“At our school, South Oakleigh Secondary College, we are provided with great opportunities to study foreign languages. Modern Greek is really important to me,” Georgia Kazis tells Neos Kosmos.
“By regularly practising speaking together with other oral activities, I was given the opportunity to improve my knowledge and fluency. As a student that completed Modern Greek as a VCE subject last year, I feel great pride in my result and in my overall success. This is because Modern Greek is a rich, beautiful language that has contributed to the development of many other languages.
“Last year I was awarded a prize by the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria. I was one of the students to gain a result over 40, something which was reward by an academic and monetary prize by the Greek Community. Students who studied Modern Greek last year will have the opportunity to gain a maximum of five bonus points depending on their original study score. I encourage all students to study Modern Greek because this language is not only part of our culture but is the essence of who we are.”
Irene and Chrysanthi Makantasis agree.
“We feel a great honour that our school, South Oakleigh Secondary College, offers the option of studying the Classical Greek language,” they say.
“The Classical Greek program is an initiative of the college and has only been made possible with the support of the Greek Community of Melbourne and Victoria. Our main reason for choosing to study Classical Greek is because we were previously taught the language in Greece, and having the opportunity to keep the language alive in the Melbourne setting is exciting.
“It also helps us to achieve higher marks which determines our final exam score. For instance, in 2015, if a student received a mark of 35 they would gain an extra 10 bonus points which contributes to a student’s overall ATAR score. This ATAR score determines the offer students receive from universities and colleges at the end of Year 12. This means that a study score of 35 out of 50 in Classical Greek will be scaled to a score of 45 out of a possible 50 when the ATAR score is calculated.”
The Classical Greek lessons take place at South Oakleigh Secondary College Campus every Wednesday afternoon from 1.30 pm to 5.00 pm.
For any information regarding the Classical Greek/Modern Greek classes offered please visit South Oakleigh College’s Open Night which is held on Tuesday 19 April at 7.00 pm or contact the principal, Ms Helen Koziaris, on (03) 9579 2322. Information of the Accelerated Programs for gifted students in English, Mathematics and Science will also be provided at 6.30 pm.