The OWL - November 2019 - Dr. Peggy Pelonis, Appointed Acting President of ACS Athens

A Message from Dr. Pelonis The recent most unfortunate event, the passing of Dr. Stefanos Gialamas, stunned both myself and the ACS Athens community and has brought the issue of sudden loss to the surface. Since then our dear colleague and former Dean of the Institute, Steve Medeiros has also passed. Though deeply saddened by this turn of events the community has come together in support of, firstly the children and secondly, this incredible institution; ACS Athens.

It is truly an honor to be serving as ACS Athens Acting President among such outstanding leaders and faculty. I believe that together we can continue to provide the best possible platform for students to learn and grow as we transition into a new era. My first responsibility has been to the students; ensuring that they are well and able to cope with such unpredictable change. Providing the support necessary towards their growth solidifies the belief that the students are at the center of the institution. My second responsibility has been with the faculty and administration as they are the pillars of the institution and work daily and directly with students to ensure that learning takes place in spite of obstacles. Finally, ensuring the continuity of effective teaching methodology, a strong curriculum, innovative programs and opportunities for creativity and growth are a primary commitment.

The innovative projects make learning fun and intriguing, not only for students, but for all those who abide by the belief that learning is a lifelong process. Within ACS Athens I have had the pleasure to serve as Counselor, Faculty, Director, Dean and Vice President, roles that provided me with multiple perspectives of both the strengths of the institution and the areas to develop further. Likewise leading the Executive Council has placed me in the unique position to be part of the transformation of ACS Athens and a co-developer of its vision and strategy. Moreover, guiding the Strategic Planning of the school and having served on and lead Middle States accreditation teams for a variety of schools worldwide has positioned me to see the bigger picture of education. Ongoing collaborations with numerous universities and educational consultants across the globe allows me to stay in touch with current educational trends and supports the effort being made to bridge the gap between secondary and higher education. My work in psychology internationally however, serves as a gentle reminder that mental health is vital in today’s society. The multiple, unwavering and accelerated changes that take place on a daily basis can leave one depleted of energy and lacking in meaningful living. Thus, I am particularly committed to guiding students to not only develop the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in a competitive society, but to do so while being mentally and physically healthy, resilient, maintaining balanced lifestyles and being part of the solution in local and global issues.

As the leadership team continuously works to better align curriculum and improve teaching methodologies, we do so with the student’s well being at the center of our beliefs. Furthermore, continuing to develop a meaningful Citizenship model that allows students to see their position within their community and make choices that encourage thriving not only on a personal level but on a collective level is most necessary. Helping students evolve into Conscious Citizens ensures the sustainability of the planet and the wellbeing of society because it comes with the understanding that we are all an important and integral part of our environment and that every choice we make can either put us closer to collective well being or to harmful outcomes. Thus, individuals who develop positive, healthy, collaborative, contributive mindsets can ultimately use their knowledge and skill set for the benefit of society and sustainable living. The academic year 2019-2020 promises to be a rewarding year for all stakeholders as we continue to develop programs and provide opportunities that offer students the chance to mature and advance their knowledge and skill set

while forming ideas of who they want to become. Naturally, the most important partners in our endeavor are parents.

I am most grateful to have been the parent of a student at ACS Athens. I saw the development of a young person from within the school walls and from multiple perspectives. While the years were not lacking in conflict and doubt, I can confidently say that ACS Athens has been nothing short of a blessing. Furthermore, I am particularly excited to see our global alumni network continue to grow. Our successful alumni are a true testament to the quality of people that graduate from ACS Athens and I am proud that my daughter, Lydia (class of 2019), is one of the most recent alumni to join this remarkable group of people. As many of you know, the “Turn Back Time” reunion will take place on Saturday, June 13th honoring the 75 years of rich ACS Athens history since the inception of the school in 1945. It promises to be a captivating evening and we look forward to celebrating with all of you on campus. Join us!!

Over the past 20+ years, Dr. Pelonis has been a part of the ACS Athens community and served as Counselor, Psychology Faculty, Director of Student Affairs, Dean of Academics and VicePresident. In addition she has taught at State University Fullerton and the University of LaVerne Master’s Psychology programs as well as the University of Malta. She is currently on the staff of the Resilience Training Institute, USA and of the International Committee of Adlerian Summer Schools and Institutes (ICASSI). She is Chair of the Special Interest Group of the European Collaborative for International Schools (ECIS) and works with Middle States Association (MSA) as a team leader for school accreditation. Her work on international education also includes speaking engagements for the United Nations (New York), The World Innovation Summit in education (WISE) and the Alliance for International Education (AIE)

Dr. Pelonis is a Systemic psychotherapy trainer. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and English Literature from the American College of Greece and a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from California State Fullerton. She is a licensed Family Therapist, National Certified Psychologist from the State of California and holds an Executive Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Indianapolis. Her doctoral work in Educational Leadership from the University of Bath, UK, focused on the complexities of professional development in international schools. Dr. Peggy Pelonis is a transnational Psychotherapist and Educator.. She is devoted to facilitating positive change in people’s lives and has developed a 5-stage ‘Process of Change’ Model to help individuals strengthen the skills needed to cope with life changes.

An active leadership and personal and professional growth coach and trainer of school leadership and transformation, Dr. Pelonis conducts workshops in Europe, USA and the Middle East, as well as groups on Change and is a frequent lecturer at conferences as well as an invited speaker on TV and radio. Her work on Coping with Change, Resilience as well as on Leadership in Education and Educational Transformation has been cited in journals, magazines and books. She is the author and co-author of numerous journal articles, book chapters and magazine & newspaper articles, as well as four books: • • • •

Resilience & the International Mobile Family; navigating Changes and Transitions (Archway publications), Change in the Journey of Life (Fytraki publications) Everything Changes (Isoropon publications) Adlerian Group Counseling and Therapy: Step-by-Step.

Journal articles and book chapters on educational leadership and managing educational change, include: Metamorphosis; A Collaborative Leadership Model to Promote Educational Change, Providing exceptional educational experiences to Students with Financial Need, Academic Leadership; an International Perspective of Academic Leadership, Embracing International Mindedness, Preparing High School Students for College Success, Creating an Institutional Culture that Fosters Innovation in Education.

Her strong convictions on creating healthy societies by promoting and fostering equality, peace and belonging permeate her work both within and outside of schools. Providing opportunities with intentional excellence, for young people to develop sound character in order to problem solve for the betterment of society is a commitment she lives by.

'Our responsibility as educators is to provide students a platform where they can flourish' Dr. Peggy Pelonis participates in UN panel discussion this past June.

Dr. Pelonis has been an asset to ACS Athens in many respects. The ACS Community joins in welcoming her to this leadership role and we look forward to working with her to continue the strong legacy ACS Athens holds…a place of belonging and learning for its students.

Three great US-based alumni leaders combined forces to initiate the reunion of the century... Ann Lappas Stiles, Denah Lord Shabal and Bryan Bryant!

Ann has been the unofficial, official Stateside Alumni Reunion Coordinator since 1997. She has coordinated several ACS stateside reunions to include Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Alexandria, VA, San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, Dallas and several other locations up to and including the most recent reunion in San Antonio, Texas. Having been involved in bringing stateside Alumni to the reunions at ACS in 2007 and 2015 and with the assistance of her Aegean contact arranged tours and excursions around Greece with those events. Ann has organized the two week itinerary and trips around the reunion event.

Denah Lord Shabal found Facebook, where the late George Dussias, an ACS buddy, found Denah.

That first FB contact with George snowballed into reaching out to “lost” friends from ACS, which led to the creation of the FB page, “The Evzone.” This social media encounter gathering of ACS friends in Nashville in 2015, Monterey, CA in 2017, and Cape Charles, VA in 2018. During those years,

Denah was excited to get in touch with Ann Lappas-Stiles, whom she had met in 1990 at a reunion in led to a group of friends (who hadn’t spoken in 45-50 years!) into planning and implementing an incredible Cincinnati, and to “meet” Belina Korovessis and Bryan Bryant through the Internet. It was an honor to donate old photos for the 75th Anniversary book and video, and it is an honor to be included as a member of the 2020 ACS Reunion Committee. This Reunion will truly be a once-in-alifetime event!”

Bryan Bryant has organized two successful Las Vegas reunions over the past 4 years, and has actively reached out to communicate and unify ACS Athens alums everywhere. His love of the school and ACS days is apparent, but his special talent lies in motivating and getting everyone on board and involved!

Soon after, the three of them reached out to Mary Bennet, Nick Karambelas, Artie Gyftopoulos, and their Greek connection: Chris Moukas and Belina Korovessis, and the committee expanded. Planning started more than a year in advance, in fact they managed to meet and discuss at theAlumni Awards in DC. Chris and Belina reach out to the school to book a date: Saturday, June 13, 2020!

Meanwhile, back at ACS, Dr. Peggy Pelonis, Acting President, appoints Chris Perakis, Former Teacher and Administrator, and Annie Angelides, Assistant to Dr. Pelonis and alumna as the school reps, and the committee for the June 13, "Turn Back Time" Reunion on campus grows. Helen Maravegias is added. Markos Papasifakis assumes the role of Director of Entertainment, Annie Constantinides, Athletic Director and alumna, Kostas Kouvopoulos, Assistant Director of Communications and upon her return from the US, Lia Kassanis, a former Alumni Board Member, alum and mother of two alums, becomes a member.

Since then, the "locals" meet regularly to organize a spectacular time for all, on campus, live music (alumni performers), plenty of food and drink, to ensure a memorable homecoming for alums from everywhere. Plans for a tour of campus and soccer/basketball games are in the works during the day of the event. Stay tuned for updates and registration details! For more information and for contacts to register for the two week tours and trips, please visit ACS Athens 2020 Reunion.

This alumni gathering took place on Tuesday November 28th at Dustys' local bar/restaurant in Dubai

In attendance: Angelos Vassiliades, Grace Mouzaes ,Vivianna Maraveyias , Rodanthi Athanasiades, Hadeel Hmaidi, Christos Mastoras, Katerina Papatryfon Drako, Nadim Habayeb, Zayd Faris, Elias Hakim, Omar Farsoun, Chris Arvidson, Pavlos Katsouris, Louay Mansour, Chris Perakis Chris Perakis organized this positive fun filled ACS family evening! Represented by graduates of classes from 1975-2009! Many met there for the first time and were happy to see that they were so many from ACS living in the area!

Dear ACS Parent Community, We are excited to announce that our most traditional annual event, the ACS Athens PTO Holiday Bazaar will take place on Sunday, December 8th, 2019, from 12:00 to 17:00 on the ACS Athens Campus. As we celebrate another year of excellence in education, we invite ACS Athens parents, students, staff, faculty, alumni, friends, and visitors from the wider community to celebrate the festive season with us.

One of the favored attractions in every year’s bazaar is the Raffle and this year the raffle takes on the theme of the Grinch and will be called the Grinchraffle.

The Grinchraffle will have a wide array of prizes comprised entirely of donated goods and services, thus we rely on you, our community, and your kind generosity. No donation is too large or small. We would be truly grateful if you could kindly offer us any of your company's goods or services in the form of prizes for this year's Grinchraffle . The funds raised fr om will go tow ard Greek ch arity or ganizati ons and ACS Athens school pr ojects.

As the H oliday B azaar attr acts p articipants of all age groups, re presentin g m ore than 65 n ation alities, it is a gre at opp ortunity to advertise your bu siness, merchandise or services to a hi ghly diverse and t ar geted audience.

Sincerely,

The benefits of su pporting the ann ual ACS Athe ns PTO Holid ay Bazaar include: your bu siness name and/or l ogo p rominently displayed durin g the event, you r company recognized as a sp ons or on the ACS Athens we bsite an d f acebook p age and the PTO we bpage and faceb ook page. There will als o be t he opp ortunity to offe r bu siness c ards, flyers, or othe r pr om otion al materi als on the t able ne ar your d on ated item/certificate.

On behalf of the PTO, thank you in advance f or y our kin d gener osity and we look f orw ard to hearin g f rom you. Ple ase cont act Mr. Konstantin os Kouvop oulos at 2 106070 419 or e- mail hi m at k ouvop oul osk@ acs.gr with you r d on ation.

Chairperson, ACS Athens PTO

Mary Kats

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Congratulations

ACS Athens Alum Andreas Kambanis!

Spyr os Vassiliou R esidence published as one of the favorite family accomm odations in Athens . The write- up:

Check in: Family-friendly does n’t have to mean a cult ure-free zone. This tasteful urban bolthole, on a sleepy resi dential street right at the foot of the Acropolis, w as once hom e to the famous Greek pai nter Spyros Vassiliou. It makes a great dow ntow n base for families who pr efer their ow n space. Go for the two-bedr oom Gar den Suite to enjoy a priv ate sha ded back yar d with hot tub (thi nk: mini pool for tots) or the classy 1920’s Residence w hich sleeps up to four and trans ports you to an er a when ceilings were hi gh a nd par quet floors were ma de of a ctual wood. Check out the painti ngs. T hey’re Vassiliou origi nals. A toddler crib, hi gh chair, co-sleepi ng bed ( up to 4 mont hs), boar d games, free Wi Fi and Netflix are all on ha nd.

Check ou t: Lucy a nd A ndr ew are as attentiv e and hel pful as a ny hosts can be. Ask them to arrange your pick up from the air port for first class service at the same price as you’d pay for a regular taxi .

Congratulations

ACS Athens Alum Stephanie Damas

for her recognition at the Shopper Marketing Awards for the Digital tool she designed and applied to quality! Interdigitaction... possibilities to harvest real experiential!

Does your doggy need Doggy daycare, Pawsitive Reinforcement, Socialization? ACS Athens Alum Jo Anne Foltz can help!

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ACS alumnus George Kalogeropoulos CEO of HealthSherpa