Our History

St. Mark of Ephesus’ Greek School was established soon after the inception of the St Mark’s Orthodox Church in Roslindale, Massachusetts  in the mid-seventies. It was their commitment to the Orthodox faith and education that motivated a group of educators and parents, parishioners of St Mark’s Church, to be teach the Greek language and culture to the children of the parish in order to instill in them a love for the eternal values of love of truth, honor, freedom, and justice, along with a love for learning and serving the community. 

Today, more than four decades later, our amazing school continues to thrive with the help of God and the wise leadership of our director, teachers, volunteers, and a dedicated community of parents and guardians. An invaluable source of strength within our teaching staff is a committed and talented group of young professionals and educators, many of them also graduates of our Greek school, who have since returned to give back to the younger generation. This inspiring group of young teachers and volunteers aspire to enhance the learning of the Greek language and culture by sharing their talents using traditional and online resources for all areas of language learning: listening, reading, writing, speaking and games. This is accomplished through Greek music and dance, reading of Greek literature and poetry, Greek mythology, history and geography, performing and writing authentic skits with dialogue, and participating in various arts & crafts, including liturgical arts, based on authentic sources and cultural models.

Our Mission

The purpose of our Greek School is to help our children:

• Read Greek clearly and with comprehension

• Communicate in Greek orally and in writing

• Enrich their Greek vocabulary

• Appreciate the Greek language and civilization as well as its influence in the world

• Learn and live the Orthodox Faith and the holy traditions of the Church

• Have the opportunity to meet and develop friendships with children with whom they share a common heritage: the Orthodox Christian values of living a life of faith, honor and virtue while striving for excellence

The ways in which we teach Greek language and culture:

• We offer the children an environment with experienced teachers who try to instill in the hearts of their students the love for our Faith and our heritage.

• We choose books, articles, and stories which inspire a love for Greece, for family, and for the Orthodox Faith.

• We share songs, poems, plays and selected games of Greek origin.

• We train students to write about and discuss topics of cultural and historical interest.

• We employ authentic skits and we allow students to present them to their classmates

• We encourage comprehension through illustration by students of Greek stories and myths.

• We educate our students regarding the feasts, services, and lives of saints of the Orthodox Church.

• We enrich the virtue and character of our students through stories and heroes from Greek mythology, ancient Greek history, and from the Greek Revolution.

• We offer research on the geography of Greece, about its cities, prefectures, and islands. Students learn about all the ancient and byzantine monuments.

• Students are introduced to ancient proverbs and their meaning, such as “Always strive for excellence”, “Know thyself”, and “Everything in good measure”.

• We expect to engage our students in extra-curricular activities, such as bowling, and singing the carols at the Hellenic Nursing Home.

• Every senior learns the Creed and also prepares an individual book report on the life of a saint which he/she presents at the end of the year together with a formal presentation beautifully illustrated by him/herself.

Our Educators

Athena Antonopoulos, a native of Veroia, Greece, has taught at St. Mark’s Greek School since it was first established in 1975. She has also been a teacher at the Boston and Norwood Public schools for many years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Simmons College and is currently enrolled in the Master’s program in Reading at Bridgewater State University. She is a translator for the Diocese of Boston and has translated many encyclicals and articles, as well as poems and short stories for the publications of the diocese. Her aptitude for the Greek language and her love for the Orthodox Faith, combined with her unique methods of teaching reading and writing through authentic texts from the feasts of the Church and the lives of the Saints, have encouraged students to become better readers and have empowered them to express their thoughts better when writing in Greek. She teaches sixth grade this year.

Chrysi Fitopoulos, a native from Greece who came to the United States when she was nine years old, was one of the first students who attended St. Mark’s Greek School and she was among its first graduates to join the teaching staff. Chrysi is a graduate from Burdett College and holds a degree as an Administrative assistant. She’s been an employee of the Norfolk Public Schools for 15 years. She has worked tirelessly using her organizational and administrative skills for over thirty years to make St. Mark’s Greek school one of the leading Greek schools in the area. She has taught for more than twenty years and currently oversees the Greek School, plans class activities to promote cultural awareness and enrichment, extracurricular activities, the Greek Independence and commencement programs and the day to day running of St. Mark’s Greek School.

Soteria George has a great love for the Greek language, history, and culture. She graduated from Northeastern University majoring in English and has received certifications in elementary and secondary education, as well as in Greek. For six years, Soteria taught Ancient Greek at Holbrook high school where she started a successful Classics Club for the Junior and Senior High School.  She brings Greek mythology and history to life for her students who illustrate books about important personalities and great leaders such as Heracles, Theseus, Alexander the Great, and the heroes of 1821. She has taught at St. Mark’s Greek School for over thirty-five years. She teaches fourth and fifth grade this year. She is the president of the Friends of the Holbrook Public Library, a position she has held for many years. She is also a Registrar for the Town of Holbrook.

Suzanna Antonopoulos has a Bachelor degree from Bridgewater State University and studied at the American College of Thessaloniki. She is a graduate of St. Mark’s Greek School and has been teaching as an assistant and lead teacher for three years now. She currently works as an early intervention specialist. Suzanna has a passion for language learning and literacy and loves to find hands-on ways and interactive methods to actualize learning in the classroom.

Elizabeth Despres has a bachelor's degree in history from Bridgewater State University and a Master of Arts in TESOL, where she focused on second language acquisition theory. She is a graduate of St. Mark's Greek School, and is excited to return after many years as a teacher's assistant. Currently, Elizabeth is the director of English Language Education for the Abington Public Schools. She lives in Holbrook, Massachusetts with her husband, Ryan, and their two children, Diana and James.

Sonia Winburne is a graduate from Bridgewater State University with a Bachelor of Science in Social Work. Sonia is a graduate of St. Mark’s Greek School and has taught there both as an assistant and lead teacher since 2005. Sonia spent 10 years learning and performing traditional Greek dance with the Metropolis Youth Dance Group of Boston and absolutely loves Greek dancing and music. She has a passion for teaching and finding new ways to engage with her students. In her spare time Sonia likes to read, enjoy the outdoors and try out new recipes.