Travelling around Greece Collaborative-Student Edition of Primary Schools in Greece - 2st issue - June 2022
Travelling around Greece (second stop) This year we have packed our bags once more for a trip full of good will and a lot of imagination. Our ticket being our goals and having our actions as our means of transport, we have managed to run a course which has filled as joy, pleasant surprises and new acquaintances. Our luggage did not burden us and our equipment has proved to be
useful and effective. Small books, video recordings of monuments, audio recordings of interviews, presentations, online and live meetings, mail correspondence and exchange of goods were part of it. Our destinations have grown in number. Meeting our place, adoption of ancient theatres, bringing out our monuments,
Table of Contents
Our correspondence (Monodri/Euboea, Arnissa/Pella, Kalavarda/Rhodes) page 2 The History of our School (Arnissa/Pella) page 3 The Story of our School (Kalavarda, Rhodes) page 4-5 The Primary School of Lagyna, then and now page 6-7 You and me together (Diversity – Mutual Respect) page 8-9 Travelling to the Ancient Theatre of Aigai (2nd P.S. of Ptolemaida) page 10-11 Adopting an Ancient Theatre (1st P.S. of Nea Anchialos, Magnesia) page 12-13 Lysistrata, an Event in Ancient Thouria (4th P.S. of Kalamata) page 14-15 Adoption of the Ancient Theatre of Mieza and “Eirini” (P.S. of Arnissa) page16-17 The Ancient Theatre of Larissa (1st P.S. of Giannouli) page 18-19 My Place is Edessa (4th P.S. of Edessa) page 20-21 The Local Products of Corinth (10th P.S. of Corinth) page 22 Historical Figures who walked on the trails of Corinth page 23 The Axios Delta National Park (11th P.S. of Evosmos) page 24-25 Exploring the old town of Xanthi (7th P.S. of Xanthi) page 26-27 Our Productive Place (1st P.S. of Kos) page 28-29 Our Village, Louros (P.S. of Louros/Preveza) page 30-31 Destination: Dendra-Platanoulia-Tyrnavos-Thessaly page 32-33 Lake Vegoritida (P.S. of Arnissa, Pella) page 34 - 35 My Land: Nea Anchialos, Magnesia (1st P.S. of Nea Anchialos, Magnesia) page 36 – 37 Beekeeping and the …treasures of the beehive (1st P.S. of Archaggelos, Rhodes) page 38
Katerina Chatzinikola – P.S. Kalavarda/Rhodes palpation of the school history, respect for diversity by cultivating politeness, discreetness and acceptance through talk and thanks to our paradigm. Twenty-three schools from all around Greece have been our co-travelers, fifteen of which participate in the issue you are holding in your hands. Our activities have also found a home in the homonymous padlet in the following link: https://el.padlet.com/ilikart
/9oym6r4coj70ybl9 Best wishes from the pupils and teachers of all schools. You are welcome to join our next trip. We set sail in September. A nice summer to all. For the team “Travelling around Greece” The coordinating teacher Ilias Kartas Primary School of Arnissa, Pella
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“Travelling around Greece. Through the past, present and future”.
Our correspondence with Monondri and Arnissa
Collaborative- Student Edition of Primary Schools in Greece Address – Communication Primary School of Arnissa P.C. 58002, Arnissa Tel. 2381031234 mail@dimarniss.pel.sch.gr
EDITORIAL TEAM The editorial Teams of the participating schools Editors Nikos Dimitriou Ilias Kartas Editor for the English Language Lina (Xanthippi) Avramidou https://padlet.com/i likart/9oym6r4coj70ybl9
The newspaper logo was designed by Zoi Lekka, Touana Bantak, Theodora Parpala, Theodora Chatzianastasiou, pupils of the 4th Class of the 7th Primary School of Xanthi.
DIGITAL PAGINATION
Graphic arts S. Vagourdis S.A. Tel.: 23810 25019 email: vagourdi@otenet.gr
We were very excited when we started. We met the third class of the primary school of Arnissa online and carried on a correspondence with them. We also carry on a correspondence with the third and fourth class of the ‘trithesio’ primary school of Monondri . Together with the letters, we also took some very nice drawings. In our letters, we also in-
clude some drawings with love for the kids of Monondri and Arnissa. It’s so nice to learn how children live in other places in Greece as well. In our letters, we write about ourselves, our families, our school, our favourite subjects, what activities we were doing in our free time and ask the kids whatever we want to learn
about them. We really like mail and we cheer with excitement when a letter comes, because we can touch, open and read it. We are kept in suspense because we are waiting to learn the kids’ news from the other places in Greece we mail. We would like to meet these kids in person. We like it so much and we want to continue our correspondence with them in secondary school. Danae, Panagiotis, Katerina, Anna, Irini, Sotiris Primary School of Kalavarda/Rhodes Teacher in charge: Yiola Pelekanou Translation: Afroditi Chioti
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The history of our school (Arnissa/Pella) We are the pupils of the 5th Class of the Primary School of Arnissa and we have completed a lot of assignments about the history of our school. We worked together with other schools, like the Primary School of Lagyna and the Experimental School of Thessaloniki. We had some meetings, we made Powerpoint presentations using old pictures and texts centered on the theme of the history of our school. Our topics included: the school building, school life, rules, mischief, the history of the school uniform, school subjects, activities and a Think Link project. All of these we presented to the other schools online. It was an experience we all liked and would like to repeat next year. Iordana Gatsou Our school today Our school is located in Arnissa, at the end of the village, near the mountain. It was built of hewn stone in 1954. The school yard is big, there is a nice basketball court and rows of bleachers. The most impressive thing is that beyond the bleachers there is a small forest and the pillbox. Our school has two floors. On the top floor, there are three classrooms, there is also a library, an event hall and two offices, one for the headmaster and one for the teachers. Our school is very beautiful and I love it very much. Stathis Tsitiridis My grandmother’s school My grandmother used to be a pupil in the Primary School of Arnissa from 1966 to 1972. Those times were quite differ-
ent from today’s as far as behavior and mischief and the teachers’ treatment are concerned. Teachers were very strict but the pupils, young as they were, used to be very mischievous and cause trouble in order to skip some of the lessons by placing sharp objects on the teacher’s chairs or find cheap excuses for the times they had not done their homework. Punishment was very harsh of course, and pupils, especially boys, would even get spanked on the hands for serious matters. Kiriakos Georgiadis The history of the school yard The school yard was constructed after the school was built around 1952-1954. In the past, there used to be a theatre stage surrounded by bleachers (all of which still exist) and below the stage, there was a sand pit and a high bar next to the water fountains. The theatre stage is in the centre and the bleachers, where we sometimes sit during breaks, are on its right and left sides. There used to be a construction for swings, a seesaw and there was a high bar and the yard was made of soil before there were water fountains and a basketball court. The school yard was built by the local people and it took them around three years to complete. The trees were
planted by our ancestors. They also used to play hopscotch, with balls, a game called ‘mila[apples]’, with an elastic band, ‘tzami’, and chase bout now we can play countless games. Some way beyond the yard, there is a small forest deep into which there is a pillbox. The pillbox was built around 1947 and is located deep in the forest. Polyanthi Mpogia Primary School of Arnissa, Pella 5th Class Teacher in Charge: Athanasios Theodorou
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The story
We, the children in the third and fourth grade of primary school, wrote articles about the old schools and interviewed our relatives and residents of our village, Kalavarda, who talked to us about their school years. We looked up in the old archives of our school to find out when the school had started operating, how many students were each year, and the names of the teachers who were teaching. Also, we presented our school as it is today and how we spend our time in it. Sotiris Kasanis- Katherine – Anna ChatzinikolaPanagiotis Giannakopoulos –Αnna Anna-Fotini Papatheodorou-Danae Dimitra-Irini Karanatsiou The foundation of our school Our school was established after the official decree numbered 27260 / 20-8-47 of the military commander of Dodecanese. The school was relegated to monothesio (meaning one teacher teaching at school) after the ministerial decree numbered 119.467 /9-9-70. The benefactors When Italians commanded the island, the
couple Panagiotis and Maria Makarouna donated a house to Church on condition that they would use it only as a school, as it happened. Anna-Fotini Papatheodorou-Danae Dimitra-Irini Karanatsiou On the way to school In 1950 students had to be at school early. But there were no primary schools in all villages and as a result, students were walking for one hour to get to school, in harsh weather conditions. We should bear in mind that not all kids had shoes and warm clothes in those years. Also, some kids took off their shoes and walked barefoot in order not to damage the only pair they had. Irini Karanatsiou 1960-The Breadline In 1960, the school my grandma used to go to was ‘dithesio’, meaning that it had only two teachers. These teachers were teaching all classes and they were very strict. There were Turkish toilets outside and a building where kids were eating. The state provided only breakfast.
The teachers took the milk, heated it in a pan, and shared a ladle with each kid in their small tin canisters, with a little cheese and a slice of bread. Anna- Fotini Papatheodorou
of slaps. The children did everything correctly in order not to be hit by the teachers and, sometimes, they were standing on one leg in a corner of the class. Sotiris KasanisPanagiotis Giannakopoulos
The school inspectors School inspectors were those people who visited schools to check if students were working properly and observe their teachers’ work as well. So, in this way, teachers were feeling very stressed and they tried to prepare pupils by telling the questions and answers that the school inspectors were about to make. That was not a very nice way for the kids to learn them. Luckily, we don’t have school inspectors now. Danae Dimitra and Irini Karanatsiou
The school garden My school has a big garden. Long ago, they planted rosebushes in the whole garden. Even longer ago, my school had fruit and vegetables. At the end of the school year, the kids were selling them and got money to go on holiday. Now we planted various vegetables, such as onions, leeks and lettuce. We created groups that will plant, clear the ground and take away garbage that will be close to our plants. Many students, both in the old times and nowadays, like cultivating plants. I feel great that my school has such a wonderful garden! Danae Dimitra
The punishments In old times, punishments included the use of a wooden stick and a couple
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of our school
continuous effort to keep the school alive! Katherine – Anna Chatzinikola
days were nice, we used to shout ‘TRIP, TRIP’ on the playground. And they took us to the nearby stadium. We had our snacks, we played games in groups or we took the cassette player and listened to music. When we went on the last trip of the year, we went on a tour of Rhodes by coach with our teachers and parents. Sotiris Kasanis
Our childhood trips My mum narrated that in the 80s and 90s childhood trips were carefree and playful. We used to go on a trip once a month by car or on foot. On the trips by car, we were cramped into wagons (calling it banina) and we used to go to the sea. On the trips on foot, when the
Primary School of Kalavarda, Rhodes island The primary school of Kalavarda is located in a central place of the village. It was built about thirty years ago and it is still open today. Many things have changed during all these years. The buildings, the playground, the students, the teachers, the subjects. But something that hasn’t been gone yet is friendships, love, and the
Our School Today Our school is very nice. It is ‘trithesio’, meaning that there are only three teachers and it is green in colour. It has got a big playground with a football field, a basketball, and a volleyball court. We have had the best teacher for three years in a row. When we were in the first class of primary school our teacher said that she would put a lot of pressure on us; now she says that she loves us very much and she would never change her students. Panagiotis Giannakopoulos Classes 3th-4th grade Primary School of Kalavarda Teacher in charge: Yiola Pelekanou Translation by Afroditi Chioti, English teacher Pictures were created by: Danae Dimitra Sotiris Kasanis - AnnaFotini Papatheodorou
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Primary school of Lagyna, then and now…
We are going to share the history of our school, so that not only the students but also other people will understand that the school worked although the difficulties that existed in the past. At the archive there are the records below. • In the 1840 the principles were indifferent to the proper operation and the teacher’s wages. The community was
considered to be financially wealthy for that time, so it could maintain the school and pay the teacher’s salary. The situation hasn’t changed in the1886. • On the 22nd May 1893 Apostolos Panagiotou, Alexander Konstantinou and Stergios Polizopoulos invited the Bishop of Thessaloniki to attend the exams of the Girl’s School on the 23rd May.
• The students that were enrolled for the school year 1905-1906 were 52. • In the 1955-56 the teacher’s board approved its income and expenses. They gave books to poor students and they said who would make a speech at events, religious holidays and national holidays. • One of the decisions in the 1964 was:
The 4th 5th and 6th grade would go on a school trip to Stavros and Olymbiada under the teachers’ supervision. The 1st 2nd and 3rd grade would go on a school trip outside the village under the teachers’ supervision. • At this index there is the issue of the construction of the Primary School of Lagyna.
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Travelling around Greece 7 heating which starts automatically. Moreover, there used to be green boards on the walls, on which you wrote with chalk pieces and they used a sponge to clean the board. Sometimes the kids flicked the chalk sponge in the classroom which caused a great amount of annoying dust filling the whole place! In older times teachers used to be mean and they all had a rod! They punished the students very often and beat the kids who had long fingernails. Editing group: Tsaousoglou George, Haka Elsida, Potouridis Stavros
• Some people gave money and other refused. • They sold cardboard boxes to find money and they took 80 drahmas for the students meals. • The first building of our school was founded in the 1955 and was given for use in the 1957.It is a ground floor building with six classrooms in the row and two small offices. The length is 63 meters and the width is 12 meters. There is a corridor of 136 m3. The school yard covers an area of approximately 5 acres. The need for more classrooms increased and so another building was constructed at the other side of the yard. In the past a kindergarten with two classrooms used to be on the ground floor but eventually a new one was build somewhere
else because the number of children was increased and therefore the classrooms were used by the primary school students. The school was founded in the1993. Editing team: Varka Avgi, Georgakis Stelios, Dimou Konstantina, Mboutzoras Ioannis, Koutloubasi Katerina, Papadopoulos Alexander. Students of E1 grade OUR SCHOOL IN OLDER TIMES AND NOWADAYS After our research, having interviewed parents and grandparents who went to the Primary School of Lagyna and also having studied the book of the history of the village, we found very interesting information about our school. There used to be slides and
swings for the children in the schoolyard. The number of pupils was much smaller in the past and there were only six classrooms, whereas today there are fourteen classrooms. There used to be swings at the area where the open air chess and the classrooms of B2 and A2 are now. There used to be only one school building years ago, whereas now there are three buildings and a gym. Editing group: Tsilifikas Nick, Ntinoudi Mirela, Triantafillou George, Naisidou Alkinoi, Tafaki Maria, Tsalikis Christos, Patoulidou Nikoleta When our parents went to school they used to play various games like: dodgeball, football, the game of tag, hide and seek, the rubber band jump, the sack race, the jump rope or the egg-and-spoon race. Nowadays we play the game of tag and hide and seek. At break they used to eat cheese pie, gums, sandwiches or hot dogs. We are not allowed to eat unhealthy food at school now. Editing group: Basa Aisel, Mavroidis Markos, Tembeloudi Frideriki, Ftergiotis Dimitris There used to be a wood or oil stove in every classroom that the cleaning lady lit every morning. Now there is central
According to the interviews, we realized that the kids used to have a great time. They played various games like the sack race and the jump rope. In addition, some pupils edited a newspaper with the help of their teacher and would sell it. Another difference is that students were taught how to sew and embroider. Editing group: Polizoudi Evdokia, Nika Daphne, Mihailidis-Ageloudis George, Pipos Nikolas. By the pupils of B2 SOURCES: Book title : LAGYNA Verbal testimonies by locals ILLUSTRATION & DRAWINGS Drawing: Elementary schools of Arnisa & Lagyna by Konstandina (E1) Collage: Our school then and now (B2) Image: The old building in 1963 Image: Interviews of locals by B2 students Supervising teachers: Papasimeon Elisabeth Chatsikou Ioanna Translation: Krouli Mirella & Foustalieraki Chara ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OF LAGYNA THESSALONIKI
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8 Travelling around Greece This year we have collaborated with the 2nd Primary School of Serres and the 4th Primary School of Edessa on the issues of Diversity and Mutual Respect. We met online on April 13. During that meeting each school presented their place and answered questions posed by the other two schools. We compared our everyday lives (homefamily-activities) and we discussed our similarities and differences. The school of Serres was different from ours, as the
people had a different skin colour, they spoke differently, they come from a different country or have a different religion. Most children were Romani and refugees. We noticed differences, for example in our activities, in the size and comforts of our homes. Although we have so many differences though, our similarities are more. We are all children and we have the right to desire to play – we have lots of games in common- to have friends, to express ourselves and we have the right to live.
We talked about the short film entitled “Riza [Root]” created by the 2nd Primary School of Serres receiving the 1st prize for a Documentary in the c o m p e t i t i o n “Cinema…diavases?”. We have liked the film very much and we would like to congratulate Serres on their effort. What does root mean to us? The pupils of Arnissa shared their opinion. “To me, it is my grandfather’s last
You and me name, which accompanies me (Stella)”. “Root is the friendship we have grown all these years (Maria)”. “It is our birthplace (Elissavet)”. “Just like Ulysses was bewitched by Calypso and stayed on her island, the same way people coming to a foreign place become charmed by the scenery or their partner or lead a much better life there because of their work and the financial advantages and put down
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together (Diversity – Mutual Respect) their roots in that place (Traianos-Stella)”. Our fellow pupils from Serres had a discussion as part of the role play: ”Antler and Repa” and they came to realise that there are differences among people concerning their behavior, their habits, their origins. Hence we all together grow a sense of respect and acceptance of what is different and foreign. We were also sent drawings,
where each pupil had designed the outline of their face in profile and each presented themselves and their favourite things through writing and drawing. Each school did some activities regarding diversity at their school. What we did in pairs of two schools was half portraits. Each child drew and coloured their half face and they could write a few words about themselves. Then, every school sent their half portraits to the other two schools and they would complete the remaining half respectively. Next, they photographed the two halves together, which resulted in a face with d i f f e r e n t characteristics. On the one hand, this made us realise that we are unique and on the other
hand that our differences are not so great. We had the opportunity to also meet with the school of Edessa on May 12. Our acquaintance has been a wonderful experience for us. We thank both schools for our collaboration. Text Editing: The pupils of the 4th Class of the Primary School of Arnissa
We have collaborated with the children of the 4th Class of the Primary Schools of Serres (2nd) and Edessa (4th) Teachers in Charge: Efpraxia Mpantazou – Savvas Mpermperidis (Serres) Konstantinos Piperas (Edessa) and Ilias Kartas (Arnissa)
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Travelling to the Ancient Theatre of Aigai
“Travelling around Greece. To Yesterday. To Today. To Tomorrow.” is the name of our project and we, the 2nd Primary School of Ptolemaida, have decided that this school year we would travel backwards, to the very old days, when ancient poets narrated sometimes comically and others
dramatically the stories of glorious men and women and all kinds of citizens would gather around to listen to and learn about the feats of the heroes and heroines of Ancient Greece. We set sail on this trip, which began in February 2022, as the 6th Class of our school and we had fine co-travelers along the way, the 6th Class of the 1st Primary School of Nea Agchialos, Magnesia. The two schools planned together online meetings, during which we presented ourselves, our school, the research we did regarding
the Ancient Theatre, crafts, sketches, drawings and original texts. The pupils of N. Agchialos even presented to us a traditional dance of their region. Another pleasant surprise for us was the packet of Easter cards and patterns-ideas for mask constructions we received by our fellow travelers. What made our collaboration even more special was our live meeting in Vergina, the Imathia Prefecture, in late May, thanks to our visit to the Ancient Theatre of Aigai, which has been adopted by our school as part of our participation to the project “Adoption of Ancient Theatres”, held by DIAZOMA association. What a strange and unique
event when the wish for a meeting turns into reality and how fascinating to watch this feeling being reflected on the children’s faces and talks! It all made great impression to us and gave strength for what’s coming. In this effort, then, we acted as writers,
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columnists, translators, painters and sketch artists in order to explore the various aspects of life in Ancient Greece and the Ancient Theatre in particular. For this reason, we scheduled numerous
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actions. Firstly, we collected data about the Ancient Theatre, we watched videos and played interactive games. We made ancient theatre masks with the contribution of the school’s Art teacher,
Andromachi Andreou, as well a model scene of ancient comedy and tragedy with Lego action figures. What is more, our Music teacher, Sophocles
Sapounas, informed us about music accompanying performances in Ancient Theatre and social life in antiquity. The directortheatrologist and former teacher, Konstantinos Mpampilas, talked to us about the significance of chorus parts in ancient writers’ plays and also engaged us in theatrical games practicing orthophony and correct posture. The school’s Physical Education teacher, Alexandra Grigoriadou, talked to us about the importance of physical exercise and Olympic Sports in Ancient times. We gained knowledge concerning the Pentathlon, the sport at which men competed and our pupils reenacted its five parts namely the javelin, wrestling, discus, long jump and foot race. Our journey peaked at our visit to the Ancient Theatre of Aigai, where we performed part of Aristophanes’ the “Birds” in English, the way it was adapted by the author, Sophia Zarampouka. Congratulations to all the pupils of 6th Class! The pupils of 6th class of the 2nd Primary School of Ptolemaida Vaggelis G., Sokratis I., Nikos K., Athanasia K., Christos K., Kleidi K., Athina K., Theodora L., Ioanna M., Arcontoula M., Lazaros S., Christos T., Nikos T., Petros T., Chrysa T., Georgia H. Teacher in charge Xanthippi Avramidou
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ADOPTING AN ANCIENT THEATRE
The students of the 6th class in the First Primary school of Nea Anchialos traveled with the help of technology to different ancient theatres in Greece. After that, they decided to learn more about them and adopt two that are in their "neighborhood". It is about
the ancient theatre of Mikrothives and the ancient theatre of Dimitriados. The ancient theatre of Fthiotidon Thivon is located 4km outside Anchialos and on the east of the village Mikrothives. It is a theatre of Hellenistic form that was built in the 4th century BC
with a capacity of 3.000 spectators, that hosted ancient drama festivals and musical competitions. Its position has the advantage of the excellent acoustic function. With the combination of abundant views that the spectators saw in the Pagasitikos Gulf, they could enjoy the cultural events. The research in the field of theatre has not been completed and even today a key goal of researchers is the complete unrevealing of this important monument. The second theatre is located within the boundaries of the walls of ancient Dimitriadosin the position "dontia"(teeth)near the district of the "Neon Pagason" of the municipality of Volos. It was built at the same time as the founding of the ancient city by Demetrios the besieger with a settlement of the cities of Magnesia, in 294-292 BC opposite the palace of the Macedonian kings and below the hill where the memorial of the leaders and builders of the
city of Dimitriados was founded. The form it has today gives the image of a monument naked from the stone figurines in the area of the hollow, while the building of the stage belongs to the Roman period.. After learning the general historical and geographical elements of the theatres, as well as their basic parts, we dealt with the plays, the actors, and their costumes. The students drew the ancient theatre as they could imagine it and with the help of the music teacher they learned in fluent ancient Greek two "odes"(songs) dedicated to beauty and spring. In addition, they made masks with cardboard and after visiting the theatre site of the ancient Dimitriados, they wore them as ancient actors and sang the "odes" in ancient Greek surprising the attendees. They were surprised by what they have learned from the archeologist who did the tour and immediately expressed
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their impressions. After talking with our companion, the second primary school of Ptolemaida, it was decided that the students would play a piece of "ornithes" of Aristophanes in the ancient theatre in Vergina, which the two schools would visit
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during their day trip. They made plaster gauze masks and took roles in the play. Although they managed to get to know each other up close in Vergina, the students could not meet and play "ornithes" together in the ancient theatre. However, the small performance of
the students of the 1st primary school of Nea Anchialos was played in the schoolyard and was excellent. A unique experience that was filmed and sent to our friends in Ptolemaida. We hope to repeat it.
The students of the 6th class of "EVGENIO" - 1st Primary School of Nea Anchialos/Magnesia The teachers in charge: Kliari Sofia -Sidiropoulou Nena
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Lysistrata, an event in Ancient Thouria At the school subject of Drama and as part of our getting acquainted to the ancient theatre, we talked about the ancient comedy writer Aristophanes and made a reference to three popular comedies of his. The children knew the writer by name as he is mentioned in the 4th class History book without any particular emphasis though. This choice of subject champions interdisciplinarity, since the pupils have been taught about the facts leading Aristophanes to write the comedies in question at the school subject of
History and they can comprehend the link between the events and the reason for writing, the meaning and the goals of Aristophanes. Inside the History book, more specifically in unit 3, chapter 25, entitled “The Causes and Provocations of War”, the events upon which “Eirini [Peace]” (421 BC), “Ornithes [Birds]” (414 BC), “Lysistrata” (411BC) were based, are being mentioned. As for “Lysistrata” in particular, which was after all chosen to presented, the pupils are taught about Nikeia Eirini (421 BC) and its interruption 6 years later,
the Sicilian Expedition (415 BC – 413 BC) which ended disastrously for the Athenians. At the same time, children were introduced to the ancient theatre space, theatrical machinery, costumes and theatre masks through digital material during the subject of Drama. The sway file (https://sway.office.com/Pfx
K9KOAGEae5DI1?ref=Link ) which was created by the Drama teacher, was presented in class and it included a few words about the time frame around the comedy and its content. What is more, the audiobook (https://www.storyjumper.co m/book/read/106634566/60 918f13796f1) created for this purpose by the teacher is embedded in the sway file, as there was no relevant audio or audiovisual file that could be used effectively. The audiobook was based in Sophia Zarampouka’s edition of Lysistrata. There ensued educational drama practices for the better understanding of the texts, for example, dramatization of the main scenes pinpointed by the pupils, the “cyclical dra-
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ma” and “tracing thoughts” techniques, during which pupils were divided in groups and each group would take up the presentation of inner thoughts, opinions and arguments of characters sharing a common mind. For our next step and in view of the war in Ukraine, we decided to present a theatrical event at he end of the school year themed upon L-
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ysistrata and placing emphasis in its antiwar aspect. The adaptation of the primary text (taken from the book of Sophia Zarampouka) was made by the Drama teacher, Droutsa Ioanna but the event adaptation was made in collaboration with the class teacher, Giorgos Kottaridis. There followed rehearsals under the supervision of the Drama and class teachers (Giorgos,
Marianna) so that the pupils would be prepared for the presentation of the event in question. More events took place at the same time, which engaged children into the process of understanding the text and the play: The classes watched a theatrical play entitled “Lysistrata” at the Vouleftirio [Council House] of Ancient Messene, a predominantly historical place meant for theatrical use. The class teachers (Ms. Spiliopoulou, Mr. Kottaridis) created the costumes and masks of the play with the children’s help. There was a visit to the archeological site of “Ellinika” in Ancient Thouria (an idea belonging to Giorgos Kottaridis) and shooting of the short film “Lysistrata”
at the city’s Ancient Wall area under the teachers’ supervision. The teacher, Giorgos Kottaridis tended to the film editing. Presentation of the final theatrical event during the end-of-school-year fest. The link to the theatrical play of the 4th Class in Ancient Thouria is: https://drive.google.com/file /d/1EggwtLuq56dUWvREG FeKKBHyzfCg2qjL/view?us p=sharing 4th Primary School of Kalamata 4t Class (groups 1 and 2) Teachers in Charge: Giorgos KottaridisMarianna Spiliopoulou (Class Teachers) Ioanna Droutsa – Drama Teacher Vicky Sgourou – Music Teacher
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Adoption of the Ancient Theatre
Some information about the ancient theatre The theatre in ancient Greece originates from the worshipping of Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility, one of the Olympian gods honoured in the Greek world. People’s need to express themselves, to imitate and interpret the world around them gave birth to the theatre. Theatrical plays included comedies or dramas which narrated the events of that time. In Ancient Greece, the theatre was originally thought to be the audience and its name was later established to mean the place of performances and the total of its edifices. The oldest form of the Greek koilon [cavea] (6th century BC), where spectators used to sit, was a row of wooden seats placed around the flat round space, the orchestra, where the drama took place. The main parts of the ancient theatre were the skene, the orchestra and the cavea with their subparts as follows: • The skene [scene building]: a rectangular, lengthy construction, which was added to the periphery of the orchestra opposite the cavea in the 5th century BC. Initially, it was at ground level and was used only as dressing rooms, like today’s backstage. The proscenion: a stoa supported by columns in front of the skene. Between the spaces of columns there were doorways and paintings (the sets). The doorways in the proscenion would give way to three gates, out of which came the actors. The proscenion was originally folding, probably wooden. The parascenia: the two ends of the skene which protrude, hence forming a π shape at the top view. The logeion [podium]: a raised platform, initially wooden and later stone or marble, where the actors
performed. The parodoi: aisles on the right and left sides of the skene leading to the orchestra. They were usually covered by arches. • The orchestra: The half round (or round e.g. Epidaurus) pit at the centre of the theatre. Usually it was paved. The chorus acted there. The thymele: the altar of Dionysus at the centre of the orchestra. The euripus: a rainwater channel at the periphery of the orchestra on the side of the koilon. • The koilon: the entire amphitheatre (with the rows of seats, the stairs and the horizontal corridors) around the orchestra where the spectators used to sit. The stairs: aisles of staircases helping spectators access their seats. The kerkides [wedge-shaped sections]: groups of seats created after dividing the zones with staircases. The rows of seats: the places for the spectators to sit.
The Ancient Theatre of Mieza The Theatre is located in the archeological site of Mieza, at the foot of Vermion, in the Municipality of Anthemioi, Prefecture of Imathia. According to myth, the city owes its name to the king Verita’s daughter, whose brothers were the river god Olganos, running through Vermion and Veroia. The city of Mieza expanded greatly during the Hellenistic times of Alexander the Great and there was the school of Aristotle in the area where Alexander the Great was a student himself. The ancient theatre of Mieza holds 1.500 people and has a view to the plains. The structure of Mieza and the parascenia had two floors. The Theatre of Mieza used to and still runs as a monument open to visitors of the archeological site.
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of Mieza and Aristophanes’ “Eirini”
The School of Aristotle It seems that during the time of king Philippos II (359-336 BC) Mieza was an important city of the Macedonian empire already. At the well-known “Nymfaio” of Mieza, an idyllic landscape with lush vegetation, plenty of water and natural caves, perfect for the worshipping of Nymphs, the school where Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher and scientist taught Alexander and the children of the families of the Macedonian aristocracy the subjects of philosophy, arts and mathematics, was established under Philippos’ orders. The presence of Philippos and his party granted prestige to Mieza and served its development. Our Actions First of all, we talked in class about the possible causes that gave birth to the theatre. Then we discussed the parts and kinds of the theatre, namely comedy and tragedy. We acquired information about the surviving comedies of the “outspoken”
Aristophanes, which we read in comic books. We watched some clips of the award-winning film “Antigone” by Giorgos Tzavellas, which makes a reference to the homonymous tragedy of Sophocles and we had a discussion. We created masks, sad and happy ones. We turned into hypocrites (actors) by performing the play “Eirini [Peace]’ by Aristophanes with the presence of pupils and parents. This specific play was chosen because of the war between Russia and Ukraine, which, as we have seen, does not bare any differences at all with the Peloponnesian War, bursting around 2.500 years ago. Unfortunately, we have not learned our lesson. We are now ready to serve as guides for whichever ancient theatre and especially the one of Mieza, which we have adopted, although we have not been able to visit it, despite a visit having been scheduled. We managed to visit Vergina with our school on Friday, 3/6/2022 and we saw the tomb of Philippos II and that of the son of Alexander the Great, Alexander IV as well as
various exhibits of that era which displayed the way people lived then. However, we sent our representative to visit the ancient theatre of Delphi. And that really was something. Finally, we collaborated with the association “Diazoma”, which is involved in the protection and promotion of ancient theatres. Resources: Diazoma, Ancient Theatre of Mieza, https://diazoma.gr/theaters/archaiotheatro-miezas/ Aggelakou M., follow me to the ancient theatre of Mieza, Ministry of Education. https://en.calameo.com/read/00447 0083e727220180b2?authid=QkgC7Q G5hEZF http://ancienttheater.culture.gr/el/ https://www.mytheatro.gr/theatroarxaia-ellada/ Drawings: Katerina Theodorou – Iordanis Mpogias – Maria Theodorou – Georgia Papatraianou Text editing: Katerina Theodorou – Natalia Mperea – Elisavet Tsoumagka – Despina Papagiannidou – Stella Mpoullari The 4th Class of the Primary School of Arnissa Teacher in Charge: Ilias Kartas
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THE ANCIENT THEATRE OF LARISSA The ancient theatre of Larissa lies in the centre of the town. It was built during the second half of the 3rd century B.C. on the south side of the Acropolis of Larissa and it constitutes the landmark of the town. It was originally connected with the worship of God Dionysus but also with theatrical plays, musical performances as well as the governance and the public
gatherings of the town which was called Agora. It is the biggest ancient theatre in Thessaly and it can hold 10,000 spectators. It was built in the centre of the town when Filippos the fifth was the king of Macedonia. It had been in use for almost 6 centuries until the end of the 3rd century A.D, when it stopped being used very abruptly. Its construction is connected with cultural happenings such as musical or theatrical performances as well as with municipal gatherings. It had been the centre of
the cultural and social life of people in Larissa which becomes quite obvious from the findings around and near it and mainly from the inscriptions and the sculptures found there. The ancient inscriptions make it very accurate that during the Roman period along with the equestrian races in the hippodrome, poetry, dance and music competitions were also held in the great Thessalian celebration called “ELEFTHERIA” (liberty). During the 1st century B.C., it was turned into an arena and that’s why they
built the second ancient theatre of Larissa then. After a very strong earthquake during the 7th century A.D. a big part of the epitheatre and the second floor collapsed into the theatre orchestra . The main theatre is divided by ten climbing stairs in eleven stands, each one of them consisting of twentyfive rows of seats. However, during the Roman years the theatre was reconstructed and nowadays it remains in that form with twenty-one rows of seats. Above all the seats there are inscriptions with names which are believed to be the names of the representatives of Thessalian people. The first excavation started in 1910 when the antiquities curator Mr. Arvanitopoulos discovered a part of the theatre stage. Early in the 20th century the theatre was covered under the earth. Back then, a street was made on top of the theatre along with houses and shops which of course caused great damages to the monument. During our visit and our guided tour by an archeologist from the antiquity serv-
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ices we learnt that they plan to complete the promotion of this monument during the next two years in order to integrate it with the rest of the monuments in the area and create an archeological park downtown.
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Students who wrote ST1 class Mihaela-Gavriela Niavi Anastasia Papathanasiou Chrisa Pornara Rafaela Mpalogianni Natalia Malliarpou Maria Karkatzela
Students who painted E2 class Ilianna Gevrgoula Georgos Kotzamanis Taxiarhis Mpempos ST1 class Fivi Fatoura Maria Aggeliki Milia Konstantinos Chatziliadis Christos Daris
Georgos Papageorgiou Seretis Vasilis Teachers Apostolos Batzitegos Aggeliki Chatziantoniou Dimitris Georgoulas Mirela Karadodou 1st Primary School of Giannouli/Larissa
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20 Travelling around Greece Edessa is a city of Macedonia, seat of the municipality of Edessa and capital of the Regional Unit of Pella in the Region of Central Macedonia, and seat of the Holy Diocese of Edessa, Pella and Almopia. The city is famous for its 12 waterfalls. It was founded in 813 BC. from the first Macedonian King, Heraclides Karanos and was the first capital of the Macedonian Kingdom. It had a rich industrial past during the interwar period. The population of the city of Edessa is 18,229. Also until the discovery of the Royal Tombs of Vergina in Imathia, by Manolis Andronikos many still believed that the Ancient Goats are located in the Archaeological site of the city, based on the views of archaeologists. The Karanos waterfall The largest and most beautiful waterfall Karanos is named after the first
My place is Edessa
Macedonian King of Karanos where the legendary king Midas once lived with its unique gardens. Today Karanos with a height of over 70m is located in the park of waterfalls and with its continuous flow reminds everyone that water is a source of life of power & destruction.
Varosi Few, however, know that Edessa has its own traditional district, which in 1983 was declared a traditional settlement. Varosi, which
means fortress, was essentially the first district created in the city as an evolution of the Byzantine settlement that developed in the area of the citadel and the ancient city. Its houses and buildings, these are popular houses and some mansions, date from the 19th century, while they are distinguished for the characteristic traditional Macedonian architecture. Two-storey buildings with ledges, open covered balcony and tiled roof, inner courtyard and open spaces. The mill of Edessa A short distance from the park of waterfalls we find the old industrial water-powered zone of Edessa, known as the area of mills. The abundance of water in combination with the steep slopes of the ground gave the possibility of exploiting the movement of water from ancient times. The Byzantine Bridge [Kiupri] It is the Byzantine Bridge, the only one that has been saved from the old bridges of the city and gave its name to the whole park. The locals call it "Byzantine", it is historical and has been rebuilt many times due to the destructive power of the Edessa river. The archaeological site of Edessa [Longos] Ancient Edessa was divided into two partslevels: the Acropolis, which was located high, at the edge of the rock of modern Edessa and the lower
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city, which extended at the foot of the rock, on the east side. This vegetation-rich area under the rock was named Loggos and is the only part of ancient and medieval Edessa that survives. The Geni Mosque of Edessa The Yeni Mosque was built in the late 19th century by Hassan Fehmi Pasha and is considered one of the most beautiful mosques. It is influenced by Byzantine architecture and specifically according to the model of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. The mosques operated until 1923, when that year the Muslim population of the city, about 6,000 people, was forced to move to Turkey, due to the Treaty of Lausanne, which imposed population exchange. Edessa is a beautiful city
worth visiting, because it has a lot to see in the surrounding areas. The students of the 4th grade of the 4th Primary School of Edessa: Goularas Pantelis, Gogos Nikolaos, Klindsari Maria, Mauropoulou Zoi, Mingas Aggelos, Mbarambanis Aggelos-Konstantinos, Mbirintzis Nikolaos, Mblaga Alikinoi, Mboutasi Stauroula, Papantoniou Stauros, Papas Marios, Rodoviti Dimitra, Tziola Victoria,
Triptsi Maria, Xatziantoniadou Despoina, Mbitzou Evagelia. Teacher in charge: Piperas Konstantinos
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The local products of Corinth Dear readers, visit our beautiful place and try its pure and delicious products. They will be unforgettable for sure. Corinthian raisin One of the treasures of the Corinthian land is the raisin. The raisin, the small raisin, the tiny raisin, the ornament of our place. The raisin, the wrinkled small, blonde grape that wanted to sit in the summer sun. She was sunbathing in the August sun and tanned. Children and adults go crazy for its delicate taste. At school, young students eat raisins and gain energy and a clear mind. Many people who get sick taste this delicious fruit and gain their health. That's why, our friends, "a handful of raisins a day, they make the doctor over". Argyris Tswtos Corinthian raisins have been cultivated in Greece since Homeric times, with Herodotus, Plato and Aristotle often referring to raisins as currants or small raisins. In the 19th c. Corinthian raisins were for the Greek economy what coffee was for Brazil. Antonio Ngresi, Vassiliki Beku Agiorgitiko wine One of the most famous products of the prefecture is the wine of Nemea. Agiorgitiko is the king of red wines in Greece. It is called that name because Nemea used to be called Ai-Giorgis (Saint George). The ancient Greeks considered it a sacred product, while grape stones found in Mycenaean jars prove the direct relationship with the wine of Nemea. Nemea wine is exported all over the world and many visitors come and admire the wineries of the area. George Panagoulias - Evi Housala - Eleni Tseroni - Dimitris Petropoulos Οlive "Manaki" "Manaki" is a local olive variety grown in Corinth. This extra virgin olive oil is a very beneficial product for humans and studies have shown that it strengthens the human immune system, the brain and the cardiac function as well! This oil is grown without spraying with pesticides and herbicides which makes it even healthier! This creates a light oil with a nice fruity scent, rich in vitamins and trace elements!!! Joanna Troupi
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Historical figures who walked the paths of Corinth Our friends, important people visited our place and connected their name with visitable destinations of Corinth. Let's get to know some of them. The complex of statues of Diogenes and Alexander the Great on the beach “Kalamia” depicts one of the most famous meetings in antiquity in Corinth. Alexander the Great was in the area to organize a campaign against the Persians. Diogenes was living in a huge jar, when Alexander asked him what grace he wanted to do him. The philosopher replied "move over because you are hiding the sun from me", with the king answering that if he wasn’t Alexander, he would have wanted to be Diogenes. Dimitra Panteleon - Evita Spyraki - Maria Louiza Rustemi The Apostle Paul visited Corinth in 52 AD and was hosted in the house of the Jews Aquila and Priscilla. He worked with them as a stage designer and at the same time preached the Gospel to the inhabitants, many of whom embraced Christianity. After a year and a half he left leaving behind a Church, while he maintained close contacts with its members, sending them the famous "letters to the Corinthians". The church of Corinth dedicated to the Apostle Paul the beautiful metropolitan church located in the center of our city. Kontogiannis Nikolas, Fotis Pantopoulos, Despina Gourioti, Adamantia Stamatopoulou The first to think of opening the Isthmus was the tyrant of Corinth Periandros. However, he received an amulet from Pythia not to proceed with his plan because the gods would be angry. The Roman emperors Julius Caesar, Caligula, Nero followed, who made the first attempt at implementation and then Herod Atticus, but again without result. After the end of the Ottoman Empire, Ioannis Kapodistrias tried to start the project but due to financial problems his effort was abandoned. Eventually, the project was completed 25 centuries after the conception of the original idea and was the result of the development policy of Charilaos Trikoupis.
Giannis Tzekos, Evi Housala Text editing: The students of E’2 class of the 10th Primary School of Corinth. Drawings: Canal (Argyris Tsotos) – Statues and Olive tree Manaki (Ioanna Troupi) – Apostolos Pavlos [Paul] and Vineyards of Korinthia (Maria Louisa Roustemi) – Grapevine (Antonio Ngkresi) Translation editing: Fotini Balafa Head of text teacher: Maria Ntrelia
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The Axios Delta National Park West of Thermaikos Bay lies the Axios National Park , which also includes the Axios Delta. There, in the spring and summer, in the woods by the riverfront and on its isles, thousands of birds gather to reproduce. Among other species, one comes across night crows, spoonbills, white egrets, silver egrets, the grey heron, hounds, and copper hens. In its meadows, horse herds roam free, descendants of the horses that the farmers had deserted in the 60s. On its northern banks we find one of the last remaining parts of the riverside forest, where weeping willows, aspens and the alder can be found. Did you know that the Haliacmon is the longest river flowing entirely in Greece? Moreover, did you know that Haliacmon possesses an extensive delta where, due to the fact it’s not easily accessible and also due to limited human presence, many wildlife species find shelter? Among those is one of the rarecouples of white-
11th Primary School Of Evosmos Thessaloniki, Article of class 5th grade Translated from the Greek text: Lia Simitzidou
examplerisingtemperatures , sea levelrise and extremeweatherconditions such as floods. What is worse is that the water levels of the rivers are lowering. All of the above constitute a problem for water abstraction.
tailedeagles that can be found in Greece. Here there are over 370 plant species which various animals feed on, and of course I do, too. Lots of animal and plant species are protected and safe at the Axios delta. Itofferssupport by the river banks and creates the necessarynaturalpathways for the wildcat and the wolf. 299 bird species nest there, that is a 66% of whathasbeenobserved to thisday in Greece. Did you know there are over 370
plant species? Some of those are considered protected species, suchas the sealilly, the waterfern and the waterchestnut. Threats to the Axios Delta habitat Garbage, burnt trees, endangered species! Felled trees, illegal sand mining carried out in the dark...A greatmenacefacing the greekfauna is poaching (illegal hunting). Anotherthreat is climatechange, for
The good visitor’s guide! We mustn’t litter and generally speaking we mustn’t interfere with nature. We do not allow our doggies to fool around freely. We hold them by their leash while we are enjoying our stroll through the forest by the river! The Axios-LoudiasHaliacmon delta is a precious habitat for many animal species, some of which, in fact, are faced with extinction, such as the groundsquirrel ( Spermophiluscitellus ) and the otter. (Lutralutra)
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There is, however, something which gives our wetlands an unpleasant image. Most people throw away their rubbish here as well as their cigarette stubs, thus polluting the flora and fauna. Otherwise, it’s my personal opinion that each person should pay a 250 euro fine- or even 300! You mustn’t pollute these lands because significant populations of rare birds stay through the winter and nest here. In this area 299 bird species have been recorded! One of them is me, the pied avocet.(Recurvirosta avosetta)
Articles and sketches of 5th class students: Fotini Paouktsi, George Varsamis, Evelina Touli, Sofia Bentiki, Sofia Vakali, Nefeli Boikli, Dimitra Vasiliou, Alexandros Vasilef,Stefanos Ntontis, Charalampos Korexenidis, George Tsologlou, Fotini Konstadinidou, Elena Tselikoglou, Odysseas Martidis, Stathis Tsompanis, Evaggelos Tzampos, Nantia Dimitrova, Politis Rados Teacher in charge: Constantia Gavriel Sources: http://axiosdelta.gr/ www.youtube.com/watch ? v=PFTA7O8fSzg
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Exploring the old town of Xanthi
The old town of Xanthi The old town is in the north part of Xanthi and is its historic center. It was mainly built by craftsmen from the regions of Epirus and Macedonia. There are a lot of churches and mosques for the Christian and Muslim inhabitants. It was declared as preserved settlement in 1976. If you ever visit our town, do not forget to visit the “Folk and historic museum” and the “House of shadows”! Zoe, Theodora P., Theodora H. The House of Manos Chatzidakis Manos Chatzidakis was born on 23rd October in the Old Town of Xanthi. The house where the great composer was born and lived during the first years of his life is an amazing ornament for the whole town nowadays. It is a vivid place, constantly visitable and creative, an institution of art and thinking. The Grand Maison was built at the end of the 19th century. It has neoclassic and baroque features. Its architect was
probably Austrian. The owner was Isaac Daniel, a Hebrew merchant, one of the richest men of that age. Aisegioul, Emina, Belinai The Folk and Historic Museum of Xanthi It was founded by the Progressive Association of Xanthi ( FEX ). Due to the big number of exhibits , it was extended to Kougioutzoglou mansion and Kaloudi mansion. In the museum there are a lot of rooms and in each room we can see different pictures and things. We saw old toys, stamps, furniture, silver buckles, costumes and the bedroom of Dimitris Kougioutzoglou and his wife. One of the rooms was blue and everything in there was in a mess, the chairs were upside down and the shelves were about to collapse. It was a project of our students for the refugees. In the basement there are farming tools, housewives who cook and put their children in bed. There are also medical tools, camuras, sewing machines etc.
In the museum you can find wall paintings made in 1880 by Bavarian and German artists. Zoe The Municipal Gallery The Municipal Gallery is one of the oldest buildings of the town. It was founded in 1997 and was named after Christos Pavlides so as to honour the artists who donated thirty pieces of his work. A lot of painting, jewelry, photography, and hagiography exhibitions are held. A lot of schools and tourists visit it. Mehmet The House of Shadows The “house of shadows” is in the old town of Xanthi. It ‘s
a magnificent place, where you can see sculptures of … rubbish!!! At least, it looks like that at first glance…, because when the light goes out, wonderful creations appear through the shadows. My classmates and me visited the “house of shadows” and had an interview with the artist, Mr. Triantafyllos Vaitsis. Question: How long have you been doing this? Answer: I started in 2010, so I’m working on this project for 12 years. Q: What material do you use to your sculptures? A: I mostly work with recycled material. Q: How much time do you
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Travelling around Greece 27 Drawings Old town (with markers), Hazal Alley with sahnisia, Theodora H. Alley with European type house, Emmanouela
Metropolitan church, Giannis Photo of the Folklore Museum, Mert Photo of the House of Shadows, Dimitris 4th grade 7th primary school of Xanthi Coordinator teacher: Batzaki Sevi Translation editor: Mastromichali Georgia
need to finish a sculpture? A: Each sculpture is different. It took me two months to finish a specific sculpture. Q: How did you decide to do this kind of art? A: My first contact was through internet. I liked it and started doing shadow sculptures. Q: Where do you get inspiration for your projects? A: From everything!! When someone wants to create, can find reasons everywhere. Q: Do you take part in exhibitions? A: Of course, I take part and organize a lot of exhobitions. Q: In which places have you exhibited your work? A: In Greece I have had exhibitions in Xanthi,
Larissa, Thessaloniki and Athens. Abroad, in London, Taiwan, Turkey, Cyprus and Northern Macedonia. Journalistic team: George Chatzimoisiadis, Theodora Parpala, Theodora Chatzianastasiou, Belinai Keke. Text editing: Theodora Parpala The Ahrian mosque The mosque is located in the old town , in Acropolis neighborhood or Ahrian mahalesi. The mosque is one-room and built with stones and woodwork. The minaret is located at the southwest edge of the building. It is big from the inside, although from the outside it looks small. Hazal
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Our productive place…. 1. Oil Kos is famous for the tons of oil it produces every year. There are several olive groves and in the past most houses used to have their own oil. There is a time consuming process for the oil to come out, which lasts from October to December. There are three ways to pick it up: The oldest is the stick, later the comb, a hand object with teeth in the front and small scales in the back, and finally the machines called olive pickers. The first thing we need to do is lay the net under the trees. Then we throw the olives from the trees, separate them from their leaves and put them in cloth bags. Then we transfer them to the olive mill. There the olives go through a machine that removes the leaves, they are washed and passed through the press, a machine that presses the olives and the oil comes out. The oil is stored in barrels. It stays in a shady and cool place and is ready for consumption. 2. Wine Put the grapes in the press and grind them or press them with your feet to make a must. Put the must in a large cauldron, skim it and boil it until it becomes a thick syrup. We take a part of syrup and put it in the barrel with the must and in 40 days the wine is ready. 3. Wine cheese Krasotyri, also known as Possa cheese, is a traditional product of Kos. It is a type of cheese that is preserved in wine. It arose when on the island the oil was not enough for the preservation of the cheeses, so the inhabitants placed them in wine mud and its name was established. It is made from goat and sheep milk. Boil the milk and
add a thickening material. When it cools, they put it in elongated molds made of mats, drain it to dry and unite with the mixture. Then they take it out of the mold and put it in brine to tighten. Finally they take the bottom of the sweet wine called Possa and leave it for a while and when it gets colored it is ready. Usually accompanied by watermelon. 4. Maeria (Sweet) It is made from wheat flour with special processing. For the flour: We leave the wheat in water for 3-4 days until it swells, we grind it in the machine and a pulp comes out which we put in water to take out the bran. When we take out the pulp we put it in a white bag to drain. When a lot of water is gone, we cut it into pieces and put it in a pan to dry, then we rub it again and at the
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Travelling around Greece 29 end we sift it, we put it again in a bag and we put it in the sun for many days to cook. For the dessert: Put a cup of flour, 1-1.5 cups of sugar, 5 cups of water, a little mastic and when it sets and becomes cream, add 3-4 leaves of orange. Finally, remove the orange leaves and serve them in a bowl with cinnamon. 5. Sweet Tomato We take long and narrow tomatoes, we clean them from the outside. At the bottom of the tomato we open a hole to remove the seeds and we put them in a basin with lime water. When they are tight, rinse them well and put them in a pot with 1 kg of sugar, 1.5 liters of water. When the syrup sets, add a few leaves of musk (marjoram). Let the dessert cool well and put it in glass, sterile jars. 6. Birds (Sweet) Make a mixture with ground and peeled almonds and a little honey. We open a sheet by hand and cut it into small pieces. Put a teaspoon of the almond mixture, fold it and make a ball with a tail at the back. Finally, fry them in hot oil and serve with honey and cinnamon. SOURCES: The relatives of the students narrated the process of production or manufacturing of the products. 1st Primary School of Kos The students of the 6th class (group 2) Responsible teacher: Olga Skourli Students: Avdiou Maria, Akila Adamantia, Grigoriadis Sissy, Kaprani Thalia, Kerrai Angelos, Kilimatos Dimitris, Kranis George, Manias Antonis, Mavromati Maria, Moukas Tasos, Barzoukas Christoforos, Dritsou Vangla, Pritsou Vangla Skevofylax Antonis, Tsaklanos Stamatis, Tsekini Casey, Tsimbiki Apostolia, Hanopoulos Sofianos, Hadjichalil Damla, Psarombas Pothitos. Translation by Erika Anthouli, English teacher
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Louros is a village in Preveza. It is located in the fertile Lamari valley, right in the middle of the Arta Preveza highway. This valley is near the mouth of the river Louros and it is surrounded by the mountains Valaora and Zaloggo. Some types of bushes called ‘’loures’’grow on the banks of the river Louros. These bushes could easily be bent , this is why the inhabitants used to cut
Louros themand knit them to makehutswhere they could stay in the old village near the river. The village was named after these bushes: Louros:a village with houses made of “loures”. Historically, the first reference to the village was
made in 1670 by the Turkish traveller EvligiaTselepi. It was conquered by Ali Pasa in 1797, despite the strong resistance of the inhabitants. It was liberated much later by the Greek army on October 16, 1912. It is also reported that KosmasAitolos
appeared in the area in 1779 and found the "Greek School", while RigasFeraios in his "Charta" calledLouros a castle. In the 50's, the development of the village in the agricultural and livestock sector started slowly. In
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Travelling around Greece 31 Louros, there are olive treesand orchards.The plainis part of the ancient aqueduct of Nikopolis, ruins of a small Hellenistic tower. The visitors should definitely visit the riparian forest of Saint Varnavas and the church built by Saint Varnavashimself, as it is said, in 1149. The waters of the river Louros flow into the Amvrakikos gulf, which is one of the national parks of Greece. In Amvrakikos, there are sea turtles, dolphins and birds. Birds can be found in very high densityin the northern part of the gulf. Amvrakikosis known for its shrimp (gambari). Finally, Louros is near Souli, the springs of Acheron, and the archaeological site of Nikopolis. The beaches of the Ionian Sea are only 12 km away.
The pupils of the 5th Class of the Primary School of Louros: Nikiforos, Vaggelis, Lefteris, Athina, Evaggelia, Irini, Vaggelis, Spyros, Vasilis, Aggelos, Spyros, Aggeliki, Thomas, Konstantina, Lefteris, Olga, Panayotis Drawings: Saint Barnabas (Aggeliki Ferentinou), Louros (Nikiforos Papagiannis), Louros (Lefteris Yotis), Louros (Aggeliki Ferentinou) Teacher in Charge: Iliadou Thaleia Translate: Sioxou Ioanna
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Destination: Dendra-Platanoulia-Tyrnavos-Thessaly
The Platanoulia Pear Festival The Pear Festival is successfully held in our village during the past few years and it aims to highlight the local products, especially the pear. The municipality of Tyrnavos, and specifically the villages Dendra, Platanoulia and the residential area of Agia Sofia, with only 1.000-1.100 inhabitants, produce the most pears, not only in the prefecture of Larissa, but in whole Thessaly. They hold and cultivate a huge area of 25.000 acres. Τhe pear harvest starts in the beginning of August and the Pear Festival is held in early autumn every year. The visitors can get to know other local products, apart from pears, such as various fruits and tsipouro. At the end of the festival, we all enjoy ourselves experiencing the folklore musical event with live traditional music, songs and dances. Efsthathia Kaltsogianni 6th Grade
My forest Come and visit Roumani, the beautiful forest of Platanoulia.Ιt is located in our village and Pinios passes through it. It is the only forest, through which a river flows. It has a lot of trees, most of which are oaks. It is 13 kilometers far from Larissa and it covers an area of about 500 acres. On May Day, we barbecue and we have fun in Roumani. We keep it clean and we
hang out with friends there. You can also go fishing, there are mainly wels catfish. Dimitris Tsoutsas 5th Grade Alerdo Giata 6th Grade The Tyrnavos Bridge An impressive stone bridge dominates the entrance of Tyrnavos. It was built around 1900 and it is composed of 10 arches. It connects Tyrnavos with Larissa.
It straddles the Titaricius or else Ksirias river. The bridge almost collapsed after the flood in 1972. In 2010, the same problem reappeared, but maintenance works were made and the bridge was declared a protected monument by the Greek Ministry of Culture. Leo Kazani 6th Grade The bees, our best friends The honey bees play an important role in nature. The fertilization of plants takes place thanks to them. They are very hardworking. They belong to a small community, the hive. In every hive there are about 80.000 bees. Every hive has its queen bee, the worker bees and the drones. The work of the queen bee is to lay eggs to revitalize the bee population in the hive. All the worker bees are females and their job is to take care of the bee larvae and guard the hive. There are six categories of worker bees. Τhe drones are the male bees and they never sting.
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Their role is to fertilize the queen bee. In recent years, the farmers spray their fields with many insecticides, causing problems not only to their own health, but also to
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their production and the bees. The bees are killed by the insecticides as they collect polluted nectar, pollen and water. Ekaterini Mastorodimoy 5th Grade
Konstadinos Matrakis 4th Grade Raphael Malakos 4th Grade The Hammam-The Ottoman Baths of Tyrnavos The Ottoman Baths of Tyrnavos are located outside the town of Tyrnavos, on the right side of the bridge that connects Larissa to Tyrnavos. Its construction is presumably placed in the early 19th century. Its square rooms are covered by hemispherical domes. Τhe building was restored in the early 1990s. A small amphitheater and a canteen were constructed in the site, so that events would take place. Today it remains closed and neglected. Antonela Hebibasi 5th Grade A letter to the Mayor of Tyrnavos and the 7th Antiquities Ephorate of Larissa We are the students of the 6th Grade in our school and we participated together with schools from different places of Greece in the program “Learning
about my place”. Through the research we carried out, we found out about a hammam (Turkish Baths). It is located in the provincial road of Ty r n a v o s - L a r i s s a and it constitutes the last cultural element from the era of the Ottoman rule. It was built in the 19th century and it was the place of the public baths. Τhe problem that worries us is the abandonment of the Hammam and the surrounding area. We should respect such sites and we should never ruin monuments, churches or anything else that concerns people, civilizations and cultures. That’s why we decided to organize a clean-up day, so we ask for your valuable help to make the area look better. It would be a great idea to restore this ‘dump’ and change it into a place to be visited. If the site would function as a museum, it would be nice to have a canteen there as well. We hope that our letter will touch your feelings and will affect your decision. The students of the 6th Grade Dendra-Platanoulia Primary School
Dendra-Platanoulia Primary School/Tyrnavos, Larissa Supervisors: Eleni Strouziotou 6th Grade teacher Dimitris Georgoulas Sports teacher Translation & Editing Xenia Argyropoulou English teacher
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34 Travelling around Greece Location Vegoritida is the lake of our area. It is located in northern Greece, on the border between Florina and Pella. It is the third largest lake in length and the largest lake in depth. The story about its level Vegoritida is connected with the 3 lakes of the area, (Zazari, Chimaditida, Petron). These are the remnants of the huge ancient lake Eordea. Vegoritida is located at the lowest point of Lake Eordea and so all waters above that point end up there. According to the last 130 years records, the level of Vegoritida is not stable. In 1954, however, an artificial underground tunnel was created that connected Vegoritida with the Agra swamp in order to create the Agra Hydroelectric Power Plant. It was made by Italians for war compensation and it was 6 km long. With the creation of this project, it lost 2/3 of its volume. It appears that the level of the lake was never stable. This conclusion is drawn from the story of Vokeria, an ancient roman city that is said to be sunk in the lake. Archaeological finds have also been found in the
Lake Vegoritida
and many kinds of herons. There are crayfish, clams and frogs. The plants it hosts are mostly reeds. Fishing In the past, fishing was a very common profession because it was the main occupation in the village. Every morning the fishermen used to fish and sell their fish in the village. Giant fish have been caught. The record for the largest fish was a Wels fish which weighed approximately 150 kilos.
villages of Faragi and Klidi referring to it. In the area of PtolemaidaKozani there was a large swamp called Yellow Lake (Sarigkiol). After some technical works, the channel (Soulou) that was constructed has kept supplying Vegoritida with water until today. Vegoritida, however, is also fed by various currents, some on the side of
the Mount Voras and others on the side of Vermion. Life at the lake Our lake has a large flora and fauna. It hosts fish such as Wels catfish, carp, Thintail thresher that are very tasty. It also hosts various kinds of birds that live in, near or around it. Those are Dalmatian pelicans, cormorants, ferruginous ducks
Sights There are several attractions around the lake. One of them is the mosque from the times of the Ottoman Empire, of which only a part of the minaret remains till today. In the village of Perea there is a chapel of Agios Theodoros where there is holy water and a rock to pass through for blessing. From there, there is an amazing view of the lake. You can also admire the view from the piers of the lakeside villages. Inside the lake there is an island that you can visit by boat. The Problems of the Lake Our lake has been facing problems for decades. One
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of these problems is pollution. The water of the lake is polluted by pesticides and fertilizers that flow through it through groundwater flowing into it. There is rubbish everywhere in and out of the water and this spoils the image of the area. Many remorseless people burn the reeds. Apart from destroying the flora, this is also dangerous for the fauna. Our lake is polluted by the drainage of the village cesspools. In recent years, however, some efforts have been made to change this situation. Sewage systems and biological treatments are under way.
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Suggested Solutions The lake sends an SOS message. It wasn’t always in this situation. A few years ago, the habitants used to swim in the lake. More measures need to be taken in order to protect it. Those who pollute the lake and burn the reeds must be severely punished. Pesticides should also be gradually reduced and crops should be made organic. The image of the lake should be made even better by creating an Information Centre in order to raise the awareness of the inhabitants and visitors. There could also be various
activities such as boat tours. At our school we take many initiatives such as proposing ideas for the lake and sending them to the mayor. If we all contribute to its protection, it will become a famous attraction all over Greece. We love our lake and we would like the best for it. If you have the opportunity to pass by our place it is worth a visit. Sources: "I once met a lake" _Vegoritida Protection Association. 2007 "The call of the lake (Educational material about Veg-
oritida)"_ Edessa Environmental Education Center, 2011 Drawings: Arnissa - Vegoritida with reeds - fish and birds - Map of Vegoritida - the Mosque (Dimitris Liasis), Vegoritida with pier (Maria Theodorou), Vegoritida with fish (Katerina Theodorou). Editing: Dimitris Liasis – 6th Grade Teacher in Charge: Ilias Kartas Primary School of Arnissa, Pella Translator: Charta Melina - Xanthippi Avramidou English Teacher
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36 Travelling around Greece
MY LAND: NEA ANCHIALOS MAGNESIA Nea Anchialos is a coastal town with a small port on the northwest edge of the Pagasitic Gulf, southwest of Volos. It was founded in 1907 by refugees of old Anchialos. Today it belongs to the municipality of Volos with a population of about 7.000 residents. (Konstantinos Samourelis) The town began to be built on the ruins of two ancient towns, Ancient Pyrassou and Fthiotidon Thivon,by the Greek refugees of easter Romilia. To be more specific by Anchialo (Pomore) of today's Bulgaria which was set on fire by the Bulgarian conquerors on July 30th 1906.(Dionysis AitseSiametis Giannis) Our area has rich archeological finds. The excavations that took place
brought to light 10 important monuments: the Acropolis of Pyrassou, Elpidion's royal church, the complex of public buildings, the Episcopal mansion, Saint Dimitri's royal church, the preheated bath, the high school and the bath, the paved boulevard, the archpriest Peter's royal church that is the biggest and the most interesting monument in our town.(Gioti Iro-Kontova Katerina). On September 30th 1907 the foundation stone was laid for the new homeland that looked a lot like the old one and was named Nea Anchialos. In 1908 the first 960 stone built ,two and single storey houses ,where the residents of Nea Anchialos settled in, were completed. In the centre a temple was built in memory
of the oldhomeland's temple.(Kaperoni ArtemisMidiati Nefeli) The residents were engaged and continue up yo the present in picking and growing olives, vineyards, almonds and different kind of vegetables. In fact, there is a winery THE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVE COOPERATION OF NEA ANCHIALOS "DIMITRA" that was founded by the residents of Anchialos of eastern Romilia ten after they had settled in Nea Anchialos. (Tzaerli ChristinaCharmanda Dimitra) The residents of Anchialos loved learning and very soon thought of building a school. Specifically, they they built the first primary school, our school, in 1910 by Syggrou's bequest. It is classified as preserved and belongs to the 5th tax office
of newer monuments. In fact it has been named EVGENIO after the metropolitan Evgenio Karavia who was hanged by the Turkish.(Tzanis DimitrisKaratasias Marios) Our school was destroyed several times .In April 1943 it was hit by an Italian shell and a bit later it was burnt by the Italian occupation troops. With the bearthquakes of 1954-55 it has also suffered a lot of damage. It was demolished and rebuilt almost from the beginning. The ner intervention removed many of the elements of its architecture.(Tsiamoura EleniSiameti Maria) On February 1, 1954, the 111th Battle Wing has created in the construction of which many craftsmen worked. It has 3 degrees and the planes are the F-
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16,F-84F,F-84G,F84F,T+33A fighters for educational purposes, the FSA/B and RF-5 tiger eye. The emblem of the unit depicts three seagulls ,symbolizing peaceful mood, with a background formation of three aircrafts ,symbol of fighting power. Their traces refer to the number 111 of the Battle Wing.(Skotinos Christis -
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Tsakogias Marios) The residents of Anchialos keep traditions and customs. One of those that still takes place is "triimera"(three days) an old Thracian custom. It used to be a purely female event but lately men take part as well. They eat almost nothing. They drink only water. On Wednesday after the divine service they
repent and one of the women invites other women that have fasted at her house to celebrate together with fasting food, wine, music and dance. Nowadays all women celebrate together in the centre of the market or on the beach.(Anagnostou PeliAnagnostou Alexandra) Finally every year in July an international festivals of
traditional dances takes place with the participation of dance groups from all over the world.(Imbrahimai Sabrina-Osmenlari Tzeni). The students of the 6th class of Evgenio- 1st primary school of Nea Anchialos Teachers in charge: Kliari Sofia -Sidiropoulou Nena
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38 Travelling around Greece
«Beekeeping and the … treasures of the beehive» If you ever come to Rhodes, it’s worth visiting the Beekeeping Showroom of the Dodecanese which can be found on the way to the airport, at Pastida. It is a company which takes care of bees, produces honey and all that comes from it. Melekouni, which is a traditional kind of sweet offered in the villages of Rhodes at weddings, is one of its products. The Museum of Bee, which is unique in Greece, can be found in the company’s premises. There one can witness the wonderful world of bees in the transparent hives and learn a lot of things about the bee, like the fact that a queen bee is distinct and larger in size than the others, the worker bees work from a young age and male bees are called “drones”. Moreover, visitors at the museum can get acquainted with the history of beekeeping in Rhodes and the beekeeper’s work. They can also try and even buy the kind of honey they like, as well as many more of the bees’ natural products. We are certain that the visit will be unforgettable! From top to bottom the pupils’ names for the drawings are: Eleni Yvonni M Ioli Michaelia S Argyris F Eleftheria S The 2nd Class of The 1st Primary School of Archaggelos, Rhodes Teacher in Charge: Olga Ntourou
