The HEC offers a dynamic and multi-faceted educational system devoted to furthering Orthodoxy and Hellenism through educational achievement and is comprised of the following components:
The Saint Katherine Greek School was founded in 1962, initially holding classes in a local motel until our first community center was built. The successful operation of our Greek School over the last 60 years has been a proud achievement for our community; not only has the school played a critical role in teaching multiple generations of our community the Greek language, but it is also recognized as one of the leading Greek Schools in the DC-Baltimore region. Our Greek School offerings include the following:
1. A youth Greek School (preschool – high school): provides innovative teaching and a standards-based curriculum that teaches Greek as a second or heritage language.
2. Adult Language School: offers evening classes for adults interested in learning Modern Greek (beginner to advanced).
Our Paideia Preschool program was started in 2008, with a goal of setting a curriculum committed to academic excellence, a Greek-English bilingual education, and teachings grounded in our Greek Orthodox faith. The preschool offers a loving, family-oriented environment for 2-5 year olds providing a loving and safe setting, an enriching and challenging curriculum that prepares students two to five years old for their next developmental level, and also enhances their moral and spiritual growth . The school year ends in June with a program offered over the summer.
Our Community education offerings plan to include short courses/seminars in subjects such as Greek Cooking, Ecclesiastical Greek, Byzantine Chanting, and Introduction to Greek Language and Customs. Online education may also be implemented for some of these offerings.
The Hellenic Education Center logo/crest embodies a multitude of symbols immediately recognizable to our culture, heritage and faith. The azure background harkens to the Mediterranean Sea which fueled ancient Greece’s commerce and development. The gold chevron symbolizes the academic excellence required of our students and faculty. The major elements of the crest include the Holy Crucifix, symbolic of our Orthodox Christian faith. The wheel of Saint Katherine is testament to our patron saint’s martyrdom and her unswerving devotion to her principles of faith. The Athenian Owl is the universally recognized symbol of knowledge, wisdom, perspicacity and erudition throughout the Western world.
The motto is “Ever to Excel” and is intended to serve as an inspiration to all students in search of knowledge. The source is the sixth book of Homer’s Iliad, (Iliad 6. 208) in a speech Glaucus delivers to Diomedes: “Hippolocus begat me. I claim to be his son, and he sent me to Troy with strict instructions: Ever to excel, to do better than others, and to bring glory to your forebears, who indeed were very great … This is my ancestry; this is the blood I am proud to inherit.”