Excited students participated in the Greek Day titled ‘Grandma’s Trunk’ held last Sunday morning at Oakleigh Grammar School.
The event was organised by the Greek Teachers’ Association of Victoria (GTAV), which has been successfully active in the professional development of teachers and the promotion of the Greek language in Victoria. Despite it being the first weekend of school holidays and a simultaneous music and dance event by the Florinian Association “Aristotle” taking place at St. John’s College, both student and teacher participation was encouraging.
After the event’s success, the teachers’ association aims to repeat it, adding even more activities for children, and to engage older age groups in the program.
“We are very pleased that after ten years, we managed to organize Greek Day, something made possible thanks to the grant we received from the State. Our ultimate goal is not only to repeat the event and organise similar initiatives more frequently, but also to establish it as a tradition,” said GTAV President Despina Saranti, a Greek teacher at St Monica’s College.
Among the many rich surprises hidden in Grandma’s mothball-scented chest were a series of heirlooms belonging to Mrs Saranti’s mother, some brought by Mrs Christina Daliani, and others by Mrs Ourania Papageorgiou. The secrets of the trunk were unveiled to the children by Mrs Stella Lambrou, a teacher and director of the AHEPA Greek school.
“Some of the items in the chest are very precious to my family because my mother brought them when she emigrated from Greece. Some I borrowed from my aunt and a neighbour. But in this chest, alongside the nostalgia and dreams of a grandmother who once boarded a ship for a new life, the memories of the life she built here in her new homeland are also stored.
“Isn’t all of this what defines and composes our cultural identity?” commented Mrs Papageorgiou, Secretary of the association and Coordinator of Mathisi Greek School.
The program included many enriching educational activities, such as the storytelling of the traditional Greek fairy tale “Lady Good and the Twelve Months” by Mrs Vicky Petala, an educator and one of the MGTA early childhood program coordinators.
“Lady Good is a woman who always has a kind word for everyone. In contrast, the aristocrat’s mouth never utters a kind word for anyone. What will happen when these two women meet the twelve months? How would life be if some months were missing? Does kindness get rewarded? These are the questions this traditional fairy tale answered for us,” explained Mrs Petala.
The storytelling was followed by doll-making activities, as well as other artistic activities like painting and clay crafts with Mrs Ourania Katsambani.
“We really enjoyed making clay jars. We made designs with embroidery and painted them with gold paint,” said an excited Aris Z. and Georgia Z., students from grades 2 and 4, respectively, at the Greek Community School in the City, with roots from Epirus.
“I liked that we painted and made a new friend. I want to go again,” added Georgia.
Next came embroidery with Mrs Chrysoula Stamopoulou, baking delicious cookies with Mr Stamatis Podias, a theater workshop with Mr Nikos Karakota, and traditional dance lessons from Maria Karakota, a Greek dance instructor at the Saints Anargyroi School in Oakleigh.
“I had an amazing time! What I loved most was making new friends. At first, before coming, I was afraid I wouldn’t know anyone and didn’t want to go. But here I met Nektarios, and now we’re good friends,” said Aris Z.
“I enjoyed the embroidery,” said Amalia T., a third-grade student at Protypo School, with roots from Cyprus and Macedonia. “I learned cross-stitching, and I was the fastest. I also made cookies. They were delicious! My dad wanted to eat them all.”
Reflecting on her experience at Greek Day, Amalia told Neos Kosmos:
“I learned a lot and we did really fun activities. Top marks for the teachers!”
“The truth is, in the morning, before we left home, my daughter, like most kids these days, would have preferred to stay home, relax, and play with her toys. However, I believe it’s worth it for us parents to not only dedicate some of our own time but also to encourage our kids a bit more because, in the end, it’s certain they will have a great time and learn important things about our language and culture.
“Experiences like these are invaluable for children’s education and future, but we as parents can’t provide them alone. It requires community effort. That’s why we’re deeply grateful to the Teachers’ Association for offering us these opportunities,” said Amalia’s mother, Mrs Eleni Karagkiozaki.
Parents were also taken care of, with the association setting up a Parents’ Café where they played backgammon, enjoyed their coffee, and, of course, had the chance to browse through Neos Kosmos in Greek, just like the parents of Anastasia K., a first-grade student at the City school.
Also attending the event were Acting Coordinator Mrs Moira Triantafyllou, a teacher from Greece; Mrs Maria Bakalidou, Director of the schools of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria, who, like a good godmother, ensures her goddaughter is immersed in Greek culture at every opportunity; and teachers from the Pharos group, who came to support the effort.
“The Pharos group and its members work closely with the Greek Teachers’ Association of Victoria to support every effort to promote the Greek language and strengthen the bond between our youth and their Greek identity,” said Mrs Dionysia Diakodimitriou, a Greek teacher at Alphington Grammar School.
Greek culture, history, and language are interconnected and inseparable. One cannot exist without the other, and none can be taught in isolation. For this reason, we hope the Teachers’ Association will organise more Greek Days. However, it is also the responsibility and joy of all of us to ensure that every day is Greek Day in every home where children of Greek descent are growing up.
