The Archdiocesan Spelling Bee Finals for students from the District’s Greek-American Day Schools took place on Thursday, January 15, at the Saint Demetrios Community of Astoria. The event brought together talented students from across the New York City area to compete for top honors in this prestigious academic competition.
On behalf of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, His Grace Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos offered congratulations to the students for their hard work and dedication. His Grace commended their efforts and encouraged them to continue striving for excellence in all their academic endeavors. Following the event, His Grace personally presented each student with a “Certificate of Award” to recognize their achievement.
Dr. Anastasios Koularmanis, National Director of the Department of Greek Education, coordinated and organized the event.
Rev. Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne Gregory Stamkopoulos, Assistant Director of Greek Education, and Rev. Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne Evagoras Constantinides were also present to show their support for the participants.
The competition featured the following schools and their participants:
A. Fantis Parochial School, Brooklyn: Maria Sotiriadis and Elia Sotiriades
Greek-American Institute, Bronx: Sofia Papaelias and Lorenzo Surita
St. Demetrios Greek-American School, Astoria: Valentina Nakos and Kleopatra Nikita
The Cathedral School, New York: Mila Economou and Natalie Morton
W. Spyropoulos School of St. Nicholas, Flushing: Valentian Nakos and Maria Danalis
D.G.K., Brooklyn: Jacob Caronia, Andria Rekhviashvili
The winner of this year’s competition was Maria Sotiriadis of A. Fantis Parochial School and the runner-up was Sofia Papaelias of the Greek-American Institute. Both students demonstrated exceptional spelling skills and a strong commitment to their academic success.
Congratulations to all the participants, and a special congratulations to Maria Sotiriadis for her victory and to Sofia Papaelias for her runner-up finish. Their achievements are a testament to the dedication and academic excellence of the Greek-American Day Schools in the Archdiocese.
The United States Spelling Bee competitions are sponsored by The E.W. Scripps Company and are open to boys and girls in grades 5 through 8. The New York City competitions are locally sponsored by Scholar Skills, which supports academic excellence in spelling and other subjects.
Photo: Goarch