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Iran Bethel School (1874–1968) was a school in Tehran, established by an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
Presbyterian missionary organization for girls in 1874. It was the precursor to the
Damavand College Damavand College ( fa, مدرسه عالی دماوند; romanization: ''Madreseh-ye Ālī-ye Damāvand''; and later, ''Dāneshkadeh-ye Damāvand'') was founded in 1968 as a private institution of higher learning for women and run by an internati ...
.


History

The Iran Bethel School opened in 1874 as a girls primary school. They later expanded to a middle school and high school (named Nurbaskhsh). The school initially only enrolled European and Iranian Christian students, up until 1888. In the early years of the school they did not charge tuition and provided free board and clothing to students, but by the early 20th century they started to change policy. Other schools started by the Presbyterian missionaries in Iran include Sage College, Fiske Seminary, and Alborz High School (also known as Alborz College). The Presbyterian Mission Station recorded the purchase of property to be used for a church and school on Qavam e Saltaneh on February 11, 1886. The name "Iran Bethel" was formally approved in 1889. Crimson was chosen for the school color in 1891, and the motto was "That thy daughters may be as cornerstones, hewn after the fashion of a palace". American
Annie Woodman Stocking Boyce Annie Stocking Boyce (January 7, 1880 – January 26, 1973) was an American Presbyterian missionary teacher active in Tehran, from 1906 until 1949. She also launched and edited a Persian-language women's journal, ''Alam-e-Nesvan'' ''(World of Wom ...
, worked as a Presbyterian missionary in Iran, from 1906 until her retirement in 1949, she was assigned to teach in Iran Bethel School for girls. A landmark year was 1921 which brought a unique young American missionary, Jane Doolittle, whose commitment and dedication would guide the school through the better part of a half-century. She became the school's principal in 1925. In February 1949, the property at 27 Diba Street was purchased. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, many Presbyterian missionary schools in Iran were faced with a changing relationship within the local government. In December 1967, a study was conducted to review the future of the Bethel School and its effect on Iran and the Presbyterian religion, and as a result of the study the recommendation was to transfer the school from a two year college to a four year college (with a sizable donation from the church). The American school's encouraging results on the small Diba campus led the new president, Frances M. Gray in 1966, to consider the formulation of plans for a new campus to meet the growing needs. Two years after she became president of the college, the school was authorized to open as a private girls school (or madreseh ali) in 1968 and became
Damavand College Damavand College ( fa, مدرسه عالی دماوند; romanization: ''Madreseh-ye Ālī-ye Damāvand''; and later, ''Dāneshkadeh-ye Damāvand'') was founded in 1968 as a private institution of higher learning for women and run by an internati ...
.


Notable alumni

*
Parvin E'tesami Parvin E'tesami (1907 – April 5, 1941) also known as Rakhshandeh Etesami ( fa, رخشنده اعتصامی), and Parvin Etesami ( fa, پروین اعتصامی), was an Iranian 20th-century Persian poet. Life Parvin E'tesami was born in 1907 i ...
(graduated 1924), poet, later she taught at the school. *
Iran Teymourtash Iran Teymourtāsh ( fa, ایران تیمورتاش; 1914–1991nardein), the eldest daughter of Abdolhossein Teymourtāsh, is considered a pioneer among women activists in 20th-century Iran. Her father's position as the second most powerful polit ...
(graduated 1930), Iranian women's activist. *
Sattareh Farmanfarmaian Sattāreh Farmānfarmā'iān ( fa, ستاره فرمانفرمائیان; December 23, 1921 – May 21, 2012), also Sattareh Farman-Farmaian, was an Iranian author, social worker, and was of Qajar nobility. She was one of the daughters of Persian ...
(attended Nurbaskhsh in 1933) pioneering social worker in Iran, author, daughter of nobility.


Legacy

Without the Iran Bethel School and the efforts of Jane Doolittle and Frances M. Gray, the Damavand College would have never been established. The schools improved the education of Iranian women of the Qajar and later
Pahlavi dynasty The Pahlavi dynasty ( fa, دودمان پهلوی) was the last Iranian royal dynasty, ruling for almost 54 years between 1925 and 1979. The dynasty was founded by Reza Shah Pahlavi, a non-aristocratic Mazanderani soldier in modern times, who ...
, which could have never been achieved otherwise. Graduates of the Bethel school had sponsored and edited the women's journal ''Alam-e-Nesvan (World of Women)'' between 1920 until 1934, this journal was able to publish more freely than some of the state sponsored press''.''Zirinsky, Michael
"A Presbyterian Vocation to Reform Gender Relations in Iran: The Career of Annie Stocking Boyce"
in Sarah Ansari and Vanessa Martin, eds., ''Women, Religion, and Culture in Iran'' (Routledge 2014): 51-69.


See also

*
Alborz College Mandegar Alborz High School ( fa, دبیرستان ماندگار البرز) is a college-preparatory high school located in the heart of Tehran, Iran. It is one of the first modern high schools in Asia and the Middle East, named after the Al ...
*
Damavand College Damavand College ( fa, مدرسه عالی دماوند; romanization: ''Madreseh-ye Ālī-ye Damāvand''; and later, ''Dāneshkadeh-ye Damāvand'') was founded in 1968 as a private institution of higher learning for women and run by an internati ...
* Fiske Seminary


References

*Heights 1975~76, Damavand College *Heights 1976~77, Damavand College {{coord missing, Iran Schools in Iran Iran–United States relations 1874 establishments in Iran Educational institutions established in 1874 1968 disestablishments in Iran Educational institutions disestablished in 1968 Girls' schools in Iran International schools in Tehran Defunct schools in Iran