ETHOS Spring 2015

ETHOS SPRING 2015

ACS Athens American Community Schools

Empowering Individuals to Transform the World as Architects of their Own Learning Our Mission: ACS Athens is a student-centered international school, embracing American educational philosophy, principles and values. Through excellence in teaching and diverse educational experiences, ACS Athens challenges all students to realize their unique potential: academically, intellectually, socially and ethically - to thrive as responsible global citizens.

Reception Desk: Ext. 206, 233 Office of the President: Ext. 201 Office of Enrollment Management, Communications & Technology: Ext. 263 Admissions Office: Ext. 263, 251 Finance: Ext.202, 207 Office of Alumni Affairs/ Procurement: Ext. 207 Human Resources Office: Ext. 204 Cashier: Ext. 208 Bookstore: Ext. 214 Transportation Office: Ext. 239 Health Office: Ext. 217 Cafeteria: Ext. 236 Academy Office: Ext. 222 Academy Discipline: Ext. 404 Middle School Office: Ext. 261 Middle School Discipline: Ext. 267 Elementary School Office: Ext. 229 Office of Student Services: Ext. 226 IB/AP Programs: Ext. 247, 248 Academy/MS Library: Ext. 219, 220 ES Library: Ext. 293 Athletic Office: Ext. 327, 401 Institute for Innovation and Creativity: Ext. 402 Stavros Niarchos Learning Ctr: Ext. 237, 265 Theater Office: Ext. 331, 302 Security: Ext. 240 Night Entrance Security: 210 6393555

Ethos is a bi-annual publication of ACS Athens showcasing the life and activity of the Institution.

Publisher: ACS Athens Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director: Leda Tsoukia Co-Editors: Peggy Pelonis John Papadakis Production team: Frances Tottas Marianna Savvas Copy editing /Text Proofing: Amalia Melis Contributors: ACS Athens Faculty Staff, Students, Parents and Alumni Layout design: Leda Tsoukia Copyright©2015.

All rights reserved. No part of this magazine (text or images) may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher

ACS Athens (American Community Schools) 129 Ag.Paraskevis Street, GR 15234 Halandri Athens, Greece Αγ.Παρασκευής 129, 15234 Χαλάνδρι, Αθήνα, Ελλάδα E: acs@acs.gr

W: acsathens.gr

T: +30 210 6393200-3, +30 210 6016152

F: +30 210 6390051

2

From the editor: The School that touches our hearts

by Leda Tsoukia

3

Meeting my Mentor: An ACS Athens 70th Year Anniversary Reminiscence

by Steve Medeiros 4

ACS Athens: A reflection

by Peggy Pelonis 6

ACS Athens: A reflection

by Cathy Makropoulos

8

ACS Athens: A reflection

by Brian Gerbracht

12

Down Memory Lane: Thirty Five Years at ACS Athens

by Chris Perakis 14 ACS Athens: A reflection

by Annie Constantinides 17 Institutional Metamorphosis: a School that is proactive instead of reactive

by Dr. Stefanos Gialamas 20 Alumni Reflections: “The ACS Athens we remember”

by Chris Perakis 22 Farmstead Fortune: Gaining Ground by Embracing the Past

by Cindy Economopouly 29 i2Flex 2014-15: Learning.Re-Imagined; Schooling. Re-invented

by Dr. Maria Avgerinou 30 i2Flex at Conference “Online EDUCA Berlin”

by Dr. Maria Avgerinou 32 eduTECH 34 Accreditation Team Visit

by Chris Perakis 42 Growth Through Service: the Accreditation Visiting Team, A Holistic Professional Development Experience

by Ginger Carlson 43 When Innovation in Education Meets the Hearts of Students Magic Transpires

by Christina Birbil, Xenia Vafopoulou, Alessandra Sax Cathy Makropoulos, Dr. Stefanos Gialamas

44

Inspiring Global Citizens with Ethos Creative Problem Solving in the Life and Times of an ACS Athens Elementary School Student

by Ginger Carlson 49 Clubs at the ELEMENTARY SCHOOL are S.M.A.R.T !

by Irini Rovoli and Venie Gaki 50 “Sing and Learn Grammar Workshop” in the 36th Annual Convention of TESOL Greece

by Venie Gaki 53

Blogging at the Elementary: O.W.L

by Penny Kynigou 55 The Math Bowl in the Middle School 2015

by Dora Andrikopoulos 58

π–Day Celebration at ACS Athens

by Dora Andrikopoulos 59 Being a Piece of the Model United Nations Mosaic at ACS Athens!

by Evelyn Pittas, Dave Nelson and Margarita Gournaris 62 UNESCO Symposium

by Sonia Kormaris 64

“What If and the Power of Transformation”

by Sophia Thanopoulou 65 Commencement Speakers 2006 - present 70 Why are College Representative Visits so Important to High School Students?

by Anna Velivasaki 73 Transformative Learning Experiences of Pre-Service Teachers at ACS Athens: Navigating New Cultural Terrain

by Dr. Eleoussa Polyzoi 74 Taking Risks and Making Changes

by Brittany Langlois 79 Looking through the eyes of others, Athens is its people

by Mandy Dragatakis 80 Τhe THINK Global School 82 Providing Bricks for the Architects of Their Own Learning: The After School Support Programs at ACS Athens

by Alexandros Hoc 83 Where the Mentor Program Magic Lies…

by Markella Kaplani 84 Honoring Diversity through Inclusion

by Sevasti Koniossis 88 The Educational & Diagnostic Testing Center

by Chris Perakis 91 More than just X’s and O’s…

College Coaches Come to ACSAthens and say a few words of wisdom…

by Annie Constantinides 92 Opportunities for Success for Student-Athletes Created at ACS Athens

by Annie Constantinides 95 Building Layers of Collaboration to Create a Comprehensive Faculty Professional Development and Growth Program

by David Nelson 103 70th Year Dinner Dance Event

by Helen Maravegias

The wealth of Greece – the 4th graders’ experience

by Irini Rovoli

Alumni Affairs

by Belina Korovessis

105

107 109

ETHOS SPRING 2015

Letter from the editor The School that touches our hearts

by Leda Tsoukia, Editor in Chief and Creative Director

T

here are few things that touch our heart when we grow up. Not very often do things around us surprise and excite us, it becomes harder to make new friends and rarely do we find a new place that really feels like home...

I have not been in the ACS family for a very long time.

However the School has touched my heart since day one. It is not only the education provided to our children, or the holistic and innovative approaches it uses to prepare global citizens with ethos.

It is also the way it makes you feel when you walk through our gate. A feeling of hope, that no matter what happens outside, things are going to be OK, at the end.

It is the positive energy of all the faculty, administration and staff, and their unwavering commitment to help our kids become the best they can be: The smiles and the laughter, the excitement and the joy, the intensity and the persistence you see on faces around you.

It is, I think, the relationships between people and the collective vibe of the community which is our school.

The impact of the interaction between minds and souls on all the individuals who create a beautiful, healthy community, that is, after all, responsible to shape/drive the future of our children.

What comes right after this letter, I really hope will touch your hearts as much as it touched mine. It is an example of what happens when several dedicated educators happen to work at the same time and in the same place. Mr Medeiros talks about his Mentor: Dr. Dorbis, and how their professional relationship changed his life and influenced his work.

You will read a number of excellent letters from leaders in our faculty witness what this School means to each one of them. All working together in a place “that feels like home.”

I hope, once again, that you will find all the activities, happenings and manifestations of our School’s philosophy very interesting. We will try to give you, once again, an idea about the most exciting, fresh news from our School, ACS Athens.

Enjoy the journey!

ETHOS SPRING 2015

70 Years Celebration Meeting My Mentor An ACS Athens 70th year anniversary reminiscence

by Steve Medeiros, Dean of Academic Affairs

I

was twenty-four a lifetime ago. I had been teaching English for three years in the Boston suburbs, living in a winter rental on the beach in Scituate, spending summers in grad school at Breadloaf. When I started teaching, I thought it was a career that I would try out for awhile, until I figured out what I really wanted to do when I grew up. I hadn’t expected to fall in love with the profession.

But it was 1981, and tax-cut fever had come to Massachusetts, and when the fever settled on the state, a few thousand young teachers found themselves without the prospect of a job the following September. I was one of them. I vaguely thought about law school and about a Wall Street trainee program one of my banker friends had recommended; maybe it was time to write the novel. And on a January Sunday, as I settled down to breakfast in the beach-town diner where I dug into a stack of French toast, eggs and home fries each week -- the Boston Globe, the Boston Phoenix and the New York Times piled in a mountain in front of me -- I was a young man without a plan.

I hadn’t been in the habit of checking out the Classifieds, but that Sunday, I thought it was time to get started.

“Teach in Greece.” That was the headline of a small boxed one-eighth column ad in the Globe that caught

my eye. Teach in Greece – hell, it sounded more appealing than law school or a Wall Street bank, and if I had a novel in me (I haven’t found it yet), it would surely be easier to tease it out in Greece than in the heart of New England suburbia. I tore out the ad and tucked it into my pocket and promptly lost myself in the Times Week in Review. Later that day, I dug the ad out of my pocket, and “Teach in Greece,” read like a Siren’s song. “Let’s see what this is about,” I thought to myself. And so, I typed out a letter of inquiry and requested an application. Then I turned my attention to the stack of essays that waited grading. Funny how the path of a life can change in an instant.

About a month later, as a result of that random discovery of an ad in the Globe, and after a day of teaching, I found myself on the Red Line train riding into Boston, on my way to meet John Dorbis. Little did I suspect that I would meet that day a mentor and friend who would play such an important part in my life for nearly 30 years.

Those days, Dr. Dorbis didn’t hire his faculty at the cattle-call hiring fairs familiar to so many international school teachers. (I remember, many years later, how he would bemoan his trips to the fair in Cedar Rapids, in the dead of an Iowa winter.) Rather, he had rented a small suite at the Copley Plaza -- all old-world plush carpets, heavy drapes, carved furniture and gold-braided doormen – where he conducted his interviews across an elegant table in his sitting room by a serving cart holding a silver coffee service and china cups and saucers. (That silver coffee pot would play an important part in this story.) It was a bit intimidating and supremely civilized, like the man himself.

I found my way up to his room, and when he greeted me at the door, I was reminded of certain character actors I had seen in the movies -- those refined middle-aged men, impeccably dressed in well-tailored three-piece suits, hair brilliantined straight back, shoes polished to high luster, elegantly well-mannered and with an unplaceable accent -- who always played vaguely Central European counts or spies or men of letters, sophisticated and always a bit mysterious. As he introduced himself and led me to the interview chair, I was intrigued by his formal, accented English, that I would later learn was an amalgam of Greece and Egypt and Paris and his time spent working with Americans. I remembered thinking that this school, ACS, must be some kind of interesting place, a world removed from Weymouth High.

John had done his homework. As he pulled out my letter and my resume, I noticed that they were covered with notes, underlinings and annotations, like my college textbooks. So, this would be no cakewalk. He sat across from me and started in. What had college been like? Which courses had meant the most to me? What was my hometown like? And the school where I was currently teaching? What classes had I taught? Which had I taught well? Which not so well? Who were my favorite writers? Why did I love Huckleberry Finn? Could I recite some lines from a favorite poem? (Thank you William Wordsworth.) How did I know if my students

5

had learned successfully? How did the yearbooks I had overseen come out? Why did I want to be a teacher? Why did I want to come to Greece? (So I told him about tax-cuts and law school and the serendipitous discovery of the ad in the Globe and the diner on Scituate Harbor, and I told him honestly that what I knew of Greece –- the modern version – was what I had gleaned from attending the annual GOYA balls in New Bedford, Massachusetts with my friend Nikki and her Greek-American family.) And there was that moment that he picked up the resume and scanned it, his eyes pausing somewhere near the bottom of the page; he looked up at me and said, “You write that you are fluent in French. Maintenant, nous parlions en francais pour un peu.” Oh God, just my luck to be interviewed by a former French teacher. I had studied the language for eleven years, through my sophomore year in college, but I had never lost the accent that unmistakably marked me as that equally familiar character I had seen in countless movies: the American trying to speak French. Unintelligible accent and all, I made it through several minutes of terrifying conversation.

“Bon,” he said. I breathed deeply. He smiled and said, “Bon,” again. We laughed. I think I passed the test.

“Would you like some coffee?”

As I held my cup, he stood and lifted the heavy silver coffee pot to pour. The lid somehow came loose, and a half a pot of hot coffee cascaded onto my lap – luckily the pot had sat for awhile; the coffee wasn’t scalding, but let’s say it was warm enough to get my attention.

We caught each other’s eye; he looked stricken; I can’t say what he saw on my face. An awkward moment.

He apologized profusely and offered me a white cloth napkin from the serving table. I thought that this was a matter better handled in private, and excused myself to the bathroom. He apologized again as I left the table. After some minutes of fumbling with the hair dryer I found in the hotel bathroom, I had the coffee stain under control.

“This is the real test,” I thought, “how do we get through the rest of this?” I returned to the table.

John was concerned. “I am so sorry. You’re sure you are all right?”

“Really, all is well.”

“Well, that was something.”

“That was something.”

And again we caught each other’s eye, and we laughed. “So, tell me what your favorite book to teach is.”

I thought for a moment. “The Scarlet Letter,” I replied.

It was the novel I was reading with my sophomores at the time, still fresh in the mind.

“Good,” he said. “I like that one, too. So, let’s go back to day one, and tell me how you’d begin to teach the novel.” And I was off. He must have let me talk for fif-

teen minutes, describing lessons and writing assignments and class discussions; projects that I’d had the kids do; things that they had thought about Hester and Dimmsdale and Pearl.

“I like that,” he’d interject. Or, he’d ask, “Have you thought of doing this?” When I had finally run out of steam, he asked, “You love teaching, don’t you?”

“I do.”

And that was the thing about John. He loved teaching and teachers and talking about teaching, too. He told me about his childhood in Egypt, about studying with the nuns, and about being a student in Paris. He told me about ACS, and about his own work there over the years, and about how much he loved the school, and about how proud he was to represent it. He told me about the Humanities class at ACS, and about an exceptional teacher named John Demos, who would be the teaching partner of the person he was looking to hire to teach the class. (And that is another story.

John Demos is yet another great mentor and friend that this school has brought into my life.) Two hours had passed since I had knocked on the door; I was sold. John told me that I would hear from him within a couple of weeks.

“There’s one more thing,” he said, looking at my resume again. “It says here that one of your interests is writing. Would you bring me some of your writing to read? I’ll be in Boston for two more days.” This one didn’t feel like a test, but rather like a genuine expression of interest.

“I’d be honored.”

We shook hands at the door. “I’m sorry about the coffee,” he said.

I brought him some pieces of writing the next day.

About a week later, I was jolted out of sleep by the early morning ringing of the phone. “Steve, this is John Dorbis. I’d like to offer you a position at ACS. Will you accept?”

The twenty-four year old man without a plan didn’t hesitate. “I’d be honored.” And the first stone in a new path fell into place, and thirty-five years later, it’s a path that still leads me, and that has given me a new home, in Greece and at ACS Athens. I am grateful.

A footnote: when I opened the envelope containing my contract a few weeks later, I found, in addition to two copies of the contract, the copies of the poems I had brought to John the day after our interview. I hadn’t expected this, but there they were, filled with underlinings, comments and annotations. I was touched that he had given time and thought to my words.

So many years later, about a month before he died, John and I sat in the atrium outside the theater at school. He had dropped by for a too infrequent visit.

It was one of those perfect Greek autumn days, bril-

6

liant sunshine and blue sky. Blue like it is only blue in Greece. Still dressed in a suit, necktie still perfectly knotted, John sat across the table from me. He seemed tired, frail; physically smaller than when I had last seen him. We talked about the work I was doing as an administrator; he asked me if I was getting the chance to do any teaching, and told me that I needed to get into the classroom more often. He spoke of an article he was writing, about a project he was working on. I don’t know how it came up, but I asked him if he remembered when we met in Boston. I told him that I had always believed that I had got the job because he felt guilty about spilling half a pot of coffee in my lap – it had become an old joke between us.

We caught each other’s eye and laughed.

■■

ACS Athens: A reflection

by Peggy Pelonis, Dean of Student Affairs

D

efined by the word ‘community’, ACS Athens has been known for decades as the American Community School, eventually evolving to become an international school with an American philosophy of education, principles and values. If there is one thing that seems to permeate the culture of ACS Athens it is the love that students, teachers and alumni express for this institution which encompasses a diversity of cultures, personalities, experiences yet bonds people in a unique and sometimes inexplicable way. No matter where students eventually make their home or work place around the world, ACS Athens continues to be a home away from home.

The evolution of ACS was in some ways inevitable once the student body, comprised mostly of American military/embassy families, condensed due to the changes in social/political scenery. It took several years for the school to find its footing and redefine the kind of school it should be. My recollections go as far back as the 90’s where the services provided by ACS Athens to students were second to none in Athens and perhaps even Greece. Resources for students with learning differences, counseling for social/emotional wellbeing, college guidance by committed staff and a range of activities and sports that allowed students to maintain a balance of mind and body. These American ideals were recognized strengths that all agreed should not be lost. In the last ten years while other schools gradually adopted similar programs and the choices offered to those wanting an education beyond the traditional Greek one became many

and varied, ACS Athens created an exclusive niche in the world through a philosophy of education that brought the pieces of the educational puzzle together in harmony.

The understanding that learning need not be confined to the classroom, sparked new ideas that led to creating innovative ways and opportunities for learning to take place. Additionally, the ancient Greek ideals of educating mind, body and soul became a central focus at ACS Athens. Thus, a philosophy of education encased in the word Morfosis (to educate and to shape) was developed to include the ideas of Holistic, Meaningful, and Harmonious. Holistic refers to educating the whole person; mind, body and soul to the degree possible. Meaningful refers to providing learning opportunities that are meaningful to students; that apply to their world and daily lives. Harmonious defines an alignment between learning and student goals as well as curriculum and school philosophy goals. Furthermore, within this philosophy ‘equal opportunity’ for learning was a must and led to the idea of ‘Best Fit’; that teaching must consider the unique learning style, ability and personality of each student.

It became obvious that traditional methods of teaching, where the expert teacher provided knowledge to a group of students, needed a different approach.

Technology was gradually incorporated meeting within their internet world. While students today seem to be technology savvy it does not necessarily follow that they use technology in appropriate and responsible ways. Teachers moved quickly and strategically to understand and navigate the tech world.

Words and tools such as Moodle, Skyward, and Starboards became as common on campus and among adults as Facebook, Twitter and Snapshot were among students. The newest addition to the pool of tech tools is the I2Flex; a teaching methodology that meets students within their tech world by using a variety of tech tools that are interesting to students to create a stimulating learning environment. The I2Flex is an internet based delivery method of content and instruction with faculty inspired independent learning and face to face teaching (Avgerinou, Gialamas, Tsoukia, 2014).

The curriculum used at ACS Athens is organic. Faculty committed to reviewing varied curriculum documents and decided to both combine and create a new document that suits this particular student body. Additionally students have the option, in high school, to complete the International Baccalaureate Diploma as well as Advanced Placement courses. More recently,

within the last decade, the changes that swept the world, both social/political and technological, created a need to change from within. In fact change and innovation became a central focus at ACS in order to create the type of learner who would be able to cope with, navigate and initiate change in the world.

Due to the multiple, fast and unprecedented changes in the world around us, international schools in particular, such as ACS Athens, are committed to shaping global citizens; people able to navigate themselves amongst different cultures, languages, and traditions. Furthermore, competition for higher education institutions is fiercer than ever before. Students inevitably experience the pressure to perform, cope and be ahead of the game in a myriad of ways. Being committed to educating the whole person assumes that the student is at the center of the institution, not only to accomplish academic success, but to accomplish a way of life that is balanced, with principles, values and ethos as cornerstones and aides to contribute positively to the world. Therefore, the services available to assist students in accomplishing such goals have been carefully designed and implemented via the office of Student Affairs. The Wellness Center ensures that the students receive social/emotional support to enhance holistic well being. Assisting students in transitions, be it coming to the school, departing from the school, or moving from one grade level to another is optimally accomplished through a well researched Owl-Buddy program. Individual strengths and interests are continuously explored within the context of culture, language, academic strengths and social-emotional development via a variety of psycho-educational programs and interventions.

A comprehensive college guidance program takes place 9th -12th grade encouraging students to engage in self-reflection via a wide variety of activities including interest/career tests, focus groups and digital portfolios. Advisory classes designed to address students’ need to know thyself and place thyself within the world by understanding their strengths and areas for further growth, lead to the creation of a personal profile that is eventually used to make ‘best fit’ choices in applying to higher education. A very innovative math and writing studio provide resources and enhanced instruction for optimal college essays, research projects and thinking outside of the box.

As there are no two identical finger prints, there are no two identical children. Children also learn differently and assimilate knowledge in unique ways. We have much to learn about how the younger gener-

ETHOS SPRING 2015

ations, born tech savvy, learn and how they apply knowledge. Thus, to support these different learning styles, the Optimal Learning Program (OLP) was developed with the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Housed on school grounds, the OLP specialists stay abreast the most recent developments in learning styles assisting students to reach their highest potential as learners. Rapidly becoming one of the leading centers in the region the specialists in the center are committed to skill building and leveling the knowledge base for all students. Mentor programs and a newly developed Innovation Zone allow younger students to pair up with older students or with adults specialized in an area of interested to the advanced learner in order to imagine, create, develop and display projects beyond the formal classroom.

A newly designed Psycho-educational Testing Center consisting of a three-fold model organically designed at ACS Athens allows three specialists to test students via a variety of educational and psychological battery of tests. Three specialists collaborate at the completion of the tests to ensure that optimal assessment has been accomplished before results are discussed with students and families and in order to proceed with ‘best fit’ choices in academic curriculum, co-curricular activities and higher educational choices.

Finally, counselors through the Student Life Center encourage and support students to participate in activities, interest groups and competitions best suited to their strengths but also guide students to stretch themselves by becoming involved in different areas where other skills can be developed. Community Service is highly encouraged through a thorough process of self and social exploration and it allows students to become aware of social conditions and become part of the solution.

ACS Athens, through the Morfosis model, is best described as a place where learning comes alive. We have come to understand that the best way for learning to be assimilated is when it is meaningful to the student.

Such meaning happens first and foremost through the relationships developed. This caring community of teachers, administrators, counselors and learners is a microcosm of innovation and continuous self-reflection. Whether student, faculty, parent or friend of the institution one is swept into the culture and becomes a participant of history in the making.

■■

Previous page: Peggy Pelonis and Steve Medeiros

Opposite page: Kindergarten graduation

ACS Athens: A reflection

by Cathy Makropoulos, Principal, Elementary School

T

he focus of this essay will be my reflection of my own journey through the Elementary School as an educator and leader. I have worn many hats at ACS Athens since 1980. At times, I wore multiple hats.

I have been an ACS student, parent, faculty member and administrator. This has given me the opportunity to view ACS Athens through different lenses throughout my journey. As a student, I was fortunate to have been given the opportunity to enroll at ACS Athens. I instantly found myself surrounded by a student body that I could relate to, and a curriculum that I was familiar with having transferred from a NY public high school. As a parent, I have watched my children grow as they were given opportunities to discover their talents and transform into balanced young adults. The Student Services Department, under the guidance of Ms. Pelonis, assisted my daughter (a senior in college this year), in finding the “best fit” University for her to attend. My son, a junior in high school this year, has been given opportunities to focus on his talents as he completes high school. As a parent, I express my gratitude to all faculty, staff and administrators for assisting my children in their journey through school. We live in a world that is rapidly changing. This change has also brought about transformation to the institution. Many things have changed over the years from people to programs, to facilities to technology. Each of these changes, plays a significant part in shaping ACS Athens to what it has become today.

I would have to mention some changes in facilities and landscape that have affected elementary school

9

students over the years. I will focus on four major changes. The early childhood playground used to be a concrete area with a few swings and slides; it is now a beautiful landscape with appropriate equipment. The elementary school cafeteria is now indoors, allowing the children a beautiful space to eat in. Finally, we now have a beautiful indoor pool for children to use during their swimming unit in grades 1-5 during P.E., and an amazing theater for performances.

Globalization has allowed us to belong to a world with fewer boundaries. ACS Athens has always been a blend of cultures, as our student population includes many different nationalities. In the Elementary School we implement best practices to ensure that each child is holistically successful; academically, socially and emotionally. At this point I would like to focus on the programs offered by our counseling department for social and emotional development. Children have participated in programs on change and transition under the leadership of Dr. Sax (Owl Buddy Program),

Self-Esteem, Communication Skills and Issues of Diversity of Culture, Tolerance, and Anti-Bullying. Our school counselors provide the children with continual support throughout the year individually and in groups.

We have a school-wide consistency in expectations and implementations of Positive Behavior Support Plan. The elementary school community is Respectful, Responsible and Ready for school. This plan is followed by a monthly all-school assembly where children are recognized for displaying citizenship. This assembly is now being run by students!

Many years ago, I remember assignments being copied on a ditto machine in the teacher’s lounge and documents being stored on a floppy disc. Faculty now shares electronic documents while planning. Nowadays you enter classrooms equipped with smart boards even for our very youngest, Junior Kindergarteners. It is amazing to watch them use their finger to

10

interact with the board as they are being introduced to new learning topics. Third graders are introduced to e-Portfolios and our fifth graders are now actively writing blogs!

This year, we have a writing studio for children in grades 1-5. Mr. Zervas, writing studio coordinator, reflects: “I have noticed a significant change in student’s outlook on writing since the beginning of the year.

They are more enthusiastic and also eager to attend.

A fascinating dynamic occurs among peers when individuals are sharing a piece of writing (when shyness is overcome) and an open discussion occurs on how to expand or work on a dilemma. Students are often satisfied walking away with possible outcomes which reflect on how to approach future writing assignments.”

Over the last three years we have focused on teaching children to understand mathematics conceptually.

Children use hands-on manipulatives and arrays to demonstrate their understanding of mathematics.

This approach of teaching mathematics is very different from teaching children mathematical procedures.

Entering any grade level math class you would find children working in groups and solving problems by demonstrating understanding of mathematical operations and applying their knowledge.

Children showcase their learning during Student-Led Conferences. As I circulate around the school, I am very proud of our students who displayed their growth by articulating their knowledge to their parents during Student-Led Conferences. It is especially wonderful to watch the Junior Kindergarteners and Kindergarteners interact with their parents during this time. An important part of learning is communicating and also being reflective.

Another opportunity for children to showcase their learning is through Exhibitions of Learning. These exhibitions of learning demonstrate children’s learning in the content areas through representations and simulations. They are interdisciplinary and culminating.

Children plan for, collaborate, write, build, produce, and perform to the wider school community. The children’s exhibitions of learning further reinforce how these key themes promote teamwork and ultimately establish the basis of being a good leader. Leadership

is a core/fundamental theme we teach, and being a good citizen, a good individual, and a good team player are the first steps to becoming a great leader.

In second grade, children have the exciting opportunity of exploring their Units of Inquiry on a field trip where they discover, through hands-on activities, some of the objects from the museum exhibition collection. Some of these objects then accompany the students back to school in order for them to teach

their other second grade classmates!

During the Living Wax Museum, third graders have the opportunity to learn about a historical figure of their choice, they prepare by reading the biography of their historical figure and making a costume to wear.

Each student creates an activation button and their figure comes to life and their presentation begins when pressed.

The fourth grade the children study South America.

They learn about the continent as a whole (geography, culture, important physical features, history) they write research papers, folktales and create visual displays. They use multimedia in an interactive manner to present their final project on the day of their exhibition.

In the 5th grade this exhibition of learning has now evolved into a project as they study their unit of Ancient Greece. The children take initiative in their learning and present an in-depth look of “The Ancient Agora of Greece”. The exhibition of learning is a living museum where they are the authorities. One of the teachers, Ms. Kynigou, reported: “The children planned-we facilitated. They were ready to take the responsibility.”

They were empowered by their teachers to take initiative, explore and create. They were given the opportunity to improve and re-design as they planned cooperatively. Since they were the planners, and the creators this gave them ownership. It was very powerful to watch the children on the day of their performance.

Many little skits were taking place at the same time.

Meaningful education leads to real life learning, a teaching approach that endorses motivation and success. Students need time to explore personal interests in contexts they can relate to. This is the Vision at ACS Athens today: Empowering individuals to trans-

ETHOS SPRING 2015

form the world as architects of their own learning.

One of the programs that promote active, engaged, meaningful learning is the Dogs in Learning Program (DiL) where highly trained dogs are included in the classrooms as inspirational vehicles to enhance learning. According to Christina Birbil (faculty) and Theo Koutsopoulos (dog trainer) DiL is designed to use highly trained dogs as an inspirational vehicle to support children’s understanding and learning while

applying everyday issues related to empathy and psychology such as: leadership, nonviolence, patience, respect, kindness, love, team work, responsibility, confidence, friendship, trust etc. In addition, a plethora of curriculum contents at the Elementary School are being taught and learned by students in a purposeful, stimulating, and fun way. In fifth grade for example, by measuring the speed of two dogs having different heights, students can correlate the length of a dog’s leg with his running ability. In first grade, children are inspired to develop reading skills, written communication skills, conversational skills all within relation to Captain Chip, thus increasing their vocabulary and ultimately their sense of self and self worth within a group. All of the above make learning fun, encourage risk-taking, and increase happiness.

me to look at things from a different angle without telling me how to solve the problem. He holds everyone to a standard of excellence: all programs are evaluated and enhanced yearly. I feel fortunate to have been given the opportunity to work closely with such a leader.

The primary purpose of every school is to enhance student learning. We celebrate the positive energy, creativity and enthusiasm that you will find as you

enter ACS Athens Elementary School. Daily life here continues to be satisfyingly full, delightfully noisy, academically challenging and highly productive. As educators, we seek to provide children with endless opportunities to demonstrate potential excellence. The journey to learning includes times when children are given the opportunities to build and design, becoming architects of their own learning.

■■

Collegial collaboration is something that I have always experienced at ACS Athens. Faculty has always collaborated whether it was to plan an interdisciplinary unit for the students with specialist teachers (i.e. art, music, physical education, foreign language exhibitions of creativity displayed throughout the year) or at each grade level. It has reached a different level in the last few years as Collaborative Learning Communities have been developed by the faculty as a means for professional development. Another change in professional development has been the action research conducted by every faculty member in the school.

Finally, Dr. Gialamas has been truly inspirational to me. He is a man who has a set agenda and shares his vision with all constituents of the institution every year. He embraces innovation and encourages and assists others to reach their potential and think outside the box. He is diligent and dedicated to his job. He is a man who is at constant “unrest”, researching, introducing and implementing the highest quality programs. Often times I meet with him to discuss issues that I come across as a Principal; he always coaches

Opposite and current page from left to right: 4th Grade Interactive South American Museum Current page (far right photo): 3rd Grade Wax Museum

ETHOS SPRING 2015

ACS Athens: A reflection

by Brian Gerbracht, Principal, Academy

S

ome people come to Greece for the brilliant sun, sparking Mediterranean beaches, great food, and nightlife. Others come for the history; the rich tapestry of ancient ruins which tell of our development as a human race or the extensive religious artifacts from various cultures.

This was not us. We left our home and most of our possessions in America to come to ACS Athens. Don’t get us wrong, it is not to say that the possibility of en-

13

joying the above mentioned didn’t help us with our decision. But, ACS Athens was our primary destination.

I wanted an experience that was far different from the public schools in New York State. I found one here at ACS Athens. I have been allowed, no, encouraged, to explore innovative approaches while continuing the development of our American philosophy of education. Everyone here is supported to pursue their creativity. We push each other to think beyond our current structure to find the most engaging ways to connect to our students. For me, this has been a breath of fresh air. We are rarely restrained by oppressive state or governmental regulations. Because of this we are a team of educators that are continually growing and improving. Taking risks and implementing a dynamic school experience.

Our 3 daughters have had the most wonderful teachers, counselors, and staff supporting their experience.

These people are caring, thoughtful, and concerned.

The level of interest the employees show towards all who enter is exemplary. They genuinely are concerned about students and parents. These words have been repeated time and again by others who come to ACS Athens; and, it is one of many reasons parents continue to bring their children here.

They have participated in school activities which have helped them choose their future studies. They have been able to travel to different countries and explore parts of the world. Through extracurricular participation our daughters have learned about themselves and found friends in the process.

Through continued support our eldest daughters have decided to pursue advanced studies at international universities. They have enjoyed their experience at ACS Athens and want to continue exploring other cultures and locations. We couldn’t be more thrilled with their decisions.

Our family has made friends from all walks of life, every country, and every religion. Coming to Greece, and ACS Athens in particular, has been more than we could have hoped for. Over the past 3 years our lives have been transformed. Although this is our first experience overseas, I feel we have gone from being an American family to global citizens.

The decision to move to Athens is the best one we have made, not only for our children but for our whole family. Thank you to everyone at ACS who helped make our time here fantastic! Now we all need to go to the beach.  ■■

14

Nisirios, Jane Karvouniaris, Nassie Benetatou, Maria Panagiotou, Jane Ktorides, Spiros Pilleris, Evi Zoukis, Irene Katon, Tina Dellas, Aliki Ammerman, Yvonne Aloupis, Georgia Kapetanakis, Inara Papasideri, George Pisanias, John Reissis, Tony Makrides, Sophia Nicholas, George Peppas, Georgie and Perry Fottinely, Nick Demos and Patty Green to name a few. Though they have all since retired, their contributions remain forever embedded in our school.

Being new to Greece, ACS Athens became my home away from home. Three and a half decades later, it still is. It continues to provide me with an environment where learning is valued and educators are given the opportunity to develop creative projects and ideas as they deem necessary.

Down Memory Lane: Thirty Five Years at ACS Athens

by Chris Perakis - Evlogias, Director, Learning Enhancement Programs & Educational and Diagnostic Testing Center

I

t seems like yesterday. And yet 35 years have passed since I left Newport, Rhode Island to come teach at ACS Athens. It didn’t take me long to realize that I had come to some place special. Colleagues welcomed me warmly, and open heartedly shared their wisdom.

How can I forget the support I received from Dr. John Dorbis, Helen Liakos, Dr. Pimenides, Daphne Kyriakaki, Sophia Kallipolits, Mary Pazartzis, Toula Aravanis, Coach Constandinides, Paul Cabanis, Annette Savvas, Jane Mantarakis, Mary Kouyoumdjoglou, Kathleen

Having studied different areas of education, as well as holding four different teaching certificates, I was flexible enough to readily volunteer to teach all kinds of subjects! Some of these were, 6th grade; Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, 7th grade Math & Biology, 8th grade Earth Science, Middle School; Home Economics, Greek Life & Culture, Creative Writing, Resource Support, Optimal Match, etc. In the Academy I taught Environmental Science, I was the IB CAS coordinator, Faculty in the Resource room, and Optimal Match program and more. Ten years ago, I became the director of the Optimal Match program at ACS Athens and have coordinated all support programs since then. I am also co-chairing the annual Learning Differences Conference, which we are putting together for the 10th year in a row!

The opportunities for learning outside of the classroom continue to be many for both students and staff. I had the pleasure of being the advisor for Academic Games where we traveled to many countries to compete with other schools. There are so many memorable moments former students and I share of places like Egypt, Dubai, Kuwait, and other NESA schools.

These opportunities to travel gave us a window of what it’s like to live in a different country that might be so different than the one you’re coming form.

The Ecology Club, for which I was the advisor, gave the students of all ages, opportunities to explore wildlife, natural phenomena, agriculture and ancient ruins.

Some of the places we visited over the years include: Cyprus and Zakynthos to study the Caretta Caretta

ETHOS SPRING 2015

turtles. We went to Prespes, Meteora, Paros, Andros, and Aegina to study ancient sites and cultivation. We visited wild life animal shelters in Aegina and Paros, as well as caves in the Peloponnese and Paiania where we examined stalactite and stalagmite formation. In Santorini we visited the volcano which theory has it brought an end to the Minoan Civilization. Looking back I wonder, how did I ever do it? What a responsibility to care for and monitor all these students for 3-5 days on my own. On many of these trips I had to take my own children with me. As they were very young, I didn’t have anywhere to leave them. They became members of the team and everyone looked after them! We were one big family.

How can I forget our trip to the trout farm and Kalavrita. The people at the farm were not prepared for our arrival, so Helen Liakos, Angeliki Vellis and I cleaned, peeled and cut potatoes to feed one hundred hungry students. One of the students fell in the area where

they kept the trout in his attempt to show the farm owner which fish he wanted to eat. In Cyprus students became scientist caretakers of newborn turtles and guided them safely to the sea. I will never forget their laughter, smiles and pride. They all wanted to become scientists at a very young age; and some actually did! â˜ş

Opposite page: Chris Perakis-Evlogias Dr. Stefanos Gialamas, President, with Chris Perakis at the 9th Conference on Learning Differences Current page: Chris Perakis at the 8th Conference on Learning Differences

ETHOS SPRING 2015

Coordinating Middle School dances and helping with the yearbook and literary magazine were also challenging and gratifying tasks. The dances were always fun to put on together; pizza and soft drinks accompanied by great music. Watching kids take part in their first “dance experience” was priceless. Everyone danced; well, mostly the girls. The boys were busy chasing each other around the dance floor. When the slow dances played, most of the girls ran to the bathrooms crying, as they were not asked to dance by the boys they liked. Of course I was always there to comfort and support them.

I was the 8th grade TEAM leader and coordinated graduations as well as proms. I was also the advisor for the senior class for many years and I celebrated with each student every year that passed. Proms, graduations and tears of joy for each year that has gone by remain fixed in my memory.

Talent shows, music and play nights were always fun; especially when teachers were also part of the cast!

Being able to sing at the Christmas assembly with the students and acting alongside them is such a powerful way of showing we are all equal and we learn from each other in this learning and teaching community.

Speaking of opportunities to challenge yourself as much as you would challenge the students! I always felt our school should have cheerleaders but no one was doing something about it. Until I did. Everyone looked at me with funny expressions on their faces and said, “You’re the new cheerleader coach?” It only lasted for two years, but I had as much fun as the girls did! One should be able to do what they feel is right for the students; and not wait for others to step in.

I remember using the ditto machine where we wrote or typed our exams on these sheets of paper with carbon backs and then ran them through a machine to make copies. Those blue hands and ink marks on all my clothes are still very vivid in my mind.

Though the technology may have been resigned to the times, we have always been ahead of the game educationally. Cooperative learning groups, project based curriculum and multidisciplinary projects have always been a part of the way we do things at ACS Athens. I was always intuitive and worked on many projects and grants. I wrote a grant for Environmental Science and Ericson gave me the opportunity not to just take kids to Cyprus to see the sea turtles, or take the whole school to plant trees in Pendeli, but to also have one of the first computers in my Middle School Lab 2 classroom. Many teachers would pass by my room daily to use my computer while I was teaching my Earth Science classes. I had to learn to use the computer and empower my students to be active learners by using technology as a tool for learning too.

Another event that will follow me for years is my training in NASA the summer of 1998. My goal was to learn all about air space travel, so I can come back and teach it to my students taking the Earth Science class with me. Not only did I find out what astronauts have to do

to be prepared for their flights, but I also got to meet John Glenn and Scott Parazynski in person. A year later I invited Scott Parazynski (‘79) to come back to his school to talk with students and the ACS Athens community at large. Meanwhile he had travelled to space on a mission carrying the ACS Athens flag with him in the Space Shuttle. We also tried connecting with him via computer, while he was in the space station. As soon as the press release with the many photos I had taken circulated, we were bombarded with reporters and TV channels asking me to speak to them. All the local newspapers had an article back then about ACS Athens and my training at NASA. I remember Steve Medeiros putting a stop to the media frenzy by saying that we are at school and learning must go on.

I remember Summer Writing projects where I saw writing as a process for the first time. One summer twenty five years ago, I took over supervising the project as Steve Medeiros was going to be in the US. I had to bring my children Paul and Evi who were in the JK and 1st grade along to school every day. We brought their bicycles and enough toys and books to keep them occupied throughout the day. Ms. Anna Dimitri and her sister Evi, were kind enough to be on campus to look after them while I was busy working.

I have also been lucky enough to be chosen to be part of the Middle States Association Accreditation visiting teams. The Accreditation process is external, with the objective to validate the schools’ quality and student achievement that fosters continuous school improvement. The TEAM is given the authority to validate and check the school inside and out during their visit.

17

This opportunity for professional and mental growth is a way of verifying that everything you have been doing and believing all along has not been in vain.

ACS Athens invests in our continuing professional development, supports those who pursue educational opportunities and does not hesitate to send its educators to far reaches of the globe to do so. I am privileged to have been the NESA (North East South Asia) school representative for many years. This allowed me to travel to conferences in places such as Egypt, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangkok that I would not have had the chance to visit otherwise. I met new people who share the same passion about education that I have. It was always rejuvenating to come back with new ideas to share with colleagues and students. For the past six years I have been the chair for SEN (Special Educational Needs) for ECIS (European Council of International Schools) and have traveled to Nice, Amsterdam, Hamburg, and Lisbon.

ACS Athens continues to be a magical place where teaching and learning is innovative, fun and has purpose! I wouldn’t exchange the decision I made 35 years to be a part of this wonderful institution for anything in the world. What has kept me going are the successes of the students that I have had the privilege of teaching, and knowing that they still think of me and keep in touch is very moving. This makes me feel like I have accomplished my mission as a teacher at ACS Athens. I myself have been a dedicated student of ACS Athens and have been holistically growing in this wonderful institution over the past 35 years, as some of my memories validate above.

Presently I am the director of the Learning Enhancement Programs, as well as, the director of our newly established Educational & Diagnostic Center.

■■

Opposite page: Chris Perakis with students at the Song and Dance Show, 2015

Current page: Annie Constantinides, Director of Athletics

ACS Athens: A reflection

by Annie Constantinides, Director of Athletics, Summer Camp and Recreational Programs

A

thletics at ACS Athens have always been an important component in the daily lives of many students; I have many fond memories as a young student, later on as a coach and presently, as the Director of Athletics. Now I believe that I have an added responsibility of not only maintaining the legacy of ACS Athens athletics but to enhance it and create opportunities and memories for our present and future students.

I came to ACS Athens in 7th grade from a Greek public school having come to Athens from the Greek school of Cairo, Egypt. My English language skills were minimal and my father Coach Constantinides who was the Middle School Physical Education teacher at the time, was very supportive and helped me during my first weeks at school. I remember that from day one, my involvement in sports was an added incentive to try harder in classes and it certainly minimized my stress level. The campus was quite different than it is today – there were no tennis courts, there were a number of basketball courts and a gravel / dirt soccer field. What was intriguing to me, was the plethora of activities and sports available to us: I remember try-

18

ing out for everything! I ran cross country at a young age, I played soccer, volleyball , track and field and of course, basketball. I fondly remember my lunch time basketball “dares” with the boys.

and live the dynamics of multiculturalism every day; the language clubs, the festivals, the theater productions, the talent shows, the cheerleaders…. Wow….. I am sure many others can still remember.

Throughout high school the setting was the same; maintaining good grades but always involved in a sport! I still remember our trip to Thessaloniki and our participation in the Aegean Tournament playing against Anatolia in the final basketball game. In the spring of the same year, our track team participated in the CAC Screaming Eagles Competition in Cairo – to run a 3km race in the desert around the pyramids was an unforgettable experience!

After ACS Athens, McGill University was the next stop… six years of studying, great courses, college basketball and two degrees at the end. I decided to return to Greece for many reasons and soon after my arrival, in 1986 I “landed” at ACS Athens again… this time, in a different role.

As a student athlete I had great and unique memories; I was fortunate to be in an environment where the coaches were caring, energetic but most importantly great educators . My father, Coach C. was the one who showed me the way; and now looking back and thinking about him, I believe he touched upon many lives as a coach, teacher and a human being.

ACS Athens had a “special air” at the time; we had students from all over the world and you could sense

The school facilities had changed a bit as well as had a number of programs and activities. In Athletics, our teams participated in the EMAC conference and a few ISST events as well. Traveling out of Greece was a more common outcome than before and I remember that those sports trips were unforgettable for our student athletes. As a coach I had the opportunity to travel with our students to a number of places: Damascus, Amman, Cyprus, Abu Dhabi, Vienna, Paris, Frankfurt to name a few… games and competitions were won or lost, friendships were created and institutional collaborations were established.

ETHOS SPRING 2015

As the years went by, our school changed in a variety of ways; some matters were out of our control while others were the outcome of our own choices.

We were no longer the same “large” school as we used to be in the 70s or 80s or early 90s. At times, political unrest was at the center of things, making it difficult to continue with some traditional events and competitions. Some sports and activities we had to do away with, such as, football, wrestling, gymnastics and cheerleading since we did not have the number of students nor the competition available to sustain these programs.

ing important traits that guide an individual in all aspects of life. I believe that my own life path has been the result of my involvement in sports and of course the guidance of my parents, who both were involved in high level sports during their youth. Through sports, students learn about motivation, discipline and reaching for goals that seems unattainable. They learn about the effort that is constantly needed in life, about the feeling of pride when even a small accomplishment is made, about sportsmanship and doing the right thing, about respect and tolerance which are both important elements in the world we live in.

At the end of the day, however, athletics continued to be a strong component of our school. So, as the years went by, we no longer participated in the EMAC competitions since the conference itself underwent drastic changes and evolved into something different and out of our geographical reach. We invested most of our resources in the ISST conference and competitions since it was thought at the time that the ISST catered more to our student needs. We even “consolidated” the sports programs offered as it was believed that it would the best for our students and the school.

In early 2000, there was talk about our “new” sports facility which would include a new full size gymnasium and a pool; when this project was completed in 2004, it created a new program: swimming! A need was created for us to provide international competition for our swimming teams and our participation in the SCIS conference (another European Sports Conference) became a reality.

As the Director of Athletics, in this day and age, my daily efforts are geared toward providing quality athletic opportunities to all our students, from the younger ages to the older ones. Perhaps not the same opportunities as in the past because times have changed, but similar ones and more diverse ones. It is through these experiences that some of our students can grow individually and collectively. For the older students, the sport opportunities are more complex since there are quite a few activities that include traveling to other countries. The world has become “smaller” with all the means that mankind possesses and ACS Athens has capitalized on this more than ever.

Being an ACS Alumnus (Class of ’79) meant that I would most probably have had my children go through this school as well; and they did. My daughter, Irene is a 2012 graduate and my son George is a junior, graduating in 2016. They have both attended ACS Athens since Kindergarten for one simple reason: I wanted my children to get the ACS Athens experience in any and every capacity. I wanted them to get the academic experience of ACS (just like I did at a different time) but I also wanted them to have fun and enjoy all the extracurricular opportunities which are matched by no other school in Greece.

My daughter, was in the Middle School track team in sixth grade and traveled to Cairo for her first competition; as a parent I was very nervous but she went. She came back and upon her return, could not stop talking about her experience! From then on and through her involvement in other sports and sports trips, she was a “world citizen”; she created her own memories and most importantly friendships were created , which to this day, keep going strong.

In the same footsteps, George is following a similar path; it is quite intriguing to see him develop friendships through his competitions and maintaining them more easily of course through Facebook and social media… quite a difference I must say from MY ACS days.

I have always believed that sports are important in one’s life; sports have a way of creating and develop-

There is incredible history in the ACS Athletics “chapter”; many students, many coaches, many administrators are a part of this “chapter” and have left their mark. They are a part of the ACS Athens Athletic legacy and Athletics at ACS Athens is part of their lives as well.

■■

ETHOS SPRING 2015

Institutional Metamorphosis: a School that is proactive instead of reactive

by Dr. Stefanos Gialamas, President

W

e celebrate 70 years of an educational institution in the heart of Athens committed to an American philosophy of education.

Commitment permeates the school culture; faculty, staff and administration throughout the years, have created a place of learning with a strong sense of community. ACS Athens has evolved to become the finest because of the belief that the student is at the core of the institution.�

I marvel at history in the making as I witness what takes place daily within the classrooms as well as outside of those walls. Joyful, creative students taking in learning at all levels. Caring, devoted teachers

Previous page: 3rd International Youth Basketball Tournament Feb.-Mar. 2015 6th International Basketball Coaches Clinic, April 2015

working beyond their call of duty to ensure success.

We are a school that has adopted the constructivist approach that knowledge is individually and socially constructed by learners who are active observers of the world, active questioners, agile problem posers and critical and creative problem solvers. We do not simply absorb knowledge, we co-construct knowledge as each person brings to the table their unique personality, experience and their view of the world.

In this sense, equal opportunity for all is demonstrated daily and differences can only be appreciated in such a process.

The leadership/organizational model of ACS Athens reflect such processes and all are committed to promoting and enhancing genuine, meaningful learning.

Yet like any institution ACS Athens was different in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s from what it is today. Each decade brought with it fresh ideas, different people, new ways of thinking and different ways of being.

Each person who passed through these hallways contributed to what ACS has become today and while there were marked changes throughout the decades, the community feeling remained the same. This was both a comfort and a challenge. It was comforting to see the sense of belonging that all contingencies experienced in relation to ACS, yet it was challenging to maintain this sense in the midst of the vast, rapid changes taking place within the past decade.

It became obvious that to keep up with the socio/ political changes as well as the educational trends

21

and technological advancements deeper institutional change was necessary. This change needed to take place at all levels; curriculum, adoption of new programs and implementation of new strategies and methodologies. But, change can frequently be shortlived and oftentimes exhausting thus it also became obvious that sustainable change needed to take place at a deeper level, in which the very core of the institution’s being is affected, and in which members adopt new ways of thinking, behaving, creating knowledge, and interacting with each other, not only as a means to an end, but as the best possible ways of achieving the goals and objectives of the institution in harmony with professional goals meaningful to each member.

It needed a metamorphosis, a radical transformation of an institution’s structure and function, preserving the institution’s DNA of fundamental beliefs, values and principles.

Along those lines, Ethos is the distinct responsibility of all academic institutions; to immerse their students, faculty, staff, and administration into a community of learners that exemplify appropriate behavior within and outside of the institution’s facilities. This then becomes our responsibility as adults to provide a foundation upon which students will develop their character and personality in an environment conducive to academic success, personal growth, civic responsibility and accountability.

Thus it is my belief that effective schools are those that are proactive instead of reactive to the drastic changes in society. If they can teach and inspire students to develop the wisdom to transform static academic knowledge into social, ethical, economic, environmental intelligence then the sustainability of quality of life can be greatly improved for people across the globe. Faculty also must promote and foster innovation thus demonstrating a high degree of social interest, be open to new ideas and having the courage to try different teaching methods. Teaching students to apply the knowledge affectively and appropriately ensures individuals capable of not only coping with change but also being capable of navigating and initiating change. These beliefs are part of the culture of ACS Athens.

Finally, it is my belief that an educational institution exists for only one purpose: to provide its students with the best educational experience possible. ACS Athens has been such an institution for seventy years and I am confident it will continue to be for at least seventy more decades.

■■

22

Eva Pori: Years at ACS: 1990 - 1997.

When I graduated from ACS Athens, I went to Vakalo Art and Design College where I received a bachelor’s degree in 2000. After that, I worked in advertising for seven years as a graphic designer and art director.

I am married to a wonderful, loving husband and have a 3-year-old girl and a baby girl. I am now a full time mom and occasionally take on freelance work as an artist / graphic designer.

Alumni Reflections: “The ACS Athens we remember”

What I loved about ACS was the closeness I had with some teachers and the support I received throughout my time there. They always brought out the best in me even though I wasn’t the best student. They gave me the attention I needed and encouraged me to pursue the subjects that I loved and was good at… such as art.

by Chris Perakis - Evlogias, Director, Learning Enhancement Programs & Educational and Diagnostic Testing Center

Maria Rousakis Years at ACS: 1985-1992

ACS introduced me to the world. The multinational community gave me a sense of belonging to a group of students who, although of different nationalities, shared the same interests, language, friends and teachers. ACS inspired me to become a resident of the world regardless of my nationality. I loved that sense of community. I will always believe that this is what drove me to become a children’s author. I write for the children of the world. Most of my stories may be written in Greek, but the spirit inside each book identifies with each and every child regardless of language, nationality and upbringing. And this is the spirit of ACS. Maria Rousakis is an acclaimed children’s book author. She has written over 35 books from picture books to middle-grade and YA novels. Her books have been awarded in Greece and the US. They have been aired on television shows in both countries (in the US her book, “Unique Monique” was featured on “The Reading Rainbow”). Some of her works have also been translated into Chinese, Korean and Swedish. For more information about Maria’s books: www.mariasbooks.com,www.mariasbooks.blogspot.com

Bryn Martinez Zavras Years at ACS: 2001-2003

The most memorable part of ACS for me was the number of interesting people I met.

The friends I made during my time at ACS have become some of my closest friends. No matter where we are in the world, we continue to share stories of our time at ACS. In fact, attending ACS became somewhat of an inspiration for my own research, involving students’ life satisfaction while attending international schools. I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with the ACS faculty and students as I continue my research efforts. It is great to see the ACS community continue to grow and foster the academic, social and emotional development of its students.

I attended from 2001-2003. Now I’m doing my PhD in School Psychology at URI.

ETHOS SPRING 2015

Steve Koutsantonis Years at ACS: 1989-1996

Dr. Alkistis Agiorgiti Leading Expert in Self Confidence for Professionals Coaching & Training World-Wide

“My life’s mission is to coach and train professionals to become deeply self-confident and better at influencing others for positive change.”

I graduated from ACS in 1986.

I have many fond memories of ACS, especially from Humanities class: I loved how they (Demos & Medeiros) brought culture alive for us, Art, History & Philosophy, did not remain ‘distant’ & ‘lofty’ ideas; These two inspired teachers, with a capital “T” , opened my doors of perception, and cultivated critical thinking and creativity in me and my classmates. I will forever be grateful for all the positive influences, which built my self-confidence, so that I could later face the challenges of the world.

In 2003 I was invited for a conference to speak in the ACS theatre, which was one of the most moving events in my life.

I received a BA from Yale and was an economics major. During my college years, I received the Catherine Jarman scholarship and studied abroad at Oxford. After graduation, I went to work on Wall Street as an equity research analyst at Bank of America Securities. I then took a year off and came back to Greece to do my military service. I returned to the US and got my MBA from the Wharton School. After business school, I worked as an analyst and portfolio manager at Fidelity Investments in Boston and as an analyst at hedge fund Millenium Partners. I currently am a Director at Brookfield Investment Management and run a hedge fund team.

I am on the Board of the Wharton Club of Chicago and a member of the Chicago Association of Business Economics and the CFA Society of Chicago.

Along the way I got married (to Michelle) and have a newborn daughter (Evangeline).

For over 20 years now, I have worked, as a management coach, consultant, and trainer promoting professional & personal development. My mission in life is to coach professionals to become self-confident, in any situation that they are faced with. In order to achieve this,

What I remember most from my time at ACS was that it was a place where I could find other people with similar backgrounds. To this day my closest friends are ACS people. And there is no denying that there is an ACS “dialect” with specific sayings that only we know (example: “we say them”).

I hold a Master’s in Integrative Psychotherapy (University of Middlesex, UK). I hold a PhD in Philosophy (University of Sedona, Arizona USA).

I have studied NLP with its ‘originators’ (Tony Robbins & Richard Bandler) and am a member of the American Alliance of Hypnotists. Originally, I studied international banking at the Chartered Institute of Bankers in London, and worked in Corporate Finance (Barclays’s Bank Near East division).

My cultural background is diverse; I am originally Greek, but I grew up in Montreal, studied in London, worked in Rome, Paris, Berlin, Qatar and the US.

I have very fond memories of going to school with my siblings (Kathy, who is an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley in NY and Tim who is a shipping tanker broker in Athens) and sharing the same social circle, participating in the same activities and taking trips abroad together. I also feel that the school integrated the whole family and my parents found a valuable social outlet as well.

My favorite class was Humanities with Kathy Jasonides and Janet Karvouniaris (and Steve Madeiros guest starred). Although I chose a career in finance which is pretty far from the classics, Byzantium and Impressionism, I have carried an interest in art history to this day and I think that class was a major reason why I quickly felt comfortable at a school like Yale which has a very demanding liberal arts curriculum. In fact my economics seminar paper was titled “Economics of the Arts” and examined the markets for Impressionist and Old Master paintings.

ETHOS SPRING 2015

Victoria Elmacioglou Years at ACS: 1987-1997

I arrived at ACS in third grade, and spent the following ten years being molded by my teachers, and more importantly by my fellow students, a culturally diverse group that opened up my mind as much as my academics and extracurricular activities did. Although I thrived in ACS’s vigorous academic environment, I believe that I learned just as much if not more from the travel opportunities ACS presented – Paris and Italy with my Humanities class, Germany and Belgium for volleyball, Egypt and Kuwait for Forensics, to name a few. My travel experiences, and the knowledge gained from the diverse cultures and traditions I encountered, contributed to my complex and independent nature.

Upon graduating in 1997, armed with the ECIS Award for International Understanding, I went off to the Ivy League, attending Brown University, and receiving a B.A. in English & American Literature. What attracted me to Brown was it’s similar multi-dimensional approach to education, and the fact that it also had such a diverse student body. Just ACS had before it, Brown promised the development of independent, freethinking, well-rounded and socially active citizens, a place where minds are open to inspiration and challenge.

After a successful career in journalism in New York City, where I was managing editor of Time Out New York and Associate Editor at Zagat, I believed I had accumulated enough experience to be able to contribute meaningfully to my family business, so I returned to Greece. I am currently the Director of Acquisitions, Distribution & Development at Television Enterprises S.A., the first color TV studios in Greece, and one of the most successful production companies in the country. We produce award-winning, high-rated series for the top stations in Greece, and my focus was and has been to take our company global.

Together with my partner in Turkey, I began distributing and promoting Greek series to international territories for the first time in Greek TV history. Our productions have since been dubbed and subtitled in many languages, and I am proud to have colleagues and clients from all over the world.

Dimitra Capas Associate Solicitor, qualified in England & Wales| Lawyer, qualified in Greece (Athens Bar)

In my seventh grade at ACS I was voted most likely to become a soap opera actress. I probably would not have minded being one more ACS graduate to make it onto the big screen (Greg Kinnear being another one) but I think my later years at ACS molded me into finally becoming part of another big picture: a global legal practice called Norton Rose Fulbright, a leading global legal brand.

It is therefore not surprising that what I remember from my years at ACS are the very things that I feel molded me into the “career” of a litigator involved in multi-jurisdictional transactions. After all, ACS was a truly international school and my friends came from all over the world. What united us was our second family – the place where we would share our problems with our teachers, the place where our classes were small enough to get the individual attention we needed from our teachers and create relationships built on trust and inspiration – it was an environment that promoted and facilitated personal and (what would later become professional) growth. For example, participating in Model United Nations in 9th grade was probably the first time I had to collectively practice research, public speaking, debate, critical thinking, team work and of course writing all of which, twenty years down the line, is what I find myself doing every day.

My fondest memory from ACS is without any doubt my humanities class with Ms. Jasonides and Mr. Medeiros. There is something surreal and yet at the same time “so real” about reading about art and then standing in the Bardi Chapel at St Croce and studying Giotto’s techniques.

I actually used to have the photograph of Ms. Jasonides, myself and Alexandros Zervos (who after doing MUN with me is now working for the United Nations) sitting on the grass of Santa Croce on my wall for years. We were all a family, sharing ideas and working towards a common goal…..ACS inspired equality, unity and integrity…the building blocks and common thread that would tie me together with a leading International firm sharing the same business principles and for which, I will forever be grateful….thank you, ACS.

25

Stamos Karvouniaris (Class of 2006)

I attended ACS throughout all of my formative childhood and adolescent years.

I began as a kindergartner, and graduated with the class 2006, alongside many of the faces I learned my ABC’s with. Memories include, playing in the fort built in the olive tree in front of the Annex (now cut down), Humanities field trips and ISST tournaments, the Truman trial, the incremental transformation of the ACS campus, the earthquake in ’99, all of the friendly and engaged teachers, Patty Green, early morning congregations at the front basketball courts – I cannot enumerate all of the memories in one short paragraph.

I currently live in Chicago, IL and work for a Healthcare Analytics tech start-up. I still play competitive basketball and soccer, and enjoy sailing, obstacle races and visits to the Chicago Art Institute. As if the world wasn’t serendipitous or small enough already, some of my closest friends in Chicago are ACS alums.

Olga Leśniewska Years at ACS Athens: 1999-2004

I have the most fond memories of ACS, because not only have I met great friends there, but the best teachers who inspired me to become a teacher myself. Everything was taught in such an interesting way that even subjects which I wasn’t strong at made me want to discover more. The teachers encouraged me to believe in myself and they were my role models. All that put me where I am today. And to think that the first lesson I ever had at ACS was an ESL lesson :) After graduating ACS in June 2004 I went to the University of Lodz, Poland which I graduated in 2009 with a major in teaching English. I taught English in Warsaw for four years after that, and in 2013 I did one-year postgraduate studies at the Communication University of China in Beijing in international communication. Currently, I am an IB PYP and MYP coordinator in Private Primary School 97 in Warsaw.

Christos Brakoulias (Class of 2002)

I attended ACS between 1990 and 2002, when I graduated. I entered a boy and left a man, however there has always been a part of ACS with me, since it was my home for so many years. There are some core values which were instilled in me by my teachers at ACS and those are the greatest memories I have of ACS today. I truly believe that ACS has always been at another level, more than just a school, a community where people from all corners of the earth come together - a microcosm of the globe if you will. Furthermore, ACS gave me many tools for the future, which I realized many years later, something which could be best described in the words of Steve Jobs. “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down….”

For the past five years I was working at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, where I became well-acquainted with the decision-making processes at the heart of European politics. I met with many high-level individuals and contributed in the drafting of reports that will improve the daily lives of average European citizens in the years to come. All in all it was a great experience, however, I have now decided to pursue new goals and am now preparing a business plan for the next 5 years. I will definitely be involved with business as this was and always will be my passion.

26

Anna - Maria Plessas, Counseling Psychologist In-Training, Class of ‘03

As I look back on my life and reflect upon the experiences that enabled me to uncover my unique potential and build character traits and qualities instrumental both for my personal and professional growth, I feel most grateful for the impact the teachers I met, classes I attended and long-term friendships I made at ACS Athens had on the development of my personality and ability to become an independent and critical thinker. At ACS Athens I had the opportunity to be extensively exposed to a highly multinational, multicultural environment which provided me with unique experiences and opportunities that helped me develop a remarkable sense of cultural awareness and respect for difference and diversity. Moreover, several of my teachers encouraged my involvement and active participation in school projects and activities that extended beyond the confines of the classroom, such as environmental awareness projects and charity work, all of which taught me the importance of approaching life tasks with discipline, optimism, creativity as well as hard work. I will always remember ACS Athens for providing me with an extraordinarily warm, supportive and vibrant learning environment as well as a highly diverse and dynamic international education, which ultimately enabled me to gain the skills, values and opportunities I needed to face and expand my aspirations and the boundaries of my abilities.

Since graduating from ACS Athens, in June 2003, I have used all of the positive directions and exceptional learning experiences the school provided me with in pursuing higher education and professional training in my chosen field of interest, Psychology.

Upon leaving high school, my fondness of the British culture and way of life led me to undertake a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with Neuroscience at the University of Westminster, where I graduated with first-class honors and developed an interest in clinical and counseling approaches to the treatment of human suffering and mental health problems. Through several clinical placements I undertook in London and in Athens (one of them involving a year-long internship in school counseling at ACS Athens), I became increasingly drawn to furthering my knowledge in relation to the way the functions of the human brain and people’s cognitions and actions can impact directly on their physical, emotional and mental health.

Helen Stefanopoulos, Class of ‘03

One sunny morning in first grade, my fellow classmates and I were told that we would be archaeologists for the day. We took our small trowels and brushes, walked to the northern playground sandbox and performed an excavation like no other!

It was this very experience that triggered my desire to become an archaeologist. The various unique activities I participated in throughout my years at ACS only strengthened this aspiration.

Today, I am a PhD candidate in Archaeology at the University of Southampton, researching the multifaceted relationships between archaeological sites and modern local communities in Athens. I am forever grateful to my teachers at ACS for cultivating and embracing my love for the ancient past, as not only did they help me discover my true passion, but provided me with the necessary tools to pursue it.

Josephine Wendel

“These are the best years of our life” Now that I look back nothing can replace these beautiful memories.

I made lovely friends, met the greatest teachers who loved me and showed me guidance through out my school years. I came to ACS when I was six years old and graduated at 2008. Ever since I can remember myself I loved music, singing, and dancing. I remember very vaguely that we had come up with this great idea to bring kids with special needs to our school.

Where I sang, I remember seeing these kids tear up from happiness, ever since I knew I was going to become a singer. When I graduated I went straight to college and 2 years ago I become a professional singer.

I joined a very strong record company Panik records and I also had the privilege to present my own tv show on MAD tv. Since then I have released five songs and have had the chance to work with very big name artists in Greece. I feel truly blessed to have all these beautiful memories from ACS, every day is an adventure but we should never forget were we started.

ETHOS SPRING 2015

George Kassanis Years at ACS: 1990-2002

Lejda Koka Class of ‘03

Enkelejda Koka attended ACS Athens from 19972003: “I have great memories from ACS. What I have valued most in ACS Athens were its teachers who were very qualified.

Through studying at ACS Athens I acquired a strong background greatly assisting in successfully continuing further studies in the United Kingdom. As to my profession, my teachers have had a huge impact in my lecturing techniques. The teachers at ACS were friendly, were always there for us, and at the same time, teaching time was of the best quality. I will always be grateful to Mrs. Protopsaltis and Mrs. Dailey, they have played an important role in the way I am today as a person and as a lecturer. I am grateful to ACS for the education I have received. I strongly believe that ACS Athens is the best education provider in Greece.”

Upon receiving the high school diploma from ACS Athens, Enkelejda Koka continued further studies and has received the following diplomas: LLM in European Law, Queen Mary University, London, UK (with honors); Legal Practice Course (LPC), College of Law (distinction), London, UK; LLB in law at University of Greenwich, London, UK. Mrs. Koka has practiced in a UK law firm for more than a year as a paralegal. Her main casework was on extradition (Albanian cases), criminal and immigration cases. Mrs. Koka is in the process of getting a PhD in the area of European Law (EU justice and Home Affairs focusing on irregular migration) from University of Kent, UK. Since she returned to her home country, she is working as a lecturer in law at University of New York in Tirana and Beder University in Tirana, Albania.

I have fond memories of the trips we took growing up, whether it was the trip to Madrid back in 5th or 6th grade for a math competition, or the trips to Rome and Florence in middle school and with Humanities in high school, or the trips to Paris for the ISSTs. And, of course, the ski trips Gus Sarianides organized. Looking back, it’s pretty clear that the opportunities to travel around Europe, as well as the diversity of the community at ACS (including my diverse group of friends) gave me cultural perspective and helped prepare me for college and life in the US Since graduating from Georgia Tech with a biomedical engineering degree in 2008, I’ve been living in San Francisco and working in the medical device industry in Silicon Valley. I’m currently leading a cross-functional team at Cardinal Health, a Fortune 22 company, to develop a novel medical device which will help interventional cardiologists manage complications during Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) and Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) procedures. These procedures have high complication rates (things that go wrong during surgery), which, in many cases, are threatening to the life of the patient. The device that we’re bringing to market will benefit thousands of patients each year by limiting the frequency and severity of these complications.

Reem Saadeh Class of ‘92

“Having spent many years at ACS starting in Kindergarten and graduating in 1992 from high school, I can honestly say that ACS helped shape the individual that I am today. ACS instilled in me a love of education, a strong work ethic and a connection to friends that I have and consider my closest friends till this day. Since my graduation, I moved to the US to pursue my college and medical degree and completed my medical training. I am now a practicing clinical geneticist in Washington DC. I am married with 4 children. I have been able to balance my career and my family by working part time. Since my parents and friends are living in Athens, I have been lucky enough to travel back for vacation about once a year. When I am there, I truly feel that I am home.”

ETHOS SPRING 2015

Pano Kalogeropoulos Class of ‘01

I attended ACS from the early 1990’s all the way until graduation in 2001, and I have many fond memories of the school. In high school, I wrestled, played volleyball, was in the National Honor Society, and even acted in some plays.

I have many great memories of playing after-school sports on the back soccer field (it was dirt back then) and having many wonderful teachers in elementary, middle and high school… too many to name really (although I still remember all their names!) They were all wonderful and really taught me a lot – both about school subjects, and about life in general.

I spent some time living in Boston, Athens, and Chicago, before moving to Philadelphia after graduate school. I now run Bokeh Fire – a photography lens rental startup I founded a couple years ago, and of course, I still pursue photography, just like I did at ACS! I still keep in good touch with many of my ACS friends and have visited my former classmates all around the world. I even keep in touch with some of my teachers from ACS and I often think of how wonderful a learning environment we had at ACS and how much I miss being there! ACS was truly a community for me, one that I’m still a part of!

Katerina Doubodel Class of ‘04

I came to ACS in 1995 when i moved to Greece from Moscow, without knowing English at all. I must say i really liked the school and had a very pleasant and positive learning experience until I graduated in 2004. The teachers were great, always giving positive feedback, helping out, and motivating us. The campus of ACS is also amazing, much nicer than any other English speaking schools in Greece. I graduated ACS with a full IB diploma, and went straight for a Bachelor’s degree in International Business in Deree.

I must say that the school had prepared me well for university level. I found that i was much better prepared in many subjects than kids from other schools. I obtained my undergraduate degree, and went straight to to the MBA program in Deree. It was a positive learning experience, and I found that i was using many skills that I acquired from ACS, such as proper essay writing techniques, mathematics and studying methods.

Zoi Tatopoulos Class of ‘07

I attended ACS 20052007. ACS has been a remarkable experience for me. Staff members and students were all open-minded and comforting, allowing me to easily get out of my shell to become the person I am today. A strong memory for me was the first day I went there, there was no intimidation, no judgement of one another, just a pure welcoming vibe.

I will never forget the day Ms. Spilliot took us all on a ski trip. The bonding , the laughter, the blast we had was just a small description of that day.

The beauty of ACS overall, is the freedom to be who you are, and, unlike other schools, I felt such a strong support system from the staff members.

I still keep in touch with most of the staff, and try to visit as much as I can, because ACS felt like a home to me, and I know everyone else feels the same.

I am currently a head choreographer for 2 competitive dance teams here in Los Angeles, working with young professional dancers, and plan to create my second dance company sometime this year, based in LA. I worked as a professional choreographer in Athens, working for Anna Vissi, Natasha Theodridou, Giannis Kakleas, etc. I choreographed for shows, theatrical performances and music videos. I also created my very first dance company with 11 professional dancers and showcased my work at the Mixalis Kakkogiannis Theater at the age of 23. So to sum things up, take full advantage of ACS, and be thankful, because it is the ultimate kick-starter to a beautiful future.

Another asset ACS gave me was meeting many people from different countries, with which I am still friends with until now. Many of them have left abroad, but we still keep in touch and remember our school days. The campus had so many facilities that even during lunch hours we would be occupied playing volleyball or doing other activities.

After I graduated with an MBA I have been working with my father. His business is in Greece and I help out whenever I can or he needs me. It’s very interesting to meet new people and to work with them. I have been doing horse back riding semi-professionally since I was 10 as well, and I’m still riding and competing. ACS has definitely given me a proper foundation for my future studies and it would definitely be my first choice if I had to send my kids to an international school in Greece.

29

of questioning authority. Our foreign language classes taught understanding and acceptance of the contrasting expressions and habits of differing nationalities; and our cross country course ran through a community of whitewashed shacks where pigs lolled, goats bleated, and chickens scattered. We gained appreciation for the simplicity and value of rural Greece.

Farmstead Fortune: Gaining Ground by Embracing the Past

by Cindy Econopouly, ACS Athens Alumna

I

n 1963 my father moved our family from our suburban Long Island home to Greece; the country of our ancestors so we could live and learn about Greece.

Nicholas Econopouly was a first generation American citizen. His father had been a shepherd near Sparta; at age eighteen my grandfather had voyaged to America, and ultimately brought over a wife with which he raised sons. By the time I’d turned seven, both my Greek grandparents had died, and my father had chosen to return to our homeland.

My father accepted a teaching position at ACS Athens, and admitted his children [Matthew, Cindy, David, and James] into the American Academy, the Middle School, and the Elementary School. Our new school was attended by children whose parents were of varying races and social levels, who showed us how conservative our Long Island schools had been.

ACS had a large US military presence with classmates speaking about hanging out at “The Base”. Stepping into this culture was worlds apart from the old life we’d known. Students had a variety of nationalities and social status, and gypsy farmers lived in the whitewashed hut beside the school. But the open environment at ACS Athens taught us about acceptance of diversity. Our teachers were of varying nationalities, and often had open minded world views.

Greece had a dictatorship at that time [See Matt Barrett’s “AHistoryOfGreece.com”], so our instructors explored political rigidity with us and the importance

During school lunch we congregated with English speakers of all varieties and nationalities: the sons and daughters of soldiers, teachers, corporate VIP’s, colonels and ambassadors. But as the 1967-74 dictatorship banned for Greeks what our youth represented, our American citizenship and adolescence instilled in us a feeling of invincibility as we experienced the Plaka nightlife.

My family’s seven years at ACS transformed our suburban world view. Over time, my father had become curriculum coordinator, hiring instructors and choosing options for expanding student perspectives. But in 1974, my brother and I graduated high school at ages fifteen and seventeen, and we returned to our conservative middle-class Long Island town. Entering a mild state of culture shock, we introspected by traveling across the country and across the ocean, taking part in political rallies, and attending colleges.

Thirty years later we each live a fulfilling life.

My father, Nicholas Econopouly, was an ACS administrator who worked at hiring and training instructors to teach people to become the change we aspire to. I am proud that he accomplished this goal. My father is gone now, but my three brothers, my mother, and I--and numerous ACS friends--have all chosen to live in a leading-edge town: Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

In our new Southern home, I’ve tried to return to a simple traditional life like that of my Greek progenitors: With my husband of thirty years and our three children, we built and run our organic family farm.

We spend our working hours growing vegetables to help feed the community; and we open our doors to hundreds of visitors annually, expounding the appeal of organic lifestyles.

On one level we are simple farmers, gone back to the world of our forefathers. But of increased significance, we demonstrate the old-fashioned practice of bringing health to our bodies, our communities, and our world.

30

i

Flex, our innovative teaching and learning methodology is already reaching the end of its second year at ACS Athens. Here are the highlights of the past year in celebration of the time, effort, commitment, and enthusiasm all of us have invested into making our school an i2Flex living theory and evolving pedagogical model for others to espouse and replicate wherever in the world they may be: 2

i Flex 2

i2Flex 2014-15: Learning.

Re-Imagined; Schooling.

Re-invented

by Dr. Maria Avgerinou, Director of Educational Technology and e-Learning

◉◉ All Middle School and Academy classes have integrated the i2Flex Moodle Template into their daily teaching and learning activities ◉◉ 50% of Middle School and Academy faculty teach via the i2Flex methodology ◉◉ The i2Flex website has been successfully launched ◉◉ Throughout the school year, various face-to-face and online opportunities have been provided for the professional development of faculty, addressing issues, ideas, and applications of i2Flex (Geek Mondays, G+ professional communities, general faculty sessions) ◉◉ Systematic training of school administrators has occurred on how the i2Flex performance of faculty can be better understood and evaluated ◉◉ Two major i2Flex -focused information sessions for ACS Athens parents have taken place (October 2014; April 2015) ◉◉ ACS Athens faculty and administrators have presented on the philosophy, methodology, and benefits of i2Flex at several major international conferences (ICALT 2014- Athens, Greece; EDUCA Online 2014- Berlin, Germany; NESA Administrators 2014- Istanbul, Turkey; NESA Educators 2015Istanbul Turkey; ACS Athens 10th Annual Conference on Learning Differences- Athens, Greece) ◉◉ A New Faculty Orientation Program (NFOP) has been designed completely as i2Flex, and is in the process of being launched ◉◉ Various i2Flex-based article and chapter publications have been produced this year again ◉◉ A book titled Revolutionizing K-12 Blended Learning through the i2Flex Classroom Model that is edited

by President Gialamas & Dr. Avgerinou will be released by IGI, a leading international academic publisher in early 2016.

■■

Previous page top: ACS Athens Administrator Nicholas Econopouly greets an Evzone photographer in front of the American Academy in 1974

Previous page bottom: Cindy harvests sunflowers on her family farm In 2014

S6

l

SPONSORED SECTION

K AT H I M E R I N I

SATURDAY - SUNDAY, MARCH 15-16, 2014

International Education in Greece VIEWS FROM THE INSTITUTIONS

ACS Athens (American Community Schools of Athens)

ETHOS SPRING 2015

The New Trajectory to Morphosis at ACS Athens*

By Dr. Maria Avgerinou, Director of Educational Technology and E-Learning

As Bob Pearlman, one of the key leaders in U.S. educational reform, points out (2010), a casual walk into any new brick-and-mortar schools across the U.S. reveals that despite the elaborate architectural designs and the wiring for educational technology integration, classrooms remain designed for teachers to stand in front of the students, thus still reflecting schooling as invented in the 19th century. Since those bygone and distant past times, however, the world has developed in such diverse directions and created new and particularly complex demands for citizenship, college and careers that it is no longer possible to be accommodated by old learning environments associated with old learning paradigms. Indeed, “we are on the threshold of a tipping point in public education” (Kay, 2010, xiii). The Partnership for the 21st Century Skills (2009) emphasizes that in addition to core subject knowledge, such skills as information and communication, inter-personal and selfdirectional, as well as being well versed in the technologies of this millennium, both from the consumer's and the creator’s standpoints, are critical in order to prepare students as life-long learners to deal successfully with the demands of the ever-changing world of the post-industrial era of information revolution.

These learning outcomes not only necessitate schools to capitalize on the affordances of new technologies, but also to utilize more learner-centric pedagogies which focus on the newly emerged, idiosyncratic profile of the digital learner (Prensky, 2001).

As a result, we have witnessed the unprecedented growth and firm establishment of online and blended learning at all levels of education, including various forms of Virtual Schooling in the K-12 sector (Davis & Niederhauser, 2007; Rice, 2012; Watson, Murin, et al., 2010). Indeed, online (and blended) learning has been saluted as the disruptive force that can transform the factory-like structure of today’s educational institutions. Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business School Professor, who coined the term of art Disrupting Innovation,argues that by 2019 50% of all high school courses will be delivered online.

This projection may seem less bizarre upon close inspection of current facts and figures pertaining to online and blended learning in the U.S.: • the number of students taking at least one online course has now surpassed 6.7 million (sloanconsortium.org, 2013) • by 2013 that number will increase to 18.65 million • Half of the 4,500 brick-andmortar colleges in the U.S. offer their degree programs online • 96% of traditional universities offer at least one class in an online-only format • Open Course Ware offers

4,200 complete courses online for free • 1,689 of which are classes from MIT (source Classes And Careers.com, 2013) • According to a 2009 study from the Department of Education: “Students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction.” Students who mix online learning with traditional coursework (i.e. blended learning) do even better (Internet Time Group Report, 2013). i2Flex for Morfosis: A New Vehicle for a New Education Paradigm At ACS Athens, we have followed closely the aforementioned global effort for educational reform. We are cognizant of the fact that traditional schooling is not the only avenue for learning. How could it be, since the reality is that students learn in different ways, via different modalities and styles, at a different pace in environments immersed in new technologies? We are also strong supporters of the notion of complete alignment among school learning outcomes, university and market needs. As a result, we have generated our own education paradigm named Morfosis and defined within the 21st century framework as a holistic, meaningful, and harmonious educational experience, guided by ethos. The vehicle to implement Morfosis is the i2Flex, a non-formal education model of instruction organically developed by the ACS Athens community of learners that integrates internet-based delivery of content and instruction with student independent learning, and some control over time, pace, place, or mode, in combination with guided,face-to-face classroom instruction aiming at developing higher order cognitive skills within a flexible learning design framework. Grounded on the concept of Morfosis, this type of learning that draws on practice and research on blended learningand the concept of “flipped classroom” in K-12 across the U.S. and beyond, is learner-centered and ultimately aims at developing students' 21st century skills, while also helping them successfully prepare for their higher education studies (where a good deal of them are already offered online), and their future careers.

More specifically, this approach consists of a blend of face-to-face and web-based teaching and learning experiences. The webbased component may include both online synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning experiences, structured for individual and collaborative interaction and guided by the teacher, as well as independent experiential and web-based learning, initiated and implemented by the student. From a theoretical perspective,i2Flexis a form of blended learning which so far tends to gravitate toward six models,

inspiring

namely, face-to-face driver, rotation, flex, online lab, self-blend, and online driver (Hopper & Seaman, 2011). Each of these models comes with its own set of characteristics, but they all fall under the following umbrella definition for Blended Learning in the K-12: “Blended learning is any time a student learns at least in part at a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home and at least in part through online delivery with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace. (Clayton Christensen Institute, The Rise of K12 Blended Learning: Profiles of Emerging Models, 2011, p. 5). Where i2Flex significantly diverts from the blended learning definition is at the component of independent inquiry. According to the i2Flex independent inquiry, albeit scaffolded and guided by faculty, is a required component of the learning experience. Another major point of our approach refers to the superb learning opportunities for the development of Bloom’s Taxonomy highest cognitive skills (analysis, evaluation, and creation), which can be created by the integration of web-based activities where the student in preparation for face-to-face class meetings can interact with the content, the technology, peers and the teacher toward advancing the less demanding cognitive skills of knowledge acquisition, comprehension, and application.

Beginning from this Fall, many i2Flex classes are being piloted at the ACS Middle School and Academy, representing a rich variety of course subjects, teaching styles, and age groups, while at the same time reflecting different degrees of complexity regarding instructional design and technology integration. We are deeply aware that this form of learning which we are striving to implement requires substantial change in our

i2Flex @ACS Athens, Greece The i2Flex Delivery Methodology is defined as the teaching and learning approach containing a face-to-face and non-face-to-face teaching and learning. The non-face-to-face student learning includes the independent student learning, and the inspiring, guided by the faculty student learning. The face-to-face component includes student and faculty engagement in the classroom or outside in an interactive form. This highly interactive learning experience is focused on the intellectual skills of analysis, evaluation and creation in the Revised Version of Bloom’s Taxonomy of learning. Much of the work of knowledge acquisition, associated with the intellectual process of remembering, understanding and application can be accomplished through faculty-guided student learning and independent student investigation. Students are engaged in face-to-face learning opportunities in many forms, and learning occurs anywhere and anytime for everyone.

school’s culture while at the same time generating shifts in teachers’, administrators’, and students’ roles. As a result,i2Flexpilot teachers participate in a series of individual consultations with the Director for Educational Technology and eLearning, in order to review their courses against the Quality Matters® research-based, national benchmarks for online course design, examine models

tion methods to enable equity and access for all students; the provision of high-quality content for all students; and the fact that management structures can begin to shift to support performancebased approaches through datadriven decision-making. Therefore, if applied in a systematic, pedagogically sound way, i2Flex can serve as the vehicle for disruptive education in our school, can

trieved November 11, 2013, from http://www.christenseninstitute.org/?publications=the-riseof-k-12-blended-learning-profilesof-emerging-models Davis, N.E. & Niederhauser, D.S. (2007, April). New roles and responsibilities for distance education in K-12 education. Learning and Leading.

Davis, N., Roblyer, M. D., Charania, A., Ferdig, R., Harms, C., Compton, L. K. L., et al. (2007). Illustrating the “virtual” in virtual schooling: Challenges and strategies for creating real tools to prepare virtual teachers.Internet and Higher Education, 10(1), 27-39.

Hopper, J., & Seaman, J. (2011).

Transforming schools for the 21st century. Retrieved November 6, 203 from http:// www.designshare.com/index.php/articles/tra nsforming-schools-for-the-21stcentury/ Kay, K. (2010). Foreword: 21st Century skills: Why they matter, what they are, and how we get there. In J. Bellanca & R. Brandt (Eds.) 21st Century skills: Rethinking how students learn (pp. xiii-xxxi).

Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2009). Framework for 21st century learning. Retrieved November 7, 2013 from http:// www. p21.org/about-us/p21-framework Pearlman, B. (2010). Designing new learning environments to support 21st century skills. In J. Bellanca & R. Brandt (Eds.) 21st

independent

and discuss issues of instructional design as they specifically apply to their class, and how the latter can be transformed into a successful technology enhanced and/or web-supported learning community. In turn, our faculty educates the students hands-on about the uses and benefits of technology for learning – as opposed to using technology for information, communication or entertainment per the digital natives’ daily routine outside the classroom! Our Administrators also have the opportunity to participate in formal and informal professional development sessions regarding the design, and implementation of i2Flex, while receiving frequent reports on the progress of the pilot classes.

Moving from the pilot to the next phase of this initiative, the vision of ACS Athens is to have all of our Middle School and Academy classes i2Flex. We thrive on the tremendous possibilities that this new education paradigm offers our learning community. Davis et al. (2007) illustrate, among others, the development of new distribu-

become the bridge between the Century skills: Rethinking how stufour-walled, brick-and-mortar dents learn (pp. 117-147). Bloomclassroom and 21st-century edu- ington, IN: Solution Tree Press. cation, and can empower our stuPrensky, M. (2001).Digital natives; dents to transform the world as Digital immigrants.Retrieved Novemarchitects of their own learning ber 11, 2013, from http://www.marType enter text by linking high-quality teaching and tocprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20high-quality courses with the collab- %20Digital%20Natives,%20Digiorative, networked, information- t a l % 2 0 I m m i g r a n t s % 2 0 rich environments that are a hall- %20Part1.pdf mark of the information age (Davis, Rice, J.K. (2012). Review of “The et al. 2007). costs of online learning.”Boulder, CO: National Education Policy CenReferences Allen, J.E., & Seaman, J. (2013). ter.Retrieved June 1, 2013, from Changing course: Ten year of track- http:// nepc.colorado.edu/thinking online education in the United tank/review-cost-of-online/ States. Sloan Consortium, Babson Survey Research Group, & Pearson Learning Solutions. Retrieved November 11, 2013 from http://sloanconsortium.org/pu blications/survey/changing_cour se_2012 Christensen, Cl., Horn, M. B., & Johnson, C.W. (2011). Disrupting class: How disruptive innovation will change the way the world learns.

New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Clayton Christensen Institute (2011). The rise of K-12 blended learning: Profiles of emerging models.Re-

flexible

Watson, J., Murin, A., Vashaw, L., Gemin, B., & Rapp, C. (2010).

Keeping pace with K-12 online learning: An annual review of state-level policy and practice. Vienna, VA: North American Council for Online Learning. Retrieved from http://www.kpk12.com/wp-content/uploads/KeepingPaceK12_20 10.pdf * This article is a reprint from the ACS Athens ETHOS magazine.

i2Flex:

Integrating a large-scale technology supported educational innovation in a K-12 international school setting Maria D. Avgerinou, Ph.D. Stefanos Gialamas, Ph.D. American Community Schools (ACS) Athens, Greece

Alpha Bank. A consistent point of reference in the Greek banking system.

ETHOS SPRING 2015

(elearningindustry.com).

According to OEB’s post conference report for 2014, last year this prime event was attended by 2,332 participants from 100 countries, 13 keynote speakers, and 300 session presenters. As a result, it offered 70 parallel sessions, 16 pre-conference workshops, 2 preconference forums, and 81 exhibition booths.

i2Flex at Conference “Online EDUCA Berlin”

by Dr. Maria Avgerinou, Director of Educational Technology and e-Learning

T

he 20th international conference of Online EDUCA Berlin (OEB, Germany) took place at the Intercontinental Hotel from December 3-5, 2014.

This is the largest, cross-sector, global event on technology supported learning and training for the corporate, education and public service sectors focusing on a wide-range of relevant topics and bringing together Human Resources Executives, Corporate Training & Development Executives, Corporate University Managers, Instructional Technology Department Heads, Learning Executives, IT Managers, Curriculum Designers, Deans, Directors and Researchers from Universities and the Higher Education Sector, Trainers and Teachers, E-Learning Developers and Instructional Technologists and Designers, Senior Staff from National, International, Regional and European Agencies and Government Departments, et al. (clocate.com). In addition, OEB typically includes an exhibition where international e-learning suppliers, manufacturers and service providers present their latest products and services.

In an environment which promotes international networking for all sectors, OEB is the event for learning professionals to discover innovative solutions, absorb new thinking and take action by implementing changes in the field of learning and technology

Dr. Maria D. Avgerinou, Director for Education and Technology and e-Learning, represented ACS Athens with a well attended session titled “It takes i2Flex and a village: Innovative school-wide leadership for successful K-12 blended learning”. It is worth noting that this was the only session that presented conference-wide blended learning from a K-12 institution.

The audience was comprised mainly of educational researchers, educators, and educational administrators from various schools and universities around the world. Attendees were given the opportunity to establish a good understanding of the rationale driving the current education reform globally, with specific focus on the role of new and emerging technologies and related pedagogies within the 21st century framework. The audience also had an opportunity to hear the perspective of an international K-12 school which has developed its own education paradigm and has implemented it via a customized blended methodology, and an innovative leadership/partnership approach. A step-by-step, in-depth presentation of all relevant Instructional Design and Development factors from the classroom and students to faculty, administrators and parents’ professional development, and all critical elements of applied innovative leadership, followed by a SWOT analysis of implementing this innovative project, as well as a presentation of the pilot year results were shared and discussed with the audience so the latter could decide whether and to what extent they could adopt and adapt the proposed model. Proposals for networking and collaboration were offered, and subsequent communication among interested attendees and Dr. Avgerinou have already taken place. Because of the growing interest in blended learning, ACS Athens has already been invited to attend OEB 2015 and present how the i2Flex methodology has transformed teaching and learning in our school in the second year of its implementation!

■■

Opposite page: Photos from the Conference “Online EDUCA Berlin”, December 2014

33

34

eduTech

Trends and Ideas Shaping Education Through Technology in the 21 st Century

ETHOS SPRING 2015

Papa was a Rolling Stone: Aristotle, Plato, and Online/Blended Constructivism

By Dr. Maria D. Avgerinou, Director - Educational Technology and eLearning ACS Athens

Introduction

O

f all forces that shape and at the same time torment contemporary education worldwide, the most dominant and all-encompassing is undoubtedly the computer revolution phenomenon- more recently, its inherent ability to support distance communication and the creation of a cyber-culture.Educators need to recognize that in epistemological terms this is neither new, nor unfounded and thus value-free. Therefore, to decide how to best adjust to this new territory for education, they need first to consider that the origins of a philosophy towards online/blended education, may lie in Ancient Greek Thought and the ways in which this has impacted Western civilization to date.

This paper identifies and explores possible connections between Ancient Greek Philosophy and the theoretical underpinnings of online/blended instruction. Instructional theories and meta-theories (Constructivism) traditionally associated with the online/blended teaching and learning paradigm will be traced back to the work of prominent Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle, and critical discussion will follow. The key areas of instructional design, communication, participant and tutor role, as these apply to the online/blended environment, will also be considered and findings will be summarized.

The Metaphor of “No-Man in No-Man’s Land”

It is common knowledge that Western civilization owes the foundations of its philosophical thought to the Ancient Greek philosophers. Being acutely conscious of Plato’s contribution, Whitehead (as cited in Ozmon & Craver, 2003) has stated that modern philosophy is but a series of footnotes to Plato. A more contemporary philosopher, Marinoff calls Socrates the ‘Godfather of Western philosophy in general” (1999, p. 57), while he reports that Aristotle was known as “The Philosopher” for almost two millennia.

The legacy those philosophers bequeathed us has permeated not only all avenues of philosophical quest throughout the centuries, but also the vast array of applications of the latter to the various domains of our civilization, including education. However it is interesting to note that sometimes the aforementioned influence may not be readily detectable. Once again we are reminded of Homer’s epic and the incident that involved Ulysses (Greek Οδυσσεας) in the Cyclop Polyphemus’ (Greek Πολυφημος) cave. In an effort to remain ‘invisible’ until his purpose was attained, the hero claims ‘nobody’ as his name. Yet, he is the main instigator of all action occurring in that section of the Odyssey. On a parallel ‘action’ level, it can be assumed that at times Ancient Greek philosophy operates in a similar mannerthough not intentionally. Rather, it may be ‘hiding’ in various aspects of today’s life, waiting to be revealed and acknowledged.

In the current document, Ancient Greek thought and its influence are revealed behind the philosophical underpinnings of online/blended instructional contexts. Online/blended instruction has been accused of lacking a solid theoretical base that supports its legitimate status as an effective teaching and learning paradigm in its own right. Hence, this paper comes in defense of the online/blended paradigm against the aforementioned, unsubstantiated allegation. Not only online/blended teaching has deep

ETHOS SPRING 2015

philosophical foundations, but also the less resemblance it bears to the face-to-face (f2f) traditional teaching and its features, the more fascinating its connections to educational philosophy seem to become. Moreover, substituting the human body’s presence with tele-presence while still expecting communication to occur to an equally satisfactory degree as in the f2f format, introduces an interesting twist to the entire discussion. For instance, Dreyfus (2001), a writer in philosophy and technology, wonders whether life on the Internet has achieved Plato’s dream of overcoming space, time and body. We are dealing with an environment that may belong simultaneously to everybody and no-body, due to the fact that from a literal viewpoint ‘no man’ can claim the territory by his/her mere presence. Indeed, when dealing with online/blended environments, we are essentially dealing with ‘no-man’s land’.

Aristotle and Plato’s Views on Education

According to Aristotle, the purpose of education is to refine and purify the human soul with the view to making people virtuous and well ordered.

Education fosters the development of reasoning capacity which, in turn, helps towards sound decision making. This is linked to the rule of Golden Mean (moderation), a core principle of Aristotle’s philosophy. Following the Golden Mean may result in social development while at the same time will promote and nurture good citizenship. As Ozmon and Craver (2003) point out, “In Politics, Aristotle further developed his view that a reciprocal relationship exists between the properly educated person and the properly educated citizen” (p. 53).

Education systems have hugely benefited from Aristotle’s philosophical positions such as “recognizing the need to study nature systematically, using logical processes in examining the external world, deriving general truths through a rigorous study of particulars, organizing things into hierarchies, and emphasizing the rational aspects of human nature” (p.

53). Aristotle represents realism, a complex educational philosophy that is epitomized in people’s constant need for basic, objective, ‘useful’ knowledge, skills and factual data, as well as study of such subjects as reading, writing, and mathematics. This type of educational philosophy is a great advocate for practical, ‘no-nonsense’ education, including moral and character development. It also supports self-realization which is the result of people’s knowledge about the external world. For this knowledge to be acquired, people need to be taught in systematic and organized ways.

The role of the teacher is instrumental in people’s achievement of the above goals. Perhaps the teacher’s most important duty is to assist students appreciate the significance of developing clearly defined criteria to be used in evaluation and decision-making cases. In terms of methodology, Aristotle’s use of deductive reasoning along with his techniques of concept analysis and object classification, have been important ‘tools of the trade’ for many teachers over the centuries (Jakobsen, 2003).

Education was so significant for Plato that he placed it at the centre of his utopian state, The Republic. Platos’ view of what education should be about, is related to the pursuit of truth. People should constantly engage in the quest of absolute truth, as well as knowledge discovery. Incidentally, he thought that knowledge could not be constructed by people; rather it should be discovered. Being the founder of the educational philosophy called idealism, Plato and his successors asserted that education “should not only stress the development of the mind but also encourage students to focus on all things of lasting value. (…) Another important idealist aim is character development because the search for truth demands personal discipline and steadfast character (…) What they [the idealists] want in society is not just the literate, knowledgeable person, but the good person” (Ozmon & Craver, 2003, p. 28).

37

Similarly to Aristotle’s viewpoint, the fundamental responsibility of education according to Plato and the idealists, is to prepare the learner to fulfill his/her role in society.

Other noteworthy positions of idealism refer to people’s need for self-realization; for in-depth study of the various subject matters; for holistic learning that is materialized through both dialectic, and intuitive methods but also the development of critical thinking. It is interesting to observe that Plato strongly believed that people do not learn as much from observation of their surroundings, as they learn through the interaction and the exchange of ideas with other people.

In the idealist philosophy of education, the role of the teacher is central insofar as s/he appreciates the various levels of learning, provides and facilitates appropriate learning experiences, ensures that learners keep questioning and challenging issues related to the subject matter, and monitors the whole experience by continually focusing on the learning objectives.

Since self-actualization is central to idealism, the teacher is expected to allow for the fact that learners may still learn without necessarily the teacher’s presence, and therefore s/he should instill in their students the importance of learning beyond the limits of formal education. Lecture is a favorite teaching method for the idealist teacher, yet s/he employs it not as a means of knowledge transfer to the learners, but interestingly as a vibrant forum for informal discussion that results in knowledge discovery and promotes self-actualization. Socrates was the embodiment of the idealist teacher who would encourage and empower students to develop their critical thinking skills through continuous discussion, reflection and analysis (Ozmon & Craver, 2003). Finally, as Jacobsen states (2003), the well-known Socratic method, but also Plato’s guided discovery have been extensively employed by teachers over the centuries to enrich and promote deeply reflective learning experiences. Hence, Kato’s (1998) relevant comment regarding the two philosophers and the type of dialogue each of them led- “Socratic dialogue is philosophical (in the sense of love for the unattained wisdom), the Platonic dialogue is pedagogical”.

In concluding, it should be stated that since idealism has emphasized the development of the cognitive skills often to the disadvantage of affective and psychomotor domains, one of its strongest criticisms is that it cultivates intellectual elitism. This translates in modern society as favoritism toward an education that addresses only the privileged. On a parallel level, online/blended education has also received a similar accusation as it appears to solely address the so called ‘have’s’ (vs. the have not’s) of this world, namely, those in a position to afford the technology that their participation necessitates as a sine qua non prerequisite.

Learning Theories and Online/Blended Teaching and Learning

Online/blended teaching and learning have drawn on the two major learning theories of Behaviorism and Cognitivism, employing their principles, consulting salient research findings, and adopting relevant applications where appropriate. We need to acknowledge however that the most significant impact on the design, implementation and evaluation of online/ blended teaching and learning has emerged from the ranks of Cognitivism. It is the theory of Constructivism –social Constructivism, to be more precise- that provides the guiding pedagogical framework and vision to online/blended learning experiences.

Constructivism is a set of learning theories that are founded on the intersection of and humanism. As a philosophy of learning, Constructivism is “founded of the premise that, by reflecting on our experiences, we construct our own understanding of the world we live in” (Funderstanding, 2011, ¶ 1). Each of us comes with a different set of past experiences which have triggered the creation of different mental schemata. By implication, learning refers to the process of ‘adjusting our mental models to accommodate new experiences” (¶ 1) Constructivism represents a meaning-mak-

38

ing approach to teaching and learning online/blended. Social Constructivism, as implied by the term, stresses the importance of communication and interaction between learners and their peers, and tutors in the meaning-making process.

There are several guiding principles of Constructivism (Funderstanding, 2011): ◉◉ Learning is a search for meaning. Therefore, learning must start with the issues around which students are actively trying to construct meaning. ◉◉ Meaning requires understanding wholes as well as parts. And parts must be understood in the context of wholes. Therefore, the learning process focuses on primary concepts, not isolated facts. ◉◉ In order to teach well, we must understand the mental models that students use to perceive the world and the assumptions they make to support these models. ◉◉ The purpose of learning is for an individual to construct his or her own meaning, not just memorize the “right” answers and regurgitate someone else’s meaning. Since education is inherently interdisciplinary, the only valuable way to measure learning is to make the assessment part of the learning process, ensuring it provides students with information on the quality of their learning (¶ 3-6).

Prior to examining recommended guidelines for designing technology-assisted constructivist learning environments, it is important to mention research-based evidence that supports the constructivist view of teaching and learning. Pea and Soloway (as cited in Heffron, 1995), on behalf of the U.S. Office of Technology Assessment, reported on the principal contributions of cognitive science to education, emphasizing in particular the significance of interactivity, self-regulation, as well as instantaneous feedback: We now see that new learning is constructed in terms of prior knowledge by an active learner in a social context, that knowledge is best acquired in functional contexts with similarities to situations for further knowledge transfer, and that learners need to learn strategies for autonomous ‘repair’ of understanding when application of prior knowledge to a novel situation fails (1987, pp. 14-15).

Constructivism’s influence on curricular issues is encapsulated in the use of similar to real-life, problem-based learning activities. As far as instruction is concerned, constructivist educators foster the use of open-ended questions, and extensive dialogue, as well as encourage students’ constant engagement with reflective analysis at a deep level. Finally, constructivist educators adopt a formative approach to assessment while at the same time involving students in the process.

The work of Jonassen et al. (2007) presents a set of Instructional Design guidelines that lead to meaningful learning with technology. The guidelines which in essence reflect what students should be doing if they are indeed engaged in meaningful learning experiences, are presented below with the online/blended student in mind:

Figure 1. Instructional Design Guidelines for Meaningful Learning

ETHOS SPRING 2015

Active

Online/blended learners participate in formal and informal instruction with the view to develop skills and knowledge which they can share with other members of their online/blended community. It is critical that for this goal to be achieved, learners engage actively with the learning experience, both at a cognitive and a metacognitive (reflection) level.

Constructive

Online/blended learners construct their own meaning of the learning experience by integrating new knowledge into existing mental schemata.

Collaborative

The very nature of online/blended learning renders it extremely conducive to collaboration. In order to avoid feeling isolated and thus become de-motivated, online/blended learners tend to function as an integral part of their online/blended community.

Intentional

According to Schank (1994) all human behavior is goal directed. The same applies to online/blended learners and their participation in this type of learning experience.

Complex

The development and use of higher order cognitive skills, such as problem-solving and critical thinking skills are at the very core of online/blended learning so that through relevant experiences, the learner becomes well-equipped to cope with real-life situations which tend to be fraught with challenges, and are usually very complicated.

Contextual

Online/blended learning experiences are case- and/ or problem-based, and in general address the subject matter through ways that allow the learner to relate personally, and thus meaningfully to it.

Conversational

Online/blended environments support people’s natural tendency to exchange ideas and seek other people’s opinion, via synchronous and a-synchronous technological means that not only support dialogue across time and geographical zones, but by implication promote learners’ appreciation of a multitude of viewpoints, and their underlying contexts (cultural, social, etc.).

Reflective

Online/blended environments provide an ideal forum for the development and improvement of meta-cognitive skills. The online/blended learner tends to engage with reflection and analysis at a deeper level than what they do in ‘traditional’ learning experiences, for a variety of reasons, namely, they have more time to engage with and invest in their reflection; their reflection will be open to infinite access and critique by other learners and the tutor; feedback may not be as accurate if the reflection is not as comprehensive, and clearly stated as the author had initially intended; etc.

Aristotle, Plato, and Online/Blended Constructivism: Points of Convergence Johnson (2003) reminds us that “the philosophy of traditional education often asserts its role in citizenship and preparing students for democratic participation.”(¶ 10). As pointed out earlier, the aforementioned purpose of education originated directly from Aristotle’s position on the critical mission of education, Through the continuous encouragement of learners to be actively participating in learning experiences while being receptive –albeit with a critical eye- to their tutor and peers’ opinions, online/blended teaching seems to be targeting the same goal- that is the preparation of learners to become critically engaged, active participants in their own education and beyond, to other areas of their lives.

ETHOS SPRING 2015

The following matrix (Figure 2.) brings together main premises of the philosophical theories of education presented earlier, and illustrates their points of convergence on five important areas, namely: the purpose of education, the teacher’s role, the student’s role, teaching methods, teaching foci and techniques.

Figure 2. Points of Convergence

PLATO

ONLINE/BLENDED CONSTRUCTIVISM

Purpose of Education

Helps learner to become virtuous and well ordered; Promotes social development, and good citizenship

Prepares learner for role in society

Prepares learner for role in society

Teacher Role

Facilitator

Facilitator

Facilitator

Methods

Deductive reasoning; concept analysis

Guided discovery

Various technologyassisted methods (including guided discovery, concept analysis, and deductive reasoning)

Foci and Techniques

Study of reallife, authentic material; increase of reasoning, and decisionmaking capacity; promotion of social development; systematic and organized study; no-nonsense focus

Use of dialogue; indepth study of various subjects; development of critical thinking; focused on reflection; promotion of holistic learning

Fostering of interaction and collaboration; and learner’s active and deep engagement with instruction; focused and intentional; problem-solving, critical thinking

Student Role

Self-realization; active; engaged; reflective

Selfrealization; active; engaged; reflective

Self-realization; active; engaged; reflective

ISSUES

PHILOSOPHY ARISTOTLE OF EDUCATION

As illustrated above, several points of convergence exist among those theories both at the theoretical and applied level. It is particularly interesting to note the many similarities, despite the fact that there is a fundamental difference in their theoretical departure points. As a reminder, Constructivism believes in meaning-making, while Aristotle posits that knowledge is located in the outer world, and Plato that knowledge is inside the learner who needs the teacher’s assistance to re-discover it.

Conclusion

This essay aimed at drawing parallels and thus identifying possible connections between the philosophy for online/blended education, and the pedagogy-related views of prominent Ancient Greek philosophers, Aristotle and Plato. Several points of convergence emerged both at the theoretical and the practical level. It is hoped that while the philosophy for online/blended education is evolving towards its full development, it also acknowledges and incorporates the philosophical contributions of Ancient Greek thought, in order to further strengthen and solidify its theoretical basis.

41

Selected Bibliography Angeli, Ch., Valanides, N., & Bonk, C.J. (2003). Communication in a web-based conferencing system: The quality of computer-mediated interactions. British Journal of Educational Technology, 34(1), 31-43.

Avgerinou, M. (2002). Rediscovering learning identity in online instructional environments: My case as a visual, field-independent, and reflective online learner. In R.E. Griffin, V.S. Williams and L. Jung (Eds.) Visual literacy in message design (pp. 43-55). International Visual Literacy Association, Inc. Chafy, R. (1997). Exploring the intellectual foundation of technology education: From Condorcet to Dewey [Electronic Version]. Journal of Technology Education, 9(1). Retrieved November 27, 2003, from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/jte-v9n1/chafy.html Constructivism (2011). Retrieved May 5th, 2015, from http://www.funderstanding.com/theory/ constructivism/ Cyberphilosophy (2003). Retrieved November 27, 2003, from http://www.cariboo.bc.ca/ae/ php/phil/mclaughl/students/Phil224/JN/cyberphilosophy.htm Designing constructivist learning environments. (n.d.) Retrieved November 27, 2003, from http://www.coe.missouri.edu/~jonassen/courses/CLE/index.html Donovan, B.R. (1995). The city and the garden: Plato’s retreat from the teaching of virtue [Electronic version]. Educational Theory, 45(4).

Dreyfus, H.L. (2001). On the Internet: Thinking in action London: Routledge.

Eggen, P., & Kauchak, D. (2004). Educational psychology: Windows on classrooms (6th ed.).

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Etter, B.K. (1998). The Education of the soul: The Platonist tradition and the ordering of knowledge. Paper presented at the Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy. Retrieved December 1, 2003, from http://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Educ/EducEtte.htm Griffin, R.E., Williams, V.S., & Jung, L. (Eds.). (2002). Visual literacy in message design. In-

ternational Visual Literacy Association, Inc. Heffron, J.M. (1995). Toward a cybernetic pedagogy: The cognitive revolution and the classroom, 1948-present [Electronic Version]. Educational Theory, 45(4).

Huang, H.M. (2002). Toward constructivism for adult learners in online learning environments.British Journal of Educational Technology, 33(1), 27-37.

Instructional Design Models (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2003, from http://ist-socrates. berkeley.edu/~fmb/articles/designmodels.html Jacobsen, D.A. (2003). Philosophy in classroom teaching: Bridging the gap (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Johnson, D.F. (2003). Toward a philosophy of online education. Message posted to Tomorrow’s Professor electronic mailing list, archived at http://ctl.stanford.edu/Tomprof/postings/520. html Jonassen, D. H., Howland, J.L., Marra, R.M., &Crismond, D.P. (2007) Meaningful Learning with Technology (3rded).Prentice Hall.

Kato, M. (1998). Greek Paideia and its contemporary significance. Paper presented at the Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy. Retrieved November 27, 2003, from http://www. bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Educ/EducKato.htm Lairson, T.D. (1999). Rethinking the “course” in an online world. Campus-Wide Information Systems, 16(5), 186-190.

Marinoff, L. (1999). Plato not prozac!: Applying eternal wisdom to everyday problems. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers Inc. Moon, J. (2003).The constructivist view of learning. Message posted to Tomorrow’s Professor electronic mailing list, archived at http://ctl.stanford.edu/Tomprof/postings/498.html Onlinehumanities.com (2003). Educational Philosophy. Retrieved December 1, 2003, from http://www.online-liberal-arts-education-courses.com/educational-philosophy.html Ozmon, H.A., & Craver, S.M. (2003). Philosophical foundations of education (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Palmer, D. (1994). Looking at philosophy: The unbearable heaviness of philosophy made lighter (2nd ed.). Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.

Papert, S. (1980) Mindstorms: Children, computers, and powerful ideas.

Salmon, G. (2002). Mirror, mirror, on my screen… Exploring online reflections. British Journal of Educational Technology, 33(4), 379-391.

Scharff, R.C., &Dusek, V. (Eds.). (2003). Philosophy of technology: The technological condition: An anthology. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

Taylor, R.W. (2002). Pros and cons of online learning- A faculty perspective. Journal of European Industrial Training, 26(1), 24-37.

Van de Bunt-Kokhuis, S. (2003). E-learning and the quality of knowledge in a globalised world. Message posted to Tomorrow’s Professor electronic mailing list, archived at http://ctl. stanford.edu/Tomprof/postings/514.html

42

The visiting team experience is also invaluable to schools such as ACS Athens which is involved in preparing our school for re-accreditation next year. You gain an in-depth understanding of what will happen in your own school and by understanding the process it is easier to engage in the process.

Learning by Observing Accreditation Team Visit

by Chris Perakis - Evlogias, Director, Learning Enhancement Programs & Educational and Diagnostic Testing Center

B

eing appointed to serve on an MSA Accreditation Team visit is a big honor and responsibility at the same time. You represent your school, yourself and all of the educational community that strives for educational excellence for all students.

The Accreditation process is external, with the objective to validate the school’s quality and student achievement that fosters continuous school improvement. The TEAM is given the authority to validate and check the school inside and out during their visit.

Being a volunteer on an MSA visiting team, you give something back to your educational community.

One needs to be able to be a peer reviewer, be passionate about what one does, and want to improve the education experience for all students.

Being a member on an Accreditation Team visit is an exceptional professional development opportunity; as you get to review 12 standards for accreditation by conducting thorough and intense evaluation of the host school in a very short time. It also exposes you to diverse teaching and learning methodologies at that particular school and allows opportunities to observe “best practices” in action.

This year a group of professionals from various parts of the world worked together to produce comprehensive work for a school in Germany. We worked intensely with people we never met before but within the week we forged an incredible bond and shared many professional discussions during our visit.

Although this assignment involved a great deal of work before and during the visit to the school, I have found that my participation not only provides an important service to the host school, but is also an excellent personal professional development experience. In addition, feedback from previous teams

ETHOS SPRING 2015

acknowledge that volunteers who serve on Visiting Teams find themselves better prepared for their own school’s visit and are more comfortable with the ongoing process of accreditation.

Can’t wait for the colloquium to happen at ACS Athens in May of 2016!

■■

Growth Through Service: the Accreditation Visiting Team, A Holistic Professional Development Experience

by Ginger Carlson, Elementary School Assistant Principal

T

his spring, I had the incredible opportunity to serve as the Chair for a Visiting Accreditation Team to another international school in Europe.

This unique and most valuable professional development opportunity allowed our team to engage in professional service to another school by examining their work holistically, connecting deeply and collaboratively, and growing through the process.

Just as ACS Athens went through the process this year of hosting a visit from the Middle States Association (MSA), so do many schools around the world each year. This is a voluntary seven-year process of peer-administered growth and improvement efforts that has a school continually and deeply examining its programs and services, establishing objectives for improving student performance and organizational capacities, and gives every stakeholder a voice in, as MSA states, “charting the future of the institution.”

ETHOS SPRING 2015

When you engage in an MSA Accreditation Visiting Team, it is designed specifically to be an intense, collaborative, and ultimately professionally rewarding experience. The team members are usually strangers to one another before coming together, and then spend four or five long days reviewing each and every piece of documentation the school prepares within each of the twelve MSA Standards for Accreditation, speaking with all the stakeholder groups, observing and experiencing the operations of the school. The team continues their work, usually late into the night: discussing the many indicators of each standard, examining the school’s objectives and action plans for growth, possibly debating whether or not the school has met the standard, and then ultimately coming to a consensus on the recommendations the team will offer in order to leave the school in the best possible place from which to continue to work towards their goals.

I have worked as a volunteer with MSA on accreditation visits such as this for the past several years. No one really could have described to me the growth such an experience offers personally and professionally before I took the leap. Yet, with every Middle States Association accreditation team I have led or joined, it has been a profound personal and professional experience that always leaves me feeling transformed, deeply introspective, positioned to grow further myself, and grateful for the opportunity to do so.

■■

DiL: Dogs in Learning When Innovation in Education Meets the Hearts of Students Magic Transpires An article published in the «Kathimerini» English Edition, March 2015

by Christina Birbil, Theo Koutsopoulos and Xenia Vafopoulou, Elementary School Faculty, Alessandra Sax, Counselling Psychologist, K-12, Cathy Makropoulos, Elementary School Principal, Dr. Stefanos Gialamas, President ACS Athens

C

urrently, many of the previously established principles, values, educational philosophies, and expectations from academic institutions are challenged due to the exponential change of society needs. Due to these changes, many people are concerned for the future of their children. Educational institutions are not only obliged to have answers to these concerns but also to create, develop, implement, and establish a new trajectory in preparing their students appropriately not only to become well prepared citizens of the world but also to inspire them to develop an ethical discipline for their benefit and most importantly for the benefit of all people.

Throughout the past decade at ACS Athens, we have developed and are implementing a new, authentic, limitless, and exhilarating Educational Philosophy called Morfosis (Μορφωση). It is defined as a holistic, meaningful, and harmonious educational experience guided by ethos, enhanced by universal principals and

45

enriched by diverse cultural values. By supporting innovation in learning, we empower children to become architects of their own learning. Thus, validating that children need to be able to connect their personal experiences to what they are learning in the classroom setting, in order for learning to be meaningful. Specifically, students in primary grades, learn in an environment of engagement with creativity and innovation, which should be the norm and not the exception.

One manifestation of Morfosis is the Dogs in Learning (DiL) program, which is being implemented at the Elementary School of ACS, Athens. This program has been designed to utilize “Instructional Dogs” which are highly trained dogs for classroom instruction as an inspirational vehicle to help children understand and apply everyday issues related to human behavior and the school curriculum. The goals of the program are interrelated with the ACS Athens (K-5) School Curriculum and learning objectives. The following elements are associated with the DiL program: The ACS Athens Dogs (The Dogs) The Dogs used in the Elementary School classrooms have undergone in-depth, positive reinforcement training and thus they have been rigorously assessed to be competent and safe to work with children and adults within a school environment. They are major partners with students to accomplish a series of objectives from simple to more substantive. In summary

the ACS Athens Dogs are: ◉◉ Classroom Participants They are present in the classroom while the children are having their lesson(s). As a result, their very presence has a calming effect on the children. ◉◉ Listening Audience By being incredibly calm, the Dogs are happy to have an individual child read to them or join a group of children while having a book reading session. Thus are: • Helping children practice the skill of reading and increasing positive self-esteem as the

46

dog is a non-judgmental, attentive listener Motivating children to read, as reading is now associated with something fun ◉◉ Reward Providers Considering that the Dogs are gentle, loving and approachable, their very presence is a rewarding.

Children at ACS Athens spend time undertaking certain responsibilities for their classroom dog, which include: providing food and water, walking, grooming, playing and training. In return, enable students build their self-esteem by feeling needed and responsible for the benefit of another and these experiences also encourage pro-social behaviors while working within a group. ◉◉ Educational Facilitators The Dogs have shown that they can facilitate learning concepts for literacy and language development, mathematics, biology, social studies etc. Faculty members have embraced this curriculum and have enhanced the existing curriculum by providing learning activities which include the dogs. ◉◉ Social Facilitators The Dogs provide plenty of attention and affection to children who are spending time with them. The classroom dog provides some comic relief during anxious times, as well as acts as a friendly ice-breaker, since their very presence diverts attention from the individual to the dog, thus encouraging pro-social skills and dialogue.

In other words, children who struggle with social interaction find a reassuring friend in the Dog. •

◉◉ Psychological Support The Dogs work with children on a one-to-one basis, thus helping children who may be going through upsetting/difficult times or have been scared/phobic of dogs. In addition they help students with low self-esteem to improve their self-image as well as enable introverted students to take more risks. Finally, The Dogs help to improve morale, concentration, anxiety and hyperactivity. ◉◉ Empathy Providers The Dogs encourage a broad range of emotional/feeling states in children, including caring for other people and having a desire to help them; experiencing emotions that mirror another person’s emotions; discerning what another person is thinking or feeling; and making less distinct the differences between themselves and others.

In other words, by identifying and relating to the classroom dog, they intrinsically learn to apply and manage their emotions in the way they treat other people.

The following discussion illustrates some of the specific interventions of the DiL program by grade level.

In the first grade, children work with Captain Chip (mix Brittany Spaniel). Children have been inspired to write letters to Captain Chip as well as read aloud to him on a daily basis; both of which maintain Fan Club status and inspire children to be more communicative, compassionate and involved.

ETHOS SPRING 2015

In second grade, children work with Iro (French Bulldog) on the math unit of measurement. Students are given the task of determining how many steps Iro must take in order to cover a distance of 100 meters.

Students have the freedom to select a tool from a variety of measurement tools (rulers, meter sticks, string, etc.) and answer the questions in their own way in their own words always guided by the faculty. For example one of the students raised the question: what is a “dog step”? Another measured the length of the dog’s foot and tried to relate this to the 100 meters distance. This word problem included data collection, critical thinking, reflection, and enjoyable learning.

Lessons are often conducted outdoors where students are asked to bring their notebooks to keep notes from the lesson. The third grade students work with Zanver (Jack Russell Terrier). Students in this grade perform exercises with the dog in an obstacle course.

They are asked to measure the length and height of the dog and keep a record of the data gathered. They use the dog’s measurements to adjust the obstacles in the course. Students must calculate the adjustment they need to make in the Alfa obstacle and the door, so the dog will be able to jump. They record and calculate the dog’s measurements, how many cm is the adjustment they need to make, and the final height after the adjustment has been made.

In fourth grade, students work with Arno, (Beauceron). Fifth grade students work with Aika (Beauceron). Both grades were assigned the project of finding what the yearly expenses for Arno and Aika are. Fifth grade students were then asked to calculate the lifespan expenses for Aika. They defined two steps: 1) to identify the categories of dog expenses, 2) to calculate yearly expenses (for fourth grade) and life span expenses for the class dog (for fifth grade).

Students recorded one- time expenses which included a dog house and all necessary items (food, waterholder, blankets, leashes, etc). Yearly expenses were first reflected on a monthly basis including: food and treats, immunizations, insurance, cost of veterinarian scheduled visits, toys, along with predictions of extra costs.

Students discussed the following real life problem: Given that Arno eats 500 grams of dry food per day, and a specific bag of dry food contains 15 kg and each bag of dry food costs 40 euros then: ◉◉ How many grams per month does Arno eat?

They approximate the grams by saying 500 grams x 30 days = 15,000 grams ◉◉ How many months of feeding does one bag provide?

They first answer the questions how many grams are in one 1kg (1000grams) How many grams are in one bag 15 x 1000 = 15,000 grams How many months worth of dry food does one bag contain? ◉◉ How much money do we spend for Arno’s food per month?

One bag a month costs 40 euros

◉◉ How much money do we spend per year for dog food?

How many months in a year? 12 months 12 months x 40 euro = 480 euro per year for dog food The above steps illustrate the thinking process that the students used in order to solve one part of the multidimensional and multilevel mathematics problem.

Learning to work with the Dogs improves student’s self-esteem as they see their dog respond to their requests, thus providing a tangible experience in leadership and empowering students to become accountable decision makers in all areas of life. Testimonials from children when asked about their experience with the DiL Program include: “You read more because you are not shy reading to the dog”, “The dog helps me to focus”, “It made math fun because it was about a dog”. Genuine learning in life takes place when education is meaningful. Time needs to be allocated for students to explore personal interests in contexts they can relate to.

The journey in shaping the development of children becomes significant and invaluable when children are given the opportunities to build and design their unique approach to learning; thus allowing them to become life- long learners.

Further Reading ◉◉ Dogs in Learning :Transforming Education The international Journal of elementary Education (27/2/2015) http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/journal/ archive.aspx?journalid=192&issueid=-1 ◉◉ Metamorphosis: A Collaborative Leadership Model to Promote Educational Change The International Journal of Progressive Education (November 2014) http://www.inased.org/v10n1/ijpev10n1.pdf

■■

ETHOS SPRING 2015

So, towards that end, I turn to the ACS Athens Elementary student as a social being and how being able to tap into our children’s innate sense of curiosity and creativity, which in turn means their ability to solve problems effectively (and with a certain degree of uniqueness) will not only be a step towards living a fulfilled life, but will also serve them socially and globally during this wonderfully unique time in their lives and beyond. In the elementary school, they are certainly getting that opportunity every day.

Elementary adventures Inspiring Global Citizens with Ethos: Creative Problem Solving in the Life and Times of an ACS Athens Elementary School Student

by Ginger Carlson, Elementary School Assistant Principal

W

hen I first learned about the ACS Athens mission (essentially that of “Inspiring Global Citizens with Ethos”, I was at once captured, it piqued my interest and is ultimately what drew me to join the ACS family. It seemed it was a mission that was truly lived, not just talked about.

Throughout my career, in various parts of the world, I have focused on practices of creativity in Education and how (like our ACS Athens mission) we as parents, caregivers, and educators can encourage a fulfilled and creative life in our children as they grow and mature. How we can offer them opportunities to be inspired, to listen to that inspiration in a way that honors their self expression, and be responsible for their actions, and in doing so will leave our global village a better, more positive place.

That can only be done if one is able to look at challenges as lessons, disagreements as opportunities, and problems as a place where solutions are born.

The simple fact is that life is full of all kinds of problems: learning how to use words instead of fists, power struggles with parents or teachers, having to share your favorite toy, math problems, scientific investigations, how to make a piece of writing more clear, or any number of situations we humans find ourselves in day after day. As we grow, the “problems” become more complex and confusing, and the solutions sometimes harder to come by. And luckily, life is full of even more solutions than there are problems. The game of course is which of the many possible solutions will we choose and how will we be a part of that solution. Certainly, it is a lifelong skill that will serve anyone well. Lucky for our global society, we are here practicing it every day so our children can take it out into the world.

Pieces of the Problem-solving Puzzle Our goal is to rear children who can eventually approach the problems they face, socially or otherwise, with a mind towards knowing they can find a solution and learn from their process. Eventually they will gain the confidence in their ability to tackle what life presents them with. The puzzle can often be helping children to navigate the social situations they find themselves in.

Ultimately, there are a few pieces we can share, model and continually reinforce with our children that will help them figure how this puzzle all fits together. They are: ◉◉ Understand that there is something that needs a solution. Just being able to identify that not everyone is feeling good is the first piece in the problem-solving puzzle. ◉◉ Communicate their needs. Give children the words they need to respectfully ask for what they need and desire. ◉◉ Listen to the needs of others. Show children how to be a good listener by repeating what you hear. ◉◉ Recognize a variety of ways to solve the problem. Come up with a variety of solutions and decide on what you will do together. Sometimes children don›t like any of the solutions except their own idea. That›s okay. Just keep coming up with ideas together, and perhaps help them try to meld a few ideas into one that will work.

Sometimes solving a problem is easier said than done, but with adequate practice, and patience on the part of the guiding adults, children will learn how the pieces in their friendship puzzle all fit together.

49

Provide Examples Of course we know that modeling is the best (and as Einstein said, “the only”) way to learn something, and parents can go a long way with providing that example.

So in an effort to show children that problems indeed do have solutions, talk (age appropriately) about the kinds of problems you are solving each day in your life. Give simple steps to how you solved the problem and especially share some of the things you tried that didn’t work so children can also have a model of your perseverance.

As well, if you are sharing a simple problem you solved with one of your adult friends or colleagues, talk to children about times that you didn’t get your way and how it worked out in the end (i.e., I’m so glad we decided to do what she wanted to do instead because it was so fun!). In addition, tell stories about past problems you’ve solved using “Once when I was little…” stories. Another wonderful way to provide models of solving problems is by using picture books and other written or oral stories you might come across.

When Students Engage in Problem Solving and Cooperative Learning Opportunities in the Classroom, it Translates to their Social Interactions and Life as a Global Citizen

Keep Keepin› On Sometimes some friendships and relationships take more time to deepen than others. Although it is a tempting route for sure, don’t just give up on certain friends your children are struggling with, one-on-one play dates, or other situations that might be initially tough going. The more we can try to understand the phases and stages a particular child might be going through, and help children navigate the dynamics of different social situations, the more they will grow together as friends. As well, they will be building resiliency and foundations for how they will develop and handle relationships in the future.

Take a Break Children today have all kinds of opportunities where they are regularly faced with sharing, waiting their turn, and talking about their feelings. Those are all valuable skills, but can easily overwhelm a child if we forget to give them processing time. Especially when children are constantly scheduled or have siblings to contend with, consider just giving them a break from all that. I like to call days like that yes days, days when their choices and desires are honored and valued. After all, by saying yes children then learn the feelings a yes can bring and it trickles into their play and ways of being with the people they come in contact with.

Problem solving, and the ability to do so, doesn’t “just happen” for any human being. It is definitely a learned skill, one that enhances relationships and leads to a more creative, fulfilled, inspired life of global citizenship with ethos. But it certainly takes work and continued modeling for it to happen. Then one day, as children grow and mature, we witness a sort of impasse in their play.

Lo and behold, they surprise us… we overhear them use their words, offer ideas, and come to a solution together.

And what they do in their play becomes what they do in real life, out in the world, as responsible global citizens living and leading with ethos. What a wonderful world we have to look forward to!

■■

Current page from top to bottom: Second grade students working on “fixing” a piece of writing together, another opportunity to practice compromise, seeking understanding, and being clear with our words Junior Kindergarten students solve problems together in every aspect of their play Kindergaretners working together to create their own special reading space Third Graders working together on the design and building of a Community Fifth Graders working together to ask questions, talk about their methods, and solve math problems There are opportunities everywhere to solve problems and figure out how the world works.

Here, First graders engaging in play are also learning all the time

50

Clubs at the ELEMENTARY SCHOOL are S.M.A.R.T !

by Irini Rovoli and Venie Gaki, Faculty, Greek, Elementary School

I

n times of crisis people have a tendency to contemplate over what went wrong; why have we come to this point of environmental pollution, economic recess and moral corruption? We hear about delinquency and bullying and we ask why; we hear about environmental catastrophes and animal extinction and we ask why.

For the past 4 years there are two clubs at the ES which are run with great success and fervent participation on behalf of students and advisors; the Environmental Club (LEAF) – that first started as the Turtle Club – and the Honor Code Club.

As club advisors we aim to facilitate our club members into growing to become 21st century citizens. A variety of 21st century skills are being cultivated through the clubs.

Current page from top to bottom: L.E.A.F. Club members Tamara, Celia, Katerina, Vasiliki , Nikos, Kanella with Ms Mantarakis (ARCHELON Sea Turtle Rescue Center Volunteer & former ACS teacher) and Ms Rovoli (Club Advisor)

Clubs are a SMART choice for students !

S for Socialization.

M for Meaningful Engagement.

A for Awareness.

R for Responsibility.

Honor Code Club: Working together to promote ethos Students of the Honor Code Club writing down ideas of what we can do to display Respect , Readiness and Responsibility at all times

ETHOS SPRING 2015

ETHOS SPRING 2015

T for taking Action.

The LEAF Club is the environment club of the 4th grade ACS Elementary School and this is why it’s a SMART choice: Socialization through Collaboration: Club members work together on authentic tasks. From creating a PowerPoint Presentation on the endangered animals of Greece to delegating work for fund raising to help injured sea turtles.

Meaningful activities: Students present to their peers, create and spread the word through projects of their choice. They are also part of the School wide Wellness celebration that ties their work with other clubs working to make the world a better place.

Awareness: Students gain awareness of their immediate environment. The wildlife of Greece and the

Current page from top to bottom: Honor Code Club: Our common goal is to make our school the best we can!

Doing the right thing even when nobody’s watching starts from the Elemementary School Students of ACS

Opposite page: L.E.A.F. ACS Elementary Environment Club: Learn - Explore - take Action have Fun!

endangered species trigger their interest and make them want to discover their value.

Responsibility and Taking Action: Students take action by participating in the Young Volunteers in Action Program. This is a training experience that students may choose to receive at the Arhelon Sea Turtle Rescue Center. Skillfully guided by former ACS teacher and Archelon volunteer, Ms Jane Mantarakis, students get hands-on experience on what a volunteer does in order to help injured sea turtles. Cleaning the tanks, measuring food for sea turtles, observing sea turtle movement and behavior give our students a lifelong lesson.

The Honor Code Club meets every Wednesday and students of grades 3, 4 & 5 have the opportunity to talk about various issues that are of their concern.

53

They Socialize as they have the chance to get together and mingle with students of other grades as well.

They are engaged in Meaningful conversations about how we can make our school an even better environment for every student.

They become Aware of a variety of virtues and values we would like our students to be instilled with, like patience, integrity, respect and justice.

They are Responsible for running the club, as they are the ones that bring forward an issue for discussion and they are the ones who eventually Take action, as they improvise skits through which we see how we can practice justice, courtesy, responsibility and respect and demonstrate in the Assembly we have at the Theater every month.

For both advisors and students, seeing our clubs expand and blossom has been a most fulfilling and productive educational experience!

■■

“Sing and Learn Grammar Workshop” in the 36th Annual Convention of TESOL Greece

by Venie Gaki, Faculty, Elementary School

O

n March 21st 2015, I had the honor to present my action research at the 36th Annual TESOL Convention in Greece, with the assistance of Ms. Angie Zamanis, EFL teacher at ACS Middle School.

The target of the workshop was to make novice teachers realize that the teaching of grammar is not as daunting as it may sound, and for senior teachers to see that the teaching of grammar can be fun without having to use rules and conjugations!

The presentation is synopsized in the following: FAQ 1: Why can the teaching of grammar be intimidating?

Answer: ◉◉ It is frequently a tedious drill for both students and teachers. ◉◉ Students appear not to be able to apply the grammar rules even after a couple of years of exposure

54

your new “Sing and Learn Grammar”. ◉◉ For each song, think of linguistic content within your students’ comfort zone depending on the age group you are teaching. Write down a few easy key words you can think of relevant to a grammar structure and theme you wish to teach and then find other words to rhyme with them. ◉◉ Count the syllables of each line or sentence in the verses and chorus of the original song, so that the lyrics you create apply to the music.

FAQ 4: And then what?

Answer: Here are some ideas for a post grammar - listening activity (depending on the age group): ◉◉ Color in! / Drawing! ◉◉ Role play! ◉◉ Listening comprehension questions! ◉◉ Retell the story! Use your own ideas to say how the story ends or what happens next! ◉◉ Cut up the words of a verse / or the whole song and put them in the right order! to the teaching of particular grammar structures. ◉◉ Students appear to make the same mistakes in both oral and written output repeatedly.

◉◉ Gap filling exercises to find other rhyming words and / or create another song! ◉◉ Short story writing!

■■

FAQ 2 : Can we ignore the grammar?

Answer: Of course not! When we teach a second language to young learners, we should incorporate a natural approach to grammar in our lesson plans, so that our students “get a feel for the language” from the beginning and enjoy the process of acquisition!

FAQ 3: How can my students “Sing & Learn Grammar”?

Answer: ◉◉ Ask your students to write / tell you their favorite song during an “ice – breaking” activity on the first day of the academic year; write the titles on cards and place them in a special container. You can also share some of YOUR favorite songs with your students. ◉◉ Create a “grammar song box” with these songs.

Throughout the year, you can use the music and the original lyrics of these songs to “compose”

Current page: Ms. Venie Gaki at the Annual Convention of TESOL, Greece

ETHOS SPRING 2015

Blogging at the Elementary: O.W.L

by Penny Kynigou, Faculty, Elementary School

T

eachers are continually asking their students to write. Students respond to prompts, write personal narratives, write up science labs, share their thinking about math problems, reflect on their learning, compose poetry etc, etc. If you work in elementary education, you know as well as I do, the list seems endless. What happens to all this writing?

While some is shared with classmates, getting a fleeting but authentic response in the form of audience reaction, most comes to the teacher for grading and returns to the student to subsequently languish under the desk, never to be looked at again. Blogging turns this model on its head.

Now children are choosing to write for an audience, not only of their peers, but the wider world beyond.

As they learn to comment and provide feedback to one another on what works in a piece of writing, they build awareness of writer’s craft. The teacher’s previously obscure obsession with accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation becomes a shared standard for publication. Comments are approved by the class and group-edited for accuracy, raising the level of concern about writing in Standard English.

This, of all initiatives I have ever attempted, has had the most significant impact in improving students’ use of conventions. With the advent of blogging in my classroom, writing has become a genuine form of communication. The blog has become something between a living yearbook, a news sheet and a class

literary magazine. Students create posts to report on class activities or events they find significant and invite classmates to share their opinions in comments. They post their favorite creative writing pieces to share with their classmates, who enthusiastically respond. Longer pieces are released in installments to build the anticipation, with students writing comments begging for the next episode! Students respond very positively to blogging The mother of an ESL student shared with me how much it meant to her son when he received comments on his story from students he considered to be the good writers of the class and how motivated he became to write in English.

Here are some responses from my students last week when I asked them what they liked about writing for our blog: “I feel special because they really liked my story and took the time to read my work and give good feedback. It’s really encouraging.” “I like it because I feel I am a real author.” “It makes me better as a writer because the feedback helps me to improve.” “I feel really good that people enjoy my writing.” “It encourages me to write more!”

Visit our blog at: www.acsathensgr5.wordpress.com/

ETHOS SPRING 2015

Points were given for successfully completed polyhedrons. These models are displayed in our Middle School.

Students were given positive reinforcement and recognition for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place and a certificate of participation.

■■

Exhibitions of Learning The Math Bowl in the Middle School 2015

by Dora Andrikopoulos, Mathematics Coordinator

T

he Math Bowl took place on March 13th this year.

The Math Bowl is designed to give students of all grades and ability levels the opportunity to apply skills in mathematics.

It’s a competition that gives students the drive and eagerness to complete as many activities as they can to accumulate the highest score.

Approximately 72 students were divided into groups of 6. Each group consisted of all ability levels. Students had the opportunity to collaborate between themselves. They chose activities that they felt comfortable to complete successfully.

Parts 1 and 2 were composed of fun activities as well as activities that require problem solving skills and computational skills. In some cases they needed to use visual perception skills and logical reasoning.

Between Parts 1 and 2 students were given short breaks and an opportunity to make an intelligent “guesstimate” of objects (i.e. beans, candy, etc.) in a jar. They received points for accurate estimations.

Part 3 was composed of construction activities. Students constructed as many as 5 different polyhedrons or a polyhedron of their choice that they could describe using mathematical terms. The materials they were provided with were: straws, scissors, and tape.

59

P

i is a mathematical constant that is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.

Pi Day was first officially celebrated in 1988 in San Francisco. Since then, Pi Day has been celebrated by millions of students and math-lovers. The event is celebrated on 14th March, since 3, 1, and 4 are the three most significant digits in the decimal form of Pi. This year we celebrated Pi Day at ACS in many different and interesting ways.

π–Day Celebration at ACS Athens

by Dora Andrikopoulos, Mathematics Coordinator

Opposite page from top to bottom: Students working on math bowl activities Enjoying the constructions activities Students constructing polehedra Students working collaboratively in their groups

Some of our creative ideas were: ◉◉ Eating different Pi foods: lemon pies, lime pies, pumpkin pies, apple pies, pizzas, donuts, cakes ◉◉ Putting the Pi symbol on a variety of cookies, pies, and cupcakes. ◉◉ Making cookies, cakes, loaves of bread, or pancakes that are shaped like Pi. ◉◉ Students designed and created interesting Pi posters with drawings of pineapples, pizzas, pirates and numerous others ◉◉ Students researched facts and people who discovered digits of Pi, before and after calculators and computers were discovered ◉◉ Students listened and sang along to Pi songs all day long ◉◉ The environment around the school was reminiscent of Pi ◉◉ Some students wear Pi accessories like Pi jewelry, T-shirts with Pi written on it and other paraphernalia ◉◉ Some students wrote poetry a pi-ku (haiku) or a regular pi-em (poem)

60

ETHOS SPRING 2015

◉◉ Others wrote a Pi-themed song, or a short Pithemed play and acted it out ◉◉ Students made chains of different colored rings that represented the different digits of Pi and decorated their classrooms ◉◉ Every grade level has a Pi memorization Pi digit contest ◉◉ Students gathered into groups and had competitions answering questions related to Pi and Pi word contests for points ◉◉ Students measured the circumferences of many different sized objects and divided this with their diameter to prove the value of Pi. They average their values to get a better estimate of Pi Pi Day is truly an event that students love. They are always excited and passionately involved in all the different activities.

■■

Opposite and Current page: Display of completed Pi posters

Previous page: Pi Poster Bulletin Board

Students constructing polehedra Students at work

ETHOS SPRING 2015

age even more involvement in the years to come.

Civics @ ACS Athens Being a Piece of the Model United Nations Mosaic

by David Nelson, Evelyn Pittas, and Margarita Gournaris, Academy Faculty

D

iversity serves as a great asset to the many delegations from ACS Athens as they engage in some of the best conferences in Athens and the world. Students who participate in MUN at ACS have the opportunity to build experience, collaborate with students at all levels and take on challenging leadership positions.

In all of the MUN endeavors, students take on a mosaic of challenges and engage their peers from around the world to provide real world solutions. Challenging these issues aids us in understanding this world of ours, which is currently in turmoil and allows us to deconstruct the change in politics that shape it. Our Model United Nations delegates took up the challenge this year to come up with new and innovative solutions to contemporary issues.

We celebrate the variety of opportunities that Model United Nations at ACS Athens provides for our students, not as a one-time event, but as a high school experience that carries on long after graduation. This year’s MUN conferences included The German School MUN in Athens, Costeas Geitonas MUN in Athens, Georgetown Qatar MUN in Doha, The Hague MUN in The Netherlands, and the Athens MUN here in Attica.

Additionally, this year the Academy MUN students initiated the first ever 8th Grade MUN at ACS Athens in order to share what they’ve learned and to encour-

The entire institution of the United Nations hinges on the fact that every member state has a vote; each of our delegates represented an assigned country in the conference and made their vote count; they made their voices heard! They questioned and debated fundamental organizing principles of international relations. In part, they were teaching each other and learning from each other about real world issues. The delegates put all biases aside and stepped into the role of their respected delegation to address economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems.

The 10th Annual Qatar MUN Conference 2015: The QMUN 2015 Conference Theme was “A World in Turmoil: The Politics of Change.” Our QMUN delegates worked very hard to represent their assigned countries. All of our delegates played their roles with great diplomacy and success. We are certain that our students understood what it means to be diplomats with responsibilities that influence the lives of people as it exposed them to many critical issues about what is happening in the world. We are extremely proud of them. They were excellent representatives of our school.

Our 2015 team included the following participants: Manos Daoulas served on the Security Council representing the Delegate of AUSTRALIA. Manos debated the topics “The Question of Peace and Security with Regards to the Islamic State in Iraq & Syria” and “Crisis in the Ukraine.”

Aliki Papoutsi served on the Historical Security Council also representing the Delegate of AUSTRALIA and debated the topics “Suez Canal: 1956” and “1973 Oil Crisis.”

Venetia Chatzidakis served on the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization representing the Delegate of AUSTRIA. Venetia debated the topics “The Preservation of Heritage Sites” and “Accessibility of Education for Children in Conflict.”

Panayiotis Floros served on the World Health Organization representing the Delegate of AUSTRIA and debated the topics “Taking Mental Health into the Community” and “Responses to Ebola.”

Takao Yatagai served on the Environmental Committee representing the Delegate of AUSTRALIA. Takao debated the topics “Fishing Policy & Whaling” and “The Debate on Genetically Modified Food.”

Petros Vorgias served on the Human Rights Committee representing the Delegate of FRANCE and debated the topics “Combating Child Marriages” and “Human Trafficking.”

2015 The Hague Model United Nations (THIMUN): This year’s THIMUN delegation featured thirteen ACS

63

Current page top: THIMUN (The Hague Model United Nations) 2015 Group official

Current page bottom: THIMUN delegates at the Mexican Embassy

64

“Human Trafficking.”

2015 The Hague Model United Nations (THIMUN): This year’s THIMUN delegation featured thirteen ACS Academy students, grades 10-12 representing Mexico. One of the highlights of this year’s conference included the selection of Senior Ioanna Schuppert as President of the Environmental Committee; such positions are given to select students with wide experience in MUN and leadership positions. Ioanna has participated in our program for four years, and has acquired such a resume—she essentially ran the entire Committee, managing the Committee Chairs and overseeing the five day conference in the Environmental Committee of several hundred delegates.

Prior to the conference, the student delegation also visited the Embassy of Mexico in Athens and was welcomed by Ambassador Tarcisio Navarrete Montes De Oca, whose daughter also graduated from ACS Athens and was an active member of the Model United Nations team for three years. Ambassador Montes De Oca answered students’ questions, gave diplomatic advice and presented them with delicious Mexican delicacies.

At THIMUN, the largest MUN of its kind in the world, our students brought an unprecedented number of resolutions to the committees and sponsored or co-sponsored several of them during the five day conference. Students who attended this year included: Thomas Desombre, Doddi El Gabry, Vicky Grant, Lydia Lampiri, Andreas Louskos, Lasse Luecke, Thomas Lynch, Susanna McGrew, Filippos Minaretzis, Billy Sotiropoulos, Rim Versteeg and Diane Yalouris.

This year, eight of our students also attended the German School MUN in Athens, fourteen of our students participated in the Costeas Geitonas MUN in Athens, and 11 students attended the Athens MUN (AMUN).

Several students were also selected as student chairs at this year’s AMUN, including Susanna McGrew, Thomas Lynch and Ioanna Schuppert.

We also want to congratulate the many delegates who have designed the first ever ACS MUN for our 8th Grade students. Vicky Grant, Lydia Lampiri and Thomas Lynch initiated the project completely on their own and they have trained and carried out all of the detailed arrangements. As a group they have trained chairs, educated delegates and set up all logistics for the event. Ms. Vicky Akrivou has also been instrumental in bringing MUN to the Middle School and the students appreciate her support We are very proud of the student leaders and delegates who have invested countless hours to help make Model United Nations at ACS Athens such a huge success.

■■

UNESCO Symposium

by Sonia Kormaris, Academy Faculty

U

NESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a special group of the United Nations, whose aim is to “contribute to peace and international understanding by promoting collaboration through education, science, and culture.” One of the many activities of this organization is the UNESCO ASPNet (Associated Schools Project), a program that supports schools around the world to educate students on major issues, concerning our world and daily life. In Greece, the main activity of the UNESCO ASPNet is a Symposium, organized every year at the end of February, under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Education and the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO. The Symposium is hosted each year by a school-member of the Associated Schools, on a rotation basis, and it lasts two days. The students, with the aid of their advisor, prepare themselves by discussing the year’s topic and working on their artistic presentation.

On the first day, the students participating from each school present their artistic work, which has to be relevant to the topic of the Symposium, and then are separated in groups (10-12 students from different schools) and, under the supervision of the President (student that facilitates the discussion) and Secretary (student that writes down the resolution) of the group, discuss the topic selected each year that would lead to the recording of a resolution. The next day, the resolutions are presented to the students and teachers by the presidents of each group and, after any students’ questions are answered, they are adopted or not. The resolutions adopted are included in the record of Congress procedures, which are pub-

ETHOS SPRING 2015

LD Conference lished for UNESCO. Students are put into groups with students from different schools and this is a challenge because they have to communicate with people they do not know and in the end, they are called to come up with the resolution that they will present to the other groups.

They also get familiarized with the way that democracy functions as they have to argue about their own points, to listen to others’ opinions, to respect each other and to vote in order to approve the resolutions.

This year, the Symposium took place at Ekpaideftiria Geitonas in Vari on Feb.26th and 27th 2015, and its topic was Education as A Means of Societal Cohesion. Participants demonstrated a high degree of responsibility and seriousness, they were well prepared and their resolutions were all approved by the General Assembly. They also created and presented a wonderful video inspired by the theme of the Symposium.

Apart from that, the members of the UNESCO Club participated with enthusiasm in school events such as Halloween and Christmas Bazaar. They had also successfully organized a Bake Sale and took charge of a charity activity before Christmas in order to support the Athens Municipal Creche. It was a meaningful and touching experience for them. Lastly, they willingly proceeded in a donation to Actionaid Hellas.

The following students were the UNESCO Club members of the 2014-2015 school year: Apostolou Maria, Farou Katerina, Kanatsellou Fotini (President), Kritikou Lida, Lampiri Lydia, Papadopoulou Pinelopi, Paraskevopoulos Aris, Radmann Barbarita, Syrma Sofia, Tsitsos Fotis (Secretary). It was a great pleasure to work with this group of kids!

■■

“What If and the Power of Transformation”

by Sophia Thanopoulou, Faculty, Theater

I

want to become an actor”; there mustn’t be six more threatening words to hear as a parent. And this is how my parents reacted when I said to them I want to study theater: “what job are you going to do?”

Almost 20 years later, on the night after my 12th student performance, my mother sent me this letter, which I am going to read to you, and it actually became the stimulus for this talk: “In this play, you gave these 17 year old students perhaps the only chance in their lives to come out of their own skins and get under the skin of people that they would like to meet only in literature. Not to borrow their life, not even for one second; but for one hour you had them live it. This is a lesson for life.”

So this is what I have come to talk to you today. The transformative power of theater in education.

The Magic If In early 1900’s Konstantin Stanislavski, the father of modern acting, founded his acting technique, that would later become known as Method Acting, on the word IF. He called it the ‘magic If ’. He says of this simple yet very powerful tool: ”If is the lever to lift us out of the world of actuality in to the realm of imagination.”

He continues, “ you can kill the King without a sword and you can light the fire without a match. What needs to burn is your imagination.” By asking What if, I offer you only a supposition…and you are asked to an-

ETHOS SPRING 2015

Stanislavsky says of this simple yet very powerful tool:

“If” is the lever to lift us out of the world of actuality in to the realm of imagination.”

He continues, “you can kill the King without a sword and you can light the fire without a match. What needs to burn is your imagination.”

By asking What if, I offer you only a supposition…and you are asked to answer it sincerely and definitely”.

How would you sit in this chair if you were in love with the person who sits behind you? How would you change the way you sit if there was a madman behind the door?

And he goes on: “Every person who is really an artist desires to create inside of himself another, deeper, more interesting life than the one that actually surrounds him.”

swer it sincerely and definitely”. How would you sit in this chair if you were in love with the person who sits behind you? How would you change the way you sit if there was a madman behind the door? And he goes on: “Every person who is really an artist desires to create inside of himself another, deeper, more interesting life than the one that actually surrounds him.”

Home Seek, 2014 In October 2014 my theater class and I set out on ‘a long journey home’. This is what I call today the adventure we embarked upon with my Senior IB Theater class. To Devise, in theater, is to create from scratch.

You start from a starting point, say, the word Home.

According to theatre scholar Alison Oddey, “devised theatre can start from anything. It originates with the group…rather than starting from a play text that someone else has written. It is work that has emerged from and been generated by a group of people working in collaboration.”And it is like throwing a pebble in a lake. It ripples and ripples and ripples until you have sufficient text, scenes, actions, a script, a play. And this is a long rocky journey “home”. Or, you may prefer, a very chaotic process.

So, setting off from the word “Home”, I didn’t know what was in the bag for me. I had done this before though. Previous experience from better or worse performances had shown me that, however chaotic the process, the only way to produce a worthwhile outcome is to immerse yourself in your theme. Three

years ago, in a time of anarchy and chaos for people that lived in Athens, the city being besieged by riots and an uncontrollable rage, we had devised a piece on personal responsibility. We ended up calling it Sweet Inertia, referring to the property of masses – and people – to not want to go through the discomfort of change, thus wanting to stay in their previous state of indulgence, oblivion, unaccountability. That stimulus, back then, and the piece of theater that ensued became a defining point for me as a teacher. I had no idea when we started that it would affect us on such a deep level and that that theme would creep into my personal life and decisions. Apparently, it had the same effect on the students. So, I did know that I had to let it in.

A transformative experience must be, first, personal But you have to believe me when I say that when I set off on a project like this I have no idea – no idea – where it is going to go. But I do use my common sense.

In an international school, with almost half International students and many Greek-Americans amongst the local students, there had to be interesting family stories, as far as the word Home is concerned.

We started to brainstorm: personal notions of Home; experiences from changing homes or countries, then we moved on to family.

I then handed out a copy of the world map and stu-

67

Family/parents Split families (by war/divorce etc.)

Belonging/something constant Immigration Identity Homelessness Stuck in between Nationalism Shelter War at home People/people that know you Homesick Objects/activities Flags Language/culture/religion Changing houses/towns/countries

Current page from top to bottom: “Home Seek” brainstorm, Oct. 7 2014 World map assignment, Oct.24 2014, courtesy of Dimitri Grant

dents started drawing lines, the journeys that they or members of their families had made, now or in the past. They sat down with parents and grandparents much to their surprise - and traced family history all the way to India or Africa, or of course the States and Canada, and thus interesting stories started coming to the surface: families who had fled Soviet regime, grandparents that eloped together, love stories with brooches and letters unread, grandmothers who got on a boat alone to America.

A transformative experience must also be political Then we moved on to the next ripple the pebble had created: other people’s notions of home: “Do you know other people who may have changed, or lost their homes?” Immigration had been mentioned before but now it was blatantly on the table. “Do you know any immigrants? What would you ask that Philippine or Romanian woman working at your home?” This was a reality check, and naturally, a very central question popped up: “How did you get here?” This had become a political play and hell broke between students. There was fighting and disagreement; opinions ranged from anything between extreme conservative to extreme liberal and I knew I had to maintain a neutral stance.

“A group cannot devise in a vacuum; work originates and progresses within the broadest context of culture and society, the changing world and all its events.” I, then, knew that we had to know more.

Cutting to the bone of our work, hardcore research ensued on immigration: facts and policies, economic and political consequences, analyses, articles, data, numbers, views and reviews. Images. Videos. Testimonies.

It was heart-breaking, soul-wrenching, nerve-wracking; the more we read the more we realized how little we know, and then we read more, and realized more, and the whole thing just humbled us. Reading and researching and getting deeper and deeper into our stories, into other people’s stories, I personally admit had to cry A LOT. A transformative experience has to get under your skin Now, you see, we, teachers and students read and research and learn a lot like that for history, and for literature and social studies. It wasn’t the information that transformed us. The difference between this and everything else was that all that tremendous information had to be translated into theatrical moments.

Every single bit of that harsh reality of the data and numbers and facts and figures, had to be thrown into sharp relief by the widening, unforgiving, sharpening theatrical lens. And this was indeed a painful process.

But let’s take a step back to see what the art of acting is, at its highest form. Borrowing words from deceased actor Ilias Menexes and his book “Theatre as a living experience”: “Through the processes of this art

68

we express two people at the same time: the person – actor and the role. The first stage is to express the role through our self. The second is to transform.” So we have the person-actor and the role; and we have to figure out a way to make the two merge. It is at this first stage that the foundations are laid. He continues, “To put the role in motion we have to put in motion our psyche, our emotions, our instincts, thinking and sensations. Your whole identity is trained and your perceptive means stretched for the role, the play and its world to fit inside.” In other words, just as the painter uses paint or the musician uses notes, the actor uses his whole self: body, soul and experiences.

When, at the second stage, transformation occurs, you are perfectly aware of the fact that this new identity is not you, it is someone else, someone new, that includes you, uses you and is channeled through you.

So, there came the personal stories; the interviews and testimonies, and this was where all this information had to be transferred to first person. To act as someone else you have to know their history; draw their biography; their likes and dislikes; their motives; what drives them from A to B; their conflicts: “she had to leave her children in the middle of the night”; their back thoughts; their subtext; the in-between the lines; what they say but what they prefer that remains unsaid. ”If is the lever to lift us out of the world of actuality in to the realm of imagination”… What if… I was this person, who has devoted his life to charity work and travels between refugee camps to cure and treat people in misery. “By asking What if, I offer you only a supposition…”

What if… I was this student whose family chose to sell their house, for him to get out of Syria and come to Europe and perhaps continue with his studies. What if… I was this father who lost 3 children in the sea, in his effort to take them to a safer place.

And you are asked to answer sincerely and definitely. “this is how I would walk, this is how I would talk” if only for a moment I could bear to imagine being in the shoes of someone like that.

“Every person who is really an artist desires to create inside of himself another, deeper, more interesting life than the one that actually surrounds him”… By the means of the Mag-

ic If, these students became real artists, in that they allowed themselves to become vehicles of the pain of the world and carry it through to the audience, sincerely and definitely. They allowed for another life to grow inside of themselves, deeper and more interesting than the one that actually surrounds them. And they were astounded by the answers to their own questions, and astounded others that watched this.

A colleague once said, ‘You know it is art if it changed you’. If after you come out of the theater or cinema, or gallery, or concert hall, you no longer feel the same person; something inside you has shifted. Learning produces very similar results. You know it by that look in their eyes like they have been hit by lightning, that widening of the eyes, the reason most of us, all of us are doing this job.

Imagine putting the two together: Genuine, heartfelt learning and serious, profound art making. Both using the passionate creative powers of a young mind.

What a flammable, explosive combination: to exploit the transformative powers of the artistic process in order to give long lasting educational experiences.

I can say with confidence that 10 people who will graduate this year see this topic in the same way that they did before. They have been scarred for life with some of the pain of the world and, whatever they may become in the future, this experience has engraved new pathways in their brain structure, triggering empathy and compassion.

ETHOS SPRING 2015

And the only reason I may take pride in this, is because I went through exactly the same, and have been scarred too.

■■ Works Cited: Stanislavsky, Konstantin, and Elizabeth Reynolds.

Hapgood. "Action." An Actor Prepares. London: Eyre Methuen, 1980. N. pag. Print.

Oddey, Alison. "Introduction." Introduction. Devising Theatre: A Practical and Theoretical Handbook. London: Routledge, 1994. N. pag. Print. Μενεξές, Ηλίας. «Ο ηθοποιός-άνθρωπος και ο ρόλος». Το θέατρο σαν βιωματική εμπειρία. Αθήνα: Ιδιωτική έκδοση, 2007. Print.

Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 1 May 2015.

Thanopoulou, Sofia. ""What If" and the Power of Transformation." 10th annual Conference on Learning Differences & Innovation Summit. ACS, Athens. 9 May 2015. Speech.

Opposite page: LD Conference, Innovation Summit talk, PP presentation: What if and the power of transformation Current page: “What if?”

10th Conference on Learning Differences and INNOVATION SUMMIT

ETHOS SPRING 2015

2006: Chris P. Tomaras Economist and Philanthropist

2007: Harriet Mayor Fulbright President of the J. William & Harriet Fulbright Center

Commencement Speakers 2006 - present

2008 Edward B. Burger, Ph.D. Professor of Mathematics, Williams College

2009 His Excellency Daniel V. Speckhard U.S. Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic

2010 Beverley J. Pitts, Ph.D. President, University of Indianapolis, U.S.A.

71

2011 Richard V. Hurley President, University of Mary Washington, USA

2012 John C. Metaxas, Esq. News Anchor and Reporter, CBS, New York

2013 Ioannis N. Miaoulis, Ph.D. President and Director, Museum of Science, Boston

2014 Stavros N. Yiannouka Chief Executive Officer World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) Qatar Foundation

2015 Henry G. Cram, Ed.D President, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Congratulations to our Graduates Class of 2015!

72

College Acceptances USA Adelphi University Arizona State University Babson College Berklee College of Music Boston College Boston University California College of the Arts California State University Fullerton California State University Long Beach California State University LA California State University San Diego Clark University College of Staten Island DePaul University Drexel University Duke University Flagler College Florida State University Fordham University George Mason University Georgia State University Guilford College Hofstra University Indiana University Lesley University Long Island University Mary Baldwin College Maryville University Michigan State University Montclair State University New York University New York University - Stern Northeastern University Pace University Parsons The New School for Design Pennsylvania State University Pratt Institute Quinnipiac University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rochester Institute of Technology Roger Williams University Rowan University Rutgers University Sacramento State University Saint Leo University Savannah College of Art & Design

Suffolk University Syracuse University University of Arizona University of Bridgeport University of California Berkeley University of California Davis University of California LA University of California San Diego University of California Santa Cruz University of Denver University of Iowa University of Kentucky University of Mary Washington University of Massachusetts Amherst University of Michigan University of Nebraska - Kearney University of Nevada Las Vegas University of North Carolina at Charlotte University of South Florida University of Vermont University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Villanova University Wentworth Institute of Technology West Virginia University Wheaton College Worcester Polytechnic Institute United Kingdom Abertay University Aberystwyth University Aston University Bangor University Bournemouth University Brunel University London Brunel University Cardiff University City University London Coventry University Durham University Edinburgh Napier University Glasgow School of Art Glyndŵr University Heriot-Watt University Imperial College London King’s College London

Kingston University Lancaster University Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts London Metropolitan University London South Bank University Manchester Metropolitan University New College of the Humanities Northumbria University Plymouth University Queen Mary University Regent’s University London Richmond American University of London Rose Bruford College Royal Central School of Speech and Drama Royal Holloway University of London Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama SAE Institute South Essex College Southampton Solent University St George’s University of London Staffordshire University Swansea University University College London University for the Creative Arts University of Aberdeen University of Bath University of Bedfordshire University of Birmingham University of Brighton University of Bristol University of Cambridge University of Central Lancashire University of Cumbria University of Derby University of Edinburgh University of Essex University of Glasgow University of Greenwich University of Hull University of Keele University of Kent University of Leeds University of Lincoln University of Manchester University of Nottingham

University of Reading University of Sheffield University of South Wales University of Southampton University of Stirling University of Strathclyde University of Surrey University of Sussex University of the Arts London University of the West of England University of Warwick University of Westminster University of York CANADA & OTHER COUNTRIES American College of Greece (Greece) American University of Beirut (Lebanon) American University of Paris (France) American University of Sharjah (UAE) Hanze University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands) Hotelschool The Hague (Netherlands) Jacobs University Bremen (Germany) Lebanese American University (Lebanon) NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands) Stenden University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands) University of British Columbia (Canada) University of Toronto (Canada) University of Twente (Netherlands)

ETHOS SPRING 2015

But why is this so important for high school students?

Applying to College Why are College Representative Visits so Important to High School Students?

by Anna Velivasaki, Office of Student Affairs

I

t seems like your child just got admitted into Elementary school, but the truth is that he/she is already thinking about college! Applying to college can be very stressful and sometimes traumatic even for parents. The outcome of the admission process may affect a student’s future career path significantly.

Entrance into top colleges and universities is increasingly competitive and many students feel pressure during their high school years.

ACS Athens is helping students prepare for that next big step by organizing a number of college/university representative visits throughout the academic year.

It’s an initiative to encourage students to continue their education, especially since studies show higher education leads to greater success.

Many colleges and universities work hard to market themselves, trying to attract the finest students and sustain a reputation for academic excellence. Colleges spend thousands of dollars every year to recruit applicants. Admissions representatives provide prospective students with college and program information in hopes of attracting them to their school.

Never forget that just as college representatives ‘shop’ for students, so do students! They ‘shop’ for colleges.

And as parents spend thousands of dollars in tuition every year, they demand the product to be the greatest they can get. And here comes the ‘best fit’ factor that plays a crucial role in selecting the best college/ university that would absolutely fit the student’s needs. Students may hesitate to ask questions or may not know what questions to ask that will help them distinguish one school from another. Furthermore, by asking questions students may feel an obligation to attend that school. Students should remember though that requesting more information or talking with a representative does not commit them to applying or to attending that particular college or university. In fact, sometimes representatives will propose a different school to a student because they might feel that another college or university may better fit the needs of this particular student.

College representatives play a crucial role during the admission process. Often it is the college representative assigned to each school that first reads an application, rates it according to a set of factors and writes a summary comment. Sometimes the application then goes to a committee or even straight to the Dean of Admissions for the final decision. If a student is able to directly connect with an admissions representative and make a fine impression, that representative might become an advocate for the student by defending the specific case in admissions selection meetings. This encounter has also been proven very crucial when it involves merit award decisions. Studies have shown that meaningful conversations between students and admissions representatives and financial aid officers have proven very significant in the merit award process. Finally, the college representatives become a bridge between the student and the institution making the process seem less intimidating.

Smart Tips for the Students: ◉◉ Be prepared. Always do a little research of the specific college/university before attending the session with the admissions representative. Know why you want to attend this specific college/university, which programs and activities interest you, and why and what inspires you about the school. ◉◉ If you want to make a memorable impression, and because it is polite, always follow up with a nice, courteous ‘thank you’ email when the session is over with the representative. The impression a student makes does not end right there….never forget to value the admissions representative’s time so he/she can value yours in return!! ◉◉ Always remember to smile!!!

■■

ETHOS SPRING 2015

Internships

at ACS Athens Transformative Learning Experiences of Pre-Service Teachers at ACS Athens: Navigating New Cultural Terrain

by Dr. Eleoussa Polyzoi, Professor of Education Director of Developmental Studies University of Winnipeg, Canada

T

ransformative Learning

The experiences of Canadian Education interns (student teachers) who have taught at ACS Athens are examined in this paper, using transformative learning theory. Of particular interest are the earlier stages, as described in Mezirow’s (1981, 1990, 2000, 2012) theory of perspective transformation: initial apprehension, disbelief, and even fear; a disorienting dilemma or incongruent experience within the new school cultural context prompting a re-evaluation of one’s frame(s) of reference; and a final emergence of a more integrative, inclusive sense of self as “teacher” and “learner.” This framework provides a unique lens through which the learners’ experiences can be more clearly understood. For Mezirow, learning not only involves gaining new information, but being fundamentally changed in some way by what one has learned.

This involves transforming the way we understand and interpret our world through a critical reflection of our assumptions and beliefs.

Mezirow describes the process of perspective transformation as “the process of becoming critically aware of how and why our presuppositions have come to constrain the way we perceive, understand, and feel about our world; changing these structures of habitual expectations to make possible a more inclusive, discriminating, and integrating perspective; and finally, making choices or otherwise acting upon these new understandings” (Mezirow, 1990, p.

14). The change in frames of reference that many individuals experience may predispose them to feeling a sense of initial discomfort, enhanced vigilance, and uncertainty. Boyd and Myers (1988) refer to this as akin to a “grieving process.” They explain that: “at its core, transformative learning theory is elegantly simple. Through some event, which could be as traumatic as losing a job or as ordinary as an unexpected question, an individual becomes aware of holding a limiting or distorted view. If the individual critically examines this view, opens herself to alternatives, and consequently changes the way she sees things, she has transformed some part of how she makes meaning out of the world.” (p. 271).

Mezirow (2000) acknowledges that the stages of perspective transformation may vary, depending on individual differences and experiences; the changes can also be sudden or incremental “involving a progressive series of transformations in related points of view” (2000, p. 21). Mezirow also notes that individuals who are more willing to engage in the process of critical reflection and dialogic discourse display many of the qualities associated with emotional intelligence—emotional maturity, empathy, patience, control, optimism, skill in dealing with relationships, and the ability to handle stress in productive ways. (p.

290).

The Pre-Service Teachers at ACS Athens A total of 20 University of Winnipeg Education students (17 female and 3 male) participated in a fiveweek-long internship at ACS Athens over a six-year period. All students were enrolled in their final year of the five-year Education Program at the Universi-

Current page: Jack Mezirow, Sociologist and Emeritus Professor of Adult and Continuing Education at Teachers College, Columbia University

75

ty of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. Students were drawn equally across Early-, Middle-, and SeniorYears streams, with teachable majors ranging from English, Social Studies, and Biology to Theatre, History, Mathematics, and Physical Education. All were Canadian students in their early 20’s who excelled in their teachable subjects; many had been awarded scholarships in Manitoba for their academic excellence. Candidates for the internship were accepted on the basis of a variety of criteria including a Grade Point Average of 3.5/4 or higher, demonstrated pedagogical skills as confirmed by their faculty supervisor and cooperating teacher evaluations from previous placements in Winnipeg schools, and leadership skills. Consideration was also given to additional talents that students may have (e.g., in music, sports, or the performing arts).

One of the requirements of the internship was for student teachers to reflect on and record their experiences in journals (3-5 pages in length) at the conclusion of their internship. They were encouraged to be as analytical and reflective as possible in their writing: They were instructed to: “describe something you observed or experienced at ACS Athens that stood out for you, that was unique, that made you think about something you hadn’t considered before, that provided some insight that impressed you, that was different than anything you had experienced before.”

The Application of Transformative Learning Theory to the Experiences of the Canadian Interns The experiences of the pre-service teachers at ACS Athens provide support for the utility of Mezirow’s framework for understanding the challenges faced by pre-service teachers who intern overseas. Balancing the multiple disorienting dilemmas of a new classroom, the high expectations of an IB school culture, and the pedagogical demands of teaching a largely English as a Foreign Language (EFL) student population—all against the backdrop of the broader context of an unfamiliar Greek culture—provided the Canadian interns at ACS Athens with a number of initial discomforting challenges.

Phase 1: Initial Apprehension The first phase of the students’ journey in this exploration was characterized by initial apprehension, self-doubt, and even fear. For Camille, the fear was breath-robbing, for Rebecca, it was coupled with a feeling of excitement at the prospect of new learning, and, for Lauren, it expressed itself as a hyper-vigilance and a realization that she was about to embark on a journey of self-discovery. She describes her fear of taking on her teaching responsibility as “gripping, incapacitating, tremor-inducing, breath-robbing, sleep-depriving, weeping-in-the-middle-of-classfrom-sheer-terror fear.” This fear alternated with the thrill and positive anticipation of the new challenge: “I felt a slight whooshing vacuum in its absence which was instantly filled with excitement, relief, and joy.”

“There was a constant influx of new information flooding my senses. …. Lauren – March 27, 2011

Phase 2: Disorienting Dilemmas Prompting a Shift in Frames of Reference Once the interns were introduced to their teacher mentors, negotiated the teaching units for which they were to be responsible, and had an opportunity to observe a number of master teacher classes, they were assigned to the students who would be under their charge. In reflecting on their experiences during the next five weeks, interns’ journal entries were, almost without exception, grounded in expressions of a collision of value systems between the teaching skills, experiences, and knowledge that they had begun to develop in Winnipeg and the wisdom, experience, and master teaching skills demonstrated by their mentors at ACS Athens. This series of discrepancies prompted a questioning of values and an accompanying re-evaluation of their frames of reference. The student teachers began to compare their prior knowledge of teaching, students, the process of learning, and the educational context with their new learning challenges.

Dalia, for example, discovers that many of her students at ACS Athens are from families of privilege, unlike those she has taught in Winnipeg. Anne tries to reconcile the devaluation of homework that she has encountered in Canadian schools with ACS Athens’ approach where homework is used strategically as a means to build on classroom learning in creative and expansive ways. ACS students were able to make textto-self connections; literature and related texts were used to open a window to timely social, cultural, and political events.

Sir Thomas Moore’s Utopia.

The speed at which Humanities progressed was astounding. I recall students having to read Sir Thomas Moore’s Utopia in just over a weekend, with a paper due not long after. Clearly not all assignments and works studied come and go as quickly as this, but it showed me that if you show students you expect a lot out of them, they will respond accordingly. I was able to peer-edit one Utopia personal essay and found it to be nearly impeccable. Even the class discussions were insightful and always productive. Teach a man to fish, and you will feed him for a lifetime. Treat students like smart, productive members of society, and they will act and become smart, productive members of society. The highest expectations seem to yield the highest results. Jared - April 26, Anne also compares the negative elements of peer pressure, which she is accustomed to seeing in Canadian schools, with the more positive, energizing, and inclusive peer pressure which she sees exemplified at ACS Athens: students encouraging fellow classmates to aspire to excellence in their grade-10 American Studies class.

76

Aspiring to excellence.

I have come to learn, through my own schooling, that social approval is how negative aspects of peer pressure drive certain children to make poor choices in life. …However, throughout my teaching practicum at ACS, I have seen social pressure work in constructive and fascinating ways throughout both the student body and the community of teachers and school staff.

Students are encouraged by their peers to challenge themselves in an academic environment, and the prevailing atmosphere is in accordance with the goals of the school. An example of this is the yearly mock trial in which the grade 10 American Studies class puts President Harry S. Truman on trial for “crimes against humanity.” Throughout the days leading up to the trial, older students who have previously participated in the trial will randomly drill many of the witnesses (e.g., Albert Einstein, a Scientist on Radiation, A Citizen of Hiroshima, and Truman himself) to ensure that they have done their research and will accurately and realistically represent their historical character when called to the stand. This type of social pressure imparts energy to many learning situations and is the impetus for much of what the school excels at. As a teacher, I feel an almost tangible force pulling me along with the momentum of the school itself, and although I am accustomed to decrying the dangers of peer pressure, perhaps there is cause to recant. Anne - May 10, 2008

documentary on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that was covered nationally by the Greek television media, with rave reviews (Kelly, 2009, p. 28). Lindsey notes the many dynamic and creative learning opportunities offered to students at ACS Athens—an emphasis which she would like to see more of in Winnipeg schools.

Camille, in poetic form, celebrates the creative energy found at ACS Athens and eloquently expresses how the use of imagination, inspiration and originality in her own teaching has transformed her sense of self as teacher and learner.

Creativity blooming riotously.

Linda comments on the many dynamic and creative learning opportunities offered to students at ACS Athens. In her reflection, she highlights the initiative of ACS Athens and Harvard University’s Newscoop Organization which offer students the opportunity to write, edit, and produce video documentaries, which address the most contested conflicts in modern history. Activities are completed in collaboration with other students throughout the world. In 2009, ACS Athens students produced their first piece, a 26-minute

Creativity bloom riotously, the school whispered silently. Never had I felt so alive to inspiration…

And because I was steeped in their example, I could not help but exhale it. It was unprecedented, and I wondered …how functioning in another environment would ever be possible for me again.

A sort of fresh and bittersweet pain followed me from moment into moment. It exploded in puffs.

Each new present was the transformation from chrysalis to butterfly—the struggling emergence

ETHOS SPRING 2015

of a new self.

Katerina reflects on how awestruck she felt within the first few hours of working with the IB Grades 9 and 10 Theatre teacher at ACS Athens. Hearing the “language of the theatre” used with such ease by the students at ACS, she reflects: Breathtaking pieces of art.

Though I have completed three years of highschool theatre and three years in the Theatre Department at the University of Winnipeg, earning a Major in Theatre, I had not been prepared for the magnitude of IB Theatre at ACS Athens. Stanislavsky’s Method? Kabuki Theatre? Italian Arched Theatre? Lighting “booms” and gel slides? These were common topics of conversation with the Junior and Senior IB classes. Sofia [the IB teacher] talks the language of theatre, a language that I should be fluent in. It’s an odd feeling being confused by the conversations of high schools students 100% of the time in a subject area that I am supposed to be an expert in. Though my self-esteem took a hit, it has been so amazing to work with these students who love theatre as much as I do. These are students who want to go to university and study theatre. It was a critical experience to witness the senior IB students creating such

breathtaking pieces of art on stage... Katerina – May 18, 2014.

Phase 3: Emergence of a more Integrative and Inclusive Sense of Self as “Teacher” and “Learner” Over the five-week period, interns began to re-evaluate their frames of reference. They began to reframe their identity so that it was more integrative and inclusive, and sensed but could not always articulate the long-term impact that their experiences in Greece would have on their lives. They developed an adaptive capacity that enabled them to respond to the multiple demands of an unfamiliar culture. The many disorienting dilemmas challenged the interns to think differently about their original assumptions and beliefs. For example, Camille, a Senior English major and published poet, eloquently expressed, through the metaphor of a deck of cards, the multiple emotional

transformations she had undergone at ACS Athens, and the difficulty experienced integrating “the other person” she became in Greece with her current Canadian persona upon return to Winnipeg. She speaks of her Greek experiences in third person, ascribing a surreal element to her international practicum. At the conclusion of the internship, the “blur” of cards finally comes to a rest.

Emotion like a deck of cards.

The following is a story about growth, emotion, revelation, and eyes. It is a story about becoming, about seeing clearly. More clearly, at least. This is not really a story. There is no plot. This is not a narrative. There is neither time nor place here to detail the day-to-day happenings that built my experience in Greece.

This moment. When everything that had happened in the past few weeks fell into place and made sense; became part of a synchronized whole that was recognizable as something unique and complete, like a shuffled deck of cards coming to rest and being still and being identifiable as a deck of cards rather than a blur of motion. Emotion.

This moment. The instant when the deck of cards stopped moving. The pause and intake of breath after the flood of happening. The cascade of memories becoming bigger than their sum. …Specific moments stand out, but what meaning they have apart from the body of time and experience is not yet known. She sees. She feels. She knows. These things bring wisdom and melancholy. That woman, international woman, died too soon. And the rest cannot be spoken. It is too deep and has not yet bubbled to the surface of the new woman.

Both understand what was and how it came to be, but the horizon is too close. Time will bring perspective, and the ability to tell her story in more concrete words.

For now, there is emotion. There is joy. There is mourning. There is gratitude. So much gratitude.

There is contentment… awe… and wonder. Camille – May, 2008 Dalia looked back upon her experiences at ACS Athens and was compelled to re-evaluate her original assumptions and beliefs. She realizes that Greece has afforded her a lifetime of insights and reflections, although not yet, able to articulate how this will influence her life’s path.

Opposite page top: Utopia, Sir Thomas More, 1516, Humanities Class Middle: Israel Trip, 2009. Students produced a 26 min documentary on the IsraeliPalestinian Conflict Bottom: President Harry S. Truman Trial

Current page: IB Theater, 2015

ETHOS SPRING 2015

A re-evaluation of my assumptions.

Being in a new cultural setting is an unforgettable experience. Your characteristic way of seeing the world is constantly confounded, and you are left with the arduous, but rewarding task of re-evaluating your assumptions and beliefs about …the teaching and learning process ... and testing them against a radically different context at the private, American Community School in Athens. …I worked hard, I enjoyed myself, I learned every single day. I have come home with memories, friendships, pictures, drawings, certainty, and confusion. I would not trade the experience for anything in the world. Greece has provided me with a lifetime of insights and reflection, and that has changed the very trajectory of my life. Dalia A. - May 27, 2008 Lauren is grateful for her experience at ACS Athens.

She has grown in many ways and feels empowered – almost incredulous of her accomplishments, acknowledging personal change, enrichment, and an increasing sense of empowerment as her Greek Odyssey came to a close as she prepares to return to Canada.

Conclusion Few studies have explored student-teacher experiences within the framework of transformative learning theory. The current study provides support for the utility of Mezirow’s model for understanding the challenges faced by pre-service teachers who intern overseas. Elements of the educational internship experience that emerged from students who participated in this study include: initial apprehension, disbelief, and even fear; a disorienting dilemma or incongruent experience within the new school cultural context; and a re-evaluation of one’s frame(s) of reference and a final emergence of a more integrative, inclusive sense of self as “teacher” and “learner.” The student teachers’ transformative journeys provide a unique insight into significant personal learning associated with an international practicum that can inform teacher preparation and the important role of practicum placement; the cooperating teacher as mentor; and the cultural landscape of student teachers trying to master the art and practical science of teaching (Polyzoi & Magro, in press). The experiences of the ACS Athens interns, as reflected in their personal observations, suggest that learning is complex and multi-dimensional.

Transformative learning is a deeper-level learning that challenges learners to understand themselves and their world in new, more nuanced ways. A central feature of transformative learning, as Karpiak (2003) notes, is “critical self-reflection, a process whereby adults examine cultural and individual assumptions and meanings that underlie and shape their view of life” (p.101). The student teachers in this study were offered an opportunity to work with master teachers at ACS Athens in an educational climate that valued and cultivated critical reflection. Transformative learning can serve both as a conceptual framework for understanding the experience of students and as a means

of suggesting ways in which educational outcomes can be better designed with a transformative intent in mind.

■■

References Boyd, R.D., & Meyers, J.G. (1988). Transformative education.

International Journal of Lifelong Education, 7 (4), 261-284.

Karpiak, I. (2003). The ethnographic, the reflective, and the uncanny: Three “tellings” of autobiography. Journal of Transformative Education, 1(2), 99-116.

Mezirow, J. (1981). A critical theory of adult learning and education. Adult Education Quarterly, 32(1), 3-24.

Mezirow, J. (1990). How critical reflection triggers transformative learning. In J. Mezirow & Associates (Eds.), Fostering critical reflection in adulthood: A guide to transformative and emancipatory learning (pp.1-21). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Mezirow, J. (2000). Learning to think like an adult. In J. Mezirow & Associates (Eds.), Learning as transformation (pp.

3-34). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Mezirow, J. (2012). Learning to think like an adult. In E.Taylor & P. Cranton (Eds.), The handbook of transformative learning (pp. 73-95). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Mezirow, J., & Associates (2000). Learning as transformation: Critical perspectives on a theory in progress. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Polyzoi, E., & Magro, K. (in press). Inner Landscapes: Transformative Learning Experiences of Canadian Education Interns in Greece, to appear in in Education Journal (University of Saskatchewan).

79

into this amazing Master’s program opportunity that Wheelock College and ACS Athens created together.

This was a very big deal for me personally for many reasons, but mainly because this was the first year the program was being offered. So I went into this knowing I was going to essentially be helping to test-run it.

As expected, there were some bumps along the way, but it is a great feeling to know that I was an essential part of piloting this new endeavor.

This program led me on the most amazing adventure and provided me with incredible experiences that I could have never done otherwise. This past school year, I have been living in Athens, Greece and working in the Elementary School Counseling Office at ACS Athens. I decided to request an opportunity in a counseling office because I already know I love teaching; I wanted to expand my counseling psychology studies into experiences. I hoped to see if this area of study was something I would want to get a future degree in.

I ended up gaining so much more than that.

Taking Risks and Making Changes

by Brittany Langlois, Intern, Wheelock College Graduate Student

T

wenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.

Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.

–Mark Twain

The opportunities and experiences I have had through this program have been invaluable. I have met some amazing people and formed great connections. I have grown and learned even more about myself, both professionally and personally, than I ever thought possible. I have also had the chance to work with and learn from a group of talented and passionate educators. It is fascinating to reflect back on my first few months here in Greece and at ACS, because so much has changed since then. I arrived in the midst of a major heat wave, and was immediately immersed into a culture that was completely new to me. I remember how overwhelming it was to not understand what everyone was saying around me, and how frustrating it was not being able to read almost all of the signs for directions and stores.

This inspiring quote perfectly encompasses my choices and decisions that led me here to ACS Athens. I only found it recently, but I think if I had any second thoughts about embarking on this journey, this quote would have convinced me. Just over a year ago, I was preparing to graduate from college in Boston, Massachusetts as a licensed elementary school teacher. I had no idea what I was going to do next, but for some reason, my mind was limited to staying in the area by hopefully getting my first lead-teacher position in a classroom.

With less than two months remaining until I return to the States, it is so interesting to reflect on these emotions and experiences I had. Through two trips to London I had the opportunity to take, I realized that I have grown to prefer not understanding what is being said around me. I found it to actually be an annoyance when the two women behind me on the long train ride from London to Brighton would not stop talking so loudly. I discovered it was because I could not tune them out; I was unable to select what I did and did not want to hear. It was a very interesting realization I had because it was one I never imagined I would experience.

Growing up is never easy. Every single person in this world experiences both good and bad times with each phase of life they go through. With each and every challenge I faced, I learned something new and very important about myself. They taught me who is really there for me, how I have changed and grown, how I deal with things differently than I used to, and how to come out feeling stronger than before. All of these life and learning experiences inspired me to take a chance and make a big change in plans. Rather than sticking around in the same area and going right into full-time teaching, I ended up applying and being accepted

Then there were the challenges of adjusting into a role completely new to me: school counselor. It was especially difficult adapting and overcoming these challenges because I was also new to the international school system, and I was also balancing online graduate school course work through Wheelock back in Boston. I took on advising the high school yearbook, and I volunteered at an animal shelter. It was a lot to handle all at once and at one point, I was unsure if I could really do it. With the help of my wonderful family and friends, both new and old, and a reminder of my own personal determination, I pushed through my

80

doubts and stayed. I could not be more thankful that I did.

In addition to the friendships, mentorships, and professional and personal growth I have already mentioned, this opportunity allowed me to visit so many amazing places that I have either always wanted to go to or never even knew I wanted to see! I never thought that I would ever get to explore all of the places I have now seen, let alone in less than one year. This experience really opened my eyes to the fact that I don’t just have to stick to what I know. There are great rewards in taking risks and making changes. I don’t have to settle down in Boston or anywhere else right away; if I have been bitten by the travel bug as deeply as I think I have, there are so many other opportunities out there for me to further my education and gain more experience while also living and working abroad, and most importantly, helping others along the way.

“My Town” Launch

Competition

2015

■■

Looking through the eyes of others, Athens is its people

by Mandy Dragatakis, Academy Advisor

I

n March 2015 seven young women went on a mission to discover what is special about Athens beyond the picture painted on the 6 o’clock news worldwide. Our journey led us from the suburbs to downtown, encountering travelers and Athenians and seeking their point of view. But what is that one special thing about Athens? It is a little bit of everything. It is the texture of our daily lives, the way we interact within our ancient history and our present path; we have not succumbed to the anxiety of the current social state. We are not the pictures from the media; we are not just the crisis. Looking through the eyes of others, Athens is its people.

The My Town Launch Competition 2015 is an innovative, collaborative project which ACS Athens is proud to be a part of. Ten schools from all over the world participated in this competition featuring “An Interesting and Significant Feature of MY TOWN.” This initiative went far beyond a simple research project, it involved collaboration and support between the schools, using online platforms specifically designed for the project.

Our students were able to communicate and share ideas and experiences with students from Shanghai and England to the US. Schools included: Junior Middle School No 2 (Shanghai, China), Barbara Priestman Academy (Sunderland, England), Chittagong Grammar School (Chittagong, Bangladesh), BeiDa Senior High School (New Taipei City, Taiwan), Nanshan High School (Jhong-He District, Taiwan), Nancy Campbell Collegiate Institute (Stratford, Canada).

ETHOS SPRING 2015

All topics chosen by the schools were extremely interesting and the presentations show the commitment all schools showed to the project. The team members of ACS Athens decided to create a mini documentary; to discover what people find interesting about our town. Over the past few years, our country has been facing difficulties, an unstable political situation and economic crisis. Due to these difficulties, the portrayal of Athens is negative. All of this has blinded us in identifying and highlighting what is interesting about our city. Despite the negative image, 5 out of 11 million Greeks live in Athens and yearly visits from tourists from all around the world are at an all time high.

This is a search to uncover what excites us and what unites us with our home, Athens.

As seen through the eyes of those who visit Athens, what excites them and us about this city is the Athenian people and their warm, inviting demeanor; the sites deeply engrained in history, philosophy, mathematics, science and art; the food mostly immersed in

olive oil and enjoyed around animated conversation; the sunshine so bright that it makes things sparkle.

Overall, it is still a fantastic city to experience. Judging by the awards ACS Athens received for ‘best project for critical thinking’, ‘best project for creative expression’, ‘most helpful team award’, ‘top on line contributor’ we managed to depict this part of the city in the ‘My Town’ video project in contrast to the media.

■■

ETHOS SPRING 2015

The THINK Global School

A

CS Athens was fortunate to host the students and teachers from THINK Global School on our campus. They spent the final quarter enriching our school life and community.

THINK Global School is a path-breaking high school that offers teenagers a once-in-a-lifetime international experience. TGS students do not simply «study abroad.» They immerse themselves in twelve countries over four years, undertaking a challenging curriculum that culminates in official International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations at the end of year four. Throughout their studies, TGS students visit significant historical, cultural and scientific sites, while building new skills and relationships with those around them. TGS is a co-educational boarding school and the language of instruction is English.

«Our mission is to challenge learners, through firsthand experiences of global travel, to become compassionate individuals who are curious and knowledgable about the world and motivated to affect meaningful change.»

■■

83

Institute for Innovation and

Creativity

Providing Bricks for the Architects of Their Own Learning: The After School Support Programs at ACS Athens

by Alexandros Hoc, Supervisor, After School Programs

A

CS Athens has been increasing the depth and breadth of programs – academic and otherwise – available to students. The Institute for Innovation and Creativity in particular has made leaps towards providing a holistic after school support structure geared toward academic and personal growth for all participating students in recent years.

The Learning Enhancement Program’s After School Programs, referred to among students as the “Homework Club”, offers students guidance and support in areas such as Homework, Organizational skills, Math, and Reading. Students from Grades 1 through 12 are directed to these programs by the Child Study Team (CST), after consultations with parents and faculty. At the After School programs students receive the guidance and attention of educational support instructors, the ranks of which are comprised of teachers, advisors, and learning specialists employed at ACS Athens.

The Support Programs are not private lessons, nor are they structured ‘classes-after-class’: an instructor works with 2-3 students, helping them manage their workloads, monitoring their progress, and assisting them in breaking down workloads of pending or missed assignments into manageable amounts that can be completed and submitted in a timely fashion.

Students requiring guidance or improvement in Math are aided by a specialist Math teacher who provides them with exercise packets or supervises the completion of work given in class, as well as monitoring re-do’s of tests on which students have performed sub-optimally, thus giving them a chance to detect errors and improve their scores. For students requiring time management and study skills, a specialized Study/Organizational Skills program is available, and is geared towards assisting students to take charge of their timetable, providing them with the tools to successfully navigate the academic portion of their lives.

Parents are informed after every session by instructors via E-Log, an electronic update breaking down the progress during each hour-and-a-half session.

This provides feedback which can be used to track the students’ progress with both instructors and parental supervision, and can result in a more personalized approach to learning. Everyone learns differently, and we must embrace this if we are to assist students in achieving their personal goals through the exploration of their potential. Oftentimes, students are directed to the Support programs with 10 or more Missing Assignments. It is from these students that instructors – and more so, parents – see the most improvement in short periods of time. Students themselves often express the thought that had they attended earlier in the year, the assignments would not have piled up in the way they have by the time they are directed to us.

By regularly checking Moodle, Skyward, and providing a support structure to nudge students’ motivation into gear, the Learning Enhancement Programs truly support students in becoming “architects of their own learning”.

We increasingly expect students to take advantage of the opportunities surrounding them, especially those offered through the educational community which we strive to provide at ACS Athens. With a qualitative increase in grades correlated to attendance of the After-School Programs offered through the Institute, I believe this academic year has been a success. We will use the forward momentum given to us by our students to improve further, and do our part in ensuring students continue to realize their potential. Don’t believe me? Ask the students.

Do you want to know more about the Learning Enhancement Programs and After-School Support options? Contact Mrs. Christiana Perakis (Director of the Institute for Innovation and Creativity and Educational & Diagnostic Center) at perakisc@acs.gr or Mr. Alexandros Hoc (Supervisor of the After-School Programs) at hoca@acs.gr for more information.

■■

84

OLP: Optimal Learning Program Where the Mentor Program Magic Lies…

by Markella Kaplani, Coordinator & MS Specialist Optimal Learning Program

I

cordially invite you to come see behind the scenes of the Mentor Program with me; in the place where the true magic lies! If you enter the class of a mentor and his mentee, you will come to realize how the mixture of knowledge and innovation can blow learning out of proportion. Peak into a classroom where a third grader is working with a math teacher on high school curriculum, asking question after question but not expecting that he will get a simple answer.

Instead, he accepts the challenge of attempting to answer those questions by drawing conclusions from previously acquired information combined with his wild imagination and relies on his mentor’s guidance only as a stepping stone that leads to more exploration; not just an answer that completes the equation.

Listen closely as a sixth grader poses intriguing philosophical questions about how the universe began and decides to explore it scientifically by studying codes, cryptography, and steganography and advancing into how codes work, how to break them, only to lead to endless empirical hypotheses on how the universe started, where it’s headed, and even how it will end!

Marvel at the persistence of a ten year old, who wants to create a professional digital game from scratch.

Admire her as she learns ‘how’ to learn and think critically by maintaining her determination and using all available resources to find solutions to any obstacle she encounters instead of adjusting her expectations or giving up. Explore with the 11th grader who enquires about science but does not rely on Google for the answer, challenging herself to find the answers

through experimenting on her own! Applaud that student, who, though only a sixth grader, is contributing to the wider mathematics educational community not only by learning about arithmetic concepts but also by creating instructional videos that others can directly benefit from.

How does one define this type of learning? You may call it unique, regard it as advanced or simply perceive it as… different! And this is why the Mentor Program falls under our school’s Optimal Learning Department, whose mission is to provide a diversified program that can include all students and their ‘different’ learning needs. Students who have a particular inclination and exceptional abilities in specific educational subjects and, thus, need a greater challenge in order to be stimulated in their regular mainstream classroom, need such a program as much as those who require learning accommodations to perform to their potential. The Mentor Program was,

ETHOS SPRING 2015

consequently, designed in view of making room for students with outstanding talents to work with mentors, who are experts in the field of study the students would like to explore and allow their imagination to push them beyond the limits of ‘benchmarks.’ It is through this exploration that our students have the opportunity to channel their creativity and skill into an innovative project that they generate themselves.

In all its descriptive simplicity, when applied, the Mentor Program, inspires, innovates, breaks educational boundaries, and creates indestructible building blocks, which promote resilience and essential critical thinking abilities. This could not be more evident than within the projects the students devise and construct themselves at the end of each academic year, which you will find on display during the Mentor Program Exhibition, each May. I hope you will be able to join us this year, during the May 28th, 2015 Mentor Program Exhibition, to get the taste of the magic! I promise it will sparkle!

Current page: Diana Sabbagh interviewing another ACS Athens student, Apostolis, for the purpose of her mentor project

ETHOS SPRING 2015

87

Opposite page from top to bottom: Science exploration with Ms. Bakoyannis!

Creating a 3D town!

Current page from top to bottom: Mentor session of high level high school math with Mr. Palmer and Panagiotis (3rd grade)

88

that did not only meet the needs of the average learner, but was modified to include all of the children.

Honoring Diversity through Inclusion

by Sevasti Koniossis, Optimal Learning Program Specialist

T

he challenge every teacher faces is discovering ways to include all students in the learning process. Teaching a diverse classroom can sometimes appear to be a daunting task, as it requires that lessons and activities cover the curriculum and are also able to challenge and engage students who fall below, as well as above, the mainstream level.

Truly innovative education, however, embraces the mixed-ability classroom, and invests in every single student, leaving none behind. The inclusion model in education entails that students of different learning styles and abilities function successfully within a single classroom. They cover the same material, achieve the same core goals, but at their own individual pace and readiness. Most importantly, inclusion benefits students on both sides of the spectrum, high and low performing, as differentiated instruction ensures that all students are challenged appropriately.

Vicky Akrivou and I collaborated this year in order to provide optimal learning to a diverse group of students in an eighth grade social studies class. We worked together to construct a community based type of classroom in which all students were included in the learning process, were able to work on their own level, made valuable contributions through their strengths, while also being challenged in developing their skills and content knowledge. We wanted to establish a classroom in which every child belonged and truly desired to engage in the learning process. In order to achieve this, we covered the material in a way

Co-teaching, as part of the inclusion model of education, builds friendship and a strong bond amongst teachers as a result of the common vision they share for students. Vicky and I collaborated by planning for lessons and sharing our insight. Our positive relationship encouraged harmony within the lesson and a sense of safety for children to take risks and learn. This type of partnership requires that teachers are open minded to each other’s ideas, style of teaching, and even classroom management techniques. Co-teaching is a learning experience both for students and teachers and takes time and patience to master. As the Optimal Learning Specialist, I involved Vicky, the mainstream educator, in the OLP process by informing her about the Individual Learning Plan of each child, assessing students’ accommodations and modifications, and creating individual goals for each child.

Vicky informed me about the mandatory curriculum, standards, and objectives for the grade level. Moreover, she discussed the personal academic needs of the non-OLP students, as they also are a concern to me and an integral part of our inclusion classroom.

In this teaching partnership, Vicky and I belonged to all the students simultaneously, and targeted the learning styles, strengths, and weaknesses of every student through our lesson planning. Our teaching styles, experiences, and knowledge complemented each other to enhance the learning of our students.

Our teaching collaboration encouraged innovative instruction as there were two instructors in the classroom simultaneously. When there was an unexpected turning point or challenge, there was a second educator present for support, redirection of the lesson, as well as for further reflection on what worked and what didn’t. During Vicky’s instructional time, I was able to make observations on how engaged students were, create suggestions on seating arrangement as to reduce distractions, and propose solutions to challenges related to engaging all students in the learning process. Moreover, as a second teacher in the room I was able to re-explain instruction in a simpler way in order to further enhance comprehension for students whose English was limited. There were times when Vicky and I were both in the front of the classroom and took turns teaching. During cooperative learning activities, we rotated around the room and provided personalized instruction to students. This required great harmony and was the result of the time and effort both of us had invested into the inclusion model of education.

As the year progressed, students became accustomed to my presence in the classroom and felt comfortable asking me questions related to the curriculum, to clarify instruction, or to provide assistance during group work. Students did not perceive my presence intended to merely help the children who were part of the Optimal Learning Program, but rather a source of help and support for the entire class. The OLP students, at the same time, did not feel uncomfortable

ETHOS SPRING 2015

about their OLP teacher assisting them in their mainstream classroom. The ultimate goal of inclusion, after all, is that it is invisible. In an inclusion classroom, students receive the assistance they need, are challenged on their level, are not stigmatized for their learning differences, and become a valuable part of the classroom.

Differentiated instruction is the method by which Vicky and I structured our lesson plans in order to meet the diverse needs of the students in our classroom. “Differentiation allows teachers to focus on essential skills in each content area, be responsive to individual differences, incorporate assessment into instruction, and provide students with multiple avenues to learning.”

In the “one size fits all” approach, students who have learning difficulties may become lost and fall behind, and miss the true learning experience.

For the students who are not integrated, the classroom learning experience becomes negative and fearful. On the other hand, there are students who have advanced skills in certain areas that cause them to see the work as too easy; they finish faster than other students, and come to feel that the material is boring and meaningless. Ultimately, students who are not taught on their readiness level or are not challenged can become frustrated, bored, disengaged, and unmotivated. This may even lead to disruptive and distractive behavior in the classroom, either by the students who are bored or the students who are avoiding failure. Differentiated instruction offers all students the opportunity to cover the curriculum by providing assignments, learning activities, and goals that are adapted for their learning needs.

Tiering is one of the most effective differentiated instruction strategies, and the one we used most frequently in our teaching collaboration this year. In tiering, “activities are developed using varied levels of content, process, and product to ensure that students work with the same essential ideas (or concepts), at their appropriate level of challenge.” Some key modifications for tiering include skill level, vocabulary, complexity, level of thinking, interest level, abstractness,

sophistication of research, and openness of product/ process. It is important to note that the classification of students into tiers is flexible and changes throughout the year as it is based on a variety of assignments, expectations, and continual assessment of student progress. In general, tier 1 is made up of students who need extra assistance in covering the material, tier 2 is made up of students who are just ready to master concepts, and tier 3 is comprised of students who need to be challenged on a greater level. All of our students covered the same topics, learned the same material, and worked on similar tasks. It was the depth and the complexity of the task that changed, in order to specifically address students’ individual learning needs.

Vicky and I frequently incorporated cooperative learning activities into our lessons, both with mixed-ability and flexible grouping. Mixed ability groupings were created based on a thorough assessment of students’ learning styles and readiness levels, as well as the ways in which they complemented each other.

Tasks were structured with clear guidelines and divided student responsibilities.

A great example of this was during a structured review lesson, in which students used graphic organizers to organize the concepts and content learned in order to prepare for an upcoming test. Students were paired and the tasks to which they were assigned within their group correlated to a level of critical thinking. The student in tier 1 gathered information for the who/ what/when categories, whereas the student in tier 2 recorded the information for the why/how. Students collaborated in gathering and understanding all of the information, but were working on their own readiness level. Furthermore, they were all assessed on the same content and benefitted from this tiered test-review lesson.

During cooperative learning activities that comprised of flexible grouping, on the other hand, students worked with other students of similar abilities, interest, and overall learning style. These groups are called flexible because students do not remain locked there and the conditions for the placement of students into specific groups are highly dependent on the actual work and learning objective(s) of the lesson. Vicky and

ETHOS SPRING 2015

I took advantage of flexible grouping in working with longer reading texts. Entire groups were classified by tier level, and received a text which was modified to match their reading comprehension level. Students in all tiers, as a result, were able to understand the content taught, cover the curriculum standards, acquire new vocabulary, and advance in reading comprehension- all without assigning them to unrealistically difficult or unchallenging work.

In both types of groups, group work was structured in a way in which students depended on each others’ contribution in order to successfully complete an assignment. Everyone’s input was equally valuable, authentic, and meaningful. Differentiated instruction during group work gave all students the opportunity to be equally challenged, successful, and, as a result, enjoy the work. Diversity was embraced as students began to gain from each other.

To cover the Age of Exploration, Vicky and I designed a unit that relied on mixed ability grouping and incorporated differentiated instruction through the implementation of various tiers within each assigned group. Each group had a packet of fifteen primary and secondary historical sources that were classified

by Vicky and I, without the students knowing, as belonging to tiers I-III. The classification depended on the level of difficulty of the language and complexity of ideas. Students, within each group, were assigned to specific documents based on their tier level. First, each student within the group had to paraphrase/ summarize their individually assigned documents.

Then, using their assigned documents, students answered the following overarching question, while incorporating social, political, and economic categories into their analysis: In what ways did Spanish Exploration affect Native American tribes during the Age of Exploration? The final step required all group members to synthesize their summaries and analysis in order to write a single group essay on the overarching question stated above, incorporating information from all fifteen documents. Students produced beautiful work enriched with critical thinking. In essence, students produced work of much higher quality than had the lesson not included differentiation and stepby-step guidance from both teachers. Learning, in this regard, became a social process and differentiated cooperative learning fostered a sense of community through dialogue and collaboration.

A common misperception of the inclusion model is that it is solely intended to assist the students who have learning difficulties. On the contrary, gifted students, with or without learning differences, need work that help them strengthen and improve their skills while also challenging their high intellectual capabilities. Higher achieving students can be challenged through advanced level and open ended questions, or more difficult texts in answering the same critical thinking question. In a mixed-ability classroom that does not offer any differentiation, what can often happen is that the lower performing students will dominate a teacher’s instruction, attention, and activities. In contrast, everyone benefits

from the inclusion model of differentiated instruction. The co-teaching inclusion partnership provides the ideal framework for making this possible, as there are two knowledgeable educators who work together to meet both the curriculum demands, as well as the differentiated instructional needs.

Incorporating inclusion and differentiated instruction practices does not happen overnight. Teachers who are committed to this approach will need to spend more time planning for each lesson and collaborating with colleagues, in order to provide different levels of work for students. Teachers may start to incorporate differentiated lesson planning in one lesson during the week and build up from there. With proper support and dedication, an entire curriculum can be covered by the inclusion education model, and ultimately transform an entire school into what we envision our

91

society to look like: a community in which everyone is valued, differences are embraced in love, and the beauty of diversity is evident.

■■

References: Tomlinson, C., "Mapping a route to differentiated instruction," Educational Leadership 57,1 (1999): 12-16.

Bucalos, Anne B., and Amy S. Lingo. "Filling the Potholes in the Road to Inclusion: Successful Research-Based Strategies for Intermediate and Middle School Students with Mild Disabilities." TEACHING Exceptional Children Plus 1.4 (2005): n. pag. Print.

Tomlinson, C. A. The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 1999. Print.

Robinson, Linda Pigott. “Tiering to Avoid Tears: Developing Assignments That Address All Learners’ Needs.” Reaching Every Learner: Differentiating Instruction in Theory and Practice. Learn NC, n. d. Web 1 May 2015. < http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/ every-learner/6680>.

Supporting Learning at ACS Athens The Educational & Diagnostic Testing Center By: Chris Perakis-Evloyias, Director, Learning Enhancement Programs & Educational and Diagnostic Testing Center

T Opposite page from top to bottom: Ms. Akrivou and Ms. Koniossis assisting mixedability groups on their Age of Exploration assignment Ms. Koniossis, the OLP Specialist, and Ms. Akrivou, the mainstream teacher, coteaching a lesson

Opposite page cont: Ms. Koniossis assisting students in cooperative learning Students of various tier assignments, collaborating to write their essays for the Age of Exploration assignment

he newly established ACS Athens Diagnostic Center is designed to provide a wide-range of services in the area of assessment. It provides inclusive psycho-educational testing used to assess strengths and weaknesses in cognition, learning difficulties, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder as well as emotional and behavioral factors which may interfere with academics. After a battery of assessments, determined according to each unique case, test results are interpreted and reflected back to the parents through a comprehensive report as well as an appointment, where data and recommendations found in the report are discussed and analyzed in detail. Furthermore, the ACS Athens Diagnostic Center provides services following the psycho-educational evaluation if necessary, such as educational support services, consultations for students and parents, speech therapy and occupational therapy. Presently there are two clinical psychologists and a special educator among others who staff the Center needs. The occupational and Speech and Language specialists are also on call

92

when needed. This initiative was accomplished after two years of training with Dr. Michael Castleberry, from George Washington University. Our mission is to offer top-quality services in a holistic manner, taking into account all aspects of a student’s educational experience so as to contribute to students’ growth in academic performance and self-concept. For more information contact us at: edutesting@acs.gr ■■

Athletics More than just X’s and O’s…

College Coaches Come to ACS Athens and say a few words of wisdom…

by Annie Constantinides, Director of Athletics, Summer Camp and Recreational Programs

T

he word “coaching” has many definitions: teaching, mentoring, guiding, directing, supporting and more…. In the world of sports, often a coach is a disciplinarian, a teacher, a friend, a guardian among a number of roles and touches upon his/her athletes in many ways. Sports coaches come from different backgrounds; some have been athletes themselves, some come from the education profession, some train themselves to become coaches simply because they have a passion and love for a sport and for passing on their knowledge.

On April 18-19th, ACS Athens hosted the 6th International Basketball Coaches Clinic; over the past years a number of college and NBA coaches, as well as national Professional coaches shared their basketball knowledge with professionals who came to gain more knowledge and grow professionally.

Our guest speakers this year came from the United

ETHOS SPRING 2015

States and men’s basketball teams from NCAA Division 1 institutions: Danny Manning (Head Coach of Wake Forest, former NBA Player and Olympian), Mike Brennan (Head Coach of American University, and a former player of Princeton University) and Jim Engles (Head Coach of New Jersey Institute of Technology). While these coaches were going to present their sport specific topics over a period of two days, they took the time to address our student body and to talk to them, not about basketball basics, but about their experiences and how sports can offer so much more to individuals.

DANNY MANNING Coach Manning talked about ADVERSITY; he specifically talked about his hardships since he underwent three knee injuries through his career and how adversity shaped his life. He talked about taking advantage of all hardships and misfortunes and how to persevere in life in order to reach success. Within adversity, there is always opportunity and mental toughness can be created so that the individual can bounce back. He also talked about the importance in passion and devotion, in whatever one does in life. Although talent is important, mental toughness, passion and devotion takes you a long way. He then went on to talk about daily habits, daily work ethics and the importance of preparation. In his exact words “inspiration comes and goes; it’s your habits that count.”

MIKE BRENNAN Mike Brennan talked about the importance of ACADEMICS; doing well academically, he said, determines one’s life path. He talked about balance in life and time management as these are important for college and later on in life. He also talked about hard work, specifically in school and academics, because there is a “bigger” picture in life – it’s not just about sports. Each day, there is the opportunity to do well academically; and even though a particular class may not be exciting, the effort still needs to come out.

There are rewards and benefits that come with hard work and effort.

JIM ENGLES Coach Engles talked about taking the opportunity to do what you want to do; to “LIVE YOUR MOMENT”.

He talked about the interesting story of the New Jersey Institute of Technology and their team’s losing streak. Through those tough times, he had to make his athletes see things in perspective. In addition, his team and coaching staff had to change their mindset in order to make things happen and to turn things around. It came with hard work and COMMITMENT. His final words to the students were inspiring: “Your national championship moment will come some day; it may not be what you actually think it may be, but that moment is out there and you can experience it.”

ETHOS SPRING 2015

What the coaches said about their visit to ACS Athens Coach Manning: “I had an unbelievable experience in Greece. Basketball has afforded me with great opportunities. Being able to share my story and talk about the game I love half way across the world is a dream come true. I would like to thank ACS Athens for making this a possibility.”

Mike Brennan: I wanted to express my gratitude to the entire community at ACS Athens for the tremendous opportunity to be part of the program last week. It was inspiring to hear all of the success stories of ACS alumni, and to witness firsthand the enthusiasm of the faculty, staff and students. I enjoyed speaking to the student assembly and was struck by their attentiveness, their sense of appreciation and the genuine warm welcome we the coaches received. During my short time visiting the school, it was obvious that the administration and faculty take great care in preparing each student according to their personal aspirations and unique talents, and have a strong commitment to finding the right fit for the next step in their education Jim Engles: I just wanted to thank ACS Athens for allowing me to come to their institution to speak to the students and participate in the coaching clinic. It was truly an

honor to share with the students some of my experiences as a coach and talk to them about Leadership and taking advantage of the moments that they will come across. It is obvious that they have a wonderful situation at the school and all that it can offer them. I was extremely impressed with their spirit and enthusiasm and loved meeting and taking pictures with the students after our presentations. I look forward to keeping in touch with all the new friends that I have met from the school. It was a terrific week-end for me and I will now have a special connection with ACS Athens and Greece.

■■

Current page: Coaches and Students together on Stage

95

Most recently, two of our talented basketball players, Philip Tripodakis and Konstantinos Mantalvanos, are members of the Southern New Hampshire University Basketball team that won their Regional Championship and participated in the Elite – 8 of the NCAA Division 2 Championship ; something that has not been done by the university for the past 20 years! Just as importantly, Philip Tripodakis is graduating with an International MBA with a concentration in Operations and Project Management and Konstantinos Mantalvanos is graduating in 2016 with a major in Finance and a minor in Marketing.

In the same institution, Natasa Koniali, received an athletic scholarship and is a member of the Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) women’s team; an excellent student taking challenging courses in the 3-year honor program in Business Administration.

Opportunities for Success for Student-Athletes Created at ACS Athens

by Annie Constantinides, Director of Athletics, Summer Camp and Recreational Programs

F

or a number of years, ACS Athens has promoted holistic education and has provided opportunities for students to thrive in a variety of avenues; challenges are provided and the students realize and reach their potential, whatever that may be.

At ACS Athens, a number of students have been offered academic/athletic scholarships to attend high school; others, have come to ACS Athens for their high school education in order to be able to continue their paths in higher education institutions internationally. With their hard work, they have pursued their aspirations in the universities abroad by receiving academic / athletic scholarships and athletic recognition and are now capitalizing on the opportunities and options available; it is with pride that we follow and observe their paths beyond ACS Athens, to see that they indeed experience success in academics as well as their sport.

The history of successful ACS Athens student athletes dates back a number of years. It is quite astonishing , however, to see the younger graduates flourish in so many ways: they are succeeding academically, athletically and they certainly compose themselves with ethos and values that are essential in a successful life.

Not far from these students (geographically) is Melina Kollia who has also experienced the success of a winning season – as a member of the Bentley Women’s Basketball team; in 2014, she was the NCAA Division 2 Champion with a perfect season of 35 wins! Melina received an athletic scholarship from Bentley, is presently a sophomore following an accelerated program in an effort to complete her Master’s degree in Economics within four years.

Current page: Philip Tripodakis & Kostas Mantalvanos Celebrating their Regional Championship

96

A few years back, Jessica Ogunnor graduated from ACS Athens to play basketball for University of California at Riverside; she transferred to Stonybrook University, another Division 1 institution, a couple of years later and as a senior she was selected for the “America East All-Championship” team – quite an honor that came with hard work! She received an degree in Multidisciplinary Studies, and is now pursuing her Master’s degree in Public Policy.

Vangelis Loukas, after graduating from ACS Athens, took a “gap” year and ended up at the University of Northern British Columbia in Canada (UNBC). A hard working athlete and student; he will earn a degree is the Sciences.

Current page from top to bottom: Melina Kollia and the Bentley women’s team Natasa Koniali - SNHU

Current page Central photo: Jessica Ogunnorin - Stonybrook

ETHOS SPRING 2015

ETHOS SPRING 2015

Following a similar path, Stelios Papafloratos after a year at a Preparatory Academy, is now at the University of Nevada â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Reno studying Business Administration and playing basketball.

Just recently, Pinelopi Pavlopoulou, was offered a scholarship to play basketball at Washington State - a Division 1 institution with great academic and athletic programs. In her first year, Pinelopi played some

valuable minutes and continues to improve. A strong student academically, she has a bright future ahead of her. She is majoring in Computer Science.

The participation in collegiate sports goes beyond the sport of basketball. In the world of aquatics, Konstantinos Genidounias, another one of our graduates, followed his dream and was offered an athletic scholarship from the University of Southern California to

99

play water polo; and what a career he had. He is the leader of the USC team, the captain of the team and he helped win a national championship. He is graduating with a degree in Communications.

Veroniki Nikolaki is on the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Diving team and from her first year (she is now in her third year) her performances were exceptional; she participated in the NCAA Division III Champion-

ships. In addition to her academics, she was selected on the NCAA Division III Women’s Swimming and Diving Scholar All-American First Team.

ACS Athens student athlete alumni are flourishing in a variety of other sports. Christian Robbsis is playing soccer at American University and is pursuing a degree in International Business and Sergio Spassofis is playing tennis and will graduate with a Business de-

Current page from top to bottom: Stelios Papafloratos – University of Nevada-Reno Central photo: Vangelis Loukas - UNBC

Konstantinos Genidounias – University of Southern California

100

gree.

Nick Efstratudakis is a member of two teams (!) at Sarah Lawrence College in New York, a Division III school; he plays soccer and basketball! He is in his second year studying Economics, Public Policy and International Studies. Hannah Amis is majoring in Exercise and Sports Science at Bluefield College and is playing volleyball, the sport she played at ACS Athens.

Track and Field is another sport where our students have also excelled in; while at ACS Athens they participated in Greek clubs and our very own teams. At the same time their academic efforts opened doors to great institutions. Hard work, perseverance, dedication and great work ethics have gotten them to the collegiate level of competition.

Alexandros Apostolidis is in his third year at Tufts University and is a member of their Cross Country and Track and Field teams. Middle Distance is his focus and he participates in Pan-Hellenic competitions as well when he returns to Athens. He will graduate with a degree in Quantitative Economics, as well as International Relations with a concentration in International Finance. His sister, Daphne Apostolidis, is also a member of the Northeastern University Cross Country and Track and Field teams. She runs 3,000 and 5,000 km races and has improved her personal times in every race. She also runs in Panhellenic races when in Greece. She will graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, as well as a minor in Health Science. Finally, Ioannis Kyriazis, received a scholarship at Texas A&M because he is a talented javelin thrower. He has participated in a number of international competitions representing his country.

He came to ACS Athens in 10th Grade; he worked hard academically and grabbed the opportunity of a lifetime by studying Kinesiology and is working hard to become a world class athlete.

For a number of these student athletes, their talent and hard work in a particular sport is perceived as a

tool for obtaining a “higher” goal, education; for others not only it is a passion but also a matter of pursuing personal excellence. Whether the student athletes have received scholarships or not, whatever the sport, winning or losing, it is intriguing to see that these young men and women are combining education and sports; a combination that requires a receptive environment and a lot of virtues and values. To dream, first of all, to be motivated, to persevere, to balance one’s life, to develop work ethics and more.

But I would say that before all of these, these individuals have valued and continue to value EDUCATION and what it can provide to them for a successful and meaningful life.

■■

Current page left: Veroroniki Nikolaki – Worcester Polytechnic Institute Current page right: from top to bottom: Nikos Efstratudakis – Sarah Lawrence College Hannah Amis – Bluefield College

Opposite page from top to bottom: Daphne Apostolidis Northeastern University Alex Apostolidis - Tufts University Ioannis Kyriazis Texas A & M University

ETHOS SPRING 2015

ETHOS SPRING 2015

103

tor Program, and the ACS Conferences around the World Presenters Program.

Professional

Development Building Layers of Collaboration for a Comprehensive Faculty Professional Development & Growth Program

by David Nelson, Academy Faculty, Development and Growth Program Coordinator

Q

uality and innovation in the 21st Century, across all social and business institutions, are driven not only by the talents of the individuals involved but more importantly by the collaborative framework they work within. At ACS Athens, we seek to build layers of collaboration among faculty so that professional development is ongoing, with educators as the driving force, to continually discover ways to create more powerful learning experiences for our students.

At the core of collaboration and professional development is the realization that many of the best ideas exist within the buildings of our own schools and we simply have to find more ways to connect those specialists. As we seek to build layers of collaboration, with student learning at the center, several innovative programs are emerging to improve professional development for our faculty and to extend opportunities across all schools: ACS Collaborative Learning Communities (CLCs), the New Colleagues Men-

These three initiatives expand the outreach that exists within the ACS Athens comprehensive faculty professional development and growth program. The school prides itself in reaching out to educational specialists and university professors in partnership to develop targeted ways to improve teaching and learning for our students. Our elementary and middle school teachers have redesigned their curriculum because they had the opportunity to work with professionals like math specialist Erma Anderson, an Albert Einstein Distinguished Fellow of the United States Senate and an award winning science/mathematics consultant with the Office of Overseas Schools AERO Project and the US High School Redesign Project.

Each year during the ACS Athens Conference on Learning Differences and Innovation Summit, the school welcomes specialists from around the world, as they join with ACS teachers to share their work. This year we draw from presenters from George Washington University, Vanderbilt University, Concord Academy, the National School Reform Faculty, and Chapman University.

ACS Athens has welcomed colleagues from primary, secondary and post-secondary schools from around the world to collaborate on various programs. Examples include faculty projects with the Chapin School, NYC, collaborations with Morton Academy, Chicago, initiatives with ACS Beirut and hosting opportunities with the Think Global School, to name a few. At the University level ACS Athens has entered into partnerships or collaborations with George Mason University, University of Winnipeg, Chapman University, theHellenic American College, St. Louis University, the University of Richmond, and Wheelock College.

At still another level, several of our faculty and administrators have become integral contributors to the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accreditation process, in which representatives from our school serve on accreditation teams at various American and International Schools around the world. This year alone, five ACS faculty and administrators served on such teams, each time bringing back new ideas and inspiration to share with others on our staff.

Among the newest of initiatives, Collaborative Learning Communities (CLCs) at ACS Athens, are an outgrowth of faculty initiated and faculty facilitated groups that come together every 4-5 weeks. Unique to ACS Athens, each CLC is made up of a highly diverse group of educators, from all three of our schools, who essentially come together to problem solve, innovate and create! The collaboration occurs through carefully facilitated processes, implemented by trained faculty, with the teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; learning objectives at the center. The central goals are to create a novel forum for cross fertilization of problem solving and support in which participants benefit from the broader perspectives and combined expertise of the faculty, thus

104

challenging the insularity of traditional age based and content based organizational divides.

More specifically, faculty who volunteer to participate in a CLC come together to tune their lesson designs, analyze data, examine student work, assist colleagues with development/design, reflect on practices, review professional work, and problem solve professional dilemmas and “wonderings” related to their teaching and learning. What sets CLCs apart from traditional “sit and get” models of faculty development is that participants are encouraged to reflect on their less than perfect work and share dilemmas of their practice. Within each CLC colleagues support each other with vast professional insights, ideas and resources.

Our CLCs use at their foundation the structure of Critical Friends Group® work developed out of the National Reform Faculty in Bloomington, Indiana.

Additionally, CLCs utilize widely tested practices of Adaptive Schools® developed by the Adaptive Schools Foundation. The best of these practices remind us that collaboration begins with our asking questions and widens as we listen to the ideas of others, especially those that we had not expected to hear from.

The New Colleagues Mentor Program was also established 2014 in order to more effectively transition new faculty to their positions at ACS Athens, while simultaneously encouraging ACS faculty to more quickly draw from the unique skills that our new colleagues bring to our buildings. Designed by Ginger Carlson, Elementary School Vice-Principal, and myself, the New Colleagues Mentor program provides another layer of collaboration among faculty.

year our own faculty select workshop presentations to be presented by their peers at conferences sponsored by NESA (the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools) as well as other regional institutes.

The process allows faculty to share their best work with each other and to further improve their work by collaborating with others outside of the school.

The ACS Conferences around the World Presenters Program will expand the potential network of conferences, with school support, and seek to connect ACS faculty presenters with leading conferences in each of the major fields of study in the United States and Europe. The program aims to increase collaboration at multiple levels: first, veteran ACS teachers will be encouraged to pair with newer colleagues to create workshop and seminar proposals at the caliber and content sought by the conference sponsors; secondly, the workshops will be presented to their peers for possible recommendation to the conference; finally, once chosen by the conference organizers, our faculty will not only share their best practices outside of Athens, but they will be able to bring back what they have gained to share with our faculty.

By combining each of these unique professional development opportunities, we seek to further improve our instructional practices and discover even more effective ways to improve student learning. By building layers of collaboration in order to create a comprehensive faculty professional development and growth program we hope to extend opportunities for all of our faculty to explore new ways to improve student learning.

■■

Each year new colleagues coming to ACS Athens are paired up with mentors in order to become more quickly acquainted with school resources, classroom technology, procedural norms, and general problem solving. The mentors and new faculty members meet on an ongoing basis to provide support, solutions and outreach. By transitioning faculty more quickly to our school, we all benefit by tapping into the new skills, energy, and experiences for which they were hired.

Another innovative layer of collaboration will begin in September 2015 when ACS Athens will extend opportunities for faculty to collaborate with educators and specialists both in Greece and internationally, at some of the most celebrated educational conferences in the USA and around the world. The ACS Conferences around the World Presenters Program aims to extend the potential of professional development for the ACS faculty by expanding collaboration among our teachers and connecting them with specialists in their fields. This program will extend the faculty driven nature of professional development at ACS Athens, by using a professional peer to peer recommendation and selection process.

Historically, our faculty has presented workshops and training seminars at prominent international conferences and in various schools around the world. Each

Opposite page and following: Photos from the 70th Dinner Dance Event

ETHOS SPRING 2015

O

n Friday, February 13, 2015 our ACS Athens community came together at the Grande Bretagne Hotel to celebrate the institution’s 70 years in providing its students with a holistic, meaningful and harmonious educational experience based on the American educational philosophy, principles and values. Over 250 parents, faculty, staff, Emeritus faculty, alumni, administrators, and members of the Board of Trustees attended this event to celebrate this milestone for ACS Athens.

Celebrations 70th Anniversary Gala Event

by Helen Maravegias, Executive Assistant to the President, Gala Organizing Committee Member

An eight member committee consisting of parents, alumni, ACS Athens faculty and staff worked cohesively to organize this event, devoting endless hours to ensure its success. It was a memorable evening that honored everyone – current and past students, faculty, staff, and administrators who with commitment, strong vision and dedication brought ACS Athens to where it is today.

Board of Trustees Chairman, Mr. Suheil Sabbagh; ACS Athens Board Member and Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy, Ms. Suzanne Lawrence, and President Stefanos Gialamas spoke to the audience about the school and the many educational opportunities available to students over the years. A touching 70 Year documentary/video presentation was shown during this event that allowed us to stroll along the path of this school’s history, remembering some special moments with students, faculty, staff, and administrators.

ETHOS SPRING 2015

This was a truly fun-filled evening, with delicious food, dancing and overall good cheer! The evening’s success wouldn’t have been possible if we didn’t have the support of our community members who attended, as well as the support of our student volunteers who assisted by taking pictures, helping with the lottery, greeting guests, and much more. Certainly our musically talented students who played piano so beautifully during dinner gave a melodious tone to the evening. And, of course, let us not forget the colorful owls created by our Elementary School 5th grade and Middle School 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students that decorated the entryway and silent auction room, welcoming everyone and reminding them that the owl is the ACS Athens symbol of wisdom.

Through the generosity of many ACS Athens supporters, either through sponsorships or donations of items, we had a rich array of gifts for both the silent auction and the raffle that will benefit the Board approved improvement initiative (Master Plan) for the playground/athletic areas on our campus.

Yes, this was a wonderful event that brought our community together to celebrate ACS Athens’ 70 Years.

We would like to extend a big thank you to everyone for making this a memorable event!

We look forward to ACS Athens celebrating many more years of educational success!

■■

107

The wealth of Greece – the 4th graders’ experience

by Irini Rovoli, Greek language teacher

G

rade 4 experiences Greek heritage through the lessons of history and language. The Greek language curriculum is enriched by the 2 major ethnic celebrations, OXI Day (October 28th) and Greek Independence Day (March 25th).

4th graders are responsible for carrying out the OXI Day celebration and for dramatizing the history of that day at the Theater at ACS for their elementary school peers. 4th graders are again in the spotlight at the Greek Independence Day celebration as they narrate Greek folk songs of the 19th century.

On OXI Day a dramatization including all 4th graders shows students that nothing in life is granted unless people fight for it. Our 4th graders become the men and women who protected their country’s freedom and independence. On Greek Independence Day, the folk songs recited by 4th graders depict the fight for freedom and independence in a poetic but at the same time highly realistic way, as they come from the heart of the people of that time. The songs that are heard in both celebrations, enriched by powerful and carefully selected images on screen, become an inspiration for our students. The way students appear on stage show that the celebrations have a true meaning for them. The writing and reflections following the celebrations are also characteristic of the lasting impact those celebrations have on our students.

In the 4th graders’ own words:

108

“We learned that our great grandparents loved our country and fought for it” “Greece has many heroes in its history” “Some children were singing too loud on stage because they were happy to be celebrating that day” “My great- great grandparent was a hero of the Greek

Revolution” “I will always remember that celebration because everyone had learned their part and was serious on stage” “I hope next year we appear equally well on stage” “I was nervous on stage but felt really proud I was part of this celebration”.

ETHOS SPRING 2015

Current page and previous: Celebrating the Greek Independence Day

Alumni Affairs

Professional Alumnus of the Month

by Belina Korovessis, member of ACS Athens Global Steering Committee, Class of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;78

Dimitris Economou, McKinsey & Company, Class of 2002 Dimitris Economou lives in New York City with his wife.

Dimitris Economou was born in Virginia to Greek parents from Athens. At the time his father was on assignment with the Greek Embassy in Washington D.C. where the family remained for most of Dimitrisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; childhood. He was raised in Virginia like any kid

ETHOS SPRING 2015

in suburban US at the time, attending public schools and playing American football and basketball in local little-leagues.

In the mid-1990s, Dimitris’ father was transferred back to the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ headquarters in Athens and the whole family followed. For his parents and older brother this was merely a long-awaited return home. For Dimitri, it meant moving to a new country. Once back in Greece, his parents debated between sending their sons to Greek schools or to one of the American or English schools in Athens. Dimitri still remembers getting knots in his stomach with the possibility of a Greek school versus one of the American or English schools in the area. He is grateful his parents decided to enroll their two sons at ACS Athens, where he studied from the 7th grade on to graduation.

Dimitri believes two main aspects of ACS Athens influenced his character and/or work ethic, contributing to his success: multiculturalism and academic rigor.

In terms of academic rigor, Dimitri was able to explore his interests to their fullest at ACS Athens through the Full IB program. In addition to providing him with a solid academic foundation to readily compete with students at Stanford, the Full IB program gave him two fundamental skills he uses to this day: conceptual problem solving (through the Theory of Knowledge class) and a solid understanding of macro and micro economics (through the «higher-level» economics course).

«In terms of multiculturalism, ACS taught me to take nothing for granted when interacting with any individual, no matter how similar or different they seem to me at first sight. This has helped in both professional and social settings, where I’ve too often observed assumptions or judgments about individuals applied recklessly. Thanks to my experiences at ACS, I’ve been able to identify them and help mediate understanding between all parties involved.»

Professional Background After ACS Athens, Dimitri went to Stanford for two degrees in computer architecture and network optimization. After Stanford, he joined McKinsey & Company in Silicon Valley, later moved to Chicago, and most recently moved to New York. While at McKinsey, he took some time off to complete Greek military service as an information security officer, and to attend the Oxford business school for an MBA. At McKinsey, his focus has been on the financial and technology sectors, primarily helping leaders of corporations organize around and operate technology to their advantage and more recently mitigating risks of cyber attacks.

The Future Dimitris’ roots are in the financial and technology sectors in the US and he believes they will remain there

for the foreseeable future. In 2013, he married a former classmate from the Oxford business school. Both now live and work in New York and enjoy the company of their restless young cat at home.

Words of Wisdom When asked what ‘Words of Wisdom’ or advice for other up and coming professionals to help their success, Dimitri had these three pieces of advice to offer: ◉◉ Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize - in most contexts there are usually 1-2 variables that will get you >80% of the impact you are seeking and then hundreds of variables that will achieve the remaining <20%; try to identify what’s most impactful early on and focus on that first, it can save you hours, weeks, or even years ◉◉ Be outcome-focused - always have a perspective for what «absolute success for the day/week/ weekend/month/year» would look like and then focus on the tasks that will realize that desired outcome vs. traversing time without a clear vision of where you’re headed ◉◉ Know how to count - this is actually meant literally and is best illustrated through an example: if you’re trying to win an election that requires 50 votes to win, no amount of wishful thinking will get you there as much as counting the number of votes you know you will get for sure and then targeting your effort on how to get the rest until you can count all 50 people who will vote for you and know why.

Thanks for the wise words, Dimitris!

Professional Alumnus of the Month Nicholas G. Karambelas, Sfikas & Karambelas, LLP Class of ’71 Recipient of the Distinguished Service Award of the District of Columbia Bar for years of service to the District of Columbia Bar About Nick Karambelas Nick came to Athens in 1966 with his parents and sister, Debra, class of ‘69, where his father was sent to open the Athens office for Price Waterhouse & Co. Voted “Wittiest” of his Senior Class, Nick is remembered as one of the most popular, school-spirited football and basketball stars. Nick went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts from Union College in 1975, a Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law and a Masters of International Affairs from Columbia University School of Public and International Affairs.

Currently, Nick practices law in Washington, DC, New York and Maryland and serves on the Board of the American Hellenic Institute (AHI). Over the years, Nick has always been available to advise the ACS Ath-

111

ens Alumni Association and worked with the Board of Education to establish the Board of Trustees. He is now Vice-Chairman and a Trustee of the Board of Trustees of ACS Athens. He should be commended for his ongoing loyalty to his alma mater, which has played a key role in the success of the school’s governance today. Nick has also served as Secretary of the District of Columbia Bar and is a senior instructor in the District of Columbia Bar Continuing Legal Education Program.

Nick’s sister, now Debra Starr, is currently working as a Nurse Practitioner. His wife Deirdre is a registered nurse and has been a medical-legal analyst and hospice nurse. His two daughters, Alexandra and Christina, are working and living in the US. How Does ACS Athens Contribute to the successes of its Graduates?

“The great American author and social critic Samuel Clemmons, better known as Mark Twain, coined a maxim which cautioned «never let your schooling interfere with your education». Like all maxims, this maxim attempts to encapsulate in a few words wisdom drawn from the life experience of its author. Of course, wisdom is complicated and cannot be imparted in a few words. Nevertheless, a maxim is a symbol of a truth and merits serious contemplation. Mark Twain’s maxim distinguishes between schooling and education. I see that distinction in my experience at ACS Athens.

I entered ACS in 1966 into the 8th grade at the age of 13 years and graduated in 1971 at the age of 18 years. At the risk of sounding clinical, we all agree that these years are formative years. The experiences during these years profoundly affect our values and character as we evolve into adults. I took the usual curriculum which ACS offered at that time. English, history, math, chemistry, gym, Spanish language and others were the subjects. On the whole, our teachers were exceptional. They knew their subjects and, most important, knew how to teach. That was my schooling.

That was ACS [Athens] fulfilling its primary mission.

But then there was my education. I believe that by education Mark Twain meant developing views of the way the universe works and a personal philosophy about how to relate to the universe and to the persons around you. I was educated through activities offered

by ACS and my relationships with fellow classmates. I learned leadership and public service as a member of the Student Council in 10th grade through 12th grade.

I learned to persevere as a Lancer through victory and defeat in football and basketball. I also learned pain as the field at that time was made up of dirt, dust and small rocks. Most significantly, I learned how to treat other people and to make meaningful and enduring relationships. Our annual Easter break trip to Rhodes, skipping class to go to the showing of the original Woodstock movie, summers on Myconos and patronizing establishments in old Plaka all contributed to forming these relationships.

The only skill I had in math was drawing the numbers.

Beyond that I was pitiful as all 3 of my math teachers will attest. However, I will attempt an equation: Schooling plus education equals intellectual curiosity.

To be intellectually curious means to continually and objectively observe the universe around us, passionately participate in the evolution of that universe and understand that which works and that which does not work through courageous trial and error.

I have practiced law for more than 35 years. I have experienced simple and complex situations. Intellectual curiosity has been and is the most significant quality in dealing with any such situation. At ACS Athens I began learning how to be intellectually curious, a lesson which has continued since graduation and will continue into the future.”

-Nick Karambelas About Sfikas & Karambelas, LLP Sfikas & Karambelas, LLP practices in Washington DC, Maryland and New York in the areas of e-commerce, business organization, securities, franchising and international trade. For more information, see http://www.ngklaw.com ■■

112

Ananiadis family Petite Boutique

HMSK handmade

Constantinos Stergides

Beauty Nail Spa

Gaitanaris Family MS Paschalis Collection

Romylos All About Hair

Beligiannis Family

PANOSIMONETOS

ETHOS SPRING 2015

Thank you to all our generous Sponsors and Supporters

the original jewelry bottling company

ACS Athens

PTO

Theodore Manolides Contemporary Artist

BELVEDERE

MYCONOS

ETHOS SPRING 2015

Get your ACS Athens gear today and celebrate with us

our 70th Anniversary!

Visit: www.acsathenseshop.gr

115

I Athens Tricity Move. Live. Love.

Move. Live. Love.

Yamaha Tricity. Î&#x2018; new dimension in the city.

Discover a new way to live in the city. Three wheels with the YAMAHA Leaning Multi Wheel technology, for extra riding confidence. Light, compact and with short distance between the front wheels. Easy to handle and agile. With a modern, delicate design that inspires you to fall in love with your city again and again.

Yamaha Tricity. A new dimension to the city.

Tricity.a brand Move.

Discover newLive. way to Love. truly live the city: Three wheels with Leaning Multi Wheel technology for back in love with your city once again.

Tricity. Move. Live. Love.

www.yamaha-motor.eu

www.yamaha-motor.gr

Follow us on

/yamaha.motor.greece

ETHOS SPRING 2015

ACS Athens

Homecoming Reunion June 17 2015, 20.30 pm

at the ACS Athens Campus

Celebrating 70 Years Guests of Honor: Emeritus Faculty Tickets: www.AcsAthensGlobal.org or Call: 210 6393200 Ext: 207

Νew York | Βerlin | Düsseldorf | Hamburg | Amsterdam | Madrid | Milan | Paris | Athens | Limassol | Shanghai | Singapore

An exceptional bed for exceptional sleepers; Meet the 4-layer _

A combination of 4 handcrafted sleep products, made of 100% natural materials, brought together with one common goal: perfect sleep

www.coco-mat.com