About Us

“Of all the holy works, the education of children is the most holy.”

-St. Theophan the Recluse

Meet the Team

  • Rev. Dr. Panayiotis Papageorgiou, Ph.D.

    Parish Proistamenos/Senior Priest

    Fr. Panayiotis was born in Cyprus. He received his secondary education at the English School, Nicosia. After his military service he left for the U.S. where he studied Chemical Engineering in New York City at the City College. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering cum laude. He then continued his studies on a Graduate Research Scholarship at the University of Notre Dame where he completed his Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering. He joined Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Boston in August 1984 in order to pursue theological studies, from where he graduated three years later with the degree Master of Divinity with High Distinction. Following that, he enrolled in the Early Christian Studies Program of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He was awarded the Ph.D. degree in May of 1995 with a specialization in the history and theology of the Early Christian Church. The title of his dissertation was “A Theological Analysis of Selected Themes in the Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans.” Fr. Panayiotis was ordained a deacon in Astoria, New York, on April 24, 1988 and a presbyter (priest) a month later (May 22, 1988) in Orange, New Jersey. He served as a priest on a part-time basis in different Orthodox parishes in the Metropolitan Washington area while completing his doctoral dissertation. From April 1989 to December 1993 he served a mission parish (which he helped establish) in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He moved to Cyprus in December 1993 where he served the parish of Ayia Napa until July 2001 when he returned to the U.S. and took up the Parish of St. George in New Port Richey, Florida (as of August 1, 2001). In August of 2006 he and his family moved to Marietta, GA where he is currently serving as the presiding presbyter of Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church of Marietta. He is married to Presvytera Catherine. They have two children, a son (Stratis) and a daughter (Olympia), ages 29 and 26.

    Click here to read more.

  • Rev. Fr. Chris Zaferes

    Acting Head of School / History Teacher


    Fr. Christopher Zaferes is excited to serve as the Acting Head of School at Transfiguration Orthodox Academy. He grew up in a family deeply rooted in the Orthodox Christian faith, and that upbringing shaped both his love for Christ and his desire to help young people grow in their faith. He studied at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Boston, where he earned a Bachelor’s in Religious Studies and History along with a Master of Divinity. Part of his studies also took him to Greece, where he was able to connect more deeply with the roots of his faith, and see history come to life.

    In 2017, Fr. Christopher married, and the following year he was ordained to the holy priesthood. He brings a love of teaching and a passion for history to the classroom, always encouraging students to explore the “why” of history and integrate this knowledge into their own life.  Outside of school and parish life, Fr. Christopher enjoys hiking and camping, where he finds refreshment and inspiration. He loves exploring the integration of church, home, and school in nurturing the whole child. He takes joy in fostering our community-crafted Trinitarian education, where church, home, and school come together to nurture the whole child. goes here

  • Rev. Dr. Michael A. Tishel, Th.D.

    Acting Head of School/Religious Studies & Music Teacher

    Fr. Michael hails from Boston, MA and is a proud alumnus ofSt. Herman of Alaska Christian School, a private Orthodox K-8 school that his father, Fr. Patrick Tishel, founded. Drawing on his father’s love for both the Faith and Orthodox education, Fr. Michael is also passionate about exploring the integration of the two - seeing all of Creation in and through the illuminating Light of Christ. Fr. Michael began his undergrad studies at Gordon College as a Literature major, but soon felt called to change his major to Comparative Historical Theology and his life focus to the ministry. At Gordon, he participated in a year-long intensive Great Books seminar called the Jerusalem and Athens forum, which deepened his love and appreciation for the classical approach to education. He also holds a Master of Theology degree from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where he lived for 3 years and studied ancient and modern Greek. Upon returning from Greece, he directed an academic summer institute for high schoolers at Hellenic College Holy Cross for 7 years, while also serving as a college ministry coordinator and lecturer at Hellenic College for 3 years. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2018 and moved to Georgia in 2019 to serve as the second priest at Holy Transfiguration GOC. He obtained his doctoral degree in dogmatics from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in May 2022. When he is not at the parish or school, Fr Michael loves spending time outdoors “doing nothing” with his wife Pres. Catherine and 4 children, woodworking, and playing and writing songs.

    Click here to contact Fr. Michael.

  • Mrs. Angie Nasrallah

    TOA Educational Advisor

    Angie Nasrallah is a writer, teacher, urban farmer, wife, and mother to five children. A veteran homeschool mom, Angie, and her husband home-educated all five kids for a total of 22 years. Angie is a graduate of Florida State University, and also earned her M.Ed in Secondary English Education from The University of Georgia. She began her teaching career at UGA as a graduate assistant in the Challenge Program for gifted and talented students. Since that time, she has taught writing and literature in a variety of contexts including public and private school, technical school, hybrid school,and homeschool. With everyone “almost” out of the house, now she finds herself in the role of cook, coach, wedding planner, and encourager. When she’s not with her family or out tending the chicken coop, you will find her with a camera, writing, or walking on Kennesaw Mountain. She and her husband, subdeacon Matthew, live in Marietta, Georgia, and are actively involved in St. Basil the Great Orthodox Mission.

  • Mrs. Joanna Nicolopoulos

    School Office Manager

    Joanna's professional background over the last decade has been in Operations, Facilities Management, and in Talent Acquisition/HR where she has worked within different industries mainly the technology/IT industries, as well as manufacturing where she has picked up many varied skills.

    Joanna has been a member of Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church for 11 years and enjoys being involved in the parish community. She currently assists with Hellenic Studies, Hope and Joy, and is a snack team member for Catechism classes.

    During her free time, Joanna likes to spend time with her husband Spiro and her two children Panagiota and Sotirios, doing outdoor activities when weather permits, traveling anywhere for changes of scenery, and trying new things.

  • Mrs. Angela Brown

    Art, and 2nd Grade History & Literature Teacher

    Angela F. Brown, our current Art Teacher and Second Grade History & Literature Teacher, holds an M.A. in Art History and a B.F.A. in Art Education and Painting. She has eight years of teaching experience in K-8 classrooms in both classical and public settings. While her classes in the past have been a fusion of art appreciation, art history, and art creation, she looks forward to incorporating her faith, in seeking our Lord's presence in the art before us, the world around us, and our own inspiration. Outside of the classroom, Angela is married and expecting her first child, a daughter, this April. She enjoys finding peace in nature, traveling, and reading.

  • Mrs. Jessica Heddings

    Math Teacher

    Jessica Heddings joins us as our Math teacher. She holds a degree in Accounting as well as a Master’s degree in Business Administration. However, she views her highest accomplishment to be her journey home educating her son Caleb for twelve years through graduation. Caleb just completed his freshman year at Georgia State University. Along the way she had many opportunities to adapt curricula to his needs and unique learning style. The program TOA is creating is exactly the type of program she looked for but could not find and therefore attempted to create for her son, and she looks forward to being a part of it.

About Us

TOA Began with a group of Orthodox Christian families who have prayerfully launched a K-8 hybrid school to serve the Metro Atlanta community which started it’s first year of operations during the Fall of 2023. We are officially in our second year of Operations.

Our Mission

We aim to study God's vast creation unhurriedly and with care; to love God and neighbor with our entire being; to nurture a sense of wonder and curiosity; and to offer the world back to God in gratitude and service as our primary vocation on this earth.

Our Students

Our students are immersed in a transfigurative rhythm of Orthodox liturgical worship and prayer, loving and Christ-centered interactions between teachers and students, awe-filled curiosity about God’s creation in all of its depth and breadth, and opportunities to grow and expand as not only wellformed citizens of this world, but most vitally as transformed citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven and Saints of God.

Curriculum

The liturgy constitutes the silent and creative heart-beat of our curriculum. From a classical Byzantine perspective, education, creativity, inspiration, and culture are all by-products of a liturgical way of life. In this way, Faith and creativity (divergent thinking) go hand-in-hand. Inspired by both Eastern classical pedagogy and principles of a Charlotte Mason education (especially the use of living books and focus on nature studies), TOA offers a liturgically-focused, academically robust, and intentionally unhurried approach to education.  

Our Teachers

Our teachers have a great love for God and children. They are passionate about their subjects and committed to the success and well-being of every student—believing that each student is uniquely created in God’s image and deserving of individual care.

Class Schedule

TOA’s in-person classes are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, where students have the opportunity to learn alongside their parent(s) on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, using work assigned to them by their TOA teachers (as appropriate for age/grade). We currently offer a comprehensive schedule of classes. Students will encounter living and classical literature at all grade levels. 

Our Campus

TOA’s beautiful and state-of-the-art campus is housed at Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church. Our classrooms are spacious, bright, and inviting, with peaceful nature trails and garden, outdoor classroom spaces, and a winding brook surrounding our campus.

Meet Our Volunteer TOA Governing Board Members

April Mason (Curriculum)

Sarah Pentzakis (Finance, Hiring, Curriculum)

Pres. Catherine Tishel (Curriculum)

Angelique Chuchas (Marketing)

Monique Nikolov (Marketing)

Valentina Rezende (Marketing)

Alexander Chuchas