A successful first Greek Poetry Recital Competition was hosted recently at the Pontian Hall, in Brunswick, by the Modern Greek Teachers’ Association of Victoria (MGTAV).

The event was organised by Frederiki Pertile and Dionysia Diakodimitriou, who wanted to create a competitive event that encouraged students to develop their spoken skills in the Greek language, as well as their appreciation for Greek literature.

Over 100 students who took part from community schools, private schools and government schools, from year 3 to year 12, presented their chosen poems before a panel of judges. Two categories of competence included one for students born in Australia, and one for students newly arrived from Greece.

The president of the MGTAV, Mr Costas Dimaras, and the panel of judges were unanimous in their praise of the students who participated and their teachers who took the time to prepare them for the task.

Mrs Venetia Kefalianos, area manager of the Bentleigh branch of the Victorian School of Languages, was delighted that two VSL students, Tia Lambas and Chrysoula Gianniou, won in their particular sections. She said the competition was a significant initiative and that it deserved to become a permanent feature of Greek studies in Victoria.

The competition comes a after VCE workshop for oral and written external exams in Modern Greek was recently held by the Modern Greek Teachers’ Association for Year 12 students.

For another consecutive year, the VCE Student Seminar 2014 was a great success, with over 300 students and teachers attending the event.

Winning students:
Primary, years 3 – 6
1st Prize Evanthia Katsoulis (GOCMV)
2nd Prize Zafira Tsangarais (GOCMV)
2nd Prize Gianna Velves
(St Johns)
3rd Prize Kostantinos Shinas
(St Nicholas)

Secondary, years 7 – 9
1st Prize Efstathia Lambas (Bentleigh VSL)
2nd Prize Georgia Giatrakos (Albert Park)
3rd Prize Eleftheria Franes (Albert Park)

Secondary, years 10 – 12
1st Prize Chrysoula Gianniou (Doncaster VSL)
2nd Prize Emmanouela Giolitis (St Vasilios)
3rd Prize Kalliopi Georgiadis (PAIDEIA)
Primary (from Greece)
1st Prize Frederiki Vaia Tsiara (Alphington Grammar)
2nd Prize Cleopatra Ginis
(St Johns)
3rd Prize Dimitris Kallergis
(St Johns)

Secondary, years 7 – 9
(from Greece)
1st Prize Kostas Laladakis
(St Johns)
2nd Prize Andromache Tosounis
(Alphington Grammar)
Secondary, years 10 – 12
(from Greece)
1st Prize Chrysa Koukladzis
(St Johns)
2nd Prize Malvina Tosounis (Alphington Grammar)