Innovative Orthodox Preschool Marks Its 10th Anniversary

By Linda M. Thomas


	Teacher Melissa Sayeg reads to Theophany School pre-schoolers (Photo L. Thomas).

CHILDREN BUSTLE through the door of this tiny preschool outside Boston each morning, stuffing their backpacks and coats into cubbies and onto hooks. Then, holding hands in a circle which includes their teachers, they sing “Lord Have Mercy,” before quietly reciting “The Lord’s Prayer.”

After gently kissing the icons, the children step lightly down the hall to classrooms named for Saints Anna, Nicholas and George. Each room’s walls are adorned with icons and drawings, reflecting the Orthodox Christian faith of the decade-old Theophany School.

Against all odds, the 24-student school, now tucked inside a worship center in Needham, Massachusetts, has spent the past 10 years fostering an environment of academic and spiritual teachings for its young students. This year’s enrollment includes children of Greek, Syrian, Lebanese, Albanian, Romanian, Spanish and Chinese origin.

Sonia Daly Belcher, of Lebanese origin, recalls when Theophany School was just a dream in her mind’s eye—when, as an 18-year-old, she was eager to find a way for Orthodox children to spend more time together on a daily basis, not just on Sundays in church or in Sunday school.

Belcher, now admissions director at the Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, recalls one of the first meetings she called to turn her vision into reality.

“No one showed up. I was the only one,” she said. “I thought then, ‘this is too hard, I don’t want to do this.’”

But when fellow parishioner Melissa Sayeg called to ask where the meeting was to take place, Belcher was re-energized. “If she hadn’t shown up at that meeting, I may have given up,” said Belcher.

Sayeg herself has come full circle in her role at Theophany—first as a participant in its early creation, then as a parent, and now as a full-time teacher.

“For me,” she explained, “the school has become an outreach ministry not only for children of the Orthodox faith but for children of other faiths.”

Rev. Joseph Kimmett, pastor of St. George Orthodox Church in nearby Norwood, and spiritual advisor to the Theophany board, saw the school’s worth through the eyes not only of an Orthodox priest, but of a father as well.

“Speaking as a dad,” he said, “I am thrilled with the academics at Theophany School. Giving our children the right building blocks from an early age is absolutely key to their formation, both as young people and as Orthodox Christians,” he noted. “It is more than memorizing ABCs and kissing icons, it is about who they are as people.

“Theophany provides an intimate atmosphere,” said school director Leeann Plouffe. “It allows for close relationships with all the children and their families.

His Eminence, Metropolitan Philip, Primate of the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America, believes there is a distinct Orthodox ethos which must be instilled in our children. “There are destructive trends which are permeating the heart of our American culture, and we must do everything possible to protect our children,” he said. He prays that Orthodox Christians in many areas of the Archdiocese will emulate Theophany’s good example and organize inter-Orthodox schools.

Watching the growth of the school she envisioned and helped to create, Belcher stands in awe. “I know it didn’t just come because of me,” she said, noting that “All things are possible through Christ who strengthens us.” (Philippians 4:13)

“Our priority is not adding a new grade,” she emphasized. “It is walking into the classroom and seeing the teachers’ love for their students, the character formation and growing Orthodox faith of these young children. It’s something you will not find in a public school.”

A gala fundraiser to celebrate Theophany School’s 10th anniversary will take place April 29, 2007 at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral Center, 162 Goddard Avenue, Brookline, MA. For more information on Theophany School, call (781) 444-3058 or visit <www.theophanyschool.org>.

Linda M. Thomas, a Boston-based paralegal and profile writer, is a lifelong member of St. George Orthodox Church in Norwood, MA.

SIDEBAR

Theophany School: The First 10 Years

On Sept. 15, 1997, Theophany School was granted its license from the Massachusetts Office for Children and established itself as the Massachusetts Pan-Orthodox Academic Foundation, Inc.

Created as an independent Orthodox Christian school, Theophany has ties to both the Antiochian and Greek Archdiocese.

In its first year, 17 pupils enrolled, with only one classroom and one teacher.

Today, 24 students are enrolled, with three classrooms and full-time teachers.

According to school director Leeann Plouffe, there have been 104 alumnae enrolled since the school first opened its doors.

Subjects include language arts, reading, spelling, preparation for mathematics, science, music, art, media, cultural awareness and physical education. Each thematic unit is supplemented with appropriate teachings of the Orthodox Christian church.—L.M.T.