– With a special visit by US Ambassador, Mr. Donald Lu –

 

     It’s is a memorable year for Protagonists Albanian-American School! This pre-K-12 school in Tirana looks forward to its first graduation this summer with high hopes that the graduates will demonstrate their excellence in education both in their upcoming final exams as well as in their future studies and careers. The school has worked carefully with all its students at each step, starting from pre-school and first grade.

    This past week it was the first graders who enlivened the school atmosphere with their Alphabet Festivals, a yearly tradition. Parents, grandparents, teachers, and other guests who attended showed their appreciation with much applause and many positive remarks afterwards.

    Each of the two first grade classes performed on separate days- one on the 29th and the other on the 30th of April. On the second day, the US Ambassador, Mr. Donald Lu and his wife, Ariel, honored the school with their presence. The program began with a welcome song in English especially for the ambassador, followed by many poems, skits and songs about the Alphabet and the completion of first grade. At the end of the program Ambassador Lu congratulated the students on their achievement and expressed his enjoyment at having participated in this event. He noticed the students’ high English level and stressed that the school is a good example of cooperation between Albania and America, “not between two governments,” he said, “but rather between two peoples.” Following the show, Ambassador Lu visited the premises of the Protagonists School, talking to the students in both Albanian and English.

    Protagonists Albanian-American School in Tirana opened with 13 first-grade students in 2002 and has grown by one grade level nearly every year. This year its enrollment exceeds 500! It has a well-trained staff and very talented students. It stands among its peer institutions as a serious competitor and is special in that it takes care of each student, not only academically, but socially, spiritually, and physically as well as in its hope to prepare them to be the future protagonists of the society.

    The educational complex includes two school buildings, two preschool/kindergarten buildings and sports facilities with equipment representing 2.56 million euro donations raised by Archbishop Anastasios.