About Us
Our purpose is to create the context for the Greek language and Heritage to grow and expand inside our Greek community, and more than that, beyond its borders.
As part of this community, our school works with Greek language educators towards building a solid program that addresses our students’ needs and creates the vision for the school’s future.
We collaborate with the American Association of Teachers of Modern Greek.
AATMG offers guidance, and makes resources available with expertise and updates on good practices in the field of Modern Greek Language Education. We would like to thank AATMG and in particular Eva Prionas, Louiza Kondilis and Katerina Chiotis.
Meet The Staff & Teachers for the 2025-2026 school year:
Father Paul Paris
Email: frpaul@goholytrinity.org
Fr. Paul Thomas Paris has been the Proistamenos of the Holy Trinity Cathedral since December 1, 2014. He holds a BA from Hellenic College, an M.Div. from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and a Master of Arts in Youth Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Fr. Paul and his family served parishes in California and Minnesota before returning to Portland where his wife (Presbytera) Stephanie grew up and where they were married in 1995.
Father Christos Kalaizis
Email: frchristos@goholytrinity.org
Father Christos was born and raised in the city of Serres, in central Macedonia, Greece. He received two undergraduate degrees, one in law and one in theology, as well as a Master of Arts in Mass Media and the Church at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. In June 2000, he was ordained to the Holy Diaconate, and in March 2001, he was ordained to the Holy Priesthood. Since then, he has served as priest of the Holy Church of the True Cross in Serres. He has been very active in his community; among other outreach, he founded and directed a church radio station, served on the board of a drug prevention center, counseled for Sunday school, planned and coordinated many charity programs. Since 2017 has been serving Holy Trinity Portland. He is a Greek language and Greek culture lover and he doesn’t stop teaching about it , in and out of the room.
Sophia Bliablias-Grandy - Administrator
Email: info@greekschoolportland.com
Sophia Bliablias-Grandy was born and raised in Queens, NY. She is first-generation Greek American. As the daughter of a New York taxi driver, Sophia learned at a young age that nothing worth having was ever achieved without effort. Sophia earned 2 degrees in Finance and Business Management from Stern School of Business at New York University. Sophia has spent 20+ years as a financial advisor, helping her clients build financial security using a goal-based approach. Sophia moved to Portland in 2015 after marrying her husband Jeff, who is an Oregon native. Sophia and Jeff now live in Lake Oswego with their 2 daughters, Eleni, 6 and Arianna, 4. As a newcomer to Oregon, Sophia along with Jeff enjoy exploring Oregon and showing their little girls all that it has to offer. They are dedicated to raising their girls in Greek culture and faith. Cooking a big meal and enjoying it with family and friends is one of Sophia’s greatest joys.
Katherine Karafotias - Language Teacher
Katherine has been a member of Holy Trinity parish all her life. She graduated from Lewis & Clark College with a degree in elementary education and followed that up with certification in school librarianship. She has been in the choir and has taught both Sunday School and Greek School at Holy Trinity, and is currently teaching Greek at Agia Sophia Academy. She is a member of Philoptochos, the Daughters of Penelope (part of the AHEPA family, an international Hellenic cultural and educational organization), and serves on the board of the Hellenic-American Cultural Center & Museum. Katherine enjoys volunteering, reading and of course learning more and sharing her Greek culture with others.
Sandra Karafotias - Art & Culture Teacher
Καλώς ήρθατε, Welcome! My name is Sandra Karafotias. Being Greek is an integral part of my identity, and my heartfelt reason behind instilling and sharing with my community the Greek language and heritage. I have taught Modern Greek in Portland since 2015. I’m grateful for both past and present opportunities to introduce, teach and create fun Pre-K constructive Greek activities and curriculum for in-class use and on-line programs. My passion and background in design fuels my creativity in lesson planning. What I enjoy most is creating effective artistic methods that connect and highlight the beauty of our Greek heritage. I’m dedicated to welcome, engage and inspire future generations to preserve our legacy.
Andy Papachristopoulos - Language Teacher
Andy was born in Athens, Greece in 1940 and finished high school there.
The following year he came to the U.S as an exchange student and spent a year in Lincoln, Nebraska where he also graduated from high school. The following year, 1960, he returned to the U.S to study at the University of Oregon in Eugene. After completing a degree in Business Administration, he returned to Greece.
He spent two years in the Greek army, and was assigned as a translator at JUSMAGG (Joint U.S Military Aid Group to Greece). Because of the military coup in 1967, he returned with his wife to the U.S and settled in Portland. He began working in the maritime business where he worked until retirement in 2018.
He is happy to share his knowledge of the Greek language to help teach in our Portland Greek School.
Venetia Prontzos - Language Teacher
Venetia was born and raised in Belmont, California, until moving to Portland for college. She graduated from the University of Portland with her BSN and is now working here as a nurse. She has experience as a camp counselor at St. Nicholas Ranch, as well as tutoring elementary school kids for several years. She grew up attending Greek school in California and is grateful for the opportunity to teach at Holy Trinity. Venetia is excited to meet her class and share her love and knowledge of the Greek language and culture!
Vasilios Stavrakas - Language Teacher
Vasili is a Grade Level One teacher of Modern Greek who is new to our school. He is enthusiastic about meeting and teaching our students.
He earned two bachelor of science degrees at the University of Maryland, including 24 credit hours of Modern Greek language. Mr. Stavrakas was examined and certified as proficient speaker by Dr. Theodore C. Papaloizos, who administered the accredited Modern Greek Language Proficiency Exam.
Vasili befriended Stefanie Damiani, a Portland native and Holy Trinity Cathedral steward at a Senior GOYA event that blossomed into a happy marriage and loving family. Today he is a devoted husband, father of two teenagers and son of Greek proficient speaking parents who reside together.
Nick Vettas - Language Teacher
Hi all! I'm Nick (Nikos) and I'm a senior at Portland State University, majoring in Supply Chain Management with minors in Real Estate and Psychology. I was born and raised in Greece and made the move to beautiful Portland 4.5 years ago. When I am not studying, you'll find me playing soccer or booking my next adventure! I've spent 3 Summers in a children's camp in Thasos, Greece teaching little kids soccer and assisting with arts and crafts. One of my biggest passions is telling people everything there is about the Greek life, the history and the amazing culture. I'm very excited to be a part of the Greek School.
Erma Walter - Language Teacher
Hi! My name is Erna and I'm excited to be back at the Greek School to teach. I taught Greek at Portland Community College for a few years and also privately. I lived in Aigio, Greece for 29 years where I taught English and I enjoy going back once or twice a year to see friends and family. It's always exciting to share my knowledge of Greek, Greece, its culture, traditions and dance! My favorite way to spend time is walking, hiking, reading and spending time with friends and family.
Eva Bolls - Teacher's Assistant
I am a 15-year-old sophomore at Benson Polytechnic High School. I’ve been assisting at the Greek School for 3 years, and have loved connecting with the children through all of the art lessons, alongside all of the wonderful teachers. I have 5 years of experience working as a counselor at a number of different camps and after-school programs, and I am certified in CPR. I truly enjoy learning new things about Greek culture every time I’m at the Greek School, and this has become even more meaningful since my family now owns a home in Greece. I look forward to growing in the community over the coming years.
Vasiliki Stoumbos - Teacher's Assistant
Vasiliki (Vassie) has been a member of Holy Trinity parish all her life. She is a first-generation daughter of Greek immigrants from Athens and the island of Andros. She grew up in Portland, speaking Greek as her first language in the home. Vassie is proud to have passed that tradition on to her children, and now her grandchildren, whom she is blessed to have in her home 5 days a week. For 14 years, Vassie co-directed one of Holy Trinity’s Greek Folk Dance groups. She enjoys cooking Greek foods and pastries, traveling to Greece, diving deeper into our Greek Orthodox Faith, and sharing our Greek culture with others.
Kelly Toledano - Teacher's Assistant
Hello, my name is Helena Zaimes Toledano (Ελένη) and I am a junior at Franklin High School. I was a teaching assistant throughout the second year of Greek School, with Miss.Theodora (πρεσπίτερα Θεοδώρα), have worked within Franklin + other education programs, and have found I truly enjoy working with kids. I have always valued the complexities, wonder and joy of children and am used to working creatively alongside them. Although I am not fluent in Greek, I have taken Greek classes and know some basics; Other than that, I am fluent in both English and Spanish. I love singing, drawing, hugs, learning weird/cool facts, and much more! Growing up in a multicultural household, I have always been connected to my Greek and Spanish heritage, and value all the experiences and knowledge I acquire through Greek School. I am excited to continue to work within the Greek community here in Portland!!
Special Assistants:
Ted Nieuwsma - Media & Technology Consultant
Ted was born and raised in San Jose, California until moving to New York where he attended the City College of New York. During college he found his way into the world of software development and is now a VP of Product for a tech company based in New York City. Ted came to the Northwest back in 2018 where he met his wife, Kara, and started attending Holy Trinity. He has a passion for the faith and a strong desire to share this passion with others.
Thomas Spathas - Web Manager
Thomas set up and manages the GreekSchoolPortland.com website in addition to maintaining the goholytrinity.org site. He welcomes any input and ideas how to continue to improve both sites so they can be as effective for the community as possible!