UPPER DARBY, PA – [Story & Photos by Steve Lambrou]
St. Demetrios Greek School in Upper Darby, PA was honored to welcome Consul General of The Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Michalis Firillas, who addressed the children on their first day of Greek language school, alongside the Parish proistameno, Fr. Alexandros Kaitidis, and Parish Council President Michael Economou.
The Consul General stressed the importance of learning the Greek language at a young age and described his own life experiences growing up in Cyprus. He continued to describe the pride that people in Cyprus and Greece have towards the young people in the diaspora learning to speak Greek.
“I congratulate you all, children and parents, for how hard you work to keep the Greek language alive here in Upper Darby and passing this amazing gift on from generation to generation. I am happy to be at St. Demetrios this evening to represent Cyprus and address you, and I will certainly return for your future events”, Consul General Firillas said.
This marks the first time in recent memory that a current Consul General of Cyprus has visited a Philadelphia- area Greek School on their first day of class.
Now in his 4th year at this current post, Firillas is widely regarded and has continually demonstrated his willingness to engage the Cypriot-American and Greek-American communities, not only inside New York City, but also traveling to other areas from East Coast to the West Coast.
Following Firillas’ comments, two young ladies from the St. Demetrios Greek school, Marina Kaitidis and Maria Koulas, wonderfully recited Cypriot poems in honor of the historic visit of the Consul General.
Before departing, Firillas joined all of the children for a group photo and passed out lapel pins of the Greek flag for them to take home with them.
