PORTLAND, Maine — This story from 2018 profiled a remarkable woman, Angela Varipatis, who at the time had been teaching Greek language and culture in Portland for more than five decades.
That struck us as a remarkable run, but it still had years to go. Now though, Mrs. Varipatis has finally retired—after an extraordinary 58 years in the classroom. We think her story is worth another look.
In 1986, the 100th birthday of the Statue of Liberty, I did a series of profiles of immigrants in Maine, including a tailor from Spain, a stonecutter with roots in Italy, and a restaurant owner from the Philippines. They had come to the United States for familiar reasons—opportunity, a better life, freedom from fear—and their stories were inspiring.
Since then I’ve enjoyed doing stories on immigrants, and I didn’t have to go far for the latest one. Angela Varipatis came to Maine from Greece in the 1960s and since then has taught Greek classes at her church in Portland, motivated by an enthusiasm for education and a deep affection for the children.
"I love them so much," she told me. "They are so sincere. They are so innocent. They have so much love. So they teach me."
Mrs. Varipatis teaches four afternoons a week. The students, who are in grades four through eight, study Greek history, culture, music, and dancing, and there is a special emphasis on learning to speak the language.
"She loves it," said Sofia Kirtchev, one of the students. "And she wants us to love it as much as she does."