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The students arrived in pairs from six schools in the Archdiocesan District: The Cathedral School in Manhattan, St. Demetrios Greek American School in Astoria, A. Fantis Parochial School and D.G.K. School in Brooklyn, Greek American Institute in the Bronx, and W. Spyropoulos Day School in Flushing. They came confidently but also with some nerves to represent their school in the Archdiocesan Spelling Bee, an annual event organized by the Department of Greek Education to test the finalists’ mastery of spelling.
Director of the Department of Greek Education, Fr. Gregory Stamkopoulos, greeted the students, teachers, administrators, and parents, conveying the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, who is traveling. Fr. Evagoras Constantinides, Dean of Sts. Constantine & Helen Cathedral, led the students in prayer and offered his heartfelt congratulations on their achievements.
It took 21 rounds to crown a winner of this year’s Spelling Bee, with Elias Sotiriadis from A Fantis Parochial School taking first place and Clara Muller from The Cathedral School finishing second. Upon receiving his certificate, Elias, who is in 7th grade, said, “This is my third time here. I studied extensively on apps and was prepared today. I was very nervous, but my sister, who has won before, gave me some tips. I am glad to represent my church and my school.”
Along with Elias and Clara, participants included May Smith, Jacob Caronia, Loukas Kollaros, Bria Jeffrey, Lorenzo Surita, Demitra Aggelatos, Elias Khurram, Melina Kakopieros, Angelika Hatzigeorgakis, and Anastasi Andrianopoulos.
Each participating student received a $50 gift card, while the 1st- and 2nd-place winners received $200 and $100, respectively. The winner will advance to the next level of the National Spelling Bee in New York.
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