On Tuesday, May 25, 2021, Supreme President George G. Horiates traveled to Wilmington, Delaware, to visit the Odyssey Charter School. The school, created by AHEPA Wilmington Chapter and supported over the years by AHEPA, is a charter school specializing in immersion techniques for the Greek language. Last year the Supreme President was the guest commencement speaker at the school’s first 12th-grade graduation.
Noting pre-pandemic AHEPA’s support of the school, AHEPA’s last regional banquet benefited Odyssey in 2019. Today, the Supreme President presented the administration at Odyssey with a $20,000 gift from AHEPA.
Elias Rhigas, President of the Board of Directors, stated, “the school wanted to stay true to its roots of a Hellenistic education. We have seen AHEPA leading the diaspora in celebrating the Greek Bicentennial. We thought what a wonderful expression of gratitude in having the Supreme President come again this year like so many of his predecessors.”
Elias Pappas, Head of the school, stated, “These monies will go towards building a monument base and flagpole carrying the flags of the USA and Greece at the front of the school.
A brick array and marble bases will also be created with AHEPA prominently displayed for our future students, parents, and administrators to know that it was AHEPA that assisted not only in the formative years but throughout with its dedication to Hellenism and education.”
Supreme President George Horiates stated, “We thank the Odyssey Charter School for continuing in the promotion of Hellenism through education; we are proud of what has been accomplished here.” Also, the Greek Bicentennial year and the wind-up to our AHEPA Centennial has been a wonderful time as AHEPA has highlighted and categorized its public works.
The Supreme President cited AHEPA’s first public work in Ypsilanti, its second work dedicated to Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe in Rhode Island, the Sons of Pericles memorial dedicated to the Exodus of Messolonghi in Greece, and AHEPA’s support of the Brumidi statue in Annapolis as examples of statues recently highlighted during the Bicentennial.
Supreme President Horiates stated there are many others. “Adding the Odyssey Charter School to this long and historic list during this Greek Bicentennial year will historically record the work of AHEPA on this campus with hopes for its future.”
Visit odysseycharterschooldel.com if you’re interested in supporting a superior charter school specializing in Greek language immersion and teaching generations all aspects of Hellenism.