NEW YORK – Amid a hopeful atmosphere for the future, the St. Demetrios of Astoria Day School held its graduation ceremony for the Class of 2024 in the packed Petros Patridis Hall on June 6.

The 30 graduates, who have been accepted into significant university programs, received warm applause from parents and community members, and were praised by their teachers, many of whom had known them since their early elementary school days at St. Demetrios.

The High School Vice Principal, Helen Karagiorgos, who was the M.C. for the program, welcomed the Class of 2024 and expressed the school’s warmest congratulations as they continue their academic careers. She also welcomed the kindergarten children from the St. Catherine cultural complex, who will make up the Class of 2036. They participated in a traditional musical program under the guidance of teachers  Giota Antonopoulou and Phyto Stratis.

In his address, the Director of St. Demetrios Day School, Dr. John Alfieri, praised the efforts of the 2024 graduates, noting that their high school years were marked by challenging learning conditions, such as the pandemic.

Archbishop Elpidophoros of America was represented by Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos, and greetings were also extended by the community’s presiding priest, Fr. Anargyros Stavropoulos, and the school superintendent, Fr. Gregory Stamkopoulos.

Carrah Cook, who is African American and one of the two valedictorians for 2024, provided the gathering’s most moving moment, presenting part of her speech in Greek.

The keynote speaker was alumnus Bill Diomis, Class of 2003, who has had a notable career and is now the Executive Director at Morgan Stanley in the Market Risk Department, is one of the most successful graduates in recent years.

“It was 21 years ago that I was in your place. I didn’t realize until Ms. Karagiorgos called me that I am no longer as young as you, but in the club of the older ones,” said Diomis, addressing the graduates. He spoke warmly about the school and the St. Demetrios community, noting that his father, Ioannis Diomis, remains a well-known figure at the school.

He then shared his personal story to inspire the current graduates, emphasizing that he could never have imagined that his interest in mathematics and problem-solving would lead him.

The second valedictorian, Kaliopi Tsiros, expressed heartfelt thanks to her teachers, family, and classmates, recalling that she had been a student at St. Demetrios from kindergarten through to her high school graduation.

Salutatorian Maria Pasvatis, who, as Karagiorgos noted, evolved into a top student over the years, emphasized that the school taught her “much more than mathematics, science, and history.”

However, the farewell speech by Carrah Cook, stood out. An African-American from the Bronx, she was enrolled at St. Demetrios from the 8th grade, inspired by a trip to Thessaloniki, where she fell in love with Greece. Although she does not have any Greek heritage, Cook showed a keen interest in the Greek language and culture, delivering a significant part of her speech in Greek.

“I am very proud to belong to the spiritual family of the St. Demetrios School. Here, at this school that became my second home, I learned the Greek language, discovered Greek culture, and was taught timeless moral values,” she said in her speech, also making special reference to Cavafy’s poem ‘Ithaca’.

Among those present was the school’s first valedictorian, Anastasia Leperidis, Class of 1958, who was symbolically honored by valedictorian Tsiros.

The Graduates: Nicolas David Attias, Carrah Cook, Michael Angelos Coutroupis, Stefania Dalageorgos, Gregory Paul Exarhouleas, Katerina Figetakis, Amina Ibodulaeva, Maria Eleni Karamaniolas, Frida Kasimis, Joanna Konstantakos, Maria Kontonicolaou-Dits, Stamatis Kypraios, Nickolas Mannassakis, Panagiotis Michaleas, Elias Pagonis, Sevasti Panopoulos, Maria Pasvatis, Konstantina Theodora Pefanis, Emmanuel Pyros, Antonia Rosario, Evangelia Ruppaner, Victor Peter Sabirianov, Mario C. Seiderakis, Stiven Souloimanai, Fylia Theodoropoulos, Christalla Eleni Theodorou, Panagiotis Theologitis, Kaliopi Tsiros, and Nicholas Vaso.