NNA – The Lycée Saint Nicholas – Ain El-Mir, affiliated to the Melkite Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sidon and Deir el-Qamar, under the patronage and presence of Archbishop Elie Bechara El-Haddad, Archbishop Elie Bechara El-Haddad, and with the participation of the President of Saint Joseph University, Professor Father Salim Daccache, celebrated the graduation ceremony of its students and launched preparations for the opening of the secondary school with the support of the Foundation Sassi” and the Jesuit University through a program to train professors and teachers and allow the graduates of “San Nicolas High School” later to continue their university studies on the university’s campus in southern Lebanon or in Beirut, in a way that “contributes to their staying in and learning in their area and relieves them of the hardship and cost of moving long distances,” according to a statement. about her.
The ceremony, which was held in the schoolyard in Ain El-Mir, was attended by: Representatives Dr. Michel Moussa and Dr. Ghada Ayoub Abu Fadel, Talal Arqdan, representing MP Osama Saad, former MP Ibrahim Azar, Dr. Osama Arnaout, representing the President of the Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development, Mrs. Bahia Hariri, Monsignor Elias Al-Asmar, Judge Father Walid El Deek, Father Suleiman Wahbi, Vice President of the Federation of Jezzine Municipalities Fadi Romanos, Mayor of Ain El-Mir Nader Makhoul, President of the Association of Mayors of Jezzine Region Tony Aoun, Director of the French Center in Sidon Sophie Jarjat, and Director of the South Lebanon Campus at the Jesuit University Dr. Dina Sidani , President of the Sassi Foundation Antoine Sassi and the director of the foundation, his wife Ms. Nicole and Dana Moussa, represented by the Director of the Cultural Return Foundation Christian Odeh, and representatives of a number of social and civil institutions, the families of the graduates and the school family, led by its director, Father Jihad Francis.
sassi
After the national anthem and a welcome from the master of the ceremony and words for the graduates, Sassi spoke on behalf of the Sassi Foundation. She thanked Bishop Al-Haddad, Professor Daccache and Father Francis for the attendance and said: “The past year was very difficult, but as we promised our people in this region that we would not leave them alone and languish under the burden, and only we were able to secure transportation. Free books and free books for all Lycée Saint Nicolas students, and we decided with the bishop and the administration not to increase the premiums while maintaining the scientific level in cooperation with the public schools network and providing courses with the Jesuit University and cooperation with the French Center, as we would have stayed with our people in Sidon and Jezzine.
dakash
The President of the Jesuit University spoke and said: “I am very pleased, in my capacity as President of the Jesuit University in Beirut and Sidon, to be present today with you at the graduation ceremony for the students of the third year of middle certificate in Lycée Saint-Nicolas, and to be a participant in your joy, students, and the joy of parents and teachers at your success. Today we celebrate your success. As you move to secondary classes in this pioneering secondary school, I will stop with you on some basic matters: the social and financial situation that affects the country, especially on parents who are interested in providing education for their children.I am aware of the financial difficulties that families are going through, today, this sad reality It has become a real challenge for both parents and teachers to ensure this noble mission to provide our children with a quality education, and a passport not to abroad but to a secure and secure future.Faced with this situation, we have chosen at the Jesuit University and at the Al-Sassi Educational and Social Foundation the path of solidarity and interdependence between us to support our institutions, support teachers and professors, and support families This secondary school is nothing but the strong proof that solidarity is the path to hope and success.
Therefore, I congratulate the role of the diocese and the Al Sassi Foundation, who decided to take up this challenge and invest in this school. Their goal is twofold:
– First, to ensure quality education in the region for our beloved students, and for the younger generations, by enhancing the distance from the school near the place of residence and by offering the best programs by the best teachers,
Secondly, training the human resources in the region for sustainable development with the aim of avoiding population migration in the regions, and I note in this regard that the university and the diocese work hand in hand in other essential areas such as the Islamic-Christian dialogue. For many years, the university has been ready to extend cooperation in any field that the diocese deems beneficial to it and to this dear region of Lebanon.
He added: “For this reason, Saint Joseph University, in the continuity of its academic mission, decided, through the campus of South Lebanon University and the Faculty of Educational Sciences, to support this project by providing teacher training to meet the will of parents and their children to enroll in secondary school in this institution.
Finally, educational work is an act of partnership between parties who believe in the same goals and the same human belief for the good of man and the promotion of values and faith. Today, a protocol was signed between the USJ Foundation of Saint Joseph University and the Sacy Foundation to establish a fund bearing the name of the Sacy family. This fund will allow students from this region and future graduates of the Lycée Saint-Nicolas to continue their university studies on the campus of the South Lebanon University, and in this way remain in their regions, which is one of the missions of the campus of South Lebanon of the Jesuit University.
I thank the parents for their trust, I congratulate the Al Sassi Foundation for its noble commitment, and I salute the students for their perseverance and hard work. Dear Alumni, You should be doubly proud: proud of graduating and having this opportunity to continue your secondary education at this leading high school. We are proud to be the first class in the rehearsal class of this school since it returned since 2015 to the Melkite Catholic Diocese of Sidon and Deir El Qamar. Congratulations on the inauguration of the secondary stage, which will start with you and succeed with you with your effort and perseverance in learning and acquiring.”
Bishop Haddad
Then Archbishop Al-Haddad gave a speech in which he addressed the graduates first by saying: “You graduate from this school and there is nothing wrong with you. Nothing is lacking in you, with you knowledge, morals and good education. With you are the research methodology and the principles of communication. He ruined Lebanon, and you know how the Lebanese live within a corrupt mafia and sectarian system that does not know religion. No one laughs at you that our system is the best in the world. Changing Lebanon and all societies begins from school benches. ROBOTIQUE students for their seriousness, creativity and forward thinking.
He added: “Today, our school is heading to take giant steps. I mean opening secondary classes, and this is a great challenge in such circumstances. I will not hide a secret if I say that the Sassi Foundation has put its touches in us, and every growth comes from this generous institution. Thank you very much to Nicole, Antoine and all the people The family. Thank you for what you are and for what you offer. Your testimony to a decent life is the best example of the authentic Lebanese family that, even if many like them, lived in Lebanon. Today our school is also heading towards homologation through the French Embassy, and this will open up broad horizons for us and our students in science and development. It is headed by Professor Father Selim Daccache, who is present among us. I will not forget the friendly Jesuit University in Sidon, Dina Sidani, who represents brilliance, honesty, dynamics, and depth of atmosphere. with Saint Joseph. We extend the hand of cooperation with you, Madam Director, without hesitation or question. You and the university are commanding, and we are confidently walking in the footsteps of your university’s ancient civilization.”
He continued: “With all this new, it is necessary to have a management that keeps pace with the details and is able to adapt to modernity. My great thanks to Father Jihad Francis, the educator, the fighter, if we do not say the resistance. I see you how you tire silently but wisely. With this wisdom, the school develops and develops with you. My thanks to the heroic teachers. You are in the triptych of the parents, the administration and the teacher, you are the ones who paid the most expensive price so far. I wish we would do justice to you soon. Thanks to the municipal authorities, specifically the mayor of Ain El-mir Nader Makhoul Al-Saher Al-Jad. And the president Fadi Romanos, the mayor of Leba`a, the first assistant in the acquisition of this school. The region. My thanks to the people of Sidon, especially the Disabled Child Association, and other institutions. Our school will remain the Lebanese link between Jezzine and Sidon with distinction.”
Archbishop Haddad concluded: “With you, the actors, especially the new parliamentarians and every official in the region, let’s convey to the Lebanese a new, old model that may distort, the model of high coexistence, the model of growth despite crises, the model of ambition despite frustration. It is better for our students. We promise not to dollarize the premiums in public, to make it easier for each other to carry out the tasks of economic burdens. And finally, my wishes for our graduating students, keep what you grew up on. A clean heart, a clean mind, and do not let anything taint your career.”
After that, Bishop Al-Haddad, with the participation of Father Francis, handed an honorary shield to Father Daccache, after which certificates were handed over to the graduates, and grants to the outstanding among them, including an educational grant provided by the Ledura Educational Association, which was handed over by the association’s president, Dr. Said Fakhoury to one of the students, and 5 educational grants provided by The Disabled Child Assistance Society handed it over to five students, the president of the association, Mrs. Asma Al-Bololi Al-Dirani.
The ceremony was preceded by the opening of the “ROBOTIQUE” exhibition, which includes the school’s students’ innovations in this field. The attendees toured the exhibition, praising the creativity of the participating students.
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