CHAMPLAIN HELLENIC ASSOCIATION
(Greek Club)

(From top left: Maki Vafopoulos, Tommy Bablekis, Kosta Panaritis, Vasilios Markoglou.
From bottom left: Matina Panaritis, Jessica Geric)

The Champlain Hellenic Association (Greek Club) is a club where everyone is welcomed to come and feel right at home. It's main purpose is to create activities in order to inform all Champlain students about Greek heritage and culture. Through the years, the Greek club has provided several events that have inspired and affected many people and hopefully this tradition will continue for the years to come.

EXECUTIVE MEMBERS

Each executive member is responsible for a specific duty.

PRESIDENT: Matina Panaritis
Responsible for getting approvals and all transactions.
Makes the final decisions.

VICE PRESIDENT: Tommy Bablekis
Must help the president with most of her duties.

SECRETARY: Jessica Geric
Responsible for taking the minutes of the meetings.

TREASURER: Maki Vafopoulos
Responsible for the budget.

ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR: Kosta Panaritis
Responsible for organizing and planning the activities.

M.A.L. : Vasilios Markoglou
Responsible for advertising and spreading the news around the school.

SOME EXAMPLES OF THE GREEK CLUB'S ACTIVITIES:

- Participating in the Multicultural Show

- Participating at the Greek parade (25th of March) to celebrate Greek Independence Day

- Participating at the Multicultural Food Fest (Greek traditional food)

THE FLAG OF GREECE

THE DESIGN AND PATTERNS OF THE FLAG

"The number of the lines is based on the number of the syllables in the Greek phrase: Eleutheria H Thanatos (Freedom or Death)".

"Freedom or Death was the motto during the years of the Hellenic Revolution against the Ottoman Empire in the 19nth century [There are claims that the number of lines reflects the number of letters in the Greek word for Freedom which equals 9]. This word stirred the heart of the oppressed Greeks, it created intense emotions and inspired them to fight and gain their freedom after 400 years of slavery. The line pattern was chosen because of their similarity with the wavy sea that surrounds the shores of Greece. The interchange of blue and white colors makes the Hellenic Flag on a windy day to look like the Aegean Pelagos. Only the quaint islands are missing! The Greek Square Cross that rests on the upper left-side of the flag and occupies one fourth of the total area demonstrates the respect and the devotion the Greek people have for the Greek Orthodox Church and signifies the important role of Christianity in the formation of the modern Hellenic Nation. During the dark years of the Ottoman rule, the Greek Orthodox Church helped the enslaved Greeks to retain their cultural characteristics: the Greek language, the Byzantine religion and generally the Greek ethnic identity, by the institution of the Crypha Scholia (hidden schools). The Crypha Scholia were a web of schools that operated secretly throughout Greece and were committed in transmitting to the Greeks the wonders of their ancestors and the rest of their cultural heritage. Today, Christianity is still the dominant religion among Greeks. Therefore the existence of the Cross is justified."

THE COLORS OF THE FLAG

"Blue and White! These two colors symbolize the blue of the Greek Sea and the Whiteness of the restless Greeks waves!
According to the mythic legends, the Goddess of Beauty, Aphrodite emerged from these waves. In addition, it reflects the blue of the Greek Sky and the White of the few clouds that travel in it. There are some who suggest that the blue and white was symbolizes the similar color of the clothing (vrakes) of the Greek sailors during the Greek War of Independence."

Work by "Konstantin Efantis".