The President of the Federation of Hellenic American Educators, Ms. Stella Kokolis, spoke with Natasa Vissarionos about the “jewel” of Greek-language education, the St. Demetrios School in Astoria, as well as about the institution of charter schools, which are relatively unknown in Greece but, as she characteristically noted, “create philhellenes.” She also discussed the challenges surrounding Greek education in the United States.
Mrs. Kokolis, through the program, urged Greek-American organizations to collaborate and fund Greek schools in order to address the shortage of teachers, emphasizing that “the Greek language is our identity, our root, and the only way to prevent Greeks of the Diaspora from being assimilated”. She also spoke about the important work of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, which oversees more than 600 Greek schools in the U.S., and shared her thoughts on the future of Greek-language education abroad.