
MEET THE TEACHERS
OLGA SARLIS
Pre-School-Kindergarten/Principal
Olga is a first generation Greek, born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta and holds a B.Ed. degree in Secondary Education from the University of Alberta with a major in Social Studies and a minor in ESL. With 12 years of teaching experience, Olga has taught, at the secondary level, English, Social Studies, Math, Science, Food Studies, Health and Leadership classes to both academic and special needs students. The push factor leading Olga to teach at and lead the Hellenic Heritage Language School is the importance language and culture plays for students in creating and maintaining a sense of identity, belonging and community within a multicultural and multilingual society.

MARIA YFANTIS
Level 1/2
Maria is a first generation Greek, born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta and has lived in Greece for over 13 years. She possesses an ESL certificate obtained from Cambridge University and currently works as an Educational Assistant with special needs students. With over 10 years of teaching experience, Maria brings this expertise to her classroom with the utmost enthusiasm. Additionally, Maria is experienced in working with children with behaviour challenges and is confident in communicating effectively with children of various academic abilities.

STELIOS KARATZAS
Level 3/4
Stelios is a local Edmontonian, who was born and raised here, but has lived in Greece twice during his life; once as a child and again as a teenager. Having been born to a Greek father, he was exposed to the Greek language at a very young age and was later introduced to the Greek culture while living in Greece. With this experience in mind, he brings this knowledge to the classroom. He also brings experience of having taught a foreign language at the kindergarten level as a homeroom teacher for three years while living in east Asia. Having over 10 years of business and marketing experience and a Master’s degree from the University of Sheffield, Stelio brings this developed creativity and professionalism to his teaching.

DIAMOND YFANTIS
Level 4/5
Diamond is a first generation Greek, born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta and holds a B.Ed. degree from the University of Alberta, with a major in English and a minor in Special Needs. With 20 years of professional teaching experience, Diamond is capable of developing her students to their full potential, both academically and socially. One of her teaching philosophies is to treat every student as an individual and curate her lessons accordingly while taking the time to communicate and cultivate each student.

STELLA GEORGIADIS
Level 6/7
Stella is a native of Greece, born and raised in Thessaloniki and moved to Canada three years ago. She studied History and Archeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and has the knowledge and theory of Greece’s history to share with her students with exceptional detail and vigour. Being born and raised in Greece, Stella has the advantage of sharing vividly with her students, what Greece is like in terms of culture, language and lifestyle. Furthermore, Stella has attended several seminars on how to successfully teach students with dyslexia, making her more than capable to reach students of all abilities.

NATASA KARATSOLI
Level 8/9
Natasa is a native of Greece, born and raised in Larissa and moved to Edmonton seven years ago. She is currently employed as a Social Worker at a local school and brings all of this passion and care of her students to her classroom on Saturdays. As a champion of the Greek community and culture, Natasa embodies the Hellenic spirit for which she exudes in all of her classroom activities. During each and every class, Natasa gets her students excited about learning Greek by piquing their likes and interests and incorporating these into the program of studies. Lastly, Natasa takes pride in putting her utmost effort in organizing our school’s celebrations and theatrical productions.

ELENI TSEKOURA
Adult Classes
Bio Coming Soon...

SPYROULA DELIGIANNIS
Greek Dance Instructor
Spyroula has been dancing since the age of five and has been a proud and involved member of the Lyhnari Cultural Group since her teens. Spyroula has taken part in many workshops, mostly in Canada with dances ranging from mainland/islands, Pontian and Eastern Romalia (eastern Thrace) and has also had the privilege of dancing alongside other Hellenic folklore groups both in Canada and in Greece. Since starting her teaching tenure at the Hellenic Heritage Language School in 2014, Spyroula has taught many students who have moved on to become members of Dionysos Dancers of Edmonton. Through Spyroula’s passion for dance and of working with children, she is able to teach the next generation of students who have a love of the Greek culture.
