Class Notes

A Brief History of AYAA

Halefom Belay, PhD

The dream of having an alumni association became a reality in January of 2003, thanks in large part to the outpouring of support by Atse Yohannes alumni and friends who were concerned about the future of their alma mater and who saw the value of forming an association that would preserve the proud history of the school.

Although the association, in North America, was founded as a non-profit organization in January of 2003, its formation didn’t happen over night. It took years of brain storming, a lengthy exchange ideas, and discussions by emails and telephone calls among a number of concerned groups and individuals. As a result, the first face-to-face meeting by the group of alumni took place in January of 2003, in Atlanta, Georgia, at a private house at 205 Westchester Drive, Decatur, Georgia. All the participants were so thankful and grateful for the hot traditional meals, drinks and for an amazing hospitality we received from our dear friends, Mr. Alem Hadgu and his beautiful wife, Birtawit Giday. They make us all comfortable in their home for the entire duration of the meeting which started off at 3:00pm on January 11th and ended at 1:00am the next morning.

Out of the ten alumni (listed below) who attended the meeting three of them were observers.

Miss Equar Teka(Class of 1970 Ethiopian Calendar) Professor Hailemariam Gebre Selassie (class of 1960 EC), Dr. Gashaw Tafari (Class of 1966 EC.) Dr. Aregawi Girmay (Class of 1966 EC, served as the Secretary), Mr. Alem Hadgu (Class of 1969 EC, served as the Vice President), Professor Kalayu Belay (Class of 1967 EC, served as the Treasurer), Professor Halefom Belay (Class of 1969 EC, served as the President) Mr. Girmay Ambaye (observer, Class of 1972 EC) Mrs. Zewdu Weldberhan (observer, Class of 1971 EC) Mrs. Birtawit Giday (observer, Class of 1975 EC)

Three alumni members who were part of the discussion group but did not make it to the meeting: Mr. Abraham Biadegelgne (Class of 1959 EC, served as the Vice President), Dr. Habte Woldu (Class of 1965EC) Mr. Hailekiros Asfaw (Class of 1969 EC) Mr. Berhanu Kiros (Class of 1972 EC)

Even though the discussion covered a variety of subjects related to the establishment of the association, there were three main goals running throughout the meeting: (1) to articulate the mission of the association; (2) to focus on how to strengthen the internal structural functioning of the association by having a flexible bylaw; (3) to foster a greater love in the former student for their alma mater and to render greater service to the school.

The participants of the meeting drew up a flexible bylaw, decided to publish a web site, and declared that they would participate more actively in the affairs of the association. The association is named “Atse Yohannes Alumni Association” and the acronym is “AYAA.” The meeting was very successful and it constituted a new important step in developing the spirit of cooperation and mutual trust to cope with present and future challenges of the association. Somehow everything fell into place and the foundation of the association was laid down

The new association is governed by a number of “trustees” in the form of board members and run by four officers elected by a secret ballot. New board members have been selected by the original board members (listed above) in order to keep the board fully staffed. With that spirit Mr. Solomon G/Michael joined the founding board members later on.

In the Spring of 2003, the board members took the process of selecting a logo which will serve as the visual trademark of the association. The choices were the following logos:

The Winner

Since the torch with flames has long been a symbol of learning and symbolizes a process of enlightening the mind, it is very easy to see why the logo was chosen by the board members. The flames also capture all alumni and friends’ burning desire to bring a positive change on the quality of learning at Atse Yohannes School.

Year 2003 marks yet another milestone in the history of the association - the founding of the AYAA-Mekelle dedicated to the addressing the special needs of the school. This was followed by the establishment of the AYAA-Addis Ababa in 2006. The board members in Mekelle deserve all the credits for monitoring and implementing the projects financed by AYAA in North America.

From its very inception, AYAA’s connection with the school has been decidedly fruitful. A growing number of alumni and friends have come forward with valuable initiatives that are geared toward building upon our original partnership with the school. Something good has been happening quietly on the scene of networking between Atse Yohannes School of Mekelle and its alumni who are scattered around the world.

Atse Yohannes Alumni Association (AYAA) and the School, located thousands miles apart, have forged a close bond through a number of mutually beneficial initiatives. This opportunity was quite unique and interesting, in that for the first time the alumni were afforded the opportunity to extend their helping hand and have been able to make a positive impact on their alma mater.

One of the initiatives came from the then director of the High School, Mr. Hailu Mehari, in the form of the following note and pictures of the old restroom and students relieving themselves outside.

The old restroom

The response from the board members of AYAA, alumni members and especially from our alumnae was overwhelmingly positive. AYAA’s first project became building an eight-room facility fully equipped with hand wash basins and mirrors for girls. According to Herald Tribune (December 23, 2005): “Researchers throughout sub-Saharan Africa have documented that lack of sanitary pads, a clean, girls-only latrine and water for hand-washing drives a significant number of girls out of school. The United Nations Children's Fund, for example, estimates that one in 10 school-age African girls either skip school during menstruation or drop out entirely because of lack of sanitation.”

The new restroom for girls

Thank you note from the female students' representative

Although it seems like yesterday, one year has passed since the gorgeous, majestic-style stone fence with concrete columns has been built around the perimeters of the elementary school. For all of the children and teachers, the new fence is a welcome addition to the schoolyard. Parents and teachers constant fear of unsuspecting children being hurt by the collapsing piles of stones from the old fence is now replaced by peace of mind. The new fence has not only created a safe and secure environment for children to learn and play, it also has transformed the surrounding into an AYAA showplace that brings a glow of pride to the faces of alumni who passed through it.

As we celebrate reunions of our association, it seems appropriate to all of us to reflect on the accomplishments, challenges and unfinished business. The association is fortunate to have so many alumni and friends who support it with their volunteer efforts, fund raising skills, knowledge and gifts. Now there are so many ways to help advance the mission of the association—with your good will of financial support and with telling others about the impact that the association makes on the lives of students back home. Thus, for all those who would like to make an impact on the future course of the association and the school back home, now is the time to join and make your voices heard!