Special Teachers for Pre-School and for
Kindergarten to 8th Grade

Religion

Rev. Fr. Christos P. Mars (8th Grade) was born and raised in Palos Hills, Illinois a suburb of Chicago.  He grew up in the Community of S.S. Constantine and Helen under the spiritual and priestly guidance of Fr. Byron Papanikolaou of blessed memory.

Upon completion of High School, Fr. Christos attended the University of Illinois at Chicago and earned his Bachelor’s degree in English. Fr. Christos then attended Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, where he earned his Master’s of Divinity in 2006.  From 2006-2007, Fr. Christos completed his coursework for his Master’s of Theology, with a specialty in liturgics.

While studying at the Seminary, Fr. Christos met and married Presbytera Marilisse, who is from Athens, Georgia, and was completing her undergraduate degree in Religious Studies at Hellenic College.  They married on the feast day of St. Phanourios, August 27, 2006 in the chapel of the Holy Cross there on campus in Brookline.

Fr. Christos was ordained to the Holy Diaconate on May 21, 2007 at his home parish of S.S. Constantine and Helen in Palos Hills, Illinois, and thirty three days later, was ordained to the Holy Priesthood, again at his home parish on the feast of the Birth of St. John the Baptist, June 24, 2007.

Before coming to the Annunciation Cathedral in Atlanta, Fr. Christos served the parish of the Annunciation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Fr. Christos was given the Offikion (office) of Father Confessor by His Eminence Metropolitan ALEXIOS on November 14, 2010. Following that, he was given the Offikion (office) of Sakellarios by His Eminence Metropolitan ALEXIOS on November 10, 2013. His Eminence Metropolitan ALEXIOS also bestowed the Offikion (office) of Typikaris of the Metropolis of Atlanta to Fr. Christos on December 25, 2021, and finally His Eminence Metropolitan ALEXIOS bestowed the Offikion (Office) of Protopresbyter on November 13, 2022. Fr. Christos is the Vice-President of the Metropolis of Atlanta Clergy Syndesmos as well as the President of the Atlanta Orthodox Clergy Brotherhood. He was a member of the Archdiocese National Coordinating Committee for the 200th Anniversary of Greek Independence.  He was a member of the Metropolis Council and currently chairs the Acolyte Training Committee and the Program for Continuing Education for Permanent Deacons as well as the Liturgical Text Committee for the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta. He also serves as liturgical chair for many Metropolis youth events. 

Fr. Christos and Presbytera Marilisse love to spend time with their one son, John. They also enjoy time with other family, friends and their two dogs, Duke and Mor’du.

Margaret Stewart (Religion Preschool to 7th Grade) has worked with children for the past 15 years; first as a substitute teacher in Dekalb County and then as a private nanny for newborns as well as toddlers and 3-4 year olds. Fun fact: She also teaches the Kindergarten Sunday school class at our beloved Annunciation Cathedral - and has been doing that for 17 years. She enjoys inspiring children to be kind, patient, and positive.

In her free time Margaret enjoys spending time with her husband Jerry, two young adult children, Sarah and Charles, friends, watching movies, playing basketball, board games, playing with their Alaskan Malamute, and being involved with church activities.

Greek

Kalliopi Tsikourika (Greek K-8th Grade) studied Classics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. After receiving a Masters of Art degree in Ancient Greek Literature from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, she returned to Thessaloniki to teach Ancient Greek Language, Latin, History, Academic Writing and Modern Greek Literature, at high school level.

In 2002, she moved to Washington, DC, and pursued a teaching career as an afternoon Greek language teacher at both the Saints Constantine and Helen School and the Hellenic School in Potomac, MD. Kalliopi also served as the Principal for two years at the Saints Constantine and Helen School, and was an oral examiner for the Ellinomathia Tests.

Kalliopi moved to Athens, Georgia, with her family in 2012, and has worked as an afternoon Greek Language teacher for the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation ever since. It was during that time that she was recruited to work for the Annunciation Day School as the Greek Language teacher. Kalliopi teaches Greek language to Kindergarten thru seventh grade.

Evi Spiliopoulou Kaplanis (Greek 3rd to 8th Grades) was born and raised in Patras Greece. She attended the Arsakeios Pedagogical Academy and upon graduation with distinction she earned a full scholarship from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America by the late Archbishop Iakovos and attended classes at Hellenic College in Brookline Massachusetts in the fall of 1979. In 1981, she earned her BA in Elementary Education and Religious Studies and graduated with distinction. Upon her graduation she attended graduate courses in Special Education at Boston State College. She earned her Masters of Education in Counseling on a full scholarship from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.

She is married to Fr. Paul Kaplanis and together they have served in three communities, St. Nicholas in St. Louis, Missouri, Holy Trinity in Raleigh, North Carolina and presently at the Annunciation Cathedral in Atlanta, Georgia.

She has worked for the public School system in Raleigh and her latest employment was with the University of North Carolina as a Visiting Lecturer for Modern Greek Language offered by the Classics Department.

Her volunteer activities include teaching Afternoon Greek School and Sunday Catechetical School and being a member and board member of Philoptochos. Presently she serves as a board member on the Annunciation Cathedral Philoptochos chapter and as Vice President on the Metropolis Philoptochos Board. She has been appointed in the past  by His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios to the Metropolis Committees of: Greek Education and Culture, Hellenic Dance Festival and Hellenic Dance Festival Odyssey Trip Chairperson.

She considers her three adult children Michael, Katerina and Christina the best accomplishments of her life and adores her four grandchildren Vivi, Eirianna, Maximos, and Emilia.

Spanish

Amanda Cantos (Spanish 6th to 8th Grades), graduated in Podiatry from the Miguel Hernandez University in Alicante (Spain).

She arrived in the U.S. almost 8 years ago, and became interested in teaching. She has been assisting with teaching Spanish at the International Montessori Academy for over 5 years. Her experience spans as young as 2 years old through 8th grade. 

She has passed the GACE Spanish I and II tests at the professional level.

Amanda likes to spend time with her husband and cat, travel, cook Spanish food, and meet up with her girlfriends. Her summers are typically spent in Spain with family and friends. 

Art

Rosa McMurtray (Art Preschool to 8th Grade) is an art educator specializing in Preschool to 8th Grade and an internationally exhibited artist. She began her artistic journey at the Zaragoza School of Art in Spain and further honed her craft through advanced studies in Italy, the U.K., and the U.S. Rosa has gained widespread recognition for her fashion-focused paintings and her recent series featuring koi fish in ponds. Her passion for art is evident in her love for drawing and oil painting.

Rosa's work has attracted collectors worldwide, with her pieces held in esteemed collections such as West Chester University in Pennsylvania and The Gone With The Wind Museum in Georgia. Her proficiency extends across various materials, including marble, wood, paper, fabric, resin, and more.

Music

Lindsey Kindl (Music Preschool to 8th Grade), a native of Atlanta, has always loved music. She plays French horn and was a member of her high school’s marching band. Always looking for more performing opportunities, she performed with the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony. This prestigious group performed in Carnegie Hall in New York City and the Midwest Band Director Conference in Chicago while she was a member. 

Before becoming an educator, the University of Georgia graduate was a cast member of the Tony and Emmy Award-winning musical Blast!, a production inspired by the excitement and energy of drum and bugle corps. She performed as part of the 2011-12 USA National Tour, Japanese National Tour and also at the South Korea World Expo.

She has taught in Gwinnett County Public Schools for eight years in the elementary school setting. During that time Lindsey has become certified in the Orff Schulwerk method of teaching. Using creativity that reaches beyond just the music classroom, the Orff approach builds musicianship through integrating music, movement, speech, and drama. 

 In her free time, Lindsey enjoys spending time with her husband Lance, newborn son Henry, and her dogs Jet and Cubbie. She enjoys yoga and is also an aerial acrobat. She and her family love hiking in the North Georgia Mountains, boating, and Chicago Cubs Baseball. 

Physical Education

Kelsey Parchment (Physical Education Kindergarten to 8th Grades and Athletic Director) graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology from California State University, Fullerton and her Master’s in Education specializing in International Education with an added Physical Education Credential. Kelsey has many years of experience working with children starting with being a long term substitute teacher in Rialto, California for Special Education, Physical Education, 9th ELA, and a 4th grade class, teaching dance at her local YMCA, and counseling at risk boys between the ages of 11-18 at a Residential Group Home. She recently moved to the Atlanta area and loves the combination of culture, city, and the country like views. Kelsey loves teaching Physical Education because it positively impacts a child’s physical, emotional, and mental development. She is excited to be a part of the ADS family and ready for what this year will bring! Besides teaching, Kelsey enjoys traveling, hiking, spending time with family, and dancing.