. Department of Education then eliminated the National Blue Ribbon School program. As a result, Chamlian Armenian School was awarded the distinction of a 2025 California Blue Ribbon School, ranking among the state’s highest-performing schools that close achievement and opportunity gaps and where students demonstrate especially high levels of academic success.

Superintendent Thurmond’s visit is part of the California Department of Education’s efforts to support heritage language programs and culturally responsive learning opportunities for students across California. Superintendent Thurmond is the co-chair of the California Commission on Holocaust and Genocide Education and has supported efforts to train approximately 5,800 educators on the history of the Armenian Genocide as part of the state’s History–Social Science Framework.

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Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100