TSN0523

5 THE SHEPHERD • MAY 2023 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOL ΣΧΟΛΕΙΟ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗΣ ΓΛΩΣΣΑΣ Χριστός Ανέστη - Christ is Risen! We are just a few weeks away from the end of the Spring semester and the 2022-2023 school year. Preparations are being made to hold an end-of-the-school-year celebra- tion where students can engage in tradition- al Greek games and spend time with their friends before they part for the summer. As the new Greek Language School director, I would like to introduce myself to you all. I was born and raised in San Diego. While in San Diego, I attended Greek school, Greek dance, and Sunday school offered in our parish. However, at age eight, my family and I moved to Greece, specifically to Thes- saloniki, where I attended school. In 2009, I graduated from high school. Then, I moved to Ioannina to attend the University of Ioan- nina, where I earned my bachelor's degree in Greek Philology with a major in Philos- ophy, Education, and Psychology. While in Greece, I volunteered at the Social Prepara- tory School of Veria, taught Greek language arts, ancient Greek, and Latin, and prepared 11th and 12th-grade students for their col- lege admissions assessments. Despite my fulfilling work as a teacher, I de- cided to follow my dreams and expand my education in special education. Therefore, I applied for a master's degree in school psy- chology and returned to San Diego. While attending grad school, I worked at San Di- ego's Greek Language School for four years and taught Greek, mainly to our kinder- garten-aged students. Unfortunately, I had to leave this position behind in 2018 since I moved to Denver, Colorado, to work as a school psychologist at a charter school for gifted and talented students and continue my education and earn a doctoral degree in educational psychology. While obtaining my doctorate, I emphasized my research on sec- ond language learners, as it is a population I can relate to not only as a child acquiring two languages but also through the eyes of a child witnessing the difficulties immigrant parents face. Since I moved back to San Diego this past September, I have been a school psychologist with the Escondido Union School District supporting and advocating for children suf- fering from poverty and trauma and those who have recently immigrated to the US. Re- cently, I have been selected to be our Greek School's Director. This opportunity allows me to reconnect with my community and the joy of working again with our children and families. I look forward to this new beginning! Nancy Provataris Greek School Director On March 26th, the Greek Language School held its annual celebration luncheon & program commemorating the Greek Revolution of 1821 Photos: Joel Ortiz