Fall 2010 ñ Volume 5 ñ Issue 1

Cover stories:
Interactive Mathematical
Investigations & Write
On!
Student Leaders:
TEDxYouth@ACSAthens
Student Speakers -
November 20th
Pedagogy in Action:
The IB Retreat Trip
Community
Connections:
Innovation, Collaboration
and Bridging the
Transition from High
Engineering Critical Thinking
School to University for the 21st Century
Alumni Affairs ñ Staff Development ñ Community Connections ñ Smiles around Campus
 Our Mission
ACS Athens is a student-centered
international school, embracing American
educational philosophy, principles and values.

Through excellence in teaching

and diverse educational experiences, ACS Athens
challenges all students to realize their unique
potential: academically, intellectually,
socially and ethically – to thrive as responsible
global citizens.

Publisher: ACS Athens. Editor-in-Chief: Desiree Michael. Production team: John Papadakis, Marianna Savvas, Stacy Filippou.
Contributors: ACS Athens Faculty, Staff, Students, Parents and Alumni. Art Direction, Design & Printing: Multimedia SA.
Cover Design & Concept: Dot Repro SA.
All rights reserved. No part of this magazine (text or images) may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher.

About the Cover and our ACS Athens Alumnus: In accordance with our theme of ‘Engineering Critical Thinking,’ the image of an active mind was chosen for the cov-
er of this Ethos _ The Arrangement of Guests by James M. Lane.

"Arrangement of Guests" is a combination of hand drawing, photography and digital processing. On one level it depicts the human central nervous system as a bewil-
dering yet aesthetically pleasing entanglement with no end or beginning. Numerous dynamic meandrous lines perplex and puzzle in contrast to a few simple tonal vari-
ations and transparencies that paradoxically manage to disambiguate the whole by suggesting the human form.
Line and tonality compliment and inform each other reflecting other pairs of opposites such as the abstract/ figurative, artificial/organic, logic/emotion and even IQ/EQ.
The mathematical perplexity that is suggested by a circuitous linear construct would remain flat, inert and meaningless, if it wasn't for a few mentally perceived lines that
breathe life to the whole, placing it within the boundaries of the human sphere.
In engineering the idea of design without the application of science would be implausible. In art the idea of design without the element of human conjecture would
be unimaginable.

James M. Lane was born in Athens, but lived in the US during the late 80s’ and early 90’s. He studied photography at Parsons School of Design in New York and Ecole
Parsons in Paris, France. He has presented his work in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Athens, New York, Paris, Madrid, Seoul and St. Petersburg. He taught art
and literature at ACS Athens in the late 60’s. James works with multi-media such as video and audio installations, computer imaging, and photography. James lives and
works in Athens, Greece and his wife and son are both members of the ACS Athens Community.

3
L E T T E R S
Letter
from the
Editor
"Sexy!"…is usually not a word or phrase used to describe educa-
tion or anything related to it. However, it is used to describe cars.
And one day, while surfing the Net to find a website that embodied
the innovation, class and engineering design that I see in ACS Athens,
I stumbled upon porsche.gr and found their latest concept car--the
Porsche 918 Spyder…that is sexy.
For a ‘machine’ person like me--who got out of my parents’ car
at age 14 when they stopped at a gas station off of the Munich Au-
tobahn and who got down on my hands and knees and looked un-
der the body of a Mercedes Benz and declared, "That is a car!"--in-
telligent design in engineering is a must. As an American teen watch-
ing cars drive at top speeds of 120 miles per hour and glide over
bumps without a rattled…that experience sealed my allegiance to
excellence in engineering.
So, what do sexiness and engineering have to do with education
and ACS Athens? In my eyes, the sexy 918 Spyder concept car is the
epitome of intelligent design in engineering and what the faculty and
staff of ACS Athens are designing in educational concepts is the
equivalent in the world of education. The same terms Porsche uses
to describe its concept and those who built it are the same terms
that describe the current direction at ACS Athens.
Porsche understands that excellence in design is about the future.
It’s about performance. It’s about innovative intelligence. It’s about
making concepts real. It’s about improving on the past. Porsche could
not have said it better, "We don't have to win. We just have to get
moving--forward." Our president, Dr. Gialamas, clearly sees the
needed direction of education for which he has delineate the next
five-year road map (outlined in the last edition of Ethos www.
http://www.acs.gr/ethos-magazine/2010/7/2/volume-4-issue-2.html).
Besides sharing identical verbiage, the second correlation to ACS
Athens and the development of the 918 Spyder is that our president
4
and our ACS Athens community realize that, "Without the intelli-
gence of our engineers, there is no performance." Therefore, this is-
sue of Ethos is dedicated to the engineers--our faculty--who engineer
innovation, who engineer critical thinking, who engineer content and
who, most of all, engineer the future opportunities of our students.
Through "clever execution" ACS Athens is putting forth a "bold
plan" for innovation in education. In this issue, you can read about
faculty who are designing educational opportunities through global
blogging (Penny Kynigou, 5th Grade) and mathematics (Tamyra
Walker, ES Mathematics Specialist); new faculty who come with fresh
new ideas; alumni who are returning to speak on stage with ACS stu-
dent speakers through programs offered by the ACS Athens Institute
for Innovation and Critical Thinking (TEDxYouthDay); off-campus
learning opportunities (Freshman Connection, IB Retreat & Journal-
ism in Palestine); university-level courses designed by Dr. Gialamas,
Steve Medeiros, Peggy Pelonis and others (Bridging the gap to Uni-
versity); and finally, the training of faculty members who travel
abroad (Nice, France) and who offer international training to local
and international educators (ACS Athens’ Annual Learning Differ-
ences Conference).
So, I’m sorry, but when I look under the bodies and hoods of
schools and see the innovative excellence that I see at ACS Athens,
I may not say, "That’s a car," but I can say, "That’s a school and it’s
sexy!" ACS Athens is truly Engineering Thought for the 21st Centu-
ry, as so intelligently depicted on the cover of this Ethos by very our
own ACS Athens alumnus, James M. Lane.
Enjoy the intellectual ride!
 Word from our President
Engineering Education at its best: ACS Athens President, Dr. Gialamas, currently teaches two mathematics courses at ACS Athens-
the Heart of Mathematics and Knot Theory. The courses are designed for higher-level learning. They are also the ‘next-step’ cours-
es that will help define the ACS Athens authentic diploma.
However, following his vision to engineer innovative learning opportunities for all students, Dr. Gialamas provided us with a copy
of one of his most recent papers in which he and others outlined a step-by-step sample of how teachers can take university-level sci-
entific data and turn it into effective high-school cross-curricular content. The paper can be found in its entirety online under Dr. Gi-
alamas’ publications http://www.acs.gr/publications/.

A Martian Invasion of Teachable Moments

for Environmental Science and Related Issues
Abour H. Cherif1, Gerald E. Adams2, David Morabito3,
Robert Aron1,
Jeremy Dunning4, and Stefanos Gialamas5
1DeVry University, Downers Grove, IL, USA
acherif@devry.edu , raron@devry.edu
2Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
gadams@colum.edu
3DeVry University, Pomona, CA, USA dmorabit@devry.edu
4Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
dunning@indiana.edu
5American Community Schools of Athens, Athens, Greece
gialamas@acs.gr
Abstract
The recent missions to Mars have produced a
mass of data and information in all forms and have
forced the minds of many people world-wide to
rethink their own perspectives on life itself. This
drama unfolding about 35 million miles from
Earth, and digitally on our TV screens, is offering a
growing reservoir for teachable moments. The cu-
riosity and wonder of every image received
prompts innumerable opportunities for inquiry. In
this paper we share some of our ideas on how to
bring into the classroom these exciting resources
emanating from the Red Planet. Opportunities to
reflect on myth and hypothesize about possibilities
are obvious places to start when teaching about
the potential of life on Mars.
The explosion of resources and information
(previously unavailable) from recent explorations
of Mars stimulates students to examine further the
environment around them. We share some of the
activities we have been using in our classrooms to
motivate readers to develop their own ideas on
how to take advantage of the Mars missions for
their classrooms. We offer strategies to create au-
thentic learning experiences to engage students. In
addition, we intend the activity to inspire teachers
to use other contemporary teachable moments
that may capture the imagination of their students
as they discover science. Whether you are teach- ular goal to use this and similar activities to dispel a
ing topics related to desertification or deforesta- couple of pervasive misconceptions that we have
tion, design and technology, or space travel or col- observed, and that some students (and the gener-
onization, to name a few, the planet Mars and the al public) might still hold about science and the en-
recent missions to its environment will become vironment. In one of these misconceptions, science
part of your continually expanding resources in is perceived as static and thus answers can be
teaching science. found in textbooks and memorized in order to
Helping teachers develop ways to utilize and learn science.
capitalize on emerging scientific data as it material- Another misconception is that environmental
izes is very useful. The learning activities we de- change happens largely or solely as a result of peo-
scribe and discuss in this paper integrate some of ple doing bad things, and that geological, and in
the recently available photographs from Mars (in- turn environmental, change does not happen with-
cluding some from the Mars Rover missions) to out human intervention (Berry, 2009; Cherif,
pose thought-provoking questions that are envi- Adams, & Loehr, 2001; Chew & Laubichler, 2003;
ronmental and geological in nature. It is our partic- Miller, 2005; Shuttleworth, 2009).
5
CONTENTS
Enhancing Education 9 Hail and Farewell 34 TEDxYouthDay 26

Pedagogy in Action 41 Cover Story 12 Alumni 55

Staff Development 62 Student Leaders 22 Community Connections 48

6
 Table of Contents
Our Mission 3
Editor 4
Word from our President… 5
Errata 7

ENHANCING EDUCATION Steve Kakaris 9

COVER STORIES 12
Engineering Critical Thought in Education 12
Interactive Mathematical Investigations Tamyra Walker 13
Tying it All Together Sarah Kaldelli 15
Mathematics Fair Ms. Falidas 15
Write On! Using Social Networks Tools Penny Kynigou 16
Quantitative Poem Jeff Bear 19
Kotixi salt lake STUDENT LEADERS 22
Leadership & Journalism at ACS Athens John Papadakis 22
What’s in a book? Antonia Hapsis-Ladas 25
TEDxYouth@ACSAthens/Student Speakers Carla Tanas and Desiree Michael 26
Critical Thinking Needed: FACEBOOK dos and don’ts Ms. Spiliot and student authors 31
National Honor Society Inductees Antonia Hapsis-Ladas 32

HAIL AND FAREWELL 34

Crisscrossing the World - Travels of our Diplomatic Family 34
New Teachers 36

PEDAGOGY IN ACTION 41
Freshman Connect Day at the Ranch Dimitri Pelidis 41
ACS Athens IB Retreat Natalia Kyriakopoulou 42

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS 48
Innovation, Collaboration…from High School to University Steve Medeiros and Peggy Pelonis 48
Arete Award Winnres 2009-2010 Ranelle McCoy 52
Making a Difference Sue Protopsaltis 53
NESA Virtual Science Fair 2010 Results Christina Bakoyannis 54

ALUMNI AFFAIRS Marianna Savvas 55

Back to my Alma Mater Marianna Savvas/Robert Hunt 56
Philadelphia Reunion Ann Lappas-Stiles 58
Express Yourself with Speaking Roses Ellie Doukoudakis 59
ACS Athens Alumni Among the Stars Interview with Scott Parasyzki 60
A Book Plea for Ethos John Bournazo 61

STAFF DEVELOPMENT 62
ACS Athens Summer Camp Zaharo Hilentzaris 62
Nice La Belle Vasiliki Klimou 63
Staff Development Photos 66
5th Annunal Conference on Learning Difference Chris Perakis 68

SMILES AROUND CAMPUS 69

7
 E R R ATA

As magazines go, the editor often finds missing content after the fact. In an effort 3. Mary Sexson--NESA Teachers’ Workshop
to rectify the ‘after-the-fact’ findings, we have added this section of minor correc- P.49 Brian Kelly was omitted from co-authors list of the Journalism and Democ-
tions and posted the omitted articles online at: http://www.acs.gr/ethos-errata/ racy Project
Ethos 7-- See link for omissions: P. 64--What’s New in IT? The ‘IT Department’ should read the ‘Technology De-
1. OM students on the Meaning of Leadership. partment’.
2. Matina Argeitakou--Recycling Pioneers: "The Great Green Effort?"
 E N H A N C I N G EDUCATION

Summer 2010 Facility Projects Steve Kakaris,

Director of Finance

9
 E N H A N C I N G EDUCATION
Summer is the time when our school renovates classrooms and offices the most.
It is also the time that we work to improve the campus appearance and overall
infrastructure.
I wish to convey the administration's thanks to my colleagues in maintenance, to
the support staff and to other administrative departments for their dedication and
work through the summer months to complete the below projects. These addi-
tional annual projects are completed on top of 200 maintenance requests for
painting, repairing and cleaning.
1. The renovation of our Preschool playground area and replacement of all play-
ground equipment; this area is now one of the greenest and most beautiful areas
on campus.
2. The triple increase in size of the school's front yard green grass area and in-
10
stallment of an automated watering system.
3. The building and furnishing of a new First Grade classroom in the Elementary
building, in time for the record increase in this grade’s student body.
4. The complete renovation of all the Academy bathrooms per students’ requests.
5. The purchase and coding of about 25,000 Euros worth of new books for the
school libraries; this came from a generous donation from our own Parent
Teacher Organization, (PTO), who every year sponsors and assists the school to
complete a great project.
6. The purchase and installment of thirty new computer and interactive board sys-
tems.
7. The purchase of new microscopes for our labs.
8. The replacement of many older furnishings and classroom curtains.
Finally, we extend our gratitude to the architect Mrs. Paulin Apostolides, an
ACS Athens parent, who again volunteered her services to help us with the
design and implementation for some of the above projects.

Steve Kakaris
Director of Finance
 C O V E R story

Engineering Critical Thinking for the 21st Century

12
Interactive Mathematical Investigations
in the Elementary Math Classroom
According to the Partnership for 21st century skills, the four Cs of essen-
tial 21st century skills include: critical thinking and problem solving; communi-
cation and collaboration; creativity and innovation. Due to the changing nature
of our world we must cultivate creative thinkers and problem solvers who are
effectively able to relay thoughts and information. As a result, the methods we
have traditionally used in our classrooms must be altered to meet the de-
mands of our new world, approaches to mathematics teaching and learning
being one of the most critical. In the past, mathematics instruction has been
rooted in the process of rote memorization, and student ability assessed by
their ability to recall and successfully apply an equation or a rule. As I think
back on my math experiences, this cycle of memorization and application was
usually pretty easy for me because I was naturally adept at mathematics. How-
ever, when I talk to many adults, including parents, I find that many are intim-
idated by math and struggled with math during their formative years. As a
math instructor, it is my goal to alleviate these struggles by creating cognitive
pathways that deepen student understanding. Deepened conceptual under-
standing in turn facilitates a more intuitive and creative approach to mathe-
matical problem solving.
Tamyra Walker,
Elementary Math Specialist
One of the most essential components of developing this level of quanti-
tative reasoning is through collaborative problem solving. Simply put, students
work together to solve problems. Collaborative grouping is a widely used
methodology, but the measure of its effectiveness lies in how a task is engi-
neered and the learning goals that are accomplished by the task. In order to
facilitate critical thinking and quantitative reasoning skills, the emphasis of
group problem solving must be on the process rather than on the solution.
This depth of exploration must be present in math classrooms as early as pos-
sible. Students as young as kindergarten should be able to justify solutions to
math problems through models and verbal descriptions.
In my classroom, my students work collaboratively almost daily. We be-
gin our lesson cycle with manipulative oriented investigations that build on
student’s prior knowledge. I then use these explorations as a common expe-
rience to draw from as I further explain concepts and processes. After the ex-
planation of the concepts, students are asked to work in groups or in partners
to further investigate a concept through problem based application. Once the
student groups have completed their investigation, student groups switch
▼
work and use essential questions to critique another group’s representation of
13
 C O V E R story
the problem solving process. To conclude the cycle, I facilitate a class discus-
sion that results in a whole group representation of the problem solving
process.
An inquiry based approach to mathematics teaching and learning allows
students to learn on the diagonal by developing computational skills and quan-
titative reasoning skills simultaneously. When implemented appropriately, this
process also effectively differentiates. The computational skills are embedded
in the problem solving process for those students who still need skill rein-
forcement. Having the students use models to represent quantities uses the
power of visualization to create concrete relationship between numbers. By
collaborating, students get to hear the thinking of others and evaluate their
own thinking. Students also experience new perspectives, and discover multi-
ple methods of arriving at the same solution which may serve as an opportu-
nity for extension for higher functioning students. Collaboration also teaches
students to compromise in order to construct one cohesive representation
that reflects the group’s perspective. Student’s communication skills are also
strengthened through the written and oral justifications shared during the re-
flection phase of the process.
This reflection phase is perhaps the most important component of the
process. As a result, facilitation of math discussions must be goal oriented in
approach. Math discussions have to make student thinking transparent. The
purpose is not to solely prompt a correct solution, but to reveal misconcep-
14
tions and address them as a group. Other purposes of a math discussion are
to explore a concept at the appropriate depth of knowledge, to assess what
knowledge and information the students already know, and what instruction-
al gaps must be addressed. All of the above mentioned goals can be accom-
plished through the use of effective questioning techniques that probe student
response beneath its surface. I also facilitate discourse amongst students by
making them take a stance on a solution or a response and justify that stance
(i.e. Do you agree? Why or why not?). It is also of central importance to cul-
tivate a learning environment that not only encourages students to share what
they know, but also encourages them to request further clarification on things
they don’t know.
At times, the inquiry based model of instruction is not always the easiest
to employ, but the pay –off is student growth and development in their math-
ematical reasoning skills. Slowly but surely students begin to approach prob-
lems creatively, and express their solutions with sophisticated content related
vocabulary and sound logic. As the year progresses, we will create video jour-
nals of our processes so they can witness and celebrate their growth and
mathematical innovations. I also look forward to witnessing their pride and the
increase in confidence that knowledge affords. These successes are at the
helm of our collective advancement as 21st century mathematical investiga-
tors. They are what drive the practice of encouraging students to dig deeper
into math concepts and processes.
Tying it all together…
Innovation in teaching not only incorporates current methods, and the latest tech-
nology in our classrooms, it is also the knowledge and ability to guide students toward
understanding how subjects taught in our classes connect to the world around us. At
times we must teach skills in isolation; this is vitally important for children. Through these
skills they will be able to succeed not only in school, but in their future workforce as
well. Innovation begins when we empower our children to understand the links between
concepts, how one event leads to so many others. The time-old ‘ripple effect’ can be
used as a teaching innovation, because through understanding, students (and later
adults) will be able to discern why their personal actions may affect global conditions,
why an event from the past can have such profound implications in the present and fu-
ture, and why one field or discipline has repercussions on others. Growing up, we were
not all taught to see these relationships, minds were not consistently trained to do so.
People have to make an effort to see global connections and to understand why certain
minor factors influence and lead to major events. Do students understand the ramifica-
tions of the mine collapse in Chile for other nations? Do they understand the effects of
new energy sources, or the gargantuan repercussions of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mex-
ico? The oil spill, for example, is not limited to disaster in the environmental arena but
Mathematics Fair: A summer celebration at ACS Athens
On June 25 and 26th of 2010, the Mathematics Literature Club of ACS Athens
& ICCT hosted the Math Literature Fair organized by Thales and Friends, a non-
profit organization that aims in building the chasm between Mathematics and oth-
er cultural forms.
Fifteen schools from Greece and Cyprus participated in the fair with the sole pur-
pose of sharing their experiences as members of a book club that focused on
mathematical fiction. Elementary, Middle and High school students performed
on the theater stage plays, songs, short films and documentaries relating to the
mathematical ideas of their literature readings, the mathematicians they met from
the books and their feelings negative and positive towards Mathematics. Euclid,
Pythagoras, Thales, Fermat, Fibonacci, Gauss, Galois, Gödel, Hilbert and many
more mathematicians of all times were awoken in student scripts, PowerPoint
presentations and a gallery of posters and artwork in the atrium.
Tefcros Michaelides, the author of the book Pythagorean Crimes that our club
read last year and founding member of Thales and Friends met with the students
of the Mathematics Literature club and answered student questions about the
book. In his featured presentation "Devouring Cats and Single girls" he introduced
Sarah Kaldelli and Lia Sinouri,
Elementary Optimal Match Program
demands attention from manufacturers, fishermen, laborers, oceanographers, social sci-
entists, counselors, teachers, economists and leaders of nations to name a few.
During instruction, we must allow time and opportunities for discussion and explo-
ration of these links and chains. At our school, we have the luxury of technology and re-
sources. These will permit us to construct ideas that explain and justify consequences
and repercussions. We must facilitate these discussions so students can share their own
personal experiences, cultural backgrounds and perceptions. In our international class-
rooms we can begin to understand and connect ideas. We must never forget that our
students, from a young age, already carry infinite experiences, abilities and perceptions;
pooling these experiences and using them in our lessons will assist us in expanding hori-
zons (our own included) and examining our similarities and differences.
Innovation in teaching needs not be limited to "new" methods, "modern" tools, and
"recent" research. Innovative teaching should rely on student thinking, so that these
young community members use their minds to comprehend the vastness of our world,
the severity of our actions and the seriousness of decisions. This understanding will guide
us toward grasping a part of our personal purpose and place in the world.
Ms. Falidas,
Academy Mathematics Teacher
the mathematical concept of dynamical systems. His presentation was dedicated
to the memory of French novelist Denis Guedj, author of the Parrots Theorem,
who died last April.
Apostolos Doxiadis, author of Logicomix that won the 2010 Russell Society
award and was voted in the top 10 non-fiction books list of Time Magazine, in
his talk titled "How logic are comics; A stroll through the Ninth art" took us back-
stage in the making of a comic book. In a panel discussion Apostolos Doxiadis
and Monika, songwriter and performer shared ideas, passions and inspirations in
film and music with mathematics as their center.
Kostas Pelonis from the ACS Athens Mathematics Literature club has created a
poster on architectural design using famous mathematical ratios and proportions.
Anastasios Dedes and Dimitrios Dionysopoulos, presented a short documentary
inspired and composed by the Math Literature Club students summarizing the
ACS Athens Mathematics Literature club’s year long activities. The documentary
is available in Greek on the ACS website.
Special thanks to all Club members and International Baccalaureate students that
volunteered their services the days of the event.
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 C O V E R story

Write On! Using social networking tools to bring

a new excitement to writing class!
By Penny Kynigou, 5th grade teacher

16
 Imagine a bulletin board that stretches beyond the confines of the classroom!
Imagine a bulletin board visited by parents, grandparents and friends from any
corner of the globe!
Imagine a bulletin board where children post stories even during vacations!
Imagine a bulletin board where visitors leave comments for the authors!
Seems impossible? Not at all……
That figment of your imagination is actually a reality!
It's the 5thgrade writing blog: Write On!
Young writers get excited about writing when they know it will be read
by an audience, and their voice will be heard and responded to. In our class-
room, students share their writing with their peers and post writing on bul-
letin boards in the hallway. Our new blog offers the chance to share that writ-
ing beyond the four walls of the school. Students can now choose to share
the personal writing they have developed during writing workshop time in my
classroom by submitting it for publication on the blog. Getting feedback from
the comments of the students, parents, grandparents, other teachers and
friends is a big motivator!
What kinds of comments are appropriate? As the blog is designed as a
learning tool, comments need to be ones which help students grow as writers:
specific comments that identify "what works" in a piece of writing. In reading
class, 5th graders focus on identifying examples of author's craft in the class nov-
els we read together. They learn to identify powerful descriptive language, vivid
verbs, similes and metaphors, characterization, dialogue, etc. etc. Students then
learn to constructively criticize both their own written work and their peers’,
and are trained to write feedback on what works in a specific piece of writing.
Students write a similar style of comment for the blog, and all comments are
moderated by the teacher.
Any reader of the blog can comment on any story at any time. Imagine
the buzz when one day a student came in to class thrilled with excitement
that the Elementary School Principal had commented on his story the previ-
ous night!
"... and later this morning we'll have writing workshop time!"
Everyone cheers!
Writing workshop has been one of our most popular activities this year
and became a regular feature of the 5thgrade classroom. Rather than writing
exclusively to assigned topics, students have the opportunity to develop writ-
ing on topics that they choose themselves. They learn to develop topic lists,
and explore writing in many different forms. They have the chance to confer-
ence individually with teachers or peers, and to revise and improve their writ-
ing.
By 5th grade, many students are ready and eager to tackle longer writing pro-
jects, and many sustain long stories over multiple chapters. Several of these have
been published to the blog episode by episode, each ending with a cliffhanger and
the ominous words," to be continued... " Some stories have gained quite a fol-
lowing of readers, all eager for the next part! For these writers, writing has be-
come a self-sustaining activity; they write for the joy of communication and are
well on the way to becoming lifelong writers.
Write On! The 5th grade writing blog is accessible by invitation only, but if you
would like an invitation to view the blog please send an e-mail to kynigoup@acs.gr.
Our students love comments, so don't forget to add yours!
17
 C O V E R story

Quantitative Poem Jeff Bear,

Middle School Art

Math
gives
us this
neat verse form
via Greg Pincus,
‘tis a Fibonacci sequence:
each
line
has as
many sibs
as both lines before
this line now needs eight syllables!
One
by
Jeff Bear,
"Arcuda"
(the preferred pen name)
of this ACS art teacher.
19
 STUDENTleaders
Leadership & Journalism at ACS Athens:
Peace and Co-existence in the Middle East through the eyes of students
ACS Athens students traveled for 6 days to Israel and Palestine on May 23rd
– 27th, 2010 motivated by the overwhelming response of the community to a
mini-documentary on the Israeli/Palestinian Struggle produced in cooperation
with Newscoop - a media organization based in the U.S. - in 2009. Dr. Stefanos
Gialamas (President of ACS Athens), John Papadakis (Director of Communi-
cations, Technology & Enrollment and a student advisor for the project), and
parents Sophia Hilentzaris and Eric Sharp, accompanied four students, two of
which had participated in the production of the documentary. Eleventh
20
John Papadakis,
Director of Enrollment,
Communications and Technology
Graders, Zacharo Gialamas, Thornbern Alexander Klingert, Ilyana Kotinis and
Anastasi Sharp visited schools and universities in the Israeli and Palestinian ter-
ritories, talked to local students about their lives, their view of the conflict, their
hopes and expectations for the future, and collected more than 15 hours of
video material and 1500 photographs for the creation of a follow-up docu-
mentary – journal. The new production will be ready during the new school
year 2010-11, as part of the new Leadership & Journalism program of ACS
Athens.
 Some of the places the ACS Athens group visited included: Al Quds Uni-
versity in East Jerusalem, the Old City of Jerusalem, the Holocaust History
Memorial – Yad VaShem, Qurtuba School in Hebron, the Evangelical Lutheran
School in Beit Sahour, a Lutheran School in Talitha Kumi and a Jewish Ortho-
dox School in West Jerusalem. The group also had the chance to tour many
of the cultural and religious monuments in Jerusalem and experience the mul-
ti-cultural and multi-religious mosaic of modern Israel, while they visited the
city of Jericho, the so-called most ancient city of the world, and the Dead Sea,
a lake lying at the lowest point on earth (1300 meters below sea level).
Students met with Dr. Gershon Baskin and Mr. Hanna Siniora (co-directors
of the Israeli-Palestinian Center for Research and Information IPCRI) – dis-
cussing the perspectives for negotiations and the peace process as it stands
now and the importance of Jerusalem in the negotiations. IPCRI is a joint insti-
tution of Israelis and Palestinians dedicated to the resolution of the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict on the basis of "two-states for two peoples" solution. Dr.
Baskin – who contributes weekly political op-eds to the Jerusalem Post – holds
21
 STUDENTleaders
an MA and a PhD. in International Affairs and has long been active in the Is-
raeli-Arab peace process. Mr. Siniora, a distinguished writer and publisher, is
Chairman of East Jerusalem Development Corporation and a Member of the
Palestinian National Council (PNC).
Students had a rare opportunity to meet with Mr. Yitzhak Frankenthal, an or-
thodox Jewish businessman, who has focused his energies on public activities
aiming to foster reconciliation, tolerance and peace, after his son was kid-
napped and killed by Hamas in 1994. Mr. Frankenthal established the "Parents
22
Circle - Families Forum" - an organization of over 500 bereaved Israeli and
Palestinian families sharing a common sentiment: "If we, who have lost our dear
ones, do not seek revenge and hatred but reconciliation - so can anyone." Late-
ly Mr. Frankenthal has created the Arik Institute for Reconciliation Tolerance &
Peace, named after his son.
During all meetings, ACS Athens students admitted gaining tremendous in-
sight and perspective on one of the most contested, researched and debated
issues of human history. Walking through the narrow corridors of the old city
of Jerusalem, visiting ancient proto-Christian and Byzantine churches, and local
Jewish monuments like the Tomb of King David, the group took advantage of
this rare opportunity that their voluntary school program offered as creativity
met critical thinking and the thirst for learning. At ACS Athens, students are
tackling today’s contemporary problems and current events through the cre-
ation of short documentaries and news pieces. Over the last year, Newscoop
partnered with ACS Athens to establish and refine a strong model of news re-
search and production. ACS Athens organized a Newscoop Club, and their
students chose the very challenging issue of the Israeli-Palestinian Struggle for
their first news report. The intention of this partnership was to revolutionize
the way students access and share news-related information. The documentary
is created 100% from the ground up, with the students researching, writing
scripts, filming and editing video.
The documentary, which debuted for the first time at the NESA Leadership
Conference in Athens in 2009, received positive acclaim from the public which
included political figures and Ambassadors, among them the Ambassadors of
23
 STUDENTleaders
the U.S. and Lebanon in Greece. The documentary was designed to showcase
the ACS Athens students’ work on a project that offered them a great oppor-
tunity to explore and learn about a highly contested issue by researching, writ-
ing and producing a video documentary piece aimed at portraying a fair and
unbiased view of the Israeli-Palestinian Struggle (www.vimeo.com/9064384).
ACS Athens students managed to collect valuable material for the creation
of a follow-up documentary from their trip and stated that it was a life time ex-
perience! Dr. Stefanos Gialamas, President of ACS Athens, in one of his inter-
24
views, commented: "When young people attempt to explore such controver-
sial issues and we support them on that, the results are always positive. I be-
lieve we should allow young minds to be creative and give them more oppor-
tunities to build a safer world." Mr. John Papadakis, Director of Enrollment,
Communications and Technology, commented: "What we wanted to do was
to urge students to explore this topic via extensive research and I believe we
succeeded."
What’s in a book?

Fund-Raiser: from November 1 until

December 15, 2010.
ACS ninth grader, Max Ginnis,
read Three Cups of Tea by Greg
Mortensen in the summer and de-
cided to undertake this initiative as a
service learning project. Pennies for
Peace is a program of the Central
Asia Institute (CAI), founded by
Greg Mortenson. CAI is a registered
nonprofit organization that pro-
motes and provides community-
based education and literacy pro-
grams, especially for girls, in remote
mountain regions of Central Asia.
Founded in 1996, CAI has built near-
ly 100 schools in Afghanistan and
Pakistan, which serve more than
28,000 students, over 14,000 of whom are girls.
How can a penny bring peace? It doesn’t buy much in Athens. Howev-
er, in the villages of Pakistan and Afghanistan, a penny can buy a pencil,
start an education, and transform a life…thank you Max for initiating
change from a local starting point ACS Athens. Join us in supporting the
global efforts of our students.
 TEDxYouthDay
TEDxYouth@ACSAthens: ‘Honoring the Idea’
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED (Technology Entertainment and
Design) has created a program called TEDx. TEDx programs are local, self-or-
ganized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. The
'x'=independently organized TED event.
At 11AM on Saturday, November 20th, ACS Athens will host their first
TEDx event--TEDxYouth@ACSAthens--in acknowledgment of Universal Chil-
dren’s Day. In effort to recognize the rights of children internationally, in 1954,
the United Nations’ General Assembly declared November 20th as a day "of
worldwide fraternity and understanding between children." The creators of
TEDx have designed an interconnected web of over 54 organizations dedicat-
ed to uniting children on a global scale through modern technology and the co-
26
ordinated effort of endless volunteers who believe in children. It is called
TEDxYouthDay.
The Director of the ACS Athens Institute of Innovation and Creative
Thinking (the hosting entity of TEDxYouth@ACSAthens), Steve Medeiros
once envisioned the ACS Athens theater serving as a place for the school com-
munity to meet and speak about ideas that invoke critical thinking. Thus, in
combining his idea and the TEDx philosophy, curators of the ACS Athens
TEDxYouthDay event, Desiree Michael and Carla Tanas, decided to honor the
ideas of students for the school’s first TEDx event: The theme of Saturday,
November 20th is "Honoring the Idea." We have included a collection of what
inspired the ideas of our student speakers. Enjoy!
 Where Byzantine Icons and Cartoons Meet
The reason I chose to pursue this idea is because in Greece we are surround-
ed by the Greek Orthodox religion and by iconolatry specifically. Whenever I en-
ter a Greek Orthodox Church during a service I often see people wearing Disney
brand-name clothing standing right beside the icons. My presentation questions
whether Walt Disney wanted us to establish a deeper relationship with his ‘icons’
than the icons suggest.
I am glad that I have the opportunity to present my thoughts to my peers and
others, because it is one of the few speaking activities at our school where you
can truly be alone with your idea…and one billion computer screens without as
many restrictions. TED invites much more creativity to its presentations and I
hope my presentation will invite people into my mind, and allow them to hear a
story about how ideas are formed through my example. However, I do not want
Anastasi Sharp to impose my ideas on anyone by any means; I regard both Byzantine icons and
Grade 12 cartoons equally for different reasons.

"Stairway to Heaven" The chain of smiling

This is a concept for a Space Elevator. The reason that I have chosen to pur-
sue this idea is because the topic of building a space elevator has been in the spot-
light a lot in the past couple of years and I wish to present my idea on how such
a task could be accomplished more effectively.
I have thought of an alternative way to build such a machine--a machine which
is sure to have a very big and positive impact on our world. I am glad I have the
opportunity to present my thoughts to my peers and others because I want to
share my ideas with other people and I hope that in some way my ideas can help
advance this concept. I hope my presentation will contribute to the global think Dimitrios Kotinis Isabel
tank that exists regarding this topic. Grade 10 Aharonian

DR. YANNI ALEXANDER LOUKISSAS WILL PRESENT: NURTURING INNOVATION / CREATING INNOVATION

Dr. Loukissas is an interdisciplinary researcher and educator working across multiple fields, including architecture, art, engineering, and an-
thropology. His work is driven by a persistent interest in how new technologies shape our social, spatial and intellectual landscapes. At
present, he is developing visualization tools for the study of human-machine relationships in complex environments, such as multi-modal
traffic systems, undersea archeology, and space exploration. He is also writing a book based on his doctoral dissertation, "Conceptions of
Design in a Culture of Simulation."

27
 TEDxYouthDay
Revolutionizing Classroom Learning:
Using Tablet and Social Media Technology
The reason I chose to pursue this idea is because I am fascinated with the ex-
plosion and utility found in the interaction of mobile devices with our daily lives. I
am hoping to translate this fascinating new medium of information to the class-
room in order to facilitate the learner and teacher, and establish a stronger bond
between the student and his/her learning.
I hope my presentation will change the views educators and students have on
the centuries-old method of teaching. I hope to ignite a new paradigm to the pen-
paper methods of teaching. I am glad I have the opportunity to present my
thoughts since I believe this is something truly useful and efficient in every sense.
Alex Stelea, It allows interaction, efficiency, discovery, and most importantly, fun in the class-
Grade 11 room without compromising the content taught.

The Village Project

Our presentation summarizes the concentrated efforts of the past three years
by students of ACS By Orestis
Athens to aid the village of Lepreo, Greece, which was struck by the fires of Adam, Gi-
2008. The project was headed by Ms. Vriniotis and her idea was to innovate the anna
traditional thinking of village redevelopment after unforeseen events. She envi- Argeitakos
sioned how students could be used as helpful guides and role models for the res- and Natalia
idents of the village. Botonakis,
The reason we chose to pursue this idea is because we truly felt proud to par- Academy
ticipate in her project as it exhibits how children can actually become resources
and offer substantial help, sometimes more efficiently than adults.
We are glad to have the opportunity to present our experiences to our We also hope that this presentation will encourage people to think of how
peers and others, because we believe that by showing how simple it is to help lucky we are to have what we have and how fulfilling it is to share our good-
and how much students can offer, more people will design projects like ours. fortune with others.

DR. YANNI ALEXANDER LOUKISSAS WILL PRESENT: NURTURING INNOVATION / CREATING INNOVATION

Dr. Loukissas is currently a postdoctoral associate at MIT, where he works with the Laboratory for Automation, Robotics, and Society
(LARS). He has taught architectural design, visual art, computer programming, and social theory at Cornell, MIT, and the Museum School.
He also consults on projects that bring together art and technology in innovative ways. Most recently, he worked with Small Design Firm
on an art information system for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. He holds a PhD and a SMArchS in Design and
Computation from MIT and a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University. He graduated from ACS Athens in 1994.

28
 Friendship in the Digital World
The reason I chose to pursue this idea is because everyone can relate to it. I
take issue with the social pressure to keep up with constantly creating "friendships"
in a digital world on internet-based social platforms.
I am really glad I have the opportunity to present my thoughts to my peers, be-
cause I think it is really important that they give greater consideration to their ac-
tions before creating a Facebook or other social-networking accounts on the in-
ternet. I hope my presentation will address the implications of a friendship in the
Katalina Holland, digital world and possibly help others to consider the issues and solutions that I
Grade 11 have confronted in my own digital world 'friendship' experience.

Cultivating Student Ideas

in an International Context
Coming from diverse backgrounds and different schools got us thinking: "What if there were a platform
for students where different ideas from all parts of the world could be cultivated and shared? What if
there was a place where students could both share ideas to better innovate within their community and
the world at large? What if this ‘interface’ could host several activities initiated by students on an interna-
tional scale?"
This idea started as we thought of an interface that can help schools collectively fundraise during relief
efforts to help areas affected by natural disasters (i.e. floods, fires, etc…). As we examined the giant scope
of this idea, we realized the many limitations, both structural and logistic, it retains. As a result, we decid-
ed to expand its scope to make it a place where not only humanitarian relief ideas could be hosted, but
Laith and Gaith Kalai,
diverse ideas in general. In presenting our idea, we hope to inspire a more effective way for students to Grades 11 & 12
share ideas that empower them to improve their communities and share their ideas with the world.

DESIREE MICHAEL: MDG CHALLENGE (MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS)

TO BILL AND MELINDA GATES & THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY

Ms. Michael is a graduate of Lehigh University in Bethlehem PA. She received her undergraduate degree in International Relations and a
minor in Philosophy. She later went on to pursue her interest in the secular institution of public education its living role in building and
sustaining communities. She received an MAT and Administrative Certificate from John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill and Cuper-
tino, California respectively. Ms. Michael has spent eleven years in the field of education. She has taught JK-12 grade students and served
on many county and city commissions to observe the impact of policies and community development on the health of the next genera-
tion. Currently, she is serving ACS Athens as their Web Administrator and school Editor of Ethos magazine.

29
 SPONSORS

Coca-Cola and Special Olympics

Coca-Cola is a global proud sponsor of Special Olympics for more than 40 years and is getting ready to
welcome the next Special Olympics World Summer Games in Greece. This leading sporting occasion
promotes the vision of a society which is not defined by those who are excluded, but by those who
are part of it, flying the flag of perseverance and dignity.
This was also the vision of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who made possible the first Special Olympics
Summer Games in 1968 in Chicago.
It is a great honour that Greece will host the XIII Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens,
between June 25th – July 4th, with 7500 athletes from 185 countries taking part in 22 Olympic-type
events and is especially symbolic because it will be held in the country that gave birth to the Olympic ideal.
Special Olympics as a global movement gives people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to take part in sport, to integrate so-
cially and to prove themselves to society which they live, regardless of cultural, religious or other differences. This competition is a
great school of humanity, while its athletes continuously provide a lesson in determination, ability and dignity, communicating the mes-
sage that the lack of some physical skills cannot be a reason for exclusion.
Coca-Cola by supporting the Special Olympics is sending the world a message of unity and respect for difference urging people to
unite people inside and outside the stadium, inviting them to reject stereotypes and prejudice and adopt an attitude governed by the
acceptance of difference.

30

Critical Thinking Needed...
before joining a social network!
10th Graders that Diligently & Seriously worked on this Educational Effort:
Block 1 - Alafouzos Eleni, Amis Hannah, Anastopoulou Evanthia, Apostolidis
Daphne, Apostolou George, Arafeh Suheil, Drimoussis Harry, Ginnis Max, Manticas
Nicholas, Marshall Marysia, Panou Athina, Papaconstantinou Nicolas, Papaleonardos
Dimosthenis, Petrakos Anna, Pulat Utkan, Rentumis Manolis, Schoinas Ioannis,
Siomou Christine, Souroulides Eleni, Todd Brian, Tsitsilonis Konstantinos, Tsopelas
Anastasia, Ventouris Antonis. Block 2 - Rentis Margi, Wolper Michael, Cindric Bruno,
Kotinis Dimitrios, Vlastos Delphine, Karydas Kassi, Papanikolaou Sofia, Evloyias Ted,
Sharaf Raseel, Aquarone Maryne, Kim Ji Woo, Skalkos Andriana, Morgane Copp,
Nikolaidis Konstantinos, Kavalini Anastasia Block 3 - Theodosiou Giovan, Scheunert
STUDENTtips
Alexandra, Kourassis Dimitris, Peterson Susanna, Elezoglou Dimitris, Naill Matthew,
Moffatt Jake, Verriopoulos Stephanie, Lauren Dominic, El Saleh Sobhi, Kalantzakis
Nicolas, Mitropoulos Peter, Geragidis Ermis, Seguin Maxime, Zafar Aliasha, Potami-
anos George, Politis Kostantinos, Block 6 - Xiradakis Sifis, Efstratudakis Nikos, Vla-
chos Fotis, Aharonian Marta, Papachristodoulou Elvira, Liakakou- Perrou Elli, My-
lonopoulou Veroniki, Koniali Anastasia, Barounas Sotiris, White Zach, Ismailos Mad-
dy, Papadakis Kalomira, Kavalini Maraia, Ino Lignou Block 8 - Vassiliou Evangeline,
Ghoneim Tarek, Camacho Amanda, Mertikas Panagiotis, Kyriakopoulos Peter, Anna
Nikitaki, Papadopoulos Sotiris, Katie Kyriakidou, Coliviras Selena, Ming-Fan Chen, Pan-
telis Vagionas, Alexander Menjivar, Chen Maria Wewe, Nomikou Anna
31
 NHSinductees

32
2010-2011 National Honor Society Inductees

Our students’ achievements in the realms of Scholarship, Leadership, Community Service, and Character were honored and celebrated on Thursday, October 21, 2010,
by their induction into the National Honor Society. An honor such as this was a wonderful way for our school and community to recognize and celebrate the choices, and
sometimes the sacrifices, our students make. A heart-felt congratulates goes out to each of our students and their families.
Antonia Hapsis-Ladas, Academy Principal
(photo: top left corner)

Abuel Basal, Nassos Anas Flari, Agapi Kim, JooYeon Papanastasiou, Thisvi Vontetsianos, Angelos
Al-Ajlani, Haya Georgakopoulos, Nikitas Kormpou, Maria Samad, Sara Zachares, Peter
Angelidis, Angelos Ghazal, Dina Kotini, Charikleia Spassof, Lydia Zachares, Sophia
Apostolidis, Alexandros Hu, Jason Kyriakopoulou, Natalia Tatsina, Nefeli
Cavadias, Daphne Kakaris, Artemis Liakakos-Perros, Angelos Tzelalis, Irene
Fatah, Akhmad Kazakeas, Alexander Nikitakis, Georgios Vangelatou, Maria

33
 HAILand farewell

Crisscrossing the World -

Travels of our Diplomatic Family Michele Topden,
parent

In the Spring Issue of Ethos (Ethos 7), we said farewell to some of our transitioning staff members. In this issue, we’d like to ex-
tend a warm welcome to some of our new hires and families from abroad. In the following pages, we have recognized their ori-
gin and what they bring to the ACS Athens community. Welcome!

My Grandmother, who lived Castle and Old Town Square.

until the astonishing age of 107, Next we went back to Delhi, In-
so often asked me, "Where are dia which is a bustling metropolis
you moving to again? How far is that offers a mind boggling array
it from here? Do they have good of energy – colors, sounds, foods,
meat there?" After answering her peoples and commerce. Memo-
questions and showing her rable sights are Rashtrapati Bha-
where we were going to on a van with the North and South
map, she would ask the last Blocks, the Red Fort, India Gate
question that always tugged at and the beautiful Taj Mahal a few
my heart, "And when will I see hours away. Then we headed
you again?" back to Europe to Frankfurt, Ger-
Growing up in a small town in many. We so enjoyed visiting the
the beautiful Finger Lakes region 'Wiehnachtsmarkt' (Christmas
of upstate New York, I never market), walking in the forests of
imagined living all over the world. the Taunus Mountains and the
My fascination for other cultures trips along the River Rhine. Next
started when I was an exchange we headed east again to Vien-
student in Cologne, Germany in tiane, Laos where we took morn-
1986. From there, I moved to ing walks to the golden stupa of
Washington, D.C. where I met That Luang and relaxed near the
my future husband, Tsewang languid Mekong River. Then
Topden, who grew up in Sikkim, Africa beckoned us. We spent al-
a picturesque northeastern state most four wonderful years in the
of India, located in the foothills of Erindi Game Reserve, Omaruru, Namibia 2010 beautiful country of Namibia.
the Himalayas. Tsewang was Namibia has limitless sunshine,
then a First Secretary at the Embassy of India in Washington. We often laugh and spectacular landscapes like the sand dunes of Walvis Bay, where desert meets the
say that it was fate that brought us both together at a dinner party in 1988, and Atlantic Ocean and where there is an amazing variety of wildlife especially in the
since then life has been one adventure after another. Etosha National Park with its Big Five (Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Buffalo and Rhino).
The list of adventures is too long…..Briefly, since 1992, we have lived in eight Europe has called us again as we arrived in Greece in early August. Tsewang pre-
countries, first in Kathmandu, Nepal with the breathtaking view of the snow capped sented his credentials as Ambassador of India to the President of Greece on Sep-
Himalayan mountains and the our visits to the ancient city of Bhaktapur. Next we tember 16th. Greece with its rich history and welcoming people offers so much and
moved to Prague in the Czech Republic with the beautiful Charles Bridge, Prague we are thrilled to be here!

34
 Very often I am asked, "Do you enjoy moving so much? Is it hard for you and
your son to make new friends every few years? What has been your favorite
country?" My diplomatic and truthful answers after many years of experience are:
Moving is not easy but after a few months of settling in, each country and house
becomes home. It is hard to leave friends but quite easy to make new ones. We
have learned that being friendly and warm ourselves opens many doors and
Calden, our 14 year old son, a true 'third culture kid', thankfully, makes friends eas-
ily and is comfortable everywhere. And my favorite country? I have enjoyed living
in each and every place. Each country and culture has so much to offer and I feel
privileged to have had so many enriching experiences.
So here we are - very happy to be at ACS, a multi-cultural and international en-
vironment where children are comfortable both with their own identity and with
other nationalities. While keeping their roots, students learn to be broad minded,
tolerant and to find common ground. And when there are differences, children in-
stinctively learn to compromise and trust each other. In today’s globalized world,
perhaps these are some of the necessary prerequisites for their happy and suc-
cessful futures.
And back to the questions… In the years to come, I sense that I will be the one
asking Calden, "And when will I see you again?" I am hopeful that Calden's answer
will be, "Soon Mom, soon."

35
 HAILand farewell
Heike Arnold
MS German teacher
I’m a passionate teacher because
I ‘m convinced that one of the
most meaningful contributions to
society one can provide is educat-
ing children.
My challenge as a German
teacher at the ACS school is to
develop and to strengthen the
individual social competences of
my students as well as to en-
large their cultural horizon, while
approaching and learning a new
foreign language.
36
Ann Freeston,
MS Optimal Match
Specialist
I believe every child learns in a
different way and every child has
undiscovered gifts, talents, and
potential. I provide small group
and one-on-one instruction
while embracing the learning
styles and strengths of each stu-
dent to continuously build upon
their knowledge and skills.
Alexandria Selemidis,
Junior Kindergarten
Throughout my early years, I
started working with children in
my community. My love of help-
ing others resulted in me having
studied elementary education.
Specifically, I love watching stu-
dents learn and grow and having
the "aha" moment when the
light bulb turns on and their
faces light up.
Ioanna Lamprou
1st grade
As a teacher, I would like my
students to learn appreciation of
one another and respect to-
wards all. Having lived in three
different countries, I have come
across all ethnicities and diverse
cultures. I found my personal ex-
perience to be enlightening and
life changing. We can learn so
much from each other. Also, I
would like my students to learn
what a gift books are to our
lives. It is such a joy to open up
a book and explore new worlds.
In today's rapidly changing soci-
ety with its technological ad-
vances the traditional approach
to reading is necessary, so that
we don't lose the joy of reading.
We have a 'book hospital' in
our classroom where we nur-
ture, love and take care of torn
or damaged books. This is a skill
and a passion I would like my
students to have for life.
Matina B. Argeitakou-
Stergiopoulos,
Academy English
My goal is to assist students in
developing their roles as future
leaders while fostering an enjoyable
and safe learning environment,
where all ideas can be freely
shared and the true definition of
the word, respect (both for self
and others) is embraced.
Through my challenging teach-
ing experiences of working in
low socioeconomic communities
(Bronx, New York), I’ve gained a
unique insight to the importance
of promoting confidence, posi-
tivity, and of course, a high level
of academic expectations as
pathways to success.
I am confident that through
sincere compassion and hope
for each student’s academic and
social success, the students will
acquire the desire to put the
necessary effort into their
achievements. I am elated and
profoundly proud of being en-
trusted with the education of
such wonderful individuals and
for being a member of the ACS
Athens Academy faculty.
Marla Coklas,
5th grade
My passion for teaching
comes from the outstanding
teachers I have had throughout
my life. I always remember feel-
ing safe, loved and inspired. This
is what I want my students to
feel. Without love, without feel-
ing secure enough to be who
you are and express your
thoughts in a "safe" setting, and
without inspiration, learning can-
not take place - period. My goal
has always been to be a small,
yet, important factor in my stu-
dents becoming educated indi-
viduals that inspire leadership
and be a positive force in chang-
ing the world to become a bet-
ter place. If we all work togeth-
er, this can happen one person
at a time. "It takes a village to
raise a child." (Ancient Nigerian
proverb)
Susan Ernst,
3rd Grade Teacher
It is my desire to employ
many forms of student engage-
ment within the classroom in or-
der to help students take own-
ership of their education,
whether it is through group
learning or partner work, hands-
on manipulatives or self-directed
projects.
I differentiate activities based
on student needs, enabling all
students to have meaningful
learning experiences each day.
The combination of a safe learn-
ing environment and high expec-
tations enables students to grow
as learners.
Kimberly Jones,
Elementary Art
One of my favorite aspects
about teaching art is helping stu-
dents understand that there are
no right or wrong answers in
art. In my classroom I am able
to give an entire class a ‘prob-
lem’. Every student solves the
problem in a different way and
they are all acceptable solutions.
I believe it is important to teach
students that problems can have
more than one answer and that
there are many ways to see and
interpret the world.
37
 HAILand farewell
Stacie La Grow,
Academy Counselor
My goal is to provide a com-
fortable place for students to
address personal issues, receive
academic planning in a holistic
fashion, as well as seek out in-
formation to help plan for their
future beyond ACS Athens. I
love that I have the opportunity
to affect positive change in a
student's life.
38
Carrie Brinkman,
Academy/MS Mathematics
My goal in teaching is to give
students opportunities to be
successful. In mathematics, I
want to assist in creating and
maintaining positive attitudes to-
wards both the subject and the
students' abilities in math. To
be able to see a student suc-
ceed and gain confidence is the
most rewarding part of teaching.
Smaragda Smirnaki ,
MS/HS Music
My goal is to teach my stu-
dents to enjoy expressing their
feelings through music. My pas-
sion for teaching comes from in-
spiring teachers of mine, and my
dedication to our mission: make
these children feel proud and
happy with their musical
achievements.
After all, it is great to see stu-
dents coming to your classroom
and writing on the board ‘I love
music’!
Jeff Kalas ,
MS Counselor
My goal is to assist students
to develop a genuine apprecia-
tion and respect for themselves,
others, and their surroundings.
This occurs through an open
sharing of ideas and a sensible
approach to social/emotional
concerns. When each student's
voice is heard, an environment is
created where students can
openly engage in meaningful dis-
cussion. I believe that students
have a greater respect for their
teachers, their administrators,
their peers, and their curriculum
when they feel safe and confi-
dent in the expectations placed
upon them.
Tamyra Walker,
Elem. Math Specialist
My passion in teaching is to
decode the mystical and magical
symbology of mathematics.
Together, my students and I
roll up our sleeves and explore
math concepts with our hands,
eyes, ears and most importantly
open minds.
Edward L. Woolbert,
MS Technology
In my classes I try to create a
positive and productive learning
environment. One of my main
goals for Middle School Tech-
nology students is to teach them
how to properly and successfully
navigate through multiple soft-
ware applications. Multitasking
and group collaboration are es-
sential skills that students need
for both school and their future
work place.
Sevasti Koniossis
Academy Social Studies
Having taught all levels of So-
cial Studies, ranging from Hon-
ors to Inclusion, it is my goal to
create an educational experi-
ence which is all-inclusive and in-
corporates the talents of all stu-
dents in the learning process.
There is nothing greater than
giving students the tools to un-
derstand and be an active part
of the world they live in by in-
spiring them in the classroom!
Leigh Anderson,
Library Manager
The ACS Middle
School/Academy and Elemen-
tary School Libraries are the
heart of our school. It is a place
for all the ACS Community to
share. I hope over the next year
to enhance the book collection
and develop programs that cele-
brate poetry, music, reading and
writing: where older students
will read to younger students,
where blue grass or classical mu-
sic could play at lunchtime,
where plays could be read aloud
and movies could be shown on
a Friday afternoon. We might
have an adult book club or adult
informational sessions. I hope to
see every member of our com-
munity enjoying the book collec-
tion and activities in the library
over the next year.
39

Freshman Connection Day at the Ranch
Ninth graders headed off for a Freshman Connec-
tion Day at "The Ranch", on October 14th, to cele-
brate a day of friendship and bonding amongst the
new members of the freshman class.
The morning rain quickly subsided as students ar-
rived at the western style ranch located in Sophico,
Corinth. Students spent the day participating in team
building and athletic activities that were spread across
PEDAGOGYin action
a lush green valley of 330 stremmata in the middle of
a pine forest. While some students preferred the
challenge of a friendly soccer, basketball or volleyball
match, others enjoyed a brisk stroll through the walk-
ing trails, a game of ping pong, touring the facilities on
a train ride, or interacting with the horses at the sta-
bles. After a lunch break at the "Saloon", the culmi-
nating activity was perhaps the most challenging of
Dimitri Pelidis,
College Planning
all--lifting an enormous parachute off the ground with
precision, focus, and collaboration!
The Freshman Connection Day was part of a
greater initiative by the ACS Athens Wellness Cen-
ter to facilitate students’ transition into high school
and encourage a strong sense of connectedness to
their teachers, counselors and peers, in a natural en-
vironment away from daily academic pressures.
41
 PEDAGOGYin action

ACS Athens’ Annual IB Retreat

Photos by Laith Kalai

42
The IB Retreat Trip
(through my – generally oblivious to the world around me – eyes) Natalie Kyriakopoulou,
Grade 11 IB Diploma

This fall, thirty-eight Year 1 IB Diploma students, accompannied by Ms. Tokatlidou, Director of IB and AP programs, Ms.
Kassem, IB chemistry teacher, Ms. Lagrow, academy counselor and Mr. Pupovac, took part in the Annual Bonding/IB
Overview conference retreat at Hotel Ilis in Ancient Olympia. The focus of this trip was to provide our students with out of
classroom learning experiences as well as opportunities for community service.
This year's trip focused on developing civic responsibility by having stu-
dents collaborate with volunteer organizations and the local forestry de-
partment plant trees in the fire-struck area of Olympia; also, students
were given an opportunity to take part in a social awareness and appre-
ciation via a visit to the Lehaina Children's Hospital; in addition to writing
workshops on extended essays for students' Theory of Knowledge (TOK)
and Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) papers, students experienced a
scientific component in which they performed soil and water tests from the
Julia Tokatlidou, Director IB&AP Programs
salt-lake of Kotixi.
43
 PEDAGOGYin action
What’s the first thing you learn when you go on a
school field trip? Nothing will go according to plan. If
the hotel happens to be a good one, the program will
be messed up or – in our case – it was the weather.
Yes, I know it’s autumn; yes I know it is only normal to
rain cats and dogs in mid-October, but did it really
have to happen on our field trip? And we were all so
enthusiastic…

On the road…
No matter how many high school trips you’ll take,
the atmosphere inside the bus is unique: it has a mix-
ture of fun, and feelings of enthusiasm, happiness, im-
patience; arguments for the back seats; arguments for
the type of music to choose; and "Who ate souvlaki in-
side the bus?" It is a mosaic of pictures and words as
the bus hits the road and the teachers are desperate-
ly (and rather fruitlessly) trying to have everyone seat-
ed with seatbelts. The only clouds looming over our
excitement are those in the sky, and we’ll definitely not
let them ruin our good mood…three days away from
school and our homes, in a totally new place, and with
our friends. Our destination: Olympia, the place where
the ancient Olympic Games took place. Or let’s be
more contemporary--a place wounded deeply from
the fires in the summer of 2007. How many of us have
been there before? Not many.

Passion for Nature!

I look around me at the breakfast tables in the ho-
tel. Most of us are bleary-eyed, having forced our-
selves out of bed – and fought for the right to show-
er first – trying to make sense of the printed words
on the itinerary. So… The first thing today will be
tree planting… But what about the weather? Last
night’s clouds are still making their presence known in
the sky. Oh well…
We walk the way to the Hill of Galanis. We’re get-
ting lost on our way there; thankfully, before we get
completely out of the village. The pre-decided meet-
ing point is outside the local High School. There is
van there and the most nimble – or lucky – hop on,
hoping to avoid the rest of the walking. Grumbling
under our breath, the rest of us follow them on foot.
However, the moodiness soon disappears and the
walk turns into the perfect excuse for bonding time
and of course photos. Midway the van comes back
and we get a small break before getting down to ac-
tion.

44
 One hundred and eighty trees waiting to be put
back into the earth. We climb up and down the hill,
wary of the holes on the ground_they were ready
and waiting for us to place a new life inside them. But
they can be great traps if you don’t watch where
you’re going. As I run around carrying trees, I notice
the patters. Small groups are formed where one car-
ries the young plants and the rest place them inside
the soil. Some students wear surgery gloves. I don’t
see why. What’s the point of planting anything if you
don’t feel the life inside the soft, rich soil?
In no time we’re finished. I can’t help but smile as
we’re looking for local journalists to talk about the
experience. Usually, we’re reprimanded for speaking
Greek within the school. Yet here, we are now look-
ing for someone who can actually speak the lan-
guage. Oh, the life’s small ironies…
After lunch we return to the hotel for some "quiet
time" before the first workshop. It takes some
willpower not to fall asleep the moment I see my bed.
Soon the corridors come alive. Students are running
up and down, banging doors, grouping in different
rooms, making the so-called quiet time a rather noisy
one_but one in which our experiences are shared.

A mystery unraveled
A far more appropriate title for the first work-
shop, in my humble opinion. The extended essay is
one of the most feared requirements for the IB
Diploma, along with the CAS hours. It is a mystery
indeed. The only thing we know for sure is the four
thousand word limit. Thankfully, it is a rather infor-
mative experience. We learn more about the
process than I had actually expected. I let out a sigh
of relief. It will probably be easier than I expected to
write it.

Mirror Images
The bus is quiet as we leave the Childrenãs Hos-
pital. Of course, we had been prepared for a situa-
tion much worse than the one we saw but, I don’t
think the images will disappear anytime soon. My
friends often accuse me of acting like a mother,
mainly because I let them use me as an outlet for all
their problems and I had always defined my role as
such. I turn the music up on my mp3 and let the
lyrics carry me away: "I am a rock. I am an island. And
a rock feels no pain. And an island never cries." Then
why did I have to turn and blink a few tears away be-

45
 PEDAGOGYin action
fore smiling to these children? No matter their age I
can’t use another term to describe them. They are
children, forever trapped into their own private
world because of an accident or because they were
born this way. I know for a fact that I wouldn’t have
the strength to carry on caring for these children for-
ever. I didn’t even have the strength to go on the
second and third level, where the most severe cases
are. Yet, as we leave and I look back at the building,
I can’t help to think that I’ve never seen more real
smiles than those I’ve on those children’s faces.

A lake by the sea

After a quick visit to the folklore museum at
Lehenon, where I really laughed reading some century
old newspaper headlines, we headed to the sea-water
lake at Kotixi. The people working there are producing
a delicacy much like caviar. The lake is a true marvel of
nature, with the water flowing from the sea for six
hours and then back to the sea for the next three. Our
role there isn’t to admire this phenomenon however.
We are supposed to conduct a few experiments, like
measuring the pH and conductivity of the water.
Which brings me back to my first impressions...if
something is to go wrong, it will. First my team’s calcu-
lator ran out of batteries. Then the measurements that
appeared would not stop changing, making the calcu-
lation of an average nearly impossible--not that we
were very keen on the idea to begin with. Most of us
simply wanted to rest someplace quiet. I couldn’t help
but stare longingly at the bus.

An hour-long enlightenment
Once we’re back at the hotel, everyone hurries
to their rooms. It’s marvellous how those people
who couldn’t fight yawn after yawn are now full of
energy. And the door banging begins once again.
But not for long…
On our second workshop, it’s Mr. Pupovac’s turn
to enlighten us on the secret arts of the IB Diploma.
Yesterday, it was the Extended Essay. Today, it is the
TOK one. Okay, this one seems a little harder. But
then again, philosophy was never really my thing and
reading the essay topics in front of me is an eerie re-
minder of it. And, because philosophy always fell in
the same era as the arts (Renaissance anyone?), Mr.
Pupovac wouldn’t let us go without a song. Despite
my tiredness, I inwardly smile. It’s moments like this
I’ll miss from my high-school years.

46
A tribute to the past
It’s our last day here and we still have a packed
schedule. The original plan was for us to visit the ar-
chaeological museum of Ancient Olympia the day we
replanted Hill of Galanis, but the skies decided it
would be more fun to drench us on the way back to
the hotel, so the idea was promptly dropped. But to-
day the weather seems decent and we will pay our re-
spects to this hive of the ancient Greek civilization
whether we like it or not. I have no complains. There
is nothing to stress me, unlike some others who wait-
ed for the last--cough--possible--cough--moment to
complete their CAS forms. Besides – and I say this
risking to be labeled a nerd – it is fun to study history.
Hey! Why is everyone looking weirdly at me?!

Take me home, country roads…

Eli Pupovac:
OK faculty
 COMMUNITYconnections
Innovation, Collaboration and Bridging
the Transition from High School to University
We asked the Director of the Institute of
Innovative and Critical Thinking, Mr. Steve
Medeiros and the Director of Student Ser-
vices, Ms. Peggy Pelonis, how are they ‘engi-
ACS Athens Summer Leadership
Institute Students
48
Peggy Pelonis, Director of Student Services
neering’ the process of helping students to
think critically so that they are prepared for
the future. They responded with their steps
to creating small sustainable experiences for
ACS Athens Students
Mr. Steve Medeiros,
Director of the Institute
Steve Medeiros, Director Institute
for Innovation and Creativity,
high school students to interact with college-
level professors and programs. The result?
Students are exposed to a higher-level of
learning and academic inquiry while still in
high school.
ACS Athens is committed to establishing
partnerships with North American colleges
and universities in an on-going effort to bridge
the gap between the high school and college
experiences for our students; thus, we are en-
gineering a platform for higher learning.
In the past four years ACS Athens – the
Office of Student Services and the Institute
for Innovation and Creativity have worked to
establish a variety of partnerships and univer-
sity collaborations.
The first order of business has been sim-
ply to reach out to university admissions offi-
cers to introduce them to the ACS Athens
program and our holistic, meaningful and har-
monious approach to teaching and learning.
To this end, Dr. Stefanos Gialamas, ACS
Athens President; Ms. Peggy Pelonis, Director
of Student Services; Mr. Steve Medeiros, Di-
rector of the Institute; and Ms. Chris Perakis,
Director of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Learning Center – along with members of
the counseling staff – have met personally
with over 150 admissions officers.
Together, we have established relation-
ships to help us promote our students and
create individual foundations for further col-
laborative endeavors: From 2006-2008, we
have brought universities to our campus for
three summer learning institutes projects:
Professors from Tufts University, Williams
College and York University, working with
members of the ACS Athens faculty led in-
tensive, interdisciplinary and project-based
classes over a two-week period.
The courses were offered to talented
ACS Athens students in International Rela-
tions, Mathematics, and Creativity and The-
ater.
Taking advantage of the historical and cul-
tural sites of Greece, the summer programs
were exceptional learning and growth expe-
riences for the student participants, who ex-
celled in the university-level courses.
These collaborations were also a growth
experience for the ACS Athens and universi-
ty faculty who taught the students.
Reflecting on the results of our summer
learning institute, we next sought to expand it.
We offered students the opportunity not on-
ly to do university level work, but to experi-
ence college life and US culture first-hand.
Thus, was born our partnership with the
Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the
University of Richmond. Working with Jep-
son Dean, Dr. Sandra Peart; Director of In-
ternational Education, Dr. Iualana Gabara; and
Professor Thomas Wren, we created the
Summer Leadership Institute.
The summer institute reversed the
process of the universities coming to ACS
Athens and instead, now takes the students
to the university environment and culture in
which they will study. The program includes:
1. One week of study in Athens
Led by Dr. Gialamas, Steve Medeiros and
Peggy Pelonis
2. One week of university classes and
field study in the surrounding area of the Uni-
versity of Richmond
Led by Dr. Wren, Mr. Medeiros, Mr. Kel-
ly (former ACS Athens Academy Principal)
and faculty member, Mr. Pupovac (see pho-
to gallery of students online: http://jepson.
smugmug.com/Other/jepson-athens/)
3. One week of field study in Washing-
ton, D.C.
We have concluded two successful Sum-
mer Leadership Institutes and look forward
to the third in 2011. We are currently in ne-
gotiations with Dodge School of Film Studies

49
 COMMUNITYconnections
at Chapman University in California to estab-
lish a second summer program, modeled on
the University of Richmond prototype, focus-
ing on the theme of mass media, film and TV
production.
Building on our desire to provide stu-
dents with as much information about the
experiences of university life, we have also es-
tablished a successful program of week-long
college/university visits to the US (involving
13 Boston-area schools) and to the UK (in-
volving 12 London areas schools). Led by
ACS Athens faculty, these visits give student
participants the opportunity to become ac-
quainted with the institutions first hand by
meeting with admissions officers, touring
campuses, meeting with students (ACS
Athens alumni whenever possible) and at-
tending classes. As they debrief the visits with
the tour leaders, students come to under-
stand the myriad elements that make particu-
lar schools a "good fit" for their abilities, tal-
ents, interests and personalities.
Pushing ahead with our commitment to
leading innovation in education, ACS Athens
has embarked this year on yet another av-
enue of collaboration designed to bridge the
gap. With firm belief in the quality of our ed-
ucational program, we have reached out to
selected US colleges and universities by ask-
ing them to enter into agreements with us
that specify exactly the university credit that
students can earn for work completed at
ACS Athens. While US institutions generally
award credit for successful completion of AP
and IB courses, we are asking them to take a
look at four authentic, interdisciplinary ACS
Athens-developed courses:
ñHumanities
ñLeadership Studies
ñThe Heart of Mathematics
ñKnot Theory

These four courses are of equal academic

caliber, with an eye towards awarding our
students university credit for work done in
these classes. This decision is in line with our
firm commitment to providing choices and al-
ternatives for our students, allowing them to

50
build the best program that meets their indi-
vidual academic and intellectual needs.
Our proposal challenges the institutions we
approach to look at our program in a more
holistic way and outside of the limits of tradi-
tional categories. It is also a challenge to our-
selves to understand that there are many
routes to excellence: We have the capability
and creativity to draw on our own traditions
and new knowledge and experiences in an
effort to develop programs that cross discipli-
nary boundaries and lead our students to
think in sophisticated, creative and analytical
ways.
To date, we have concluded our first agree-
ment with the University of Mary Washing-
ton and are in the final stages of negotiations
with the University of Richmond. We are in
the initial stages of discussions with 10 addi-
tional colleges and universities, and our goal is
to establish a portfolio of brochures outlining
our agreements with 25-30 colleges and uni-
versities, which will serve as an invaluable
source of information for our Academy stu-
dents as they plan for university study and
navigate the application process.
During negotiations with university offi-
cials – admissions officers, members of regis-
trars’ and provosts’ offices, deans and presi-
dent’s office staff -- we have the opportunity
to describe and explain the ACS Athens pro-
gram in depth. This information provides
them with a rich context and deep under-
standing of our students’ educational experi-
ences when they are reviewing our students’
applications for admissions. This advantage
may be even more important than the credit
that students may earn.
These innovative agreements provide our
students with added confidence in their
knowledge and in our school programs: an in-
valuable and empowering attitude that gives
them the confidence to engineer their own
choices and design their own abilities to suc-
ceed in the next phase of their academic ca-
reers.

51
 COMMUNITYconnections
Arete Award Winners: 2009-2010
The ACS Areté Award for Civic Responsibility, launched by the Social Stud-
ies department in 2008-2009, pays tribute to members of the ACS community
for embodying the spirit of areté and civic responsibility; demonstrating extraor-
dinary initiative to serve others; striving socially and ethically as healthy, responsi-
ble members of the community; modeling service at ACS and/or in the local com-
munity; and inspiring others to become involved. In turn, it is hoped that this
recognition will inspire others to rise up and become more involved in their com-
munity. To receive the award, a person must be nominated by a student, teacher,
or parent and a special committee reviews these nominations and decides on the
finalists. This year, an elementary student was not nominated, but we hope to get
nominations for the next school year. Let us celebrate the following 2009-2010
winners:
Middle School Student
At the middle school level, 7th grader Aliyah White (now 8th grade) was rec-
ognized. Her love for animals motivates her to volunteer her time with an animal
protection group, which provides different services such as medical treatment,
neutering, food, and shelter for abandoned and stray animals. Aliyah lives her life
according to her principles – she does not believe in harming animals and thus
lives her life as a vegetarian. When she saw the many stray cats on the ACS
Athens campus, she decided to do something about it. Aliyah spent her own
money buying cat food and kitty litter and hauling both of these items to school
regularly to make the lives of the cats better. Not only did she feed them, but she
also spent most of her lunches taking care of them and giving them love. She cam-
paigned endlessly to find homes for them by designing colorful, computer-gener-
ated "Wanted" posters and posting them around the campus with the picture of
each cat and the personalized name she gave each one. One teacher describes
Aliyah as a self-less person, who is self-confident and recognizes the importance
of having a big heart. When she was given the award last spring at a middle school
assembly, she was given the microphone to address her peers. Thanking her
friends graciously for assisting her these past two years with the cats on campus,
she recognized the contributions of Austin Pardue and Micaela Moffatt and she
showed humility in receiving the award.
High School Student
Gaith and Laith Kalai, 10th and 11th graders last year, were awarded for
their hard work in realizing the creation of a guidebook for new students to
ACS. Having joined ACS one and a half years ago, these dynamic brothers en-
tered the school half way through the school year. Entering half way through the
year made their transition quite difficult, as they did not know anyone and they
felt "dropped" into many new classes without knowing anything about the ACS
system. After this difficult transition, they managed to get comfortable and make
new friends. In the 2009-2010 school year, they decided to use this experience
52
Ranelle McCoy,
Middle School Social Studies
to help other students in their situation. They created a new group called "New
Student Initiative" (NSI) and recruited 20 students to help them. The vision was
to create a booklet written from a student’s perspective about ACS and what
is offered. The language of the book needed to be easily accessible to students,
rather than in the lingo used by teachers and administrators. Students who were
already part of clubs or participated in past field trips, wrote about their indi-
vidual activities in this booklet and what students could gain from these activi-
ties. Currently, the book is online and in circulation. In addition, a video was
made for the IB students.
ACS Athens Faculty
Mrs. Toni Fleeher, a Middle School Science teacher and Mrs. Jane Man-
tarakis, a 2nd grade teacher, were honored for the formation and founding of
an ACS Earth Club and Earth Day. Both teachers initiated, planned, organized
and led the newly established Earth Club. Voluntarily and outside school hours,
both worked tirelessly to establish the club and the culmination of their work
was with April 2010 Earth Day activities on campus in both the elementary and
middle school. ACS students and faculty directly participated in Earth Club and
Earth Day activities, helping them raise their environmental awareness and in-
terest in global stewardship for the rest of their lives. Both faculty members are
committed to saving the Earth and live by example through their work with
ACS students, their own families, and ultimately, the good of humanity. An ar-
ticle was already written about this club in a previous Ethos edition entitled
"Earth Club – Leading by Example."
Category: ACS Family Member
Ms. Despina Yannouli-Soukakos, mother of 2nd grader George Soukakos, re-
ceived the award for her low key approach and self-less manner in helping ACS
students in the elementary school. During swine flu season, she wanted to find a
way to help the younger students become more aware of keeping their hands
clean and not transfer germs from one person to another. With the help of Nurse
Mary Papalanis and Art teacher Miah Confer, information was shared with stu-
dents. Mrs. Soukakos created bookmarks for students in JK-8 and bracelets for stu-
dents in JK-5, as well as posters and a banner. All expenses were covered by her.
In addition to this project, she worked with the 2nd grade to create a service
learning unit on saving the endangered Caretta Caretta turtles in the Mediter-
ranean. She created a booklet for each classroom teacher which outlined ways to
extend service learning and connecting with the ARCHELON society for rehabil-
itation of seat turtles that have been harmed in some way. She worked with
teachers and helped students create a booth at the Spring Fair to get communi-
ty members to adopt hatchlings and help the 2nd grade meet its goal of provid-
ing medical care and support for a sea turtle at the rehabilitation center located
in Glyfada.
Making a Difference
Each year the NESA (Near East South Asia ) Council of Overseas
Schools gives Community Service awards, including grants of $750, to mem-
ber schools which bring faculty and students together in an ongoing effort
to serve the less fortunate in their host communities. Last spring the eighth
grade students for the school year 2009-2010 were happy to have their
work with the Hatzipaterion Rehabilitation Center for Children with Cere-
bral Palsy recognized. It was the first time that the Middle School has been
8th graders outside the Middle School (before we left for Hatzipaterion) with an oversized check
Sue Protopsaltis, Middle School Mathematics
Eighth Grade Community & Service Project – Hatzipaterion Center
selected to receive a NESA grant, so we were very proud.
Since 2001, our 8th graders have been doing various fundraising activi-
ties throughout the years in order to support the wonderful work done at
the Center. In May, we delivered the check to Hatzipaterion and spent
some time with the children. The check will be used for the purchase of
materials that are needed by the Speech Therapy and Psychology Depart-
ments.
8th graders at Hatzipaterion Center
(with the oversized check)
Alexander Sharp, last year's Student Council
President, presenting the check to a staff
member at Hatzipaterion
53
 COMMUNITYconnections

NESA Virtual Science Fair 2010 Results

Christina Bakoyannis
ACS Athens NESA Virtual Science Fair Coordinator
Middle School Science Teacher

ACS Athens participated for the second year in a row in the 2009-2010 NESA Virtual Science Fair Project. The NVSF is an exciting hands-on science project that
involves schools from the Near East South Asia (NESA) region. In this project, students are asked to think like scientists and collaborate with other students in their
teams as well as form a collaborative online community with their e-mentors. ACS Athens participated with a total of 87 teams, whereas there were over 350 teams
that participated from 14 schools.

RESULTS FOR THE ACS ATHENS LOCAL SCIENCE FAIR

6th GRADE Jason Panagiotou

How does the shape of a parachute affect its landing?
1st PLACE: TEAM 16 - Zeena Shawa, Layan El-Choufani and Maria Guli-
no 3rd PLACE: TEAM 34 - Teo Ananiadis
What is the adhesion and cohesion of homemade glue on different types of Are people more honest when someone is watching (in an observed environ-
materials comparing to the adhesion and cohesion of bought glue? ment)?

2nd PLACE: TEAM 6 - Micaela Moffatt and Aubrey Keys

Do different types of music affect math test scores? 8th GRADE

3rd PLACE: TEAM 13 - Peter Gyorgy (Ranked 5th place overall) 1st PLACE: TEAM 68 - Conner Arman, Nicole Spaulding and Daniel
How do magnets affect the growth (rate and direction) of plants? Zoumaya
Is it possible to construct very low cost wind, solar, and hydro sources of elec-
tricity using mostly recyclable and natural sources for rural areas?
7th GRADE

1st PLACE: TEAM 41 - Constantine Kutson, Ryan and Cole Sitar 2nd PLACE: TEAM 57- Alexis Balascas and George Gulino (Ranked 6th
How can we measure the amount of energy in foods using a calorimeter? place overall)
Which substance absorbs motor oil most effectively, saw dust, cat litter, wheat
TEAM 86 - Angelina Valsami flour, corn starch, or potting soil?
Does natural work with natural?
3rd PLACE: TEAM 63 - Salma Koudsi, Anran Lin and Courtney New-
2nd PLACE: TEAM 27 - Max Gavrilovits, Dionysis Sakellaropoulos and man

NESA VIRTUAL SCIENCE FAIR 2010 – FINAL ROUND RESULTS

Two of our ACS Athens teams moved on to the final round of the competition that consisted of the top 10 teams overall from all schools in the NESA region.
The final results were scored virtually by 1 physicist, 1 ecologist, 1 geneticist, 1 microbiologist, 1 chemist, 1 zoologist, 1 environmental engineer and 2 high school
science teachers. The final round of the competition asked students to take their science fair project and see it in a new context through a challenge scenario that
was presented to them. The team had to write a new hypothesis and their background information, specify their variables, plan their procedure and data collec-
tion for their challenge scenario. ACS Athens Team 13 ranked 5th place overall, while ACS Athens Team 57 ranked 6th place.

54
 ALUMNIaffairs

Grapevine Alumni News

In this section of Alumni News, we

would like to share with you infor-
mation on two of our ACS Athens
Alumni, Stan Kontogiannis class of
1985 and recent graduate George
Angelidis, class of 2008.

Stan Kontogannis has been re-

elected (July) as Vice President for
the Connecticut Alumni Club of
Syracuse serving over 7,000 alumni in
the state and was recently appointed
(May) as a Board of Director mem-
ber for the Manchester (Connecti-
cut) Chamber of Commerce. Stan
was recently asked by the Mayor of New Haven, Connecticut to sit
on the Democracy Fund as a Democrat and accepted and has re-
signed from the Commission on Disabilities after serving 5 years
(2005-2010).

Dear Alumni,
Welcome to the Alumni Section of the eighth issue of ACS Athens Ethos. George Angelidis entered ACS
Athens in 2005 after receiving a
To submit your information in the next issue, please email alumni@acs.gr.
Scholarship from
To join the ACS Athens Alumni Directory, please visit our website at www.acs.gr, and Mr. Alafouzos (SKAII) that gave
follow these steps: him the opportunity to continue his
education at ACS Athens. This great
opportunity given to George opened
Top Navigation Bar a wide horizon and made his dreams
come true to study aeronautics in
1. ACS Profile (scroll down) America.
2. Alumni After graduating high school in
2008, George Angelidis went on to
3. Alumni Verification for Alumni Directory Form (complete this first)
attend Embry- Riddle Aeronautical
4. Await USERNAME and PASSWORD approval and CONFIRMATION email University in Florida. George is cur-
with registration link. rently a senior majoring in Aero-
space Engineering with a concentration in Aeronautics and a minor in
Mathematics, Aviation Safety and High Performance Vehicles.
Marianna Savvas (‘98) One of George’s University experiences and a very successful part
Alumni Affairs of his life up to date is a project that he along with a few of his Uni-
versity classmates had been working on called "Project Infinity"

55
 ALUMNIaffairs
(www.thelimitisinfinity.com). Project infinity is a weather balloon that he and his
classmates created launching at around 100,000ft to take pictures of the curva-
ture of the Earth. After that, together with the amazing pictures, three world
records were recorded: 1) The youngest team to launch such a balloon and take
pictures of the earth without the presence or help of a professor, 2) The first
team to photograph pictures of the stars Venus (the planet) and Sargas (tail of
Scorpio constellation) at daylight with a non specialized camera and finally 3) The
first team to travel the greatest ground distance of 220 miles (approximately 350
kilometers).
According to George "Our goal was to test our science and skills ability to the
limit. For the time being…if we fail we are going to try again. If we succeed we
have to move on. Stagnatation is the vengeance to those who don’t imagine and
attempt new things…DON’T expect to walk in the road of success without
work…even if you are actually running on it, since you don’t stay for long
there…sometimes you will not imagine how much work you have put into
something for achieving such results."
One of their project’s accomplishments as quoted by George was to "gain per-
sonal satisfaction and proof that you don’t need to be a genius in order to make
something "extra" ordinary. Thinking out of the box is for those who believe that
initially there is a box. I believe that there is not a box or a kind of boundary. You
are as free to think and act as you believe so."
During his studies at ACS Athens, George feels that his teachers gave him cul-
ture and the will to investigate and be creative in his life. "Dr. Tsokos inspired me
in physics and mathematics, and helped a lot in my future in aeronautics, which
was, and will become more and more one of my greatest loves. Mrs. Pittas, who
Back to my Alma Mater…
September 17, 2010 was a day of remembrance for alumnus Robert Hunt who
visited the school campus after 32 years. Robert attended ACS Athens for three
years from 7th-9th grade (1976-1978). Born in Columbus, Ohio, Robert had many
traveling experiences as he attended 9 different schools from 1st to the 12th grade.
As he quotes "His father was in the US Air Force and worked for Joint US Military
Aid Group Greece (JUSMAGG) working to provide military assistance and equip-
ment to the Greek Air Force."
As Robert entered the school grounds he was surprised and amazed how much
ACS Athens had changed, but at its core it still remained the school that he re-
members so fondly. As he quotes "I fondly remember my Greek Language classes,
field trips to Olympia and Marathon, riding by the Acropolis every day on the way to
and from school, football intramurals, and making friends from every walk of life (mil-
itary children, diplomatic children from many nations etc.)."
For Robert, his most favorite memories and recollection of teachers are from his
3 years of attendance at ACS Athens. "I remember Mr. Macrides (Math), Mrs.
Panopoulos (Language Arts), Mr. Wayne (Social Studies), Ms. Missiriotis (Greek), Ms.
56
as a "mother" embraced us all and provided me with the belief that when I would
be caught in a difficult and stressful time, such as the late nights of hard studying,
there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel. Mrs. Tokatlidou who made
us understand well that in life you will always have to sacrifice something to get
or achieve something.
Ms. Kassem in Chemistry who I was definitely thinking when filling the bal-
loon with helium since everything is based in proven equations. Mr. Dim-
itropoulos and Mr. Mikros who taught me to race and fight to the end. Mrs.
Kormaris managed to calm me down, develop and "tame" my untamed philo-
sophical issues that concern me. Mr. Nelson for making me love history and
critical thinking again."
Amongst the teachers were also many people behind the scenes who guided
George. "Mrs. Pelonis, whose assistance was invaluable while finding Universities
in America as she played a great role to the realization of my dreams, Dr. Giala-
mas who encouraged me and other classmates and gave us strength to contin-
ue the difficult struggle, and Mr. Medeiros for caring about our cultural-education
in general."
Last but not least, "I would like to thank the family of ACS Athens that
helped me in any way. I wanted to finish with the words of Alexander the
Great that I will always remember, "In my parents I owe my being, in my teach-
ers the well-being."
To read the article of their project in the Daytona Beach News Journal titled
Another team snaps photos of Venus, please visit the below site:
http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/florida/space/2010/04/14/experiment-
off-the-ground-for-erau-students.html
Marianna Savvas,
Alumni Affairs
McCarthy (History)."
After graduating from high school, Robert received an Air Force ROTC scholar-
ship to the University of Texas from 1981-1985 and was requested to serve 4 years
in the US Air Force after graduation. Robert enjoyed seeing the world and felt good
about serving his country and before he knew it he had made a career as an Air
Force officer. Robert has been stationed in England, South Korea, and several places
in the US prior to his assignment to NATO in Brussels, Belgium where he will be
there for the next two years.
"The education and experiences that I received while at ACS Athens have been
very valuable to my career. As an Air force officer, I’ve had the good fortune to be
able to work various jobs around the world. I’ve worked with the Korean military to
help keep the peace on the Korean peninsula and worked on various US-Korea is-
sues. I’ve helped conduct peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Kosovo. I have de-
ployed to Iraq and tried to be a good representative of the American people. I’ve
worked for the European Command intelligence agency in the UK and now work-
ing on various NATO subcommittees. All these jobs have required diplomacy, tact,
 Robert Hunt and Marianna Savvas

and understanding of different cultures other than my own. These are the same skills
I started learning while at ACS Athens. After spending all my youth in the US, I had
to dive in and learn, understand and respect different cultures, attitudes and ideas. Teacher News from the 70’s
ACS Athens was a perfect and welcoming environment for that. The rich cultural ex-
periences at ACS Athens have made me a better Air Force Officer, a better US cit-
izen, and a better citizen of the world."
Roberts’s advice to our students: "although you might not realize it today, you will Bill Price recently retired from South Burlington (VT) High school after 25
always remember the education and experiences you have received at ACS Athens. years there.
I hope you are lucky as I was and are able to return to ACS Athens many years from Ron Davenport basketball coach and physical education teacher at the Ele-
now. You may see physical changes on campus, but the fundamental things will not mentary and High school in the 1960’s and 1970’s died in May 2010 in Dover,
change…a great education, fantastic teachers…. dedicated and talented teachers." North Carolina.

57
 ALUMNIaffairs
Philadelphia Reunion
September 16-19, 2010 Loews Hotel
Our ACS Athens 2010 Reunion in Philadelphia was "wonderful", "terrific",
"had a great time." "I can’t wait until the next one"…that’s what they said.
It began Thursday in the Hospitality Suite with meeting and greeting old and
new friends, picking up packets and noshing on snacks--you should have seen
the cooler! Thank you to Gene Papalardo (class of ’67) and his employer Fresh
Delmonte for the additional fruit and vegetable treats. The afternoon turned
into an evening welcome buffet reception with Philly Cheese steaks fixin’s and
Philly cheesecake and Tasty Cakes for dessert. It turned out that the bartender,
George, is Greek and attended ACS in 1997. He is now on the Alumni list so
he’ll be receiving updates and says he’ll attend future gatherings.
Friday night on the 33rd floor of the Loews Hotel with its spectacular view
of the city was turned into a Taverna of sorts with plenty of Greek foods
(which the hotel chefs did a great job of creating) and Greek music from local
DJ Steve Doulis I’m told the hotel chefs practiced several times with recipes
and were hoping they did it right. It certainly looked like everyone’s taste buds
and tummies were very happy. Moussaka, Lemon Chicken, Gyros and more….
and for dessert, Baklava and Honey Walnut Cake rounded out the buffet.
Sketcher Rob created sketches for us (really did a good job of making us look
like we were teens again). Valeina, the Belly Dancer, joined us later to enter-
tain us and who also gave some ladies a few quick lessons and the girls did a
short number to our delight. Our DJ (also Greek-found at the Greek church
nearby) was sponsored by Dr. Tom Tavantzis (attended ACS Athens in 1967-
1968) and wife Martha of Innovative Management Development . Thank you
Tom and Martha for your sponsorship which was in remembrance of his best
friend Basil Vlahopolis.
58
Ann Lappas-Stiles
Alumni Stateside Representative/Reunion Coordinator
Saturday night rounded out the weekend with a plated dinner and a slide
presentation by Mr. Steve Medeiros, Director, Institute for Innovation and Cre-
ativity at ACS Athens, informing us on what’s happening at ACS and the future
plans of our school. How impressed we all are with where our school is and
how much it has grown since we were there. Thank you Steve!!! We all en-
joyed meeting you and sharing stories with you too. The evening continued
with more reminiscing, music and dancing ‘till midnight.
Everyone loved the City. There is an abundance of history in Philadelphia
from the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Betsy Ross’s House, Franklin Mint and
the famous Museum of Art where Rocky ran up the steps, just to name a few.
Many made their way around the sites by either walking or taking the bus tours
found across the street.
Thanks to Joyce Schwartz McMillan for the design of our T-shirt. Many
thanks to Kit (attended 1959-1960) and Jessica Cottrel, Buck Johnson (attend-
ed 1958-1963), Anne Cassidy (attended 1977-1978), Henry Van Ryan, and
Charla (Godenschwager) (attended 1962-1965) and Warren Brinker for help-
ing in the Hospitality Suite. Thank you to Tony Lappas for being our photog-
rapher. Pictures are currently available on Facebook and soon on one of the
other photo sites.
Many thanks to Mariana Savvas and ACS for its help in spreading the word
and its continued support.
Where to next--looking into Albuquerque, New Mexico for 2012. Hopeful-
ly, more from Athens and beyond will be able to join us next time. Keep in
touch.
Why you ask there…well why not!
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 ALUMNIaffairs
ACS Athens Alumni among the stars
Almost everyone has a question or two about
"living" in space, but for our young readers who may
be reading this article would like to know…
Q: "What Do Astronauts Do In Space?"
A: "We build space stations; we conduct im-
portant science, like developing materials for next
generation computer systems; we repair and main-
tain satellites. Exercising in space is also an important
part of the job. Most of all, we look out at the heav-
ens to try to establish our place in the Universe. Liv-
ing in Space is different…you have to think about
what you are leaving behind."
On September 21, 2010 I was delighted for the opportunity to interview by
phone, ACS Athens Alumnus and former NASA Astronaut, Dr. Scott E. Parazynski.
Dr. Parazynski has made countless visits to different schools around the world, in-
cluding ACS Athens in 1999 when he spoke to Elementary, Middle and High school
students about his experiences in space.
Who is Dr. Scott E. Parazynski? A Brief Insight.... For the few of you who may not
know of him, he was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1961. He attended junior high
school in Dakar, Senegal, and Beirut, Lebanon. Later on he attended high school at
the Tehran American School in Iran, and lastly the American Community Schools of
Athens graduating in 1979. Scott received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology
from Stanford University in 1983. He continued on to graduate with honors from
Stanford Medical School in 1989. While an undergraduate at Stanford University, he
studied the basis of African Sleeping Sickness, using sophisticated molecular biologi-
cal techniques. He then went on to serve his medical internship at the Brigham and
Women’s Hospital of Harvard Medical School in 1990. He had completed 22
months of a residency program in emergency medicine in Denver, Colorado when
selected to the Astronaut Corps. While in medical school, Scott was awarded a
NASA Graduate Student Fellowship and conducted research at the NASA-Ames
Research Center on fluid shifts that occur during human space flight. Additionally, he
has been involved in the design of several exercise devices that are being developed
for long-duration space flight and has conducted research on high-altitude acclimati-
zation.
In 1992 Scott was selected to join NASA’s Astronaut Corps. He reported to the
Johnson Space Center where he completed one year of training and evaluation and
was qualified as a mission specialist. Eventually Scott flew 5 Space Shuttle Missions
and conducted 7 spacewalks. In all, he has spent over 8 weeks in space and more
than 47 hours outside on spacewalks. Scott has been a life-long scuba diver and
mountaineer. He is a commercial, instrument, multiengine and seaplane-rated pilot
60
Marianna Savvas,
Alumni Affairs
with over 2,500 flight hours. Scott has climbed in
the Alaska Range, the Cascades, the Rockies, the
Alps, the Andes and the Himalayas. On his second
attempt to scale Mount Everest, he became the
first Astronaut to stand on top of the world on
May 20, 2009. His first attempt to scale Mount
Everest failed in 2008 after a severe back injury.
Scott retired from NASA in March of 2009 to start
a new career with Wyle Labs in Houston, and to
pursue other entrepreneurial interests.
Scott is a member of many organizations: Fel-
low of the Aerospace Medical Association and the
Explorers Club, a member of the American Soci-
ety for Gravitational and Space Biology, the
Wilderness Medical Society, the American Alpine
Club, the Association of Space Explorers, the Experimental Aircraft Association, and
the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. He is Chairman of the Board of the Chal-
lenger Center for Space Science Education Trustee of the Houston Museum of Nat-
ural Science.
He is the recipient of many special honors: National Institutes of Health Predoc-
toral Training Award in Cancer Biology (1983); Rhodes Scholarship finalist (1984);
NASA Graduate Student Researcher’s Award (1988); Stanford Medical Scholars Pro-
gram (1988); Research Honors Award from Stanford Medical School (1989); NASA-
Ames Certificate of Recognition (1990); Wilderness Medical Society Research Award
(1991); Space Station Team Excellence Award (1996); Vladimir Komarov Diploma
from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (1995, 1999); NASA Exceptional
Service Medals (1998, 1999); NASA Space Flight Medals (1994, 1997, 1998, 2001,
2007); NASA Distinguished Service Medals (2002, 2009); Ellis Island Family Heritage
Award (2005); Flight Achievement Award from the American Astronomical Associa-
tion (1998, 2008); Aviation Week Laureate Award (2008); Lowell Thomas Award
from the Explorers Club (2008); Randolph C. Lovelace Award from the Society of
NASA Flight Surgeons (2008); Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame (2008).
As Scott reminisces on his teenage years as a student at ACS Athens, he realizes
how much positive impact teachers have had on his life to follow his dream of being
an Astronaut. Scott quotes "I was very fortunate to have had wonderful teachers at
ACS Athens who gave me the inspiration to pursue challenging subjects and who en-
couraged my curiosity. Teachers such as Mr. Fontinelli, Mr. Tzelepis, Madame Man-
glivera, Mr. Demos and Ms. Valoris all had wonderful teaching styles. I enjoyed cours-
es such as Physics, Earth Science, Math and the great sports programs there. I was al-
so grateful for the opportunity to travel and meet people from different cultures. A
lot of life’s greatest lessons come outside of the classroom setting. I remember our
track and basketball meets, and other educational school trips around Europe and
the Middle East."
 For our students interested in considering the possibility of becoming an As-
tronaut one day or finding work related to space, Scott recommends, "if you
want to achieve something substantial in life, be patient, but work hard. I en-
courage you to have big dreams, but then have the courage to work to make
them come true. Some will work out and some will not. Try to pursue Math,
Science, and Engineering, as these are the languages of our increasingly techno-
logical world. Work globally and participate in athletics. I recommend the study
of foreign languages as now-a-days many Astronauts originate from different
countries.
Scott leaves us with this message: "ACS Athens is an amazing school that
opens doors for its students towards a brighter future. ACS certainly helped me
launch my career!" (SCOTTS PHOTO WITH ACS ATHENS ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL STUDENTS)

A plea for Book ethos

John Bournazo - ACS alumnus ‘56

When all is said and done, there is only one article of faith which counts:
that a book which can be held, read and smelled has such living qualities which
far surpass any technological gizmo. That is, no one can be tempted to read,
touch and smell a...corpse shrouded in electronic wizardry. So, the human be-
ing who has warm flowing blood cannot settle for anything less than "the real
McCoy." Would it suffice then to maintain only books in a library while keeping
computers at arm’s length? No, not at all. Computers have their purposes, but
pushing books in the background isn’t one of them. Books and computers can
cohabit in the same space, but none should impose its presence on the other.
In other words, live and let live should be the norm.
When the persons who patronize a library do so for other reasons than
what books evoke and provide, there is a definite cloture in the proceedings as
those who misuse their presence there wrangle their obnoxiousness and misfit
obstreperousness so that the ones who are immersed in their reading are put
off and put out by the barbarian-like behavior of those who choose not to re-
spect the library’s value.
What does a book mean to a student who relishes its potential? A book
should not be thrown to the dogs. Why, then, do students largely abstain from
indulging in the book cornucopia displayed in a library? Because, for some, the
institution of a library has ceased to function as a library and has been trans-
formed into a more or less bastion of nonacademic standards. This cannot but
make a sham of the hundreds of books whose authors strained and toiled to
impart their innermost thoughts and feelings and experiences to others–all
awaiting on the bookshelves but with no takers.
How, then, can this be resolved? By simply knocking out the deadwood and
replacing it with sturdy supports which will carry the load of true knowledge and
life found in books and in students’ minds and hearts when given the chance.
 SUMMER 2010in review
ACS Athens Summer Camp
The 2010 ACS Summer Youth Camp proved to be as fun-filled and exciting as
the previous years; however, this year the total number of camp participants reached
a record number of 500 individuals. The participants ranged from four to fourteen
years of age and were divided into the groups: Early Childhood (ages 4-6), Kids (ages
6-8), Juniors (ages 9-11) and Teens (ages 12-14). For the first time, the Kids group was
subdivided into smaller "teams" that were led and monitored by student volunteers.
This addition to the summer camp proved to enhance daily activity organization and
the smoothness of activity transitions.
This year’s camp offered an array of activities, some of which included: Archery,
Basketball, Mini Golf, Karate, Soccer, Dance, and Volleyball. In addition to physical ac-
tivities, the participants could also choose to take part in English, Art, Music, Chinese
62
Zaharo Hilentzaris
Summer Camp Administrative Assistant
and Computers. Based on the kids’ responses, the most popular activities for the 2010
ACS Youth Camp were Tennis, Wall Climbing and Swimming. Highlights of the 2010
Summer Camp included a dance performance during the second week, a musical per-
formance and slide show during the third week, and an open house where family
members joined their children for their favorite camp activities.
In conclusion, the 2010 ACS Summer Youth Camp was a successful adventure in
which children were able to experience a variety of activities while making new con-
nections and friendships with children their age. The camp came together thanks to
the hard work of administrators, coaches, teachers and volunteers. All would agree
that the work was well worth it just to see the joy, excitement and smiles on each
camp participant’s face.
STAFFdevelopment

Nice, France
63
 STAFFdevelopment
Nice La Belle
In July of this year, I travelled to the beautiful and charming "Cote-d’Azur"
(French Riviera) to learn more about the culture, the people and study
French with a group of teachers in a professional development course in
Nice, France. Having grown up speaking 3 languages fluently by the age of 5
years old, I decided to take this course to further my studies and open my
eyes to new cultures.
As a French teacher in an international setting, going to Nice seemed
like the perfect decision because it attracts people from all over the world.
The course, "Training for Teachers of FLE" (Français Langue Etrangère-
French as a Foreign Language) took place in the heart of Nice, at the most
renowned language school in the city, Azurlingua. The rich and diversified
64
Vasiliki Klimou,
Middle School French
program focused on methodology, grammar and class activities, linguistic
perfection, and new technologies. Beyond the technical aspect of the
course, which itself was rigorous yet engaging, the school organized differ-
ent theme nights and excursions, enabling us to discover one of the most
beautiful areas in the south of France from a local perspective. Being able
to explore this city with French teachers from all over the world was truly
a unique experience. We came from China, Montenegro, Canada, Italy,
Romania and Scandinavia and shared our ideas, philosophies, and ideologies
with one another. As we exchanged our experiences, it became clear that
we were united by our passion for the French language, the culture, the
"joie de vivre," and teaching.
 While my lessons in the course varied, I
started each day with a typical French flair –
"un petit café" and a warm "croissant au
beurre" or a "pain au amandes." I then contin-
ued with the course, engaging myself in the
various modules of the program. As part of
the course, we travelled also to Cannes, Eze
village, VilleFranche-sur-mer, Monaco and
Montecarlo and St. Marguerite Island. Some of
the highlights of my course included a trip to
the famous perfumery factory, "Fragonard,"
where we learned how French perfumes and
soaps are made. Being in the South of France
was also a culinary experience as we were ex-
posed to a plethora of local dishes such as,
socca (a type of pancake made from chickpea
flour), pissalladière (a local tart made from
onions and anchovies), farcis noiçois (a dish
made from vegetables stuffed with bread-
crumbs), to name a few.
Taking this course meant a lot to me, be-
cause it gave me the opportunity to fully im-
merse myself in something that I will give back
to my students each day in class. I value experi-
encing the power of both learning and teaching.
As a life-long learner with many interests, I want
to share my love of knowledge with my stu-
dents. As teachers, I think it is very important
that we continually venture into new teaching
strategies; the educative process can be exciting
and inspiring for teachers and students, alike.
The course experience was also my way of
venturing into something new in order to keep
things fresh and evolving in the classroom. I am
passionate about teaching French and since taking
this course, I can already see the difference it has
made in my approach. I certainly intend on tak-
ing more courses like the course in beautiful Nice.
For decades now, the picturesque Nicean sur-
roundings have attracted not only those in search
of relaxation, but also those seeking inspiration. I
found this inspiration in Nice and am truly joyed
to bring this inspiration back into my classroom. A
bientôt!
 STAFFdevelopment
Association for the
Advancement of In-
ternational Educa-
tion Annual Confer-
ence: Challenging
Your Most Able Stu-
dents, June 27-30,
2010 at Johns Hop-
kins University and
the Center of Tal-
ented Youth.

University of Crete graduates

of Early Childhood Education
with Mrs. Christiana Perakis
Evloyias, Director of Stavros
Niarchos Foundation Learning
Center. Mrs. Perakis was an
invited guest at the University
by Professor Anastasios Mat-
sopoulos, to talk about ACS
Athens’ Optimal Match pro-
gram and the Annual Confer-
ence on Learning Differences.
May 26-27, 2010

66
 International

Renowned Faculty

Training

Conference for

Learning Differences

is coming up

May 13-14th,
2011.
Visit the ACS Athens

website for more

information:

http://www.acs.gr/6th-

annual-conference/
 STAFFdevelopment

5th Annual Conference on Learning Differences

Chris Perakis,
"Leading by Example: Holistic, Meaningful and Harmonious Approaches to Teaching All Children" Director of the NSLCF

Math and technology titles included:

ñ Why is Math So Hard for Some Students? Identifying sources of children’s math-
ematical learning difficulties
ñ Math and Technology: Bringing Research to Practice
ñ TouchMath Presentation
ñ Gaining Insight in Teaching Mathematics in a Creative & Meaningful Way
ñ Are You Looking for a Relationship?
ñ Quantitate This! (grades 9-12)
ñ Technology to Build Vocabulary (K-12)
ñ Marvelous Math Technology Resources in the Elementary Classroom (K-6)
ñ I Didn’t Know it Did That! - Microsoft 2007 Word Strategies for Students and
Teachers (4-12)
ñ EZ Does It!" Using Technology to Support Diverse Learners (K-12)
ñ Using MS Office to Create Classroom Books to Support Literacy (K-6)

The presenters shared best practice and offered their expertise and invaluable
insight on latest research and developments, acknowledging that differences can
be a source of richness in the classroom, and that instruction must address these
differences so that all students can succeed. There was a strong international
ACS Athens hosted its 5th Annual Conference on Learning Differences titled presence, with parents, teachers, and professionals attending the conference from
"Leading by Example: Holistic, Meaningful and Harmonious Approaches to several countries, including, England, Switzerland, France, India, Egypt, Lebanon,
Teaching All Children", on May 14-15, 2010, under the auspices of the Greek Min- the United States and Greece.
istry of Education, Lifelong Learning & Religion. ACS Athens is committed to implementing an inclusive, holistic American philos-
This year's theme was dedicated to strategies, approaches, and methods of meet- ophy of education within an international setting. The annual learning differences con-
ing the needs of students with a wide variety of learning challenges. Emphasis was ferences are testament to the school’s commitment to promoting life-long learning
given to math, science, and technology, as well as to the development of leadership and to the professional development of the community of educators.
skills and to the special needs of high-performing students.
The conference consisted of six units, in which 34 inspiring lectures and in-
teractive, hands-on workshops took place, presented by 31 top educators who
came from the United States, India, Lebanon, Qatar, and Greece. Among the
20 distinguished presenters were, Dr. Cheryl Temple, Program Manager and
Sandra Morrissette, Assistive Technology Resource Teacher of
Assistive Technology Services in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), Virginia;
Dr. Michele Mazzocco, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the
Johns Hopkins University, Director of the Math Skills Development Project at
the Kennedy Krieger Institute, Dr. Stefanos Gialamas,
President, ACS Athens, Athens Greece, Anna Sugarman, Professional Devel-
opment Trainer/Coordinator (K-12) for Shenendehowa Central Schools in Clifton
Park, New York, Dora Andrikopoulos and Sue Protopsaltis, Math Teachers, ACS
Athens, Athens Greece, and Michael Soria, Executive Director of Education,
TouchMath, Innovative Learning Concepts Inc., CO, USA. The keynote presen-
tation was delivered by Dr. Sandra J. Peart, Dean at the Jepson School of Lead-
ership Studies, at the University of Richmond.

68
SmilesaroundCampus

69
 C O N TA C T S

How to Contact Us
Office of the President ext. 201
Office of Enrollment Management & Community Relations ext. 263 American Community Schools of Athens
Admissions Office ext. 263, 251 129 Aghias Paraskevis ∞Á›·˜ ¶·Ú·Û΢‹˜ 129 Tel.: 210-639-3200-3
Reception ext. 206, 233 GR 152 34 Halandri 152 34 ÷ϿӉÚÈ 210-601-6152
Office of Alumni Affairs ext. 207 Athens, Greece ∞ı‹Ó·, ∂ÏÏ¿‰· Fax: 210-639-0051
Human Resources Office ext. 204 E-mail: acs@acs.gr http://www.acs.gr
Business Office ext. 202, 207
Office of Academic Affairs & Innovative Programs ext. 402, 409
Office of Student Services ext. 226
Cashier ext. 208
Bookstore ext. 214
Transportation Office ext. 239
Health Office ext. 217
Cafeteria ext. 236
Academy Office ext. 222
Academy Discipline ext. 404
Middle School Office ext. 261
Middle School Discipline ext. 267
Elementary School Office ext. 229
IB Office ext. 247, 244
Stavros Niarchos Learning Center ext. 237, 265
HS/MS Media Center / Library ext. 219, 220
ES Library ext. 293
Publications Office ext. 271
Athletic Office ext. 327, 401
Theater Office ext. 331, 302
Security ext. 240
Night Entrance Security 210-6393555

70
 STUDENT
SERVICES
\ Faculty Mentoring / Academic
Advising
Undergraduate Programs \ Library & Information Resources
\ Writing Center
Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) \ Health Services
(BAELL) A competency-based program, which provides students with \ The Career Development
Students in English Language and Literature will acquire in-depth all the necessary credentials to deal with traditional business Program
knowledge of the English language, including its grammar and syntax, technologies and evolving multimedia-related technologies and \ Financial aid
as well as the social and cognitive aspects of language usage. services.

Bachelor of Music (BM)

A professional music degree, it balances the academic study of
music through courses in music theory and music history with
rigorous technical training in music performance.
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA)
Students in Business Administration will acquire a general
understanding of a wide range of information about business
and competencies in business practices as well as specialized
knowledge about their area of concentration (optional).
Graduate Programs
PhD in Applied Linguistics
The Program is intended for a broad range of working
professionals in a variety of occupational fields, but is specifically
designed for practitioners who work in the Teaching of English to
Speakers of other Languages (TESOL), English language testing or
translation/interpretation.
Professional Master of Business Administration (PMBA)
The Professional MBA is designed to address the educational and
career needs of individuals with five or more years of business
experience. It aims to promote career mobility, flexibility and
multi-functionality.
Bachelor of Science in Psychology (BSPsy)
The undergraduate program in Psychology combines
perspectives from the social and the natural sciences to gain an
understanding of human behavior and provides the option to
students to focus on their particular area of interest.
Associate of Science in Enterprise Network
Administration (ASENA)
ASSOCIATION
Students in Enterprise Network Administration will acquire the
technical skills necessary to install, configure, operate and maintain
a network.
Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics (MAAL)
The program provides participants who have a professional
interest in language with a valuable opportunity to familiarize
themselves with the latest developments in the field of Applied
Linguistics. It offers them rigorous training in the application of
linguistic principles in the areas of Teaching English as Second/
Foreign Language and Testing.
Master of Arts in Translation (MAT)
The program emphasizes the integration of academic and real-
world preparation for translators. It complies with the European
Commission’s Directorate General for Translation guidelines for
Master’s degree programs in translation and can be completed in
ALUMNI
SUPPORT &
The University supports the Alumni
Association efforts. Membership in the
Alumni Association provides graduates with
a lifelong connection to the Hellenic
American University.The Association is
governed by a volunteer Board of Directors
and maintains an office on the Hellenic
American University premises. Soon, alumni
will have their own link, with exclusive access,
on the Hellenic American University website.
Membership in the Alumni Association gives
exchange
graduates the opportunity to
ideas and share experiences , to make
contacts that will help them professionally, and
to participate in special activities and events.
www.hau.edu.gr
HEADQUARTERS:
Salmon 36, Manchester, NH 03104, USA,
0DVWHURI%XVLQHVV$GPLQLVWUDWLRQ“’ one year of full-time study.
The MBA program is designed to address the student’s desire
for practical knowledge, a promising career path and personal
development.
Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT)
The Master of Science in Information Technology is a graduate
education program designed to develop exceptional IT
specialists who are recognized for their high level technological
expertise,creative and inventive thinking and professional
competencies.
Master of Arts in Conference Interpretation (MACI)
The program equips students with the theoretical foundation
and practical skills needed for consecutive and simultaneous
interpretation in their specific language pairs. It complies with the
European Commission’s Directorate General for Interpretation
guidelines for Master’s degree programs in interpretation and can
be completed in one year of full-time study.
Tel.: 603 645 1800
ATHENS CAMPUS:
Kaplanon 12, 106 80 Athens,
(Metro station: Panepistimio),
Tel.: +30 210 368 0950 Fax: +30 210 363 3174,
e-mail: university@hau.gr
Hellenic American University admits students of any race, color,
national and ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion,
physical disability, or veteran status to all the rights, privileges,
programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to
students at the University. It does not discriminate on the basis of race,
color, national and ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion,
physical disability, or veteran status in administration of its educational
policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and
athletic or other school-administered programs.