In recognition of its longstanding prominence as one of Lebanon’s top schools, Brummana High School (BHS) has been honored with an official postage stamp.
On Monday, BHS held a COVID-19-safe unveiling ceremony to mark the launch of the new stamp, which was put in circulation by LibanPost, in coordination with the Telecommunications Ministry.
The stamp displays a painting of the BHS campus – located in the village of Brummana in Matn, Mount Lebanon – created by the school’s Head of Arts, Meia Hobeika.
Among the ceremony’s attendees was caretaker Telecommunications Minister Talal Hawat, representing caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab, who is one of its Old Scholars (former students).
“… Let this action be an honor to us and a decoration on our chests, and be a
stepping stone towards a journey of recognizing the pioneering educational institutions that have faith in Lebanon and in building the youth as an ultimate goal… long live education, long live BHS, long live Lebanon,” Diab wrote in a speech marking the occasion, shared by Hawat.
150,000 copies of the stamp with a face value of 1,000 LBP have been issued, in addition to 1,000 numbered First Day Covers. They all have become available at all LibanPost offices and their e-shop, as well as at the BHS Bookshop, on Tuesday.
“For us, it’s a real honor,” Richard Bampfylde, BHS’s marketing manager, told The961.
“In fact, we feel very humbled to be recognized like this with an official Lebanese stamp, marking the school as one of the top educational institutions in the country for the last nearly-150 years.”
It’s worth noting that the stamp’s First Day Cover was designed by Marina El-Helou, a Grade 10 student at BHS.
“As educators, we are delighted that one of our students had an opportunity to create the First Day Cover… What a great experience for her to be involved in such a project,” Bampfylde said.
BHS has a long history in Lebanon and was established by the British Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1873. Today, it serves more than 1,250 students of various nationalities, attending either as day students or boarders.
Its list of Old Scholars includes former President Émile Lahoud, former PM Tammam Salam, Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, in addition to caretaker PM Hassan Diab and other prominent figures in Lebanon and abroad.
*All images used in this article were provided by Brummana High School
