Front cover drawing: Dimitra Karypidou
Yearbook created by: Elena Apostolidou and Myrto Kousera
Vayia was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the USA and obtained her BA Honors Degree in English at Lancaster University in the UK. She holds the Royal Society of Arts Diploma in TEFLA and has worked at the British Council Teaching Center and BC Examinations Center, Anatolia, Hellenic Assessment Services and various other examining bodies. She is an oral examiner for Young Learners Exams, Starters, Movers, Flyers as well as Key, Preliminary, First for Schools, CAE and CPE. Vayia has extensive experience since she has been teaching different levels and age groups in Greece and the UK for the past 29 years. She is a versatile teacher whose lessons are student-centered, motivating and engaging. She incorporates IT as well as a host of TPR games and activities to make her lessons meaningful, relevant and fun. Vayia is a firm believer in fostering student autonomy by encouraging her students to adopt good learning strategies. She is also an ardent proponent of Lifelong Learning and Continuing Professional Development, which help all teachers grow on a personal and professional level.
Aphrodite came to Greece from Toronto at the age of 16. She studied English Literature & Linguistics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, spending a semester in Denmark on an exchange program. She quickly set out to become a teacher as it was what she always dreamed of doing. From 2006 to 2012 she taught at an English language school, all the while engaged in various other part-time jobs. Aphrodite has also been an oral examiner for the MSU exams since 2012. She completed a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course in the summer of 2017 in London along with another course on teaching young children. She started teaching English at the Bridge, Bilingual & Link program in 2011 and has been enjoying every bit of it so far! She had the pleasure of teaching English to children in the Pomak villages near Xanthi on three consecutive summers. She believes that all students are able to learn and teachers merely guide them so they can discover this within themselves. Learning can be fun and interesting as long as there is a spark of curiosity!
Dora Karamanli-Garry is an English Language & Literature graduate. She also has the Trinity House Licentiate Diploma in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) in England. Her teaching and management experience is wide and varied. She has taught in International Schools in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In Saudi Arabia she taught and was later manager in the British Council (Women’s Section) in Riyadh. Under the aegis of the British Council and the British Embassy in Riyadh, she organised training to help Saudi women open SMEs (Small- to Medium-sized Enterprises). She was also a trainer on the RSA CELTA course and trained teachers in local schools in Riyadh. One of her main interests is materials development, and she has designed and implemented off-site British Council training courses for organisations such as Rajhi Bank in Riyadh. On returning to Greece she taught in the state school sector. During her second stint in Saudi Arabia she taught, teacher-trained and developed materials in The Princess Noura University in Riyadh. Prior to her return to Greece in 2019, she spent three years teaching primary school children in Birmingham.
Aphrodite Pelopida
Dora KaramanliGarry
Vayia Ginis
Marula was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (International Business) from San Francisco State University. She has been living in Thessaloniki since 1994 and is married with two daughters. She has been teaching English since 1995 after acquiring the Greek teaching license. She discovered her love for teaching early on when she started teaching young learners. Marula continues to enjoy teaching and takes pleasure from seeing her students get excited when they learn something new. She not only has experience in teaching young learners but has taught a range of ages; from 3 year-olds to adult learners. She has worked in many schools and has been an ESOL examiner for several years. She is a believer of life-long learning, whether it is from students, colleagues or life itself.
Martha Hatzopoulou was born in Melbourne Australia and came to Greece in 1984 where she started teaching English as a Foreign Language a couple of years later making it approximately thirty years of teaching English at all levels. She is also an oral examiner for Michigan, EDI, ESB, TIE, Palso and MSU. She has worked in various English Language schools and summer camps including Rainbow Camp. Her love of children has led her to do courses on Child Psychology, Educational Psychology, Teaching Dyslexic Students and a TEFL course hoping to better understand and provide a healthy teaching environment for her students. An ambitious and hard worker always striving to give her best. She volunteered her time during the Kossovo War with the United Nations helping refugees and is currently a volunteer with different rescue teams. Providing high quality education for young learners remains her priority.
Vicky was born and raised in Toronto, Canada where she had her first teaching experience at the age of 15 working as an assistant at Saturday School for the Toronto Board of Education. She studied at university in Greece while simultaneously working as an EFL teacher at language centers. For a few years she followed one of her hobbies and worked in the entertainment industry. She has now returned to teaching young learners and has been a part of Anatolia’s Bridge/Bilingual/Link team for four years. In her unique way she manages to combine education, entertainment, music and jois de vivre for truly impressive results.
Bessy was born in Connecticut, United States. Coming to Greece at the age of 11, she had many difficulties as her Native language was English. Determined to learn the Greek language, her passion for teaching arose. Having studied at New York College, she finished her BA (Hons) in English Language and English Language Teaching. She then started teaching at many different language schools for different ages and also worked at Hamogelo Tou Paideiou and at summer camps as a language teacher. She became part of Anatolia’s team in 2017 as an assistant and this year as a teacher at Br/Bil/Link Program. She is also an oral examiner for the MSU exams. Her love and passion for teaching has helped her become the youngest teacher in her team and hopes she will have many more ahead since teaching is what she loves to do .
Vicky Charalampopoulou
Marula Benetatos
Terry MacCallum
Terry MacCallum grew up in New York. She studied English at Cambridge University and Swedish at the University of Gothenburg and gained an MA in Education Psychology from Sheffield –Hallam University in the UK. She lived in England and Sweden before moving to Thessaloniki. She has been teaching adults and children for many years and has also taught professionals in various institutions and companies both in Greece and in Sweden, where she worked for the Educational Association of Salaries Employees and the British Institute. She has worked for the European Union and has conducted research on the educational systems of the European member states and on knowledge management and knowledge audit at CERTH, the National Center for Research and Technological Development in Greece. She worked at the Anatolia Elementary School and the Bridge-Bilingual Program from 2007 until 2011 and rejoined the Bridge-Bilingual program in 2016. Terry is also an oral examiner for the MSU exams and collaborates with a publishing house where she edits English books. She has worked in Xanthi teaching English to Pomac students and found the experience very beneficial. She is presently working on her MA in Mental Health Counselling with the ΕΚΠΑ University in Athens.
Jeanie was born in Washington D.C. and has lived in the USA, Germany and Greece. She studied at the University of Minnesota, Genetics and Cell Biology and completed a Masters in Science Education. Her career began as a high school science teacher in Minnesota and as a Science Museum consultant. After arriving in Greece in her thirties, she earned a B.A degree in English at Aristotle University. Teaching different ages and different subjects is an exciting experience for her as she loves combining different areas of knowledge. Her experiences in Greece range from Perrotis College teaching Biochemistry to Anatolia Elementary School English teacher. Despite her more than 25 years of experience, she enjoys teaching young people and inciting their interests in all kinds of learning.
Eleni Oikonomou was born and raised in Thessaloniki. She graduated from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where she completed a four-year course on education. She is also qualified to teach English as a foreign language, since she has a certificate from the National Kapodistrian University of Athens. In the last few years, she has taught in different schools in Greece, Cyprus, Germany and Scotland. She loves including outdoor activities and games in her lessons as she thinks that we learn better and easier when we are having fun. In her free time, she likes dancing, taking long walks and learning new languages. She believes that learning new things keeps us open to new opportunities in life and offers change and growth.
Philip was born in Panorama, Greece. He completed his undergraduate studies in 2016 at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. During the course, he spent 6 months of practicum, teaching at the Greek-French School "Kalamari". During 2018-2020, he attended and graduated from the Joint Postgraduate Studies Program “Conference Interpreting and Translation” at his alma mater. Intending to further his interest in teaching, he attained the CELTA certification in 2021, teaching classes of all levels. He has worked as a teacher since 2014, tutoring one-to-one, working with small groups, and in private language school classes. A native speaker of English and Greek and fluent in French, Philip is deeply interested in languages, linguistics, educational methodology, and emerging technologies with regard to their implementation in the classroom. In his spare time, his hobbies include photography, nature walks, and learning about history.
Philip Wilcox
Eleni Economou
Jeanie Iskos
Lucy Gindi was born and raised in Thessaloniki. She completed her studies on English Methodology with the British Council and then pursued further studies abroad attending Cloisters College.UK. While working for Private English Schools, she continued her studies and received the Cambridge University Diploma for Overseas Teachers of English” (DOTE R.S.A.). She has been working as an oral examiner for various examination bodies, mainly Cambridge for the past 25 years. She is a committed teacher whose extensive working experience of almost 30 years and knowledge enable her to foster an enjoyable, inviting and dynamic learning environment in her lessons while adapting or devising material that cover the learners needs and abilities.
Eleni Gialama graduated from the School of History and Archaeology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with a BA in Classical Archaeology. During her studies, she received an Erasmus scholarship and she attended courses in Modern European History and the History of Medieval England at the University of Lancaster. In 2003 she completed her MA in Attic Pottery of the Classical Period. At about the same time, she decided that archaeology was not her calling and that her love for the English language and literature was much stronger than her interest in antiquities. So, she took the qualification test for admittance to the School of English Language and Literature of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She completed her second BA and a few years later her second MA in the concept of ‘Other/Other-ness’ in modern American society. She was a member of the teaching staff of Aristotelio College for four years and she taught at the Kindergarten and the Elementary school. Since 2015 she has been teaching at Anatolia College at various levels (IB, Junior High School, High School), and has been an examiner for the MSU Exams for the last 6 years. She loves reading and can speak French and Spanish.
Katherine Darai is a Bilingual ESL Teacher born and raised in Canberra, Australia. She has graduated from the Department of English Language and Literature of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2020. Since graduation she has worked as an ESL teacher in English Language Centers, International Summer Camps and Private Elementary Schools. She has also been working as a Speaking Examiner for American and British Certificate Examinations (Michigan State University, Cambridge, ESB). She is currently working as an ESL Teacher at the Bridge Bilingual English Program and as a Substitute Secondary English Teacher in the High School of Anatolia College. She loves cats, reading Harry Potter books and literature, though she states that nothing is compared with the love she holds for children.
Paulina Lymbou was born in South Africa and completed her primary and secondary education in Mpumalanga before moving to Greece. She has a background in performance and has been awarded certifications in speech and drama from the international exam board of Trinity College. She was the valedictorian of her year and graduated from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, receiving a degree in English Language and Literature. She went on to complete a master’s degree in English Literature and Culture. She is an oral examiner for the MSU exams and has worked as an English teacher for middle and high school classes, in addition to her work with younger learners.
Paulina Lymbou
Katerina Darai
Eleni Gialama
Maria spend a lot of happy childhood years in Australia and Germany. She has worked for various Private Language Schools in Greece since 1990. She has been the holder of the Royal Society of Arts Diploma for Overseas Teachers of English by UCLES (D.O.T.E. R.S.A.) since 1998.She has also been a Cambridge ESOL Speaking Examiner for all CERF levels since 2005. She worked as volunteer on the Duolingo Language Platform as a Translator and Community Moderator for 9 months in 2014. She speaks German - certified B2/C1 level – and she is currently learning Spanish, Italian and French. She was a member of a Theatrical Creation Workshop for 2 years in Thessaloniki. Her motto is: ἓν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα (the only thing I know is that I know nothing) Her hobbies include: playing the piano, sewing, reading and walking.
Theano is an enthusiastic educator currently located in Thessaloniki, Greece. She holds a BA in English Language & Literature along with a TEFL/TESOL certificate. With over a decade of teaching experience both locally and internationally, she believes that happy young people can easily become happy learners. In her free time, you can find her reading books or enjoying long walks in nature.
Theano Tittel
Kiki Tsikouri was born and raised in Toronto Canada. In 2001 she moved to Greece. She is proud to be a part of the Anatolia Bridge Bilingual program. She has a true passion for working with our youngest learners by assisting the teachers and helping with the progress in all areas of their development academic, social, language, and motor. She is a hands-on Preschool Teacher Assistant dedicated to helping children learn fundamental developmental skills in a supportive nurturing environment. Adept at observing students while providing positive encouragement, she specializes in coordinating with the Lead Teacher to ensure a consistent approach to emotional social and practical learning.
Maria – Eirini Boukouvala was born in Greece. At the age of 14 she moved to Italy where she attended a European School and received a multilingual education in a multicultural school environment. She holds a BA in English Language and Literature from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki from which she graduated in July 2022. During the Spring-Summer semester of 2022, she did her teaching practice at the Anatolia Elementary School, which was funded by the European Structural and Investment Funds of the EU. She is particularly interested in the areas of applied linguistics, multilingual/ bilingual education and the integration of literature and the arts in the language teaching experience. She speaks German and Italian.
Aphrodite was born and raised in Thessaloniki, Greece and is bilingual. With a mother from America and a father from Greece and she is currently studying hospitality. Not only is this her first year as a teacher assistant but it is also her very first job. As months were passing by she realized how enjoyable working with kids is. Always trying her best and always trying to help the kids and the teachers with everything they need.
Myrto Kousera holds a BA in Business Administration and an MBA in Management from the American College of Thessaloniki. Since 2005, she has worked in the private sector and at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. In the past few years, she has attained various business certificates and she has also studied the art of using silver, gold, microsculpture, and ceramic, which she has applied in her original creations. When she is not at Anatolia, she is in her studio applying her art. She also holds a certificate in Subtitling and did the subtitles for a TED video. She believes in life-long learning and this is a value that guides her work and her life. This is her eighth year at the Anatolia Bridge/Bilingual/Link Program.
Bridge 8a
