posted Feb 28, 2012 8:46 PM by Vangelis Kokkevis
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updated
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It all started when we first named our classroom Ikaria, after the Greek Island’s name. No one in our class had initially any connection with this Greek remote island. As the teacher of this class I got inspired by what this unique island embodies.
Ikaria is a rather remote island in the Aegean Sea, yet very rich in terms of culture and traditions. Ikaria is known for various things like the traditional Ikariotikos dance, the numerous feasts – panighyria, and for ranking No 3 in the world’s longest living people!
As a non typical touristic Greek island, Ikaria represents some of the ancient Greek ideals and characteristics. The residents of Ikaria, the “Ikariotes”, who aspire that a great view is worth ten times a big house tend to built smaller homes on scenic points. They also like to grow their own vegetables, farm their own animals, and follow the natural time as much as possible. There are actual villages in Ikaria where people don’t go to work the regular business hours, but operate on their convenience. That way they can enjoy the warm summer nights dancing away to the music of Ikariotikos dance and becoming friends with the locals and the island’s visitors. Because in Ikaria a stranger would feel as a visitor rather than a tourist to the island.
The Apollonas program students not only became familiar with Ikaria, but also conducted a small research about all of the above. With the opportunity of the school’s Christmas Celebration, they worked on a project about Christmas traditions in Ikaria. They decided to research and sing the carols of Protohronia (New Year’s day). According to their findings, it appears that there is a whole ritual where the men of the island go around the local homes in groups and sing the carols. In exchange the hosts offer them wine and food and they all celebrate the New Year together!
Using the internet, the students came closer to the Greek culture. However, what brought them even closer was their correspondence with the actual people living in this island. The students were supposed to present their research and sing the carols from Ikaria during our celebration. We thought that having the music of the carols on the background without the lyrics would sound a lot better. Due to the lack of such music on the web, we decided to e-mail the radio station of Ikaria “Radio Ikaria” and ask them if they have that music track on their records. The students were so thrilled when we first got our response from Mr. Yiorgo Melesanaki!
He informed us that they didn’t have that track but they would record one from scratch just for us! And this is what happened. Mr. Melesanakis recorded the local musician Sideris Liaris from the village Glaredo of St Kirikos, in the studio of Radio Ikaria! We all felt not just extremely grateful for their generosity but also amazed. The students could not believe that someone from Ikaria responded to their call. Moreover, the place that they had researched about from so far, was not something fictional, but an actual place where Greeks even at these time send so generously their help to young students at the other end of the world.
And that was a lot more than just a helping hand for our celebration. This was a verification of all that I have taught to my students about the Greek idiosyncrasy and what they found themselves through their research. A few people in the other end of the world coordinated in order to respond to a small group of students who are interested in their traditions. AlileghyiThe Greek word for Solidarity. That is just a small example of how many values the Greek culture still has to offer to the modern western societies.
posted Feb 14, 2011 12:19 AM by Fanari Academy Of Greek Education
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updated Oct 25, 2011 9:35 PM
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As some of you may already know, the Fanari Academy in collaboration with the San Jose Unified school district now offers a class in greek history and mythology. Classes are held on weekday afternoons at the Oster Elementary and Union Middle schools and are designed for kids from 3rd to 9th grade. The classes are open to everyone.
posted Feb 14, 2011 12:09 AM by Fanari Academy Of Greek Education
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updated Feb 24, 2011 11:33 PM by Vangelis.Kokkevis@fanariacademy.org
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On the heels of our very successful and fun fundraising event last November, we're happy to announce the second Fanari Greek Night. We have once again reserved the outstandingMythos band and theAgapeGrill restaurant. The event will take place on Saturday March 12, 2011.
This event is open to the entire community so tell your friends too.
Please take a moment to RSVP here so that we can have an accurate head count. You can pay at the door by check or cash.
We'd like to accommodate our guests who are fasting for Easter or simply prefer vegetarian food. Please make sure to indicate your food preference in the RSVP form.
The ticket prices are: $50/person for adults, $15 for kids over 3 years old. Kids under three are free.
The ticket proceeds will go directly to fund our school.
Hope to see you there!
Opa!
Where: Agape Grill, 845 Stewart Dr. Suite A, Sunnyvale CA 94085
posted Sep 8, 2010 10:04 PM by Fanari Academy Of Greek Education
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updated Sep 8, 2010 10:19 PM
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Hope you all had a fun and restful summer and are excited about the new school year. We know we are. Most of our scheduled classes are starting this week. If you haven't already done so, please take a moment to fill out our online registration form and we'll be contacting you right away with important information about your class.
Our updated class schedule can be found here. Our Programs page has details on the various learning tracks offered at Fanari. As always, please feel free to contact us via email or phone if you have questions or would like more information.
Thank you and looking forward to seeing you in school this fall!
posted May 24, 2010 11:13 PM by Fanari Academy Of Greek Education
Our graduation celebration will be held on June 5th at 11:30am at the amphitheater of our school. The kids and their teachers have been working hard to prepare a spectacular program this year. The theme is "Songs of the Sea" !
Refreshments will be served after the celebration.
posted May 19, 2010 10:00 PM by Fanari Academy Of Greek Education
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updated May 19, 2010 10:39 PM
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Fanari families, teachers and friends helped make our second annual luncheon a great success. Participation exceeded our best estimates as more than 50 adults and kids came together on a warm sunny Sunday afternoon at Bill's Cafe to enjoy the great company and food.
A special thanks goes out to the Zafiris family who generously hosted us at their beautiful restaurant and offered all their great food at no charge.
Thanks to everyone for their generous contributions to our school's fundraising effort.
We look forward to having more events like this one in the future!
posted Apr 1, 2010 1:28 AM by Fanari Academy Of Greek Education
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updated Apr 14, 2010 8:53 AM
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As part of our continuous efforts of funding we would like to invite you to second annual Fanari luncheon, at 2:00pm on Sunday the 25th of April 2010, BILL’S CAFÉ (www.billscafe.com) at 2089 The Alameda in San Jose (see map at the bottom of the page). Family and friends are invited!
Dimitri and Panagioti Zafiris families, owners of the Bill's Cafe, and parents of Fanari students, are generously donating all food costs to the Fanari luncheon. We will be selling tickets for $20 per adult and $10 per kid but also welcome additional donations. All the ticket proceeds from this event go directly to Fanari to help with our fund-raising efforts. This is a great opportunity for parents, teachers, associates and board to socialize, and exchange ideas, while making the most of this generous donation. Please make it a priority to be there and invite your friends! Look for ticket sales on campus at the tables in front of the classrooms. Also please consider making a donation to the luncheon even if you are not able to attend.
We need an accurate headcount so please use the registration form.
posted Apr 1, 2010 1:12 AM by Fanari Academy Of Greek Education
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updated Apr 1, 2010 1:47 AM
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It's getting close to the end of the school year and we would like to invite all the parents, teachers and friends of Fanari to a general assembly 10:00am on April 17th 2010, to be held in the Rainbow Montessori amphitheatre. 8:30am classes will be dismissed half an hour earlier at 10:00am and the second session will start half an hour later than usual at 11:10am It is important that children are signed in and out according to this timetable so our teachers can also participate in the assembly.
The topics that will be covered are:
New board member introduction
School update Recruitment of new students Policies and procedures on day-to-day operations Next year plans and funding strategy Q&A session
