The Iran Arbabi Scholarship Program resumed its annual scholarship awards for the academic year 2021-2022 following a one-year interruption caused by the pandemic COVID-19. This year the Scholarship Program received more applications from qualified candidates. An independent Panel of Experts, appointed by the ICEC Board of Trustees, using specific criteria, evaluated the qualifications and merits of all applicants in August 2021. While very different views and ranking of applicants were expressed by Panel members, the combined evaluation ratings and academic GPA for the top three applicants were virtually identical. It is a great pleasure to announce that the Scholarship Committee has decided to award the top three applicants an adjusted amount of $1,500 each. The awardees whose names appear below have been so notified.
Category Archives: Parents new
2021-2022 Academic Year Reopening
Dear Parents,
We hope this message finds you and your family well and in good health.
We are excited to inform you that this academic year we will be holding face-to-face classes at Ritchie Park Elementary School, in Rockville, MD. Within the next few days, we will send you detailed information regarding the registration. All relevant information will be posted on the ICEC website as well.
Meanwhile, we would like to take this opportunity to assure you that we take the safety of our students and staff seriously and will follow closely safety measures that are put in place by Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), including wearing mask coverings inside the building and social distancing both inside and outside the classrooms. In addition, a classroom will be designated for the students who may develop symptoms of COVID-19 while waiting for the parents to pick them up. Furthermore, there will be staggered recess times to reduce potential contamination risks and exposure. It should be added that all staff members have been vaccinated.
We very much look forward to welcoming you and your children to the new academic year.
Best wishes,
ICEC
2021-2022 Scholarship
Iran Cultural and Educational Center
Iran Arbabi Scholarship
The Iran Arbabi Scholarship Program provides financial assistance to students of Iranian descent entering or attending an accredited post-secondary institution. The scholarship is granted annually to at least one eligible applicant, selected based on the eligibility criteria listed below. An independent committee that consists of a panel of distinguished scholars and chaired by a member of the ICEC Board of Trustees screens applications in the summer. Members of the selection committee may also interview the finalists. The recipient (s) may use the scholarship to attend an accredited college across the United States. Scholarships are not limited to any specific field or career objective and may be used to pursue any academic discipline for undergraduate or graduate studies.
2021-2022 Scholarship
For the academic year 2021-2022, two separate scholarships will be awarded to applicants who meet the eligibility requirements and are selected by the Selection Committee. The second donation has been made possible by a donation from the National University of Iran Alumni Association.
Basic Requirements
Applicants should meet the following requirements to be considered for the Iran Arbabi Scholarship. They must:
- Be of Iranian descent;
- Lawfully reside in the Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia, United Sates;
- Submit verification of participation in activities that promote Persian culture and heritage to include, but not limited to attendance at a Farsi language school, participation in Persian art or cultural group (music, dance, theater, etc.), volunteer activities for a Persian community-based charity, active participation in a Persian student association, etc.
- Attend, or be accepted for attendance, at an accredited American college or university in a full-time undergraduate or graduate degree program in Maryland, Virginia or District of Columbia.
- If attending, or accepted for attendance, an undergraduate program:
- a) Possess a high school diploma, or the recognized equivalent of a high school diploma,
- b) Have good academic standing (GPA of 3.0 or higher)
- If attending a graduate program: a) Possess proof of successful completion of undergraduate studies, i.e., Bachelor degree `
All participants need to:
- Complete and submit a Scholarship Application Form;
- Two letters of recommendation; at least one letter should be from an instructor/professor or other high school/college professional;
- An official transcript with the college seal on it;
- Two one-page essays each on:
- What are your dreams and aspirations?
- How has your cultural heritage formed the person you are, and in what way will this serve you as an asset to promote Persian language and culture in the future?
Important Application Dates
May 15, 2021 – ICEC starts accepting applications for the 2021-2022 academic year.
The Application Form will be available for download from the ICEC website at: http://iraneducationalcenter.org/scholarship-application/
June 30, 2021 (Extended to July 30, 2021)– Final postmarked deadline in order to be considered for the 2021-2022 Scholarship Program. Application materials must be mailed in one packet to:
Iran Abrabi Scholarship Program
Iran Cultural and Educational Center
14644 Pinto Lane, Rockville, MD 20850-3536
Transcripts and letters of recommendation should not be sent separately. Incomplete, e-mailed, or faxed applications will not be considered.
August 15, 2021: Winners of the scholarship will be notified, and names will be posted on the ICEC web site.
Scholarship Conditions
The Iran Arbabi Scholarships may be used to supplement existing benefits from the student’s college or university, or from other foundations or organizations. Recipients may use the scholarship to cover the costs of tuition, fees, room, and board. Funds will be paid to selected candidates upon receiving transcripts and proof of course registration and enrollment. Financial need may be taken into consideration in awarding a scholarship. If the Scholarship Committee determines that financial need will be taken into consideration, the applicant may be required to provide financial information at a later time.
A recipient’s scholarship can be revoked if the student:
- fails to graduate from high school;
- fails to enroll in an institution of higher education in the year for which the scholarship was awarded;
- fails to comply with the rules, regulations or conditions of the institution the student attends; or
- receives the scholarship through error or contrary to law.
Retroactive payment of the scholarship is not permitted.
End of School Year 2019-2020
Dear Parents,
We would like to sincerely thank all of you for your unwavering support, as we look back on the 2019-2020 academic year and its unique challenges. Your strong role in the education of your children allowed us to continue to stay connected with them and engage them in meaningful learning. This support has its roots in our shared belief in the importance of preserving cultural heritage and passing it onto the next generation to equip them for the real world where cultural awareness is key to peace and prosperity.
Transitioning from face-to-face to virtual instruction would not have been successful without your crucial support and the hard work of our dedicated instructional staff. Once it became evident that Maryland Schools would not open for the remainder of the academic year, the instructional staff, although with little or no experience in online language instruction, welcomed the challenge and worked tirelessly to provide their students with purposeful and engaging learning experiences. In this effort, they also identified and effectively used a variety of online authentic resources to enhance instruction. This resulted in students’ positive response to the new learning environment, as reflected by their perfect to near perfect attendance in most classes. In light of this uplifting experience, we are convinced that regardless of what the Maryland School system may decide in the fall, our community will remain strong and continue to thrive.
Looking forward, Iran Cultural and Educational Center (ICEC), the same as any other educational institution, will take advantage of the summer months to prepare for any possibility, i.e., face-to-face, online, or the combination of face-to-face and online instruction. To this end, summer work will be a combination of teacher training, curriculum refinement, and sample learning plans development as listed below:
- Review and revise the program of studies to make it more adaptable to online instruction;
- Provide the instructional staff with ongoing professional development on learner-centered strategies;
- Identify authentic resources to more effectively integrate culture, content, and language;
- Develop sample learning plans based on World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages.
Meanwhile, please do not hesitate to share with us your thoughts and suggestions. We value your input and look forward to it. We will be in touch.
Wishing you and your family a safe, healthy, and pleasant summer,
ICEC
Opening Status
Dear ICEC Family and Friends;
We at ICEC wish you warm regards and hope you are doing well. As we find ourselves adapting to a new (but temporary) lifestyle, we hope that each and every one of you is taking the time to find comfort, joy and love with your family and friends, whether under your roof at home or remotely through technology.
As you may be aware, public schools, and the use of public-school facilities, in Montgomery County continue to be closed until at least April 24, 2020. Consequently, ICEC must continue to suspend classes. At this time, there is no fixed date as to when we may be able to resume classes.
We will provide regular updates as soon as we have more information. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions.
Please be well and be safe.
Information about Coronavirus
Three cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed in Maryland. Maryland Governor Hogan declares state of emergencies. Here are some useful links for your information:
Nowruz Event Cancellation
Cancellation of ICEC Nowruz Program, March 7th, 2020
The impact of the coronavirus outbreak worldwide and especially in Iran is evident.
It’s difficult to predict the wider impact the coronavirus will have in the weeks to come. Nonetheless, we must take into consideration the recommendations of the WHO (World Health Organization) and CDC (U.S. Center for Disease Control). In addition, we consider the recommendations of these organizations in light of the likelihood that members of our community may have recently traveled to places of higher risk for the virus.
Consequently, it is with great regret and the utmost regard for safety of our Children and community members, that ICEC has an obligation to cancel the upcoming Nowruz Program scheduled for March 7, 2020.
We wish to thank all Organizers, Parents, extracurricular activities leaders,
Volunteers, Teachers, Students, and Vendors for their outstanding efforts and collaboration in preparation of our Nowruz Program.
Happy and healthy Nowruz to all,
Nowruz Meeting and Volunteers Sign Up
Nowruz Committee of Iran Cultural and Educational Center (ICEC) would like to invite you to attend the first ICEC Nowruz Committee meeting in 2020 on Saturday January 11, 2020 from 9:45 AM to 11:00 AM.
Meeting agenda:
1- Nowruz activities update by various groups.
2- Volunteer tasks/assignments
3- Class Liaison update
4- PDT, YIM and YIP update
5- Other tasks
6- Q/A
Nowruz Volunteers:
Please use the following link to volunteer for different tasks. Your participation and support of Nowruz Committee will be critical to make this celebration another successful event.
Please notice that some of the tasks are required to be performed prior to and some of them are for after the event on March 7th.
Nowruz Volunteers sign up Link
If you have any question please send an email to :
Nowruz coordinator : Nowruz@iraneducationalcenter.org
or
CSA President: CSA@iraneducationalcenter.org
Donations
Dear Friends of Iran Cultural and Educational Center,
In the spirit of this giving season, if you plan to donate to some cause, you may wish to consider donations that benefit a Persian cultural or educational activity. There are a number of such organizations that are active and registered as non-profit organization in the Washington Metropolitan area.
As you are aware, one such organization is the Iran Cultural and Educational Center (ICEC), registered as a non-profit organization in the State of Maryland. ICEC is non-commercial, non-partisan and non-sectarian and with no political or religious affiliation to any group, party or government. Since its inception in 1990, ICEC’s sole mission has been “to create a nurturing environment that strengthens the sense of connection, pride and appreciation of Iranian culture, heritage and history.”
ICEC is a registered member of the United Way of the National Capital Area (UWNCA) and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). If you wish to make a contribution to ICEC through United Way campaigns, please visit https://unitedwaynca.org/nonprofit-partner-search and enter designation number 8643 for ICEC as a non-profit partner. To contribute to ICEC through CFCNCA, please enter designation number 24136 on your CFCNCA form. All contributions to ICEC, according to Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code are tax deductible (consult your tax advisor).
ICEC Board of Trustees, Officers and Teachers
2019-2020 School Year Scholarship
ICEC Iran Arbabi Scholarship
For
2019-20 Academic Year Accepts Applications
ICEC is pleased to announce the award of Two (2) scholarships to eligible applicants for the academic year of 2019-2020 as follows:
- $2,000.00 from Iran Arbabi annual scholarship fund
- $2,000.00 from donated funds by National University of Iran Alumni
For more information and how to apply, please click on the link below:
کمک هزینه آموزشی ایران اربابی
برای سال آموزشی ۲۰۱۹ ـ ۲۰۲۰ درخواست می پذیرد
مرکز فرهنگی وآموزشی ایران با خرسندی به آگاهی می رساند که در سال آموزشی ۲۰۱۹ ـ ۲۰۲۰، دو
در خواست کننده دارای شرایط کمک هزینه آموزشی دریافت خواهند کرد
ا- ۲۰۰۰ دولار از حساب سالانه کمک هزینه آموزشی ایران اربابی
ب- ۲۰۰۰ دولار از حساب اهدایی انجمن دانشجویان پیشین دانشگاه ملی ایران
فرم های درخواست وآگاهی های بیشتر در سامانه مرکزموجود است