Nine pupils from Sydney’s Greek community schools are among the recipients of this year’s NSW Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Student Achievement – Community Language Schools.
The awards were launched 22 years ago and are under the auspices of NSW Ministry for Education. Their aim is to promote and encourage students, parents, teachers and community organisations to embrace the teaching of community languages in the state.
The 15-member NSW Community Language Schools Board which includes two Greek Australians, Michael Christodoulou AM and Mary Karras, present awards to students of primary and high school age. They include the Minister’s Awards, Highly Commended, Commendation and Merit Awards.
The following students received the 2013 awards for excellence in Greek:
Highly Commended –
Junior section:
Artemis Papakostas
(Greek Orthodox Community of NSW)
Commended – Senior section:
Evan Psilopatis
(Greek Orthodox Community of NSW)
Evangelia Kalliopi Tomic (Hellenic Centre for Language and Culture of Australia
Commended – Junior section:
Elle Andreopoulos (Greek Orthodox Parish – Community of St Gerasimos Leichhardt)
Jaidyn-Michael Galanos (Hellenic Centre for Language and Culture of Australia)
Peter Geronikos
(Hellenic Centre for Language and Culture of Australia)
Dimitrios Kallos
(Greek Orthodox Parish-Community of St Nectarios – Burwood and District)
Teo Plagisos
(Greek Orthodox Community of NSW)
Andrea Salapatas
(Greek Orthodox Community of NSW)
The recent awards ceremony took place at the University of NSW’s Sir John Clancy Auditorium. It was announced that in NSW at least 56 languages are taught in community schools.
The Merit Awards will be presented to the recipients at separate awards ceremonies organised by the local schools.