Megerdechians Fund $9.6M Glendale High School
Alex and Lina Megerdechian's $9.6 million donation fully funds a Glendale property purchase for a new Armenian high school under the Western Prelacy.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Philanthropy
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Alex and Lina Megerdechian donated $9.6 million to fully fund the outright purchase of a property in Glendale. The site will be placed under the auspices of the Western Prelacy and will host Alex and Lina Megerdechian High School.
Why it matters
The gift extends Armenian education through the high school years for families in Glendale, building on the existing Chamlian Armenian School. It positions the Western Prelacy to offer a continuing path of Armenian language, heritage, and faith instruction beyond the elementary level.
The $9.6 million gift from Alex and Lina Megerdechian is reported as covering the full cost of the Glendale property, with no additional funding sources described. The figure is the only quantitative measure in the announcement, and the source gives no enrollment target or project budget beyond the purchase price.
The players
Alex and Lina Megerdechian
Philanthropic donors whose family's children attend Chamlian Armenian School and who funded the Glendale property purchase.
Western Prelacy
The Armenian Apostolic Church's regional governing body in the western United States, which will hold the property and operate the new high school.
Archbishop Kegham Khacherian
Prelate of the Western Prelacy who presented the Cilician Eagle honorary pin to Alex Megerdechian.
The details
The Western Prelacy welcomed the Megerdechians to the organization on Friday and formally recognized their contribution. Archbishop Kegham Khacherian presented Alex Megerdechian with the Cilician Eagle honorary pin of the Western Prelacy, and the new institution will continue the work of Chamlian Armenian School, which the couple's children attend.
Timeline
Friday (before November 7, 2026): Western Prelacy formally welcomes the Megerdechians and recognizes the donation.
Legacy Continuity
The new Alex and Lina Megerdechian High School is framed as a direct continuation of Chamlian Armenian School, extending that existing Armenian-education pathway upward into the high school years. The gift therefore builds on an institution the donors' own children already attend rather than starting a separate program.
For Glendale families, the new high school offers a continuing Armenian-education option after Chamlian Armenian School, though the source gives no enrollment process, tuition, or opening date. Families interested in attending would need to contact the Western Prelacy for admissions details, which the announcement does not provide.
The takeaway
Large private gifts can fund the physical infrastructure needed to extend religious and cultural schooling into new grade levels. Families weighing an Armenian education through high school should watch for admissions information from the Western Prelacy.
Further reading
For more on giving in the area, explore Philanthropy coverage in Glendale.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Ashbarez.
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