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Letter from the editor Serving Humanity by Leda Tsoukia, Editor in Chief, ACS Athens Creative/Art Coordinator
«W
e only have what we give» (Isabel Allende)
It is very interesting to hear inspiring speeches delivered by writers, politicians, philosophers, educators, leaders from all fields. There is always a sense of common purpose and a collective “we” in such speeches: a hidden yet perfectly clear idea that WE can succeed when we work together for the common good. Inspirational words that influence people’s lives and create new mindsets have often a common denominator: kindness, caring for others, serving others. It is also common for an educational institution to engage its students in volunteer work, charity, or activities to help people in need. Planting trees, environmental activities, helping animals, soup kitchens and so on, are all beautiful gestures that steer students towards a more human perception of the world around them. ACS Athens has always been very active in gestures of giving to the community. We see this everywhere we look around our school. In the Learner’s profile characteristics, the words used in the vision of the school, even the name of our magazine: Ethos. The message is very clear and examples are found in our school, at all grade levels. What has changed lately is a more extrovert approach concerning the aftermath of these “gestures”. There is a certain will to try to transfer this approach and this knowledge to others, instead of keeping it to itself. Do we cure hunger if we just help one person on the side-
walk? Do we really save the planet by planting one tree? Do we really change the world by educating only our students to act every time as the benefactor to help others in need? These are obviously very important activities and they should always be encouraged, but is this enough? We are now trying to pass on, beyond the confines of our school, the world view that we follow. We are making a concerted effort to share with others how we develop the mindset of looking outside oneself and caring about the needs of the community. It is about “sharing”, not just food or clothes, but sharing the mentality and influencing other people to do the same. This year a beautiful project has continued to evolve on our campus which has made a difference for so many people around us. The Youth to Youth project, an ACS Athens service project in collaboration with the HOME Project, designed to assist unaccompanied-refugee children in adjusting to the local community through education. These children will not stay with us long, but the impact on their future, I think will be significant. They came to our school, became a part of the ACS Athens family and adopted the special mindset of helping others. Would it not be amazing if we see them sharing this mindset wherever they go and continue living their life while “serving humanity?” In April, another major event took place in New York. ACS Athens honored 2 prominent alumni, Dr. Scott Parazynski, a member of the US Astronaut Hall of Fame who received the Lifetime Achievement Award and Dr. Anna Kaltsas, an infectious disease specialist with teaching appointments at Weill Cornell Medical College and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. They both graduated from ACS Athens and dedicated their life in service of humanity. “The first spark though, started in ACS Athens” Ms. Kaltsas said. Dr. Parazynski added: “There are so many reasons to be hopeful for the future, especially with institutions like ACS Athens....” These are ways our school’s philosophy becomes an example to follow, the way ACS Athens embraces the idea of serving humanity with the ultimate goal of creating a 21st century school with a unique educational paradigm. This is why ACS Athens is recognized as one of the top K-12 institutions of the world and how it is perceived as a singular “hope for the future” in the minds of our community. ■■