The Greek Star

Lauren Secaras, a junior at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, has been selected to compete in the All-Academic Games in Aurora, Colorado on the 4th of July. In order to qualify, Secaras had to meet minimum academic criteria for the class of 2014 established by the selection committee.

CHRIST IS RISEN!  TRULY HE IS RISEN!

LEGAL. . .TELLY C. NAKOS of the firm of O’CONNOR & NAKOS was  named one of the top rated lawyers of our area.

INTERIORS. . .  CARI GIANOULIS and Melissa Lewis  are partners of LEWIS-GIANOULIS INTERIORS.  Gianoulis is married to George, the older brother of former Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias.

SPORTS and HUMANITARIAN HERO….NICK MARKAKIS is a professional baseball outfielder who plays with the Baltimore Orioles.  He played baseball in the European  National Championships, winning a silver medal with Team Greece in 2003 and also played for the Greek Olympic baseball team in the 2004 Olympic Games in Greece.  According to reports from IOCC, Markakis and his wife started “The Right Side Foundation” to help children who are disadvantaged, sick, lonely, or grieving in Maryland where he plays with the Orioles.

EUC-FLAS Fellows…MICHELLE ASBILL and HEOPHESTION BOLARIS both excellent students of the Modern Greek Studies Program, won a FLAS Fellowship by the European Union Center (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) to continue with their studies in Modern Greek next year.  BOLARIS won the FLAS fellowship to study Advanced Modern Greek I and II.

GOYA OFFICERS…PANAGIOTIS GIANAKAKIS, President…EVAN VOURIS, Vice President…12^th Gr. Rep. BILLY ANGELOS and KATERINA ALEMIS…11^th Gr. Rep. AUSTIN ECONOMOS…10^th Gr. Rep., ANDONIA SUBSITS…9^th Gr. Rep. GEORGE CROSBY…8^th Gr. Rep. VIVIAN KILIAS…of the Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church.

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40 DAY BLESSINGS…EVANGELINE , daughter of Theodora and Polykarpos Pavlidou.

CHRISMATION. . . THERESA BEESON, with SOPHIA MICHALEK as Sponsor at SS Peter and Paul Church.

MAY BIRTHDAY WISHES for. . . Presvytera GEORGIA BOTSIS…WILLIAM ARMIROS on  the 28^th…MARILYN ATHAS on the 14^th…PRISCILLA BETZELOS on the 10^th…IRENE MARIA DRIKAKIS on the 20^th. . . SOPHIA FELECOS…NICHOLAS GEORGIAFENTIS on  the 28^th…PAT GRAMAS on  the 23^rd…THOMAS H. KAPSALIS on the 31^st…

Also…Greek Star Editor, DIANE ADAM…GEORGIA MITCHELL on the 12^th…ERNEST NEOKOS on the 26^th…BARBARA PAPPAS…ANGELA PATERAKIS on the lst…GEORGE PATERAKIS on the 30^th…JOHN H. SECARAS on the 16^th…HARRY J. SECARAS on the 19^th…GUST TCHAKANAKIS on the 11^th…MARY YANNIAS on the 28^th.

MAY NAME DAY GREETINGS for. . . FATHER DEAN BOTSIS…FATHER CONSTANTINE  ALIFERAKIS….FATHER DEAN PHOTOS…CONSTANTINE BACIL. . . DAN GEORGAKAS…MAURETTA KOPOULOS…DEBRA (ELENI) PRICE PRODROMOS, PhD, JD…TAYLOR (Eleni) PRODROMOS…ARISTOTLE PAPANIKOLAOU…DEAN SALLAS…ZOE RUMMEL…DR. ELAINE THOMOPOULOS…DIANNE NICHOLS THODOS…IRENE TZAKIS…GUST TCHAKANAKIS…DEAN STAVRAKAS.

MAY ANNIVERSARY CONGRATS for. .. NICK and ELAINE THOMOPOULOS on  the 24^th…LEON and ROSE VAINIKOS on the 20^th. . . PETER and MAGDALENE  BACOS on the 22^nd.

MUSEUM. . . The National Hellenic Museum is receiving nationwide publicity for its excellent presentations.   Everyone in this area will want to be a part of the NHM and can join as an individual, by buying legacy bricks or in many other ways.   Call 312-655-1234 and learn how you can become a part of this nationally recognized institution so professionally managed by a most capable Board headed by Chairman JOHN P. CALOMAS, Sr. and with CONNIE MOURTOUPALAS as President. 

CONDOLENCES to the family of the late EUGENIA KRIBALES who fell asleep in the Lord last month.   May her memory be eternal!

Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!

First and last alike receive your reward;

rich and poor rejoice together!

Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!

(From the Easter Sermon of

John Chrysostom, Pastor of Constantinople)

NEW YORK (AP)— Billionaire Republican businessman John Catsimatidis is the Liberal Party's new pick for mayor, the party announced Tuesday. The endorsement gives Catsimatidis the possibility of a spot on the November ballot regardless of how his quest for the GOP nomination goes, plus the potential of claiming the mantle of successful Republican-Liberal New York City mayoral candidates going back to Fiorello LaGuardia.

Golfo Alexopoulos, a professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa, received the outstanding faculty award. She is completing her second book, "Human Raw Material: Health and Inhumanity in Stalin's Gulag." Alexopoulos also received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support her research and writing on the book.

Annoula Dritsas is a professional plus size model, social media consultant and philanthropist based out of New York City. I recently talked with her about body image, being a Greek goddess and her favorite role model.

The Greek Star spoke with Christine Gialamas, who is changing the way people view their bodies and their minds.

Can you tell me a little about yourself.  Where do you come from, and what do you do?

I grew up in Tinley Park with a sister, Deby and two brothers Tommy and Michael. I lost my brother Tommy a little over 9 years ago. I currently work for Chicago Public Schools at Hammond Elementary, and I am also a fitness instructor for Xsport Fitness. I have two grown sons, one who is attending Western Illinois University. He plans to go in the armed forces after graduation. He really wants to jump out of helicopters!

This week we caught up with award-winning guitarist Pavlo, known as the Greek God of Guitar

Who has sold a million albums worldwide, and is very proud to be Greek