GREEK SCHOOL
The Dormition Church Greek School was established in Somerville in the early 20th century, when the Church first opened its doors in 1916. The Program has been providing exceptional learning in Greek language and culture ever since.
Through the years, the Dormition Church Greek School has provided an academic Greek education to thousands of students from Kindergarten through 6th Grade. The purpose of the Dormition Church Greek School is for every child to learn the Greek language, history, and culture:
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To learn to love Greece and the Greek people.
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To feel proud of his/her origins.
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To learn about what Greece has offered to the wider world (democracy, philosophy, theater, rhetoric, etc.).
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When our children finish the Dormition Church Greek School, the goal is that they will have embraced Hellenism in their hearts.
From the first Dormition Church Greek School teacher and parish priest, the +Rev. Fr. Konstantinos Kacoyanis (of blessed memory) through to the present-day teachers, every Dormition Church Greek School teacher has all brought their love of Greek language and culture to fruition by the sharing of their knowledge with the youth of our community. The strong programs of the past decades that educated so many students have now been enhanced to bring the current curriculum into the new digital age.
The Dormition Church Greek School Program is an exceptionally strong and multifaceted learning program, and it scaffolds the learning of the Greek language with teaching of the Orthodox faith, Hellenic culture, and Greek traditional dances, songs, games, music, and theater. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to learn more about this truly exceptional program!
ACADEMIC FACULTY
Despoina Lioliou
Director & Teacher
Despoina Lioliou (Δέσποινα Λιόλιου) was born in Veroia, Greece. She completed her Bachelor's in Education and Psychology at Clark University in Worcester, MA, and her Master's of Education at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. She has previously taught elementary-aged students in U.S. afterschool programs, refugee camps in Greece, and private classes in both. Currently, she serves as Project Manager at Boston Public Schools' Central Office. Despoina is excited to be part of Dormition Church's Greek school. She draws from her own experience learning Greek, partially in Greece and partially abroad, to motivate U.S.-born students to build their Greek literacy. Her teaching approach involves a lot of play-based learning, building strong relationships with students and families, and learning about language through culture. Despoina lives in East Boston with her husband - whom she is also teaching Greek! - and their dog.
Η Δέσποινα Λιόλιου γεννήθηκε στη Βέροια, Ημαθίας. Ολοκλήρωσε τις σπουδές της στην Εκπαίδευση και την Ψυχολογία στο Πανεπιστήμιο Clark στο Worcester, MA, και το μεταπτυχιακό της στην εκπαίδευση στο Graduate School of Education του Πανεπιστημίου του Χάρβαρντ. Έχει εμπειρία ως εκπαιδευτικός με μαθητές δημοτικού σε μετασχολικά προγράμματα των ΗΠΑ και σε κέντρα φιλοξενίας προσφύγων στην Ελλάδα. Επί του παρόντος, εργάζεται ως Project Manager στο Κεντρικό Γραφείο των Δημόσιων Σχολείων της Βοστώνης. Έχοντας μεγαλώσει για αρκετά χρόνια στο εξωτερικό, η Δέσποινα αξιοποιεί τη δικές της εμπειρίες ως μαθήτρια της ελληνικής γλώσσας (εν μέρει στην Ελλάδα και εν μέρει στο εξωτερικό), για να κινήσει το ενδιαφέρον των μαθητών της για την ελληνική γλώσσα και πολιτισμό. Η διδακτική της προσέγγιση βασίζεται στο παιχνίδι, στις ισχυρές σχέσεις με τις οικογένειες του σχολείου, και στην εκμάθηση της γλώσσας μέσω του πολιτισμού. Η Δέσποινα ζει στην Βοστώνη με τον σύζυγό της - τον οποίο διδάσκει και ελληνικά! - και τον σκύλο τους.
