15 minute read
MEET Dr LITSA OLYMPIOU
A LIFETIME DEDICATED TO EDUCATION
MEET DR. LITSA OLYMPIOU Head of the International School of Paphos
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Dr Litsa Olympiou was born in Larnaca and lived there for the first fifteen years of her life. She then left for the UK to attend boarding school on a scholarship. Following her A levels, she went to University College in London to study languages and spent the third year of her degree attending the prestigious Sorbonne University in Paris. After her B.A., she went on to do her PhD at UCL. Litsa later went on to complete her Postgraduate Certificate in Education at Durham University before starting her teaching career at a comprehensive school in Washington, County Durham. She then went on to work in Dubai, where she stayed for five years. In 1994, she joined The International School of Paphos as a French teacher. Today she is the Head of School, a position she has held since 1996. She lives in Tremithousa with her husband and has one daughter studying in the UK.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PREVIOUS TEACHING EXPERIENCE.
My whole career has been dedicated to teaching. I have had the opportunity to teach in multiple countries and in different types of schools which has given me a significant oversight of the academic world. My first experience of teaching was within the English school system at a comprehensive school in Washington in the UK. I reflect on that time as a wonderful experience. After three years, I was looking for a new challenge and took the opportunity to relocate to Dubai. I taught French at the Latifa School for Girls in Dubai, which was founded in 1982 by Sheikh Maktoum.
It was primarily for the daughters of the Royal Family and government officials. I stayed there for five years and met some super people. It was during the period of the Kuwait War, which was a little bit scary. Due to family pressure to return to Cyprus, I applied for a job at The International School in 1994, and I have been here ever since.
HOW DID YOU ENJOY BEING BACK IN PAPHOS?
The first year that I was back was challenging. Paphos 26 years ago was a very different place. I had been living in London and Dubai before my return. The best part of coming to Paphos is that it is where I met my husband who worked at the school for one term. We were married in 1995 and have been together ever since. In 1996 I was offered the position as Head of School. Again, back then the school was very different, with only 120 pupils and located on a different site. A lot of the children then were boarders whose parents were overseas.
HOW DID THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF PAPHOS DEVELOP?
In 1999, our current Managing Director Aristi Andriotis joined the school. We both shared the same vision and aspirations for education. During that time the school bought some new land for the purpose of the development of an entirely new school building. I worked with Aristi on the new school plans. It was a unique experience to be involved in the project right from the beginning and to be able to input my wisdom. All our then teachers advised on how the new school design would work. In most school buildings the layout has already been decided for them, as they are often in old buildings. It was an exciting time for us. In 2006 The International School of Paphos moved into our new home.
WHAT FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS HAVE TAKEN PLACE?
We are continually working on the buildings and through this, improving our students’ experience at school. The addition of the new Sports Hall was a significant contribution to our students’ lives, as was the opening of our new Boarding House last year. In addition to the actual building of the school, we have increased pupil and staff numbers. When I first started, we had 25 staff, but today we have over 140 staff members who form our team. The number of students has increased to 800. Our students come from different populations in Paphos who are all looking for an English education. In the 60s and 70s, the people of Paphos had to go to Limassol or even Larnaca to get an international education. Back then, a foreign school was a big unknown to the Paphians, but today we have many Cypriot students.
WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR PROUDEST MOMENTS THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFE?
As a mother, it was when my daughter graduated from university in the UK. As a teaching professional within the teaching industry, you see things all the time that make you proud. Every class has students who show unexpected potential or something different. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing a child achieve their best potential. To see a child exceed our expectations makes us all very proud. I recall a child saying to me, “thank you for being so hard on us and having such high expectations. It made me want to be better”. We touch a child’s life in tangible ways. To see the transformation of a pupil throughout their school career is very rewarding.
HOW DO YOU THINK TECHNOLOGY WILL AFFECT EDUCATION IN THE FUTURE?
Without a doubt, technology is crucial for all. Today, it is a natural progression for children, whereas when I was studying, we had real books, now its eBooks. Some areas of technology are very positive but I do worry when children find technology more interesting than people talking to each other. There is a danger that everything, including education, could become very impersonal and there will be no human interaction. I believe that we need to find the right balance in the future for the teaching of our younger generation. We should always want to know what the face behind a name looks like. I sincerely hope that education never becomes just a screen.
There is always the need for the human environment, and children need to blossom and find their talents through social interaction and encouragement. If we don’t have human interaction, then children won’t have the emotional intelligence that they need in order to grow. We need to teach children to grow holistically so that they develop their personality and get along in life. A machine cannot convey the beauty of the multi-cultural society life we have here.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU FACE AT THE SCHOOL?
Our biggest challenge is to overcome the linguistic barrier that some of our pupils face. They need to do this to access the curriculum on offer and also to develop as people. If a child starts at a younger age, it is easier for them to learn a new language. We have a real multi-cultural classroom with all nationalities. Sometimes communication can be difficult. Also, other cultures have different expectations and experiences of the educational system which we need to understand.
TELL US ABOUT A TYPICAL DAY.
No day is ever the same, but they always start with a variety of meetings. I still teach French to the students as I see this as very important to still be involved in the classroom. It is also why I originally came into this profession and I enjoy it tremendously. It is also essential for me to establish a rapport with my students. This also means I can give advice to other teaching staff and understand, at first hand, any issue they encounter. I hope that my team see me more as a colleague rather than the Headmistress. Meetings form a big part of my day with staff, pupils and parents. I often find myself staying after the school closes to get the rest of my work done.
HOW DO YOU RELAX YOURSELF?
I switch off from work when I finish and return to my home. I enjoy reading. I also enjoy watching comedies as it takes you away from reality. With my close friends, I enjoy spending time and attending exhibitions. I love speaking and catching up with my daughter in the UK, and I am fortunate to have a very supportive husband who listens to me.
HOW IMPORTANT IS A GOOD EDUCATION?
A good education is not just about learning and exams. It is also about learning to be able to function in our society. Passing exams is not the primary objective. I firmly believe that if you cannot function in a social setting, then you will not go far in life. Emotional intelligence will always help you get along. We like to give our pupils opportunities to find their true talents and gifts. Education is about having empathy for others and trying to put yourself in the shoes of others. If we build the right foundation for our students, they will develop strong relationships in the future. Working with a student is a partnership with the family. We start with our hands wrapped fully around the child and slowly open them over the years, to release them to find their future path.
ARE THERE ANY FUTURE PLANS AT THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL?
The new theatre is the next big project. It is in the pipeline and we are hoping to start building soon. We want to establish it as a centre for the arts. It is an excellent opportunity for the children of Paphos as the facility will be open to all. Drama is a vital subject for children as it helps develop aspects of their personality. The combination of Theatre, Art and Music together, gives you civilisation. The past comes to life through culture. We are aiming to use the new theatre for school productions and hope to attract local actors who will use it for their shows. We want to encourage new talents by offering an affordable venue for events. We want to showcase this talent and inspire our pupils.
5TH ANNUAL PAPHIAN PHOTOGRAPHER’S EXHIBITION ALEXANDER THE GREAT BEACH HOTEL
DONNAFUGATA WINE EVENING – WINE & MORE BY FRENCH DEPOT
CHRISTOS FOUKARAS ART EXHIBITION – BLUE IRIS ART GALLERY
POLINA KAPONA
The International School of Paphos
Polina Kapona has been accepted at the Arts Educational School in London with an unconditional offer to study Musical Theatre BA(Hons). The ArtsEd is one of the Top 10 performing arts schools in the world and Polina has made her dream come true by succeeding to enter her first-choice educational institution. A very talented student with a voice and a heart of gold, she will amaze her teachers and future colleagues. Wishing her the best of luck! The International School of Paphos is very proud!
NICOLA GEORGIEV
The International School of Paphos
Nicola Georgiev has been accepted to study Piano Performance – BMus(Hons) at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, making his dream come true. The specific conservatoire was the first choice of Nicola who succeeded in his audition and received excellent comments. The talented pianist is following his mother’s footsteps who is also a pianist and Head of Music at the ISOP, Dr Galina Dimova. Good luck to Nicola! The International School of Paphos is very proud!
PORTRAITS, ABSTRACTS & LANDSCAPES
MEET KATJA TONJA
Katja Tonja is originally from Croatia but came to live in Cyprus over ten years ago. Like many, she came to Cyprus and wanted to stay. Travel is nothing new to Katja as she has travelled and lived extensively all over the world. After graduating from Zagreb University in modern languages, she moved to London where she met her husband Siggi, and stayed for over two decades. She then lived in Singapore and Bahrain and spent nearly 14 years in Dubai before settling here in Cyprus. At an early age, she was encouraged by enthusiastic art teachers and subsequently showed great interest and promise in art. Katja recalls her first important art event, “I painted the boy who sat next to me at elementary school, and the painting won first prize at a competition. Not surprisingly, this was the beginning of my undying love of art.”. Over the years she has pursued art and attended many courses: drawing, watercolour, oil and acrylic painting, interior decoration, and even framing. In Cyprus, however, her most significant influence has been the artist/ teacher Nic Costa of Tekni Art School, who teaches in Paphos Old Town but is based in the beautiful village of Lemona. Katja recalls, “I have learnt so much from him. I have learnt to look at objects in an entirely different way. He is passionate about art; he never lets you get away with a poor result. Through his classes he is there to make you master the skill. He wants everything to be learnt the correct way”. Katja firmly believes that art is a learning process. “With every exhibition, every show, every art book and artist I meet, I learn. We can learn from everyone”. In Bahrain and Dubai, she was invited to judge at various painting competitions. During her time in Dubai, whilst working for a bank, she attended art tutorials at the Ductac art centre. She also participated and supported a hugely successful exhibition in aid of Syrian children.
EMOTIONALLY ENGAGED
As part of the exhibition “Bozar del’ Abattoir”, curated by Fred Michiels, she was invited to exhibit 3 works in two exhibitions in Belgium in 2015. In 2017 and 2018 Katja’s paintings were exhibited in London at the Salon des Refusés which can be traced back to 1863 in France. The current Salon des Refusés has become more prominent every year and admired for the quality of the artworks exhibited. In 2018, she also showed her work at the Hellenic Centre in London together with seven other artists from Cyprus, in an exhibition entitled, “Myths and Realities”. Her paintings are included in private collections in Cyprus, Belgium, Dubai, UK, Bahrain, Norway, Switzerland and Croatia. Her genre is varied but she particularly enjoys painting portraits. Katja says that she likes the subject of people; she finds portraits “emotionally engaging”. She also relishes the challenge of abstracts and landscapes. To beat the terror of the blank canvas, she will often paint flowers or still life because “as one painting is finished, the agony of finding inspiration for the next looms”. She finds living in Cyprus thoroughly inspirational. She loves the insanely bright colours of Fauve, Expressionist and Impressionist movements in art. In her paintings, Katja uses lots of sunny, warm colours to reflect the colourful nature and abundant light of this beautiful Island. She works from a studio at Artemis Studios in Choloraka which she shares with other artists.
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