TSN4026

6 THE SHEPHERD • APRIL 2026 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO Dear students, families and friends of our Greek School, As we enter the beautiful month of April, I am delighted to share that our Greek School students are doing wonderfully. Their prog- ress, enthusiasm, and love for our language and traditions continue to inspire all of us. This season brings us to the heart of our Orthodox faith — Holy Πάσχα, the Feast of Feasts — and it offers a special opportunity to connect our students with the rich cus- toms that have shaped Greek families for generations. Preparing for Πάσχα, it’s our faith and traditions that bring us together. Πάσχα is more than a holiday; it is a tapestry of faith, memory, and celebration. In Greek homes around the world, several beloved traditions help us experience the joy of the Resurrection such as: Red Eggs – A Symbol of Life and Hope: One of the most recognizable Paschal traditions is the dyeing of red eggs. The red color symbol- izes the blood of Christ. The Holy Light – “Δεῦτε λάβετε Φῶς”: On Holy Saturday night, we receive the Holy Light at the Ανάσταση service. The candle flame represents the Light of Christ over- coming darkness. Families bring the flame home, blessing their houses with its glow by doing a cross with the flame in their door. Τσουρέκι – Sweet Bread: Many families bake “tsouréki,” the braided sweet bread flavored with mahlépi and mastíha. Its braid symbol- izes the Holy Trinity. Its sweetness reflects the joy of the Resurrection. As we guide our students through these tra- ditions, we help them understand not only what we do, but why we do it — connecting them to their heritage in a meaningful and lasting way. I am proud of each and every one of them and grateful for the support of our families and parish community. Wishing all of you a blessed Holy Week and a joyful Καλό Πάσχα filled with light, love, and renewal. Warmly, Dr. Eleni Sinopoulou San Diego Greek Language School Director GREEK SCHOOL DANCE & CHORAL At the end of February, we were excited to perform at a fundraiser for a St. Mark’s Catholic School in Poway. For the past three years, the school has been hosting a themed fundraising event and this year’s theme was “Athenian Soiree” and our adult dance group Kefi was organized specifically to perform at this event. They had been practicing since November on a two-part set that includ- ed high-energy, interactive dances expertly choreographed by Aspasia Charalambopou- los who spent 15 years dancing at her fam- ily’s restaurant, Zorba’s in Chula Vista. Her husband, Georgio also got in on the act, as the featured bouzouki player for the cock- tail hour. Kefi was a huge hit, and the group looks forward to performing at many more events like this in the future! Speaking of the future, the Greek Dance and Choral school is excited to get back to prac- ticing for our upcoming Greek Festival the weekend of June 13-14th. As we have done for the last several years, we will be opening our dance groups to anyone (all ages) who would like to join for a few weeks and per- form at this year’s festival. If you are inter- ested, please email stspyridongreekdance@ gmail.com for information on class times and locations. Our first classes will start on Sunday, April 19th. We are also excited to have started working on a very special event, the 100th Anniver- sary of our church! The Greek Dance and Choral school will be working closely with the event organizers and will be organizing multiple dance groups to perform at special anniversary events scheduled throughout 2027. This is (literally) a once-in-a-lifetime event, so if you have danced in the past, or present, you will not want to miss out on participating in this historic event. As if one historic event wasn’t enough, we have a sec- ond one coming in 2027, the 50th Anniver- sary of FDF! We plan on bringing several dance and choral groups to FDF in 2027 so if you have ever thought about joining dance or choir, do not delay. Try out dance in this spring for the Festival, then come back for the fall as next year will be a one-of-a-kind double-anniversary extravaganza and prac- tices will start early! Perhaps you are looking to give back and par- ticipate in some other way? Our Greek Dance and Choral School Board could use your help! We are looking for volunteers who can help our program behind the scenes. Have a knack for organization and textiles? We need Costume Librarians to help us log, organize and style our hundreds of costumes. Do you like to throw a party? We need Fundrais- ing Chairs to help put together spectacular events, big and small. Are you a Social Me- dia guru? We would love a Communications Chair (or two) to help us manage the weekly bulletins, announcements, photos and posts. Have a background in music? We need folks who can help us research and source sheet music (choral and instrumental) and audio music for practices and performances. Fi- nally, we are also looking for folks who may be interested in shadowing with our current Board members to learn the ins and outs of being a President, VP, Secretary and Trea- surer. Someday we will need to pass the ba- ton, and maybe that baton could be passed to you? If you have any questions or want to learn more about joining our team of dance instructors or volunteering, please reach out at stspyridondance@gmail.com