Today is October 6th, 1923. We celebrated the 100th anniversary of the liberation of Istanbul with joy, pride and excitement in our school. “If the world were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital. ” says Napoleon. Our beautiful city, Istanbul, which many civilizations and empires wanted to own for centuries, was occupied de facto on November 13th, 1918, and officially on March 16th, 1920. With the heroic struggle of the Turkish army in Anatolia, led by Commander-in-Chief Mustafa Kemal, and the self-sacrificing efforts of our martyrs and veterans, Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, was saved from occupation on October 6th, 1923. The Turkish army entered Istanbul with tremendous joy. Istanbul was conquered for the second time after its conquest by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1453. This year, as every year, we celebrated this historical moment in our school to remember and learn from it. We commemorated all our martyrs and veterans, especially Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha and his comrades-in-arms, with gratitude. May each of their souls rest in peace…