Who was St Yared?
The school is named after Saint Yared, an important figure in Ethiopian history who was born in Axum, Ethiopia, somewhere between AD 501 and AD 525. The most commonly accepted date is in April, AD 505.
Orphaned at age 7, Yared was sent to live with an uncle who was a teacher and priest. Yared, however, was not a natural student.
Challenged by the difficulty of his studies, he was just about to give up when he observed a caterpillar (some texts refer to an ant or insect) trying, and failing, to climb a tree for its leaves or fruit. The insect was not discouraged, and on its seventh attempt finally succeeded.
After observing the fact that the caterpillar did not give up, young Yared went back to school with renewed determination and succeeded where once he had been failing.
He became a revered teacher and is honoured for the sacred chants, hymns of devotion and poetry that he initiated within the early Christian church in Ethiopia. Many of his chants and hymns are still used in the Ethiopian Christian Church.
In like fashion, by instilling a strong sense of dedication and commitment to education, The School of St Yared aims to bring forward the signature song of each of its students, so that together they may create a new chapter in the history of their lives and communities.
Our children are no saints, but we are confident that they will follow in Saint Yared’s footsteps. Maybe, one of our students will also change the history of Ethiopia…
To find out more about St Yared, visit these sites:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yared
https://dacb.org/stories/ethiopia/yared4/
http://www.tadias.com/11/29/2007/st-yared-the-great-ethiopian-composer/