Darüşşafaka brought the generations together in the 100th Anniversary of the Republic

Darüşşafaka Society, one of the first non-governmental organizations in the history of Turkish education, celebrated the 100^th anniversary of the Republic with great enthusiasm with all-day events.  Darüşşafaka Society brought together its students with its donors, many of whom have witnessed the first years of the Republic, and who continue their lives in Darüşşafaka Residences, thus building a bridge between generations.

The 100^th anniversary of the Republic celebrations were crowned with the 160^th anniversary of Darüşşafaka Society and the 150^th anniversary of Darüşşafaka Educational Institutions.  Darüşşafaka Society celebrated the 100^th anniversary of the Republic with a ceremony attended by all students at Darüşşafaka Educational Institutions in the morning and an event attended by students and donors living in Darüşşafaka Residences at Elite World Grand, Küçükyalı, Istanbul in the evening.

Following the ceremony in the morning, the Darüşşafaka Family came together in the evening, hosted by Elite World Hotels & Resorts, to welcome the 100^th anniversary of the Republic as one big family.  The event brought together the first generations raised by the young Republic and continuing their lives in Darüşşafaka Residences with the new generations. Donors danced with Darüşşafaka students and sang Atatürk's favourite songs, bringing the founding spirit of the Republic to the present day.

The evening was hosted by Nazlı Gül Yalçın, a 2023 graduate of Darüşşafaka High School, and was attended by Oğuz Güleç, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Darüşşafaka Society; Vice Chairpersons Erman Süsler, Zeynep Necipoğlu and Mustafa U. Demirci, Treasurer Cem Şipal, Board Members Prof. Dr. Esra Ekmekçi Çalıcıoğlu, Prof. Dr. Serpil Tunçer, Prof. Dr. Feryal Çam Çelikel, Ambassador P. Nesrin Bayazıt, Eşref Biryıldız, Melek Eyigünlü, Büşra Giray, Former President of the Board of Directors Zekeriya Yıldırım, Darüşşafaka Culture and History Commission Member Beşir Özmen, Darüşşafaka Sports Club President Abdurrahman Saruhan, Darüşşafaka Educational Institutions General Manager Ebru Arpacı, High School Principal Nilüfer Kavaklı, Secondary School Principal Şule Uyar, Life Manager Muhammet Erken, donors who continue their lives in Darüşşafaka Residences, as well as Darüşşafaka students, teachers and employees.

Oğuz Güleç, Chairman of the Board of Directors, delivered the opening speech of the event and stated that they were very proud to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the Republic and said, "In the morning, we celebrated the 100^th anniversary of the Republic with great enthusiasm by watching the magnificent performances of our students on our campus. In the evening, we are together again as the entire Darüşşafaka Family. This meaningful day marks a historic unity by bringing together the 100^th anniversary of the Republic, the 160^th anniversary of the Darüşşafaka Society and the 150th anniversary of the establishment of Darüşşafaka Educational Institutions. Today, we have once again seen how strong the unity of our deep-rooted educational tradition and the values of our Republic are. As Darüşşafaka, we are proud to carry this legacy to future generations."

Following the screening of a short film about the visit of the Darüşşafaka Family to Anıtkabir on October 19, the zeybek and waltz performances of Darüşşafaka students were highly appreciated.

At the event, we also commemorated Darüşşafaka alumni who played significant roles in the construction of our Republic, held the Medal of Independence, and the heroes whose paths crossed with Darüşşafaka. Darüşşafaka students provided moments of enthusiasm for all participants with a flag performance they carried out, accompanied by the anthem 'Sen Rahat Uyu' (You Sleep Well), a song dedicated by Turkey's Megastar Tarkan to Atatürk and all of Turkey, and the proceeds of which were donated to Darüşşafaka.

At the event, Chairman Oğuz Güleç presented certificates of appreciation to Gizem Kılıçaslan, Marketing Director on behalf of Elite World Hotels & Resorts for hosting Darüşşafaka's 100^th anniversary event, Prof. Dr. Esra Ekmekçi Çalıcıoğlu on behalf of Dream Design Factory for supporting the organization of the event, and KM Events for preparing the venue in accordance with the 100^th anniversary concept.

The night was enlivened by the surprise performance of the world-renowned Turkish percussionist and actor Burhan Öçal, and Darüşşafaka students accompanied him.

The 100^th anniversary celebration of Darüşşafaka, which brings together Darüşşafaka students and donors, many of whom witnessed the first years of the Republic, and builds bridges between generations, ended with anthems sung in unison.