Mr. Mike Embrock continues to be a dedicated and passionate educator and lifelong learner with 30 years of experience in education. His experience includes 12 years of teaching Secondary Social Studies (all in the state of South Dakota in the United States) and 18 years of Secondary Education Administration (in South Dakota and Iowa).

Mr. Embrock earned his Bachelor of Science degree from South Dakota State University (SDSU) with a major in Geography Education and also earned his Masters of Education with a specialty in Education Administration from  S.D.S.U. He continues to learn and grow as an educational leader to best guide and facilitate teachers in their pedagogical practices.

A major priority of Mr. Embrock’s is to enhance the positive and healthy learning environment of ACS Athens Middle School. Students need to feel safe and a sense of belonging in order to learn. ACS Athens will promote a culture of respect of self and others with a focus on responsible character. The students will be encouraged to demonstrate a growth mindset and love and curiosity of learning.

Mr. Embrock will encourage teachers to reflect and collaborate on their teaching pedagogy and challenge them to further develop their learning with a growth mindset. Communication and collaboration are priorities to improve our teaching practices and student learning. There will be a focus on developing and cultivating positive professional relationships with teachers and staff and showing an authentic appreciation for their dedication to our students.

Mr. Embrock is excited about his new adventure with ACS Athens Middle School and is confident that his passion and experience will be of service to the school and community.

Mr. Embrock has been married to his wife, Susan, for 29 years and has 3 children - Aaron (26), Isaac (23), Amber (20), and dog (yellow labrador retriever) Kya. He enjoys spending time with his family, experiencing the outdoors, golfing, hiking, traveling, reading, and watching movies.

email: embrockm@acs.gr

Ms. Labrini Rontogiannis was born and raised in Montreal, Canada and moved to Athens in 2004. She earned a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Education, both from McGill University. Ms. Rontogiannis has also received a M.Ed. specializing in Educational Technology at the University of Calgary.

Ms. Rontogiannis has been teaching for 22 years, 19 of those at ACS Athens.  She has taught Language Arts, Science and Health in both the Middle School and Academy. She has also been teaching both blended and online using the Moodle platform since 2007. Most recently, she was the Educational Technology and ACS Athens Virtual Coordinator. 

Ms. Rontogiannis takes pride in getting involved in all aspects of student life; both in and out of the classroom. Among leading clubs and activities, she has been a volleyball coach for over 20 years, both in Montreal public schools as well as the ACS Athens Varsity Girls Volleyball coach. 

Ms Rontogiannis has also taken part in many professional development opportunities both in Athens and abroad, as well as presented her own work at a number of conferences. In 2014, she presented at the ICALT conference in Athens, and was the recipient of the Best Poster Award. Ms Rontogiannis authored a chapter in the 2016 publication "Revolutionizing K-12 Blended Learning through i2Flex Classroom Model” as well as in the 2021 publication “Handbook of Research on K-12 Blended  and Virtual Learning Through  the i²Flex Classroom Model”. She has also written a number of articles for both ACS Athens school publications Ethos and Lancers Illustrated. On the virtual learning front, she has designed and implemented both the Virtual Health course that she has been teaching since 2014, as well as the eighth grade i2Flex Health course that she both designed and taught. She has also designed and taught online courses through ACS Athens Virtual. She is presently working on her ISTE Certification.

email: rontogiannisl@acs.gr

Ms. Jenny Kosmas was born and raised in Athens, Greece. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in "Hotel Management" and a Master's degree (funded by the EU) in "Innovation Studies" from the University of Huddersfied, UK.

Ms. Kosmas has been working at ACS Athens as an Administrative Assistant since July 2006. She is married and has a son and daughter.

email: kosmasj@acs.gr

Ms. Artemis Repouli holds a B.A. in European & International Studies from the University of Piraeus, Greece. She received an M.A. in International Business from Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingom and has had various administrative roles within companies in both Athens and London.

Since January 2015 she has been a member of the Office of Student Affairs in the position of Registrar and since September 2016 she is serving as the SAT/ACT Coordinator and the school Registrar for Middle School and High School divisions.

email: repoulia@acs.gr

Ms. Abdel Samad holds a Bachelor’s degree in "Journalism and Communication" and a Master's Degree in Journalism from the “Universite Libanaise”.

Ms. Darine Abdel Samad joined the ACS faculty starting Summer 2018 as a teacher of Arabic in the Middle School and Academy. She is a professional Arabic journalist and has been a news anchor and a television host on two prominent television networks in Lebanon; Future Television “al-Mustaqbal” and NBN “National Broadcasting Network (Lebanon)”. She has also been a public speaker at major academic, social and professional events; like “LBC TV”, “Al Sharq Radio” and a number of NGOs and Academia. As a teacher her goal is to promote active learning among students; as she did in her Arabic language teaching at “La Cite National” school academic year of 2000 - 2001.

Ms. Darine Abdel Samad joined the ACS faculty starting Summer 2018 as a teacher of Arabic in the Middle School and Academy.

Ms. Abdel Samad was born and raised in Beirut. She is married and has a son and a daughter. Her hobbies are reading, traveling and exploring new cultures.

email: abdelsamadd@acs.gr

Ms. Akrivou has been working at ACS Athens since 2007 as a Social Studies Teacher in the Middle School. She has also taught Language Arts and English as a Foreign Language at ACS Athens.

Ms. Akrivou was raised in Chicago, Illinois. She earned a B.A. in International Relations with a minor in History from the University of Indianapolis. She then studied Political and Human Geography at King’s College, University of London, where she received her Master’s degree (MA) in Environmental Politics and Globalization.

She worked for a public relations firm and also worked for various English language institutions. Having also worked for various non-governmental organizations concerned with environmental education, she decided to officially enter into the field of education. She has been trained in the United States to teach and is certified by the State of Illinois. She completed her Master’s degree in teaching at National-Louis University in Chicago. In addition to this, she was chosen to represent ACS Athens at the Spring 2011 NESA conference in Thailand. She served as the ACS Athens Division Chair of Social Studies & Arts JK-12 (2013-2014).  

She is currently a seventh and eighth grade Social Studies teacher.

email: akrivouv@acs.gr

Theodore “Teo” Ananiadis was born in Miami, Florida and raised in Athens, Greece where he graduated from ACS Athens. He attended Flagler College in Saint Augustine, Florida where he received a Bachelors in History with minors in Anthropology and Political Science. He also obtained extensive experience in archeological fieldwork and academic research practices. Following graduation, Mr. Ananiadis received his teaching certification from the State of Florida in Secondary Social Studies. Mr. Ananiadis is also teaching Middle School Social Studies at grade 8 and is ecstatic about returning to Athens to rejoin the ACS Athens community to not only give back to the institution he attended but to also begin his career in the challenging and diverse educational environment ACS Athens fosters.

email: ananiadist@acs.gr

Ms. Peggy Apostolou was born and raised in Athens, Greece. After completing her school, and music studies at the conservatoire, she went on to higher education in the UK. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music from Napier University, Edinburgh, and a Master's Degree in Ethnomusicology as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from Goldsmith University, London.

Ms. Apostolou started teaching music in schools whilst in London. She worked as a secondary school music teacher and a piano teacher for many years and involved herself with music and dancing from various parts of the world.

Upon her return to Greece, Ms. Apostolou started working at ACS Athens where she taught music to elementary school students from Kindergarten to grade five for a number of years. 

Ms. Apostolou is the middle school and academy music teacher at ACS Athens. At the core of her teaching is the belief that students need to be exposed to various musical experiences in search of their own learning path and medium of expression. Ms. Apostolou strongly believes in the power of music as a tool in itself and also as medium for developing well rounded, responsible individuals.

email: apostoloup@acs.gr

Ms. Arnold earned a Bachelor Degree of German Linguistics and Literature from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in 2007, where she graduated with honors. Ms. Arnold also obtained a Master of Arts Degree in Education and Media from the University of Rostock in Germany in 2014 and a Master of Arts Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Duisburg/Essen in Germany in 2023.

She specializes in teaching German as a foreign language. In addition to German and English, she also speaks Greek and French.

 A member of the ACS Athens faculty since 2010, she teaches the Middle School and High School students German as a foreign Language, as well as develops e-learning concepts for foreign languages in general, which will be applied to her academic research. A fellow of the ACS Institute, Ms. Arnold participates as an online instructor at the ACS Athens Virtual Program and prepares students for the AP German Language and Culture exam.     

Ms. Arnold co-authored a chapter in the 2016 publication "Revolutionizing K-12 Blended Learning Through i2Flex Classroom Model" and in the 2021 publication "Handbook of Research on K-12 Blended and Virtual Learning Through the i2Flex Classroom Model". In addition, she provides professional development (presentations, workshops, and webinars) to other foreign language teachers in Greece and abroad.

Since 2017 Ms. Arnold has been working as an accredited TestDaf examiner. TestDaf is one of the mandatory language proficiency tests for foreign students who want to enter a German university.

Ms. Arnold was born and raised in Germany and moved to Athens in 1996.

email: arnoldh@acs.gr

Ms. Christina Bakoyannis earned a Bachelor of Science Degree with a Major in Biochemistry from McGill University, Montreal, Canada (1996). She then received a Master of Education, Special Emphasis Degree from La Verne University California (2007). She holds an Equivalency Degree in Biology from the University of Patras and is a certified teacher from the Hellenic Ministry of Education.

Over the course of the years, Ms. Bakoyannis has held the position of science department chair and coordinator. She has participated in AERO Science workshops as well as NGSS workshops. For many years she has served as a NESA Virtual Science Fair (NVSF) Coordinator and has been a co-advisor for the United Nations Day in the Middle School. 

She has co-presented workshops at the ACS Athens Annual Conferences on Learning Differences titled "All for One, Science for All" in 2010, "The NESA Virtual Science Fair: the 21st century paradigm shift in science learning" in 2014 and "Art Communicates Science" in 2015. In 2016, she co-presented at the NESA Conference the work done by the Middle School on the refugee/migrant crisis. This work was also presented at the ACS Colloquium with teachers and students engaging in a reflective dialogue on stage. In 2018, she co-presented at the NESA Spring Educators' Conference an ACS Athens Middle School case study titled "Ethos Education through Collaborative Leadership".

In 2018, Ms. Bakoyannis became a certified Critical Friends Groups coach (National School Reform Faculty). She has served as a facilitator in the ACS Collaborative Learning Communities which promote teacher collaboration and professional growth, and has also attended the Teaching, Learning, Writing and Leading workshop at ACS Athens.

She has been a member of the ACS Athens faculty since 2000 and has taught both in the Middle School and the Academy. She is currently teaching 7th and 8th grade science.

Ms. Bakoyannis was born and raised in Montreal, Canada.

email: bakoyannisc@acs.gr

Ms. Jamee Bennett was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon. She went to Brigham Young University where she earned her B.A. in Human Development and Teaching Certificate for Elementary Education. Later, Jamee earned her M.A. in Elementary Education at Northern Arizona University.  She has taught various elementary grades in Arizona, Utah and Idaho. In addition, she taught 2nd grade English at a Dual Language Chinese Immersion School for 3 years. During the last 4 years, Jamee made a career change to teach Junior High Science 8th grade. She completed her middle school science requirements for an Integrated Science Endorsement in Utah.

Jamee has 4 children, one of which goes to ACS Athens! Her hobbies include gardening, cooking, and snorkeling.  Her personal goal is to be a lifelong student and contribute to this amazing world. Her goal for her students is to inspire a love of science and instill the power to make a difference. She is so happy to be joining ACS this year and teaching middle school science!

email: bennettj@acs.gr

Dr. Chen was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan. She earned her B.S. in the Department of Medical Laboratory and Biotechnology from Chung Shan Medical University in 1998. She continued medical study and earned the M.A. and Ph.D. Degrees from the Immunology Department of National Taiwan University in 2007. She was a leader of Master and Ph.D. students and taught them experimental techniques, grant writing, and thesis writing in Chinese and English. 

After graduation, she worked for several years as a European representative for a Taiwanese pharmaceutical company. She also has experience as a Chinese-English translator. After a few years of work, she realized teaching was her true calling. She believes in inspiring students not only academically but personally. She is a person full of passion for the teaching profession and is a qualified Chinese teacher with several years of experience teaching children and adults in Athens, Greece. Dr. Chen joined ACS Athens in 2018. She teaches Chinese Language and Literature in Middle School and High School. She also serves as the advisor for the Chinese-Greek Intercultural Club to help students feel engaged in a multicultural environment and foster inclusivity.

email: chenh@acs.gr

Venie Gaki was born in Ioannina, Greece and holds a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from the Hellenic American University (HAU) and a BA (Bachelor in Classics) from the University of Ioannina, Greece. During her university years she attended a one-year course in Classics at the University of Liverpool, UK.  She also holds a Certificate in Advanced Methodology in Teaching English as a Second Language acquired at the Hellenic American Union in Athens, Greece in 1998 and has been a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certified instructor since then. 

Venie Gaki has rich experience in teaching both Greek and English as a second language in private schools and has been a member of ACS Athens faculty since 2007. She has taught both English and Greek to Elementary School, Middle School and High School students of all levels (beginning to Language Arts). In addition, Venie Gaki has also taught Latin through the IIC.

Venie Gaki believes in constant professional development; therefore, she pursues such opportunities through seminars, conferences (ECIS, AERO) and book exhibitions in order to be updated with the latest publications, methodologies and approaches in teaching the English and the Greek language to speakers of diverse linguistic backgrounds. She has been a member and presenter at TESOL Greece since 1993. 

Writing is one of her favorite occupations as it makes her feel more creative. She has written several plays, poems, song lyrics and texts (in both Greek and English) through which children's understanding and consolidation of the language they learn is reinforced. 

Venie Gaki designs and adjusts the content of the classes she teaches to meet her students’ needs.

For the EFL Social Studies class, she has simplified the curriculum students are presented with in grades 6 & 7 Middle School to make it more accessible for students with low proficiency in English.

ACS Athens has published three of her books, which have been taught at the Elementary School for a few years now: a listening and speaking activities book and two textbooks for Elementary School children who learn Greek as a foreign language.

email: gakiv@acs.gr

Zacharo Diamanto Gialama was born in Chicago but was mostly raised in Athens, Greece. She is an ACS alumna (2011) who then went on to receive her bachelor's in Political Science with a minor in Creative Writing from The George Washington University in D.C. During her time there, she worked at the Greek Embassy and for RAINN, an organization that helps and supports survivors of abuse. She received her M.F.A. in Creative Writing with an emphasis in Fiction from Chapman University in California. Her thesis ended up being the start of the novel she is currently working on called Eros.

Ms. Gialama has been at ACS Athens through a variety of ways. From student to graduate, from the ACS Athens summer camp as a Hip Hop / Dance teacher to proctoring IB exams. She has worked with faculty members on a variety of projects, such as a student-based documentary on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

From 2017, Ms. Gialama has worked as the Elementary School Writing Studio Coordinator and as a 6/7th grade Social Studies teacher. She has also been the coordinator of the annual Student Showcase in Middle School (showcase of student work/passions). This will be her sixth year as ACS Athens Faculty.  

Ms. Gialama aims to inspire students using an interdisciplinary approach of weaving writing into social studies in every way possible.

email: gialamaz@acs.gr

Ioanna Gkioni has studied English language and literature at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Drama and Theatre Arts at Goldsmiths College, University of London and she holds a master’s degree in Theatre Directing from Royal Holloway, University of London. 

She is currently conducting PhD research on German documentary theatre at the University of Peloponnese, School of Fine Arts. 

She is a professional theatre director, and her latest work consists of translating and directing the play «Children of the Sun» by Maxim Gorky which was staged at Theatre 104 (2022-23). Her previous works include «Things I know to be true» by Andrew Bovell which was staged at Alkmini Theatre (2019-2020). 

Since 2015, she has been an active theatre practitioner and a very enthusiastic Drama teacher. In the past, she has worked at various educational institutions in Athens such as Ellinogermaniki Agogi and Byron College.

email: gkionii@acs.gr

Ms. Jasonides was born and raised in Athens, Greece, and attended ACS throughout her K-12 career. Upon graduation, she moved to New York, where she received her undergraduate degree at Sarah Lawrence College with a concentration in art history and anthropology. Her graduate studies in the history of art were conducted at New York University. As an adjunct instructor at Parsons The New School for Social Research, she taught the history of design, 20th century literature, and writing skills. In addition, she served as an in-house English language instructor to multinational corporate clients. Her professional teacher training was completed through the University of West Florida's TeacherReady program and she has received a professional educator certificate in Social Studies (Grades 6-12).

In her three years at ACS, Ms. Jasonides taught Social Studies to all grades in the Middle School allowing her a holistic perspective of the unique learning and developmental profile of the early adolescent student. In addition to teaching, she assisted in a long-term cataloguing project for the Sabbagh Library, and served as the teacher-sponsor for the first ever Diversity Club at ACS. Her goal is to guide her students with an engaging and humanistic approach by helping them hone their individual skills and stamina in reading, writing, research, and critical thinking, and highlighting the relevance of historical narratives and patterns to their own lives.

email: jasonidesa@acs.gr

Persefoni Georgiou studied Classics at the University of Athens and holds a certificate in Special Education from the same university. She also has a Master's (MA) in Special Education from the University of Birmingham, a Master's (MA) in Ethical Philosophy from the National Kapodistrian University of Athens and a Master's ( MA) in Child and Family studies from Leiden University. 

Ms. Georgiou joined ACS Athens in August 2022. Before that she worked as a special educator for different centres and as a classroom teacher, teaching Greek language and literature. In 2014 she moved to the Netherlands where she worked for the International School of the Hague as a Learning Support Teacher and after that for the American School of the Hague, where she held different positions in the Learning Support Team. Ms Georgiou was trained in Makaton sign language, Visualizing and Verbalizing for Comprehension and Thinking, and Pecs Level 2. She is really excited to be part of the Optimal Learning Program(OLP) team in supporting Middle School students through their academic journey towards becoming confident and independent learners.

email: georgioup@acs.gr

Leonidas (Leo) Gontzes is a historian and a political analyst born in New Jersey and raised both in the U.S. and Athens, Greece. Mr. Gontzes has a Bachelor's degree in History from Emory University (Atlanta, Georgia, USA), and two graduate degrees in European History from University College Cork (Cork, Republic of Ireland) and Diplomacy, with an international conflict management concentration, from Norwich University (Northfield, Vermont, USA). He has been teaching History, Government and Politics, and International Relations at several international institutions in the Greek capital and abroad since 1999 at secondary school level as well as on the graduate and undergraduate levels. He taught at New York College from 2001 to 2021 and at Empire State College (State University of New York) from 2007 to 2021. Moreover, he held the office of Associate Dean heading New York College's International Relations Department from 2008 to 2018. His responsibilities have also included the office of Academic Director of Graduate Studies at the New York College Educational Group in Athens, Greece, for a total of ten years (2006-2016).

His papers include: "Re-Examining the 1925 Bulgarian Incident", "To what extent has the United States used the international economic system in order to exert power in global politics?", 'Evaluating peacekeeping, peacemaking, and peace enforcement in Kosovo", "Security and Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Kosovo", "Organizing and conducting a future military intervention in Bosnia-Herzegovina". He has co-authored articles for CNN Greece on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, and has appeared several times on Greek and Arab television, as well as Radio France International, as a political analyst vis-à- vis U.S. and Greek political developments.

This year he will be teaching IB History Years I and II, American Studies Combo Grade 10, IB TOK Year I, Grade 6 Social Studies, and Grade 7 Social Studies.

e-mail: gontzesl@acs.gr

Dr. Jenny Grigoropoulou was born in Athens, Greece, and raised in Maryland, U.S.A.. She holds a B.Sc. degree in Business Administration in 1989, from the University of La Verne and her M.A. degree in International Management and Business Administration. In 1992, she earned her teaching education and certification in the United States, qualified to teach ESL/EFL K–12 and Business Studies 6 - 12. She is an IB educator as well as an IB examiner for Business Management. In May 2019, she graduated from St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida, earning her Doctorate Degree in Education, Leadership, and Management. 

Dr. Grigoropoulou is a contributing author of the books Revolutionizing K-12 Blended Learning through the i2Flex Classroom Model and Handbook of Research on K-12 Blended and Virtual Learning through the i²Flex Classroom Model. She has authored articles, such as “The Role of Ethics in the 21st Century Organization” (IJPE-April 2019), and is the co-author with Dr. Gialamas of the manuscript, “Educators Leaders: Inspiring Learners to Transform Society by Becoming Architects of their Own Learning” (IJPE - October 2018) and with Dr. Pelonis, Dr. Gialamas, and Dr. Cherif of the manuscript,  "How Can Manifesting Leadership Skills Infused with Ethos, Empathy and Compassion, Better Prepare Students to Assume Leadership Roles" (IJPE, February 2020) . She has presented her work and practices in colloquiums and conferences. She is one of the founding members of the Recycling Project, which is a school-wide initiative.

Dr. Grigoropoulou had been teaching ESL in the Middle School and the Elementary School for grades K – 5 to non-native English speakers. Overall, she has been an ESL educator for 35 years. She has been actively involved with the Saturday Youth-to-Youth program since the initiation of the program, providing unaccompanied minors with skills and knowledge of the English language. In addition to her teaching assignments, educator of the EFL Language Arts and Language Development courses. While being the ESL/EFL K-12 Coordinator, she's also the Admissions & Outreach Counselor.

email: grigoropoulouj@acs.gr

Ms. Artemis Kakaris was born in Los Angeles, California, and attended ACS Athens from 2002 until graduation in 2012. She holds a BA in English and American Literature from the American College of Greece and a MSc in Literature and Modernity from the University of Edinburgh. She obtained a professional educator certificate for English (Grades 6-12) in Florida.

Previously at ACS, Ms. Kakaris taught 6th, 7th and 8th grade Language Arts.

For the academic year 2023-2024, Ms. Kakaris is teaching 6th and 7th grade Language Arts. She designs her lessons so that students are inspired by their assignments and their collaboration with each other.

email: kakarisa@acs.gr

Sarah Kaldelli earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, U.S.A. Her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education was achieved from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C. She also acquired her Degree Equivalency from the Greek Ministry of Education.

She has worked in international schools in Greece, and in the Greek private school sector for the past 25 years. She has taught students with learning differences and disabilities ranging from Junior-Kindergarten to the 12th grade.

This is her 18th year at ACS Athens in the Optimal Learning Program (OLP). For the first 12 years, she was the Elementary School Optimal Learning Specialist and for the last few years has been working as the Coordinator for OLP. She has experienced many diverse professional development opportunities such as ECIS, NESA, the Learning Difference Conferences at ACS Athens, and ADHD conferences across Europe. She also routinely benefits from online coursework through different universities and programs. She has been a mentor to those seeking teacher certifications and to those doing internships during their academic studies. Additionally, she has authored and co-authored articles for the ACS Athens Ethos magazine. She played an active part in the development and establishment of the ACS Athens Diagnostic Center and continues to collaborate closely with both the Center and the school’s Counselors. Moreover, she participated in the CIS Child Protection and Safeguarding conference in The Hague, and she actively assisted in creating the ACS Athens handbook on this subject, as she is one of the ACS Athens Child Safeguarding Liaisons. She is an advocate for early intervention, focusing on each child’s best interests, and building each child's confidence to become the architect of their own learning.

email: kaldellis@acs.gr

In his fifteenth year at ACS Athens, Mr. Kalogridakis was born and raised in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He received his Bachelor of Arts in History from Rutgers University in NJ, his Masters of Arts in Teaching from Boston University, and holds both Massachusetts and New Jersey Social Studies 6-12 teaching certifications. He has also completed extended graduate work in Clinical Psychology and is finishing up his CTC International Counseling certification.

Having worked as an Academy Counselor for 7 years, past Interim MS principal and Counseling Coordinator for grades K-12, he is now in his 8th year as our Middle School Counselor, as well as a member of our Social Studies 6 faculty. A past advisor of the National Honor Society, Model United Nations club, and Student Council advisor, he has also coached JV Volleyball, MS Cross Country, and the MS Basketball recreational team under the Athletic Department.

email: kalogridakiss@acs.gr

Ms. Dimitra Kardampiki holds a BS in Mathematics from the University of­ Patras, Greece. Dimitra believes that mathematical skills are not only a fundamental part of academics, but are also the building blocks of critical thinking in school and beyond.

In the last few years, her work has entailed both classroom and private teaching in all grades and hi-tech teleconferencing services. Apart from teaching, Ms. Kardampiki has quite a versatile background; has lived in many countries, excelled both in dance and basketball and has received a plethora of awards in chess.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and having traveled extensively has given her a more diverse outlook on life. She speaks both English and Greek fluently.

From November 2020 up to June 2022, she worked at ACS Athens as the Math/Science Studio coordinator as well as co-teacher for the Diving Deeper program.

From September 2022 she has been working as a Middle School Mathematics Teacher grades 6 to 8.

email: kardampikid@acs.gr

Dimitris Konstantopoulos holds a BSc in Physics from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA).

He is very passionate about teaching and generally about imparting knowledge to younger generations. Over the years, he has accumulated extensive experience in the private sector as an instructor at different levels, including Middle and High School.

Alongside teaching, Mr. Konstantopoulos loves music. He is a student at Nakas Conservatory, studying the electric guitar.

Mr. Kostantopoulos highly values the effort to perpetually progress in terms of knowledge, a philosophy he is looking forward to sharing with all ACS Athens students.

email: konstantopoulosd@acs.gr

Ms. Athanasia Kotsiani earned her bachelor’s degree in physical education & Sports Science from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, specializing in swimming (2004). She holds a Master’s in education and Creative Learning from Democritus University of Thrace (2014).

She joined the ACS Athens faculty in 2005 teaching Physical Education in Middle and High School. Currently she is teaching 6th and 7th grade Physical Education.

The past few years has participated in many webinars, PE summits and training workshops and she had the opportunity to collaborate with other PE teachers and swimming instructors from all around the globe, exchange ideas, which helped her to integrate technology into her PE classes.

Ms. Kotsiani is a certified lifeguard (PASHNA), an international swimming official (Athens 2004 Paralympic Games), a ''Level D'' wall climbing operator/supervisor and an emergency responder (CPR/First Aid for adult/child/infant).

Ms. Kotsiani is a swimming Instructor and member of the Greek Swimming Coaches Association (Σ.Ε.Π.Κ.Υ.Σ.Κ.). She worked for several years in various swimming clubs in Athens and from 2004 to 2023 has served our after-school swimming program in many different positions (Instructor/Aquatics Coordinator/Event Coordinator).

She has coached  the HS swimming team from 2005 to 2023 and the cross-country team from 2016 to 2023.

Besides her teaching background and certificates, Ms. Kotsiani has performed significant voluntary service. She served as a volunteer in the Olympic Games in Athens 2004 under the Swimming Competition Management Team.

Later, she coached swimmers with intellectual disabilities for 2 years, helped them to discover their own strengths and abilities and participated in the 2011 Word Summer Games in Athens (Special Olympics). Ever since she always participates in fundraising events and volunteering wherever she can because she strongly believes in making a difference in the lives of others and guiding her students by example. 

Ms. Kotsiani was born and raised in Athens, Greece.

email: kotsiania@acs.gr

• B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering with Distinction, 1989, Clarkson University
• M.A. Secondary Science Education with Honors, 2001, City University of New York
• Cambridge ESOL Level 7 in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (Delta) (QCF), 2013, University of Cambridge

Mr. Koudounis has worked for General Electric Aerospace, in the Edison Engineering program, designing flight  and engine controls for military and commercial aircraft. He has taught science and mathematics in the public school system in New York City. He has had the opportunity to teach English for Academic Purposes at Universities in the UK and China. He has prepared students, for all levels and types of exams, in order for those students to successfully attain certificates of English language acquisition and proficiency. He has taught science 6, science 7, and science 8 at ACS Athens. He currently teaches EFL 2 Science and Science 7. He is certified from the state of Florida in Teaching Physics 6-12.

Mr. Koudounis was born in Sparta, Greece and raised in New York. He completed Elementary School in New York. He attended Middle School and High School in the Greek Public School System. His higher education was completed in the USA and the UK. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, dancing, and gymnastics.

email: koudounisk@acs.gr

Mr. Chris Kourtis was born and raised in Athens, Greece. He studied Physical Education and Sports Science at the University of Athens, where earned his Bachelor's Degree in 2003, specializing in Tennis.

He has been actively involved in teaching Physical Education at ACS Athens since 2009, at all three school levels. Currently, he is teaching MS 8th and 7th grade Physical Education.

In 2018, Mr. Kourtis was recognized by Stanford University for his exceptional teaching and his dedication as an educator and a mentor.

During the 2020 and 2021 lockdowns, Mr. Kourtis joined the "Home base PE summit" and participated in more than 20 webinars with PE professionals from all around the globe.

Mr. Kourtis is a member of the American Coaching Academy, where he is gaining valuable professional development and resources.

Besides his teaching background, Mr. Kourtis, is a certified lifeguard, a (level D) wall climbing operator/supervisor and has successfully completed the Emergency First Response Course that follows current guidelines for emergency patient care.

Mr. Chris Kourtis has been coaching tennis since 2001 and, in 2007, joined the ACS Athens Tennis Academy, coaching team. He is also the coach of the ACS Athens Middle School Tennis team.

email: kourtisc@acs.gr

Anna Makris was born and raised in Athens, Greece, and is an alumna of ACS Athens. Ms. Makris is a Licensed Psychologist and has received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto with a double major in Psychology and Sociology as well as a Master of Science in Psychology from Kingston University. In addition she is trained in psychoeducational diagnostic testing and is one of the founding members of the Educational & Diagnostic Testing Center at ACS Athens.

She began working at ACS Athens in 2012 as an Academic Advisory Specialist and IB CAS Coordinator, assisting Junior and Senior students with the university application process as a whole. Ms. Makris is currently the Academy Counseling Coordinator in the Office of Student Affairs.

email: makrisa@acs.gr

Ms. Eleftheria Maratou grew up in New York and completed her studies at St. John's University. She graduated with a Bachelor's and a Master of Science degree in Education, including a minor in English Literature from the same institution. Ms. Maratou holds a permanent teaching license from the State Education Department of N.Y.

Ms. Maratou started her career in the Educational field teaching High School English Lit. to grades 9-12 in the Queens, N.Y. school system. Ms. Maratou has also worked as an ESL teacher here in Athens. She has prepared students from ages 12 to adults for all levels and exams to successfully attain English language acquisition and proficiency certificates. She is an MLA examiner affiliated with the Hellenic American Union here in Greece.

Ms. Maratou has been teaching at ACS since 2013. She has taught 5th grade, Language Arts 6/6ESL, EFL1 LA, and 8th grade LA. and she has mentored student-teachers. She is currently teaching 7th and 8th grade Language Arts. Ms. Maratou is the NESA representative and is currently the Co-coordinator of  Professional Development at ACS Athens and the New Faculty Orientation Program. In addition, she is also an NSRF (National School Reform Faculty) certified CFG coach, and she has served as a facilitator in the ACS Collaborative Learning Communities. 

At the 2019 NESA conference in Thailand, she successfully presented a workshop on teacher strategies for implementing a growth mindset in the classroom. Ms. Maratou has also contributed to the 2016 ACS Colloquium with demonstrations of student learning. She has authored two chapters for the Handbook of Research on K-12 Blended and Virtual Learning Through the i2Flex Classroom Model. She has also contributed educational articles for the school magazine Ethos.

Ms. Maratou's goal is to provide students with the necessary tools and guidance to facilitate autonomous learning and self-expression and to inspire confidence in her students to become critical-thinking individuals. 

"Tell me, and I forget, teach me, and I may remember, Involve me, and I learn." Benjamin Franklin.

email: maratoue@acs.gr

Mr. Mikros was born in New Jersey and raised both in the United States and Greece. He earned a bachelor’s in History from Kean University in Union, New Jersey, and a post-bachelor degree in Physical and Health Education (K-12). He is certified by the State of New Jersey to teach Physical Education/ Health. He worked as a substitute Physical Education teacher in public schools in the United States before moving to Greece.

In 2013 Mr. Mikros co-presented a workshop at the ECIS Physical Education Conference, Surrey Sports Park, England, titled “Ice Breakers, Bonding Activities for the first day of school.

Apart from being an emergency responder (CPR/First Aid for adult/child/infant), Mr. Mikros is a certified Lifeguard and a (Level D) wall climbing operator/supervisor.     

He has been a member of AAHPERD (American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.)

Mr. Mikros has been a member of the ACS faculty since 2005, teaching Physical Education to Elementary School, Middle School, and Academy students. He is currently teaching 7th and 8th grade Middle School Physical Education. In addition, he has been involved with the Saturday Youth-to-Youth program responsible for the athletic activities. For the past 30 years, Mr. Mikros has been a folk dance instructor, volunteering his time to teach and preserve his culture here in Greece and in the United States.

Mr. Mikros is the coach for the Middle School and Academy Cross Country Teams, the Junior Varsity Boys Soccer, and the Middle School Track & Field Teams.

email: mikrosv@acs.gr

Ms. Ariadni – Foteini Mitreli - Masmanidi is a UK-educated illustrator, who specializes in children’s book illustration, [UAL, University of Camberwell MA in Visual Arts (Illustration), University of Wolverhampton BA (Hons), in Illustration]. She holds a teaching certificate from the Athens School of Fine Arts. In addition to that, she has completed seminars on Special Needs Education and on Human Rights and Sexual Education from the University of Patras. 

She originates from Patras, Greece, and lived for six years in the UK. 

She discovered her passion for teaching Art, two years ago, during her studies at ASFA. For the last couple of years, she has worked with students of different age groups. This year, she will also voluntarily teach Art at her local Care Center for the elderly. 

As far as her illustration work is concerned, she enjoys working by hand; creating illustrations inspired by nature, everyday experiences, and hobbies. She has worked on numerous illustration projects and collaborated with well-known, in their field of expertise, professionals. She has worked in children’s illustrations, festival posters, 3D modeling, textile design, ceramics, wallpaper design, everyday–life journals, exhibitions, and more. 

By being part of the faculty team of ACS Athens, she is able to fulfill her dream of working in Education. Her ambition is to constantly evolve and challenge herself as an individual. She is looking forward to helping students explore their creative nature, grow through Art, raise awareness, get inspired, and discuss their interests and concerns through their art practice. 

Ms. Ariadni is a supporter of the teaching of inclusion and student-centered education. As a caring educator, she helps students express their creative selves through the vessel of Art.

email: mitrelimasmanidif@acs.gr

Mr. Mologousis is the ACS Athens Virtual Coordinator. He holds a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Athens, and a MSc in Management of Educational Organizations acquired from the University of West Attica, with honors.

A qualified secondary school philologist, Mr. Mologousis, teaches Greek at the ACS Middle School. He has taught at the Middle and High School level at Poukamisas Educational Group. He has written the History 7 and History 8 Course Companions for Poukamisas Educational Group. 

Mr. Mologousis joined ACS Athens in 2018. He worked as the Academy Citizenship Coordinator (2018 – 2021), and the Middle School Citizenship Coordinator & Program Manager (2021 - 2023). He coordinated multiple projects, including the Virtual Classes Code of Conduct, the implementation of the automated attendance notifications, and the restorative circles intervention in the Middle School classes. Mr. Mologousis received the Arete Award (2020 – 2021) for the foundation of the Environmental Club, a recognition of his initiative to promote civic responsibility.

Mr. Mologousis embraces the holistic education paradigm of ACS and aspires to contribute to the school’s vision to create responsible global citizens. His master’s degree thesis is devoted to the concept of holistic education. 

Additionally, Mr. Mologousis is actively engaged with Student Life as the Recycling Program Manager. Under his leadership, ACS has undertaken various initiatives. Highlights include participation in the first panhellenic recycling batteries competition (2nd place, 2021 - 2022), and registration to the Green City Program, delivering more than 2 tons of recyclable materials (2022 - 2023). In the past, Mr. Mologousis also served as an IB CAS Adviser (2019 – 2021) and has volunteered for the Part–Time Youth to Youth Program.

This is his sixth year in ACS, and his goal is to contribute towards a meaningful virtual and face-to-face learning experience.

email: mologousisp@acs.gr

Mr. Nikolopoulos was born in Athens, Greece. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics from the National Kapodistrian University of Athens and a Master's Degree in Computer Applications from the University of West Attica. Prior to ACS Athens, Mr. Nikolopoulos worked in various private educational institutions working with kids from ages 12 to 18. In addition, he worked as a professor at the University Independent Studies of Technology. 

Mr Nikolopoulos will be teaching at ACS Athens for 4th year and he will be teaching Computer Science in grades 8 and 7 and Robotics in grade 6.

Mr. Nikolopoulos believes highly in meeting all students’ needs while inspiring them to reach their full potential. Furthermore, he wants students to understand the importance of Computer Science and how this connects to their everyday life.  

His interests include reading books, watching movies, and is a member of a Movie Club. Mr. Nikolopoulos is also a member of the Forest Fire Protection Volunteers and often acts as a volunteer guard on the mountain of Ymittos.

email: nikolopoulosa@acs.gr

Mr. Pakos was born and raised in Athens, Greece. He holds a B.Sc. in Mathematics and a Master of Science degree in Computer Communications And Networks.

He worked for major IT companies (IBM, Lenovo and others) for several years, before he decided to officially enter into the field of education. He has been teaching Mathematics & Computer Science for the past 14 years.

He believes in motivating and inspiring students not only to achieve academic goals but also personal ones. His interests include trekking, reading and woodcarving.

email: pakosc@acs.gr

Ms. Papageorgiou was born and raised in Thessaloniki, Greece. She holds a B.A. in Greek Literature with a major in Ancient Greek Literature and Latin from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Ms. Papageorgiou worked many years as a teacher of Greek and taught students of all grades (elementary through high school). She has also worked in a publishing house for two years as an editor of Greek Language and Literature school books.

Ms. Papageorgiou joined ACS Athens in 2007. She teaches the Language Arts and Advanced classes at ACS Athens Elementary School. Ms. Papageorgiou also teaches Greek in the Middle School to non-native speakers.

As a Fellow of the ACS Athens Institute, Ms. Papageorgiou has designed and taught two virtual courses: Modern Greek for Beginners I and Modern Greek for Beginners II.  She has also taught the Greek Isotimia Program of ACS Athens High school for several years.  Furthermore, Ms. Papageorgiou has taught at the Elementary Writing Center guiding students between grades 1 -5 with their writing for several years.

Ms. Papageorgiou has published articles in Ethos magazine on Greek language instruction, Greek national celebrations, and teaching Greek as a second language. She has also attended many educational conferences – seminars on Teaching, Technology in Education, and Learning Differences.

Ms. Papageorgiou successfully completed a 9-month seminar offered by the Aegean University on the subject: Greek as a Second/Foreign Language. She recently took part in the Cultural Diversity Day project on Metaverse, a collaboration about SDG's between ACS and Hisar School in Istanbul.

email: papageorgioua@acs.gr

Mr. Parakatis has taught Physics and Mathematics in Canada and in Greece. He has served as Department Chair of Mathematics and Technology at ACS Athens and as an IB examiner.  He has taught students mathematics in the Academy, in the IB and in the Middle School and has also taught SAT preparatory Mathematics at ACS.

Mr. Parakatis has served on the accreditation team as the Quantitative Team Leader and has led many ACS Athens Math Department sponsored events such as the Mathematics Club, the Annual ACS Mathematics Competition, the SAT/ACT Math Club and the AMC 10/12.  As part of his  prior Action Research, Mr. Parakatis focused on encompassing implemented changes in standardized testing (SAT/ACT)  in the ACS Athens scope and sequence by creating sample assessments that can accompany daily lesson plans. Mr. Parakatis shared his findings At the ACS Athens Colloquium 2016.

His current Action Research work is currently focused on how written explanation of homework contributes to the overall quality of a homework presentation. Furthermore, how does discussion of homework/assignments/written assessment misconceptions, in the context of a heterogeneous cooperative small group learning setting, help improve student learning and performance.

His interests include astronomy, team sports, music and traveling. Mr. Parakatis is a member of faculty that was present at mission control, during the launch of the Rosetta Mission, by the European Space Agency. Nicholas believes that caring and concern over content and curriculum is one of the keys in helping students remain interested in school therefore helping them achieve their academic goals.

email: parakatisn@acs.gr

Ms. Maria Perez was born in Canary Islands, Spain and studied Fine Arts at the University of the Basque Country, Bilbao. Later she moved to Greece and in 2011 she graduated from the Department of Spanish Language and Literature from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece with Honors. In 2014, she completed a Masters degree in "Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language" at the Alcalá de Henares University in Madrid, Spain.

She has done various seminars on "Creative teaching to teenagers" and "Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language" and has also received training to be an examiner at the Cervantes Institute examinations board.

As an educator she has experience working in private language schools in Athens, teaching Spanish to both teenagers and adult students (2008-2015), as well as an Art teacher in summer schools to children of different ages. She has been working in ACS Athens since 2015, and is currently teaching Spanish 1 & 2 in the Middle School and in Academy.

Ms. Perez’s passion as an educator is to help her students find and explore their unique potential as part of the learning process. She also loves every expression of art and nature.  Her goals for the future at ACS are to continue learning from her students using the I²flex methodology in order to motivate the students to work independently during the learning process, finding connections between cultures as conscious citizens of the world and exploring the potential of the AI applied to education.

email: perezm@acs.gr

Mrs. Rocha earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations with a minor in French and Spanish from Chatham College, Pittsburgh, P.A., and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership with a special emphasis on Foreign Language and TESOL Instruction from The College of Notre Dame of Maryland and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the department of Language and Communication at the Hellenic American University.

Ms. Rocha currently teaches Spanish and ESL for the Middle School.

email: rochac@acs.gr

Irini Rovoli holds a B.A. in Education from the University of Athens, School of Philosophy, and an M.A. in the Psychology and Education of Children with Special Needs from the University of London, Institute of Education. She also pursued advanced piano studies at the National Conservatory of Athens and studied Drama at Veaki Drama School, Athens.

Ms. Rovoli began teaching at high school level at the Hackney Community School in London and in the Greek public sector at Varibopi Athens High School for Repatriated Greeks. She joined ACS Athens in 1995 and has been a teacher of Greek in Elementary and Middle School ever since. She also taught 5th grade English Language Arts class and has served as Team Leader. In 2017, Ms. Rovoli was also assigned the role of Elementary Interim Vice-Principal.

Ms. Rovoli actively contributed innovations in the Greek language curriculum of the elementary, including content design for grades JK-5 and the elementary school Greek national celebrations. She co-authored an article in the British Journal of Educational Psychology and has published articles in the Institute of Education Alumni magazine, NESA News magazine, and ACS Athens Ethos. As co-advisor of the ACS Athens Elementary Turtle Club, she presented this innovative environmental initiative on student leadership and action through Project-Based Learning at the ECIS Conference in 2012 in Athens and at the NESA International Conference in 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand. Her presentation at the ACS Athens Colloquium 2016 was her original work on rhyming grammar rules for Greek language learners.

As a Fellow of the ACS Athens Institute, Ms. Rovoli has designed the HS virtual course Greek Language and History. Ms. Rovoli is a certified Critical Friends Groups Coach (National School Reform Faculty) and has served as a facilitator in the ACS Athens Collaborative Learning Communities. Ms. Rovoli successfully completed a 9-month seminar offered by the Aegean University on the subject: Greek as a Second/Foreign Language.

email: rovolii@acs.gr

Ms. Katerina Saini studied and received her bachelor of Mathematics degree from the University of Patras, Greece. She earned a Master's degree in Special Education from Bridgewater State University, MA, in 2014.

For five years, she taught mathematics and special education in the United States to grades 6 to 12. She holds a Massachusetts teaching license in both Special Education and Mathematics for Grades 5-12. Throughout her career, she had the opportunity to teach students from different educational and cultural backgrounds and she is experienced in developing different strategies and approaches by identifying each student’s unique learning style. She has also worked as an instructional skills coach for the after school program Coaching for Change, in Taunton, MA.

She has been a member of ACS Athens since 2019. This year she will be teaching Algebra 2 and Trigonometry Honors and Geometry with Algebraic Topics in the Academy, as well as Pre Algebra 7 in the Middle School. In the previous years, she taught Algebra 2 and Trigonometry Regular, Heart of Mathematics, Statistics and Business Mathematics, Geometry with Algebraic Topics Regular and Pre Algebra 7. In addition, she has been a Mathematics Competition Coach for grades 2 and 4-6 and she has co-designed and co-taught the Summer Scholars Academy Course "Math Explorations'' addressed to Middle School students.

email: sainia@acs.gr

Ms. Marianna Sidiropoulou completed her studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the Hellenic Open University. She graduated with a B.A. in Philosophy - Education - Psychology with a Major in Pedagogics and Teaching Methodology (UOA), a M.Sc. in Teaching Methodology and Assessment (OUA) and M.Ed. in Adult Education (EAP), both with Excellency.  She holds a Specialization on “Teaching Greek as a Second/ Foreign language” (University of Patras), which she merged with a year Course (Aegean University), as well as Certificates in English, French Languages and Arabic (basic).

She has rich experience in the public and private sector in teaching Greek to native and non-native speakers for more than 20 years, the last 8 at ACS Athens, where she taught the Greek Language Arts Courses (6-9 grade), the Greek B in M.S. and the Greek Youth-to-Youth Program.  As a Fellow at the ACS Athens Institute, she has completed the “ACS Athens Virtual School Training Program “, designed and taught the Virtual Course “Modern Greek Language and Mythology I”.  She is currently teaching Greek Language Arts 8 and Greek B Courses, where she brings Greek culture on the front. She also serves as co-advisor for the Chinese-Greek Intercultural Club to enhance student engagement in a multicultural environment and foster inclusivity. Teaching experience includes a position as a Lecturer at The Higher Military Educational Institutions and at the Higher School of Pedagogical and Technological Education as an academic associate on Teaching Methodology and Assessment, where she also conducts demonstrations to teachers so that they acquire the Pedagogical Competence.

Through enriching teaching experiences during her teaching career Ms. Sidiropoulou has published articles and educational books in Greek, French and Arabic; she has been an assessor of the Greek Language Center since 2009 and a certified adult trainer by the Ministry of Education.  She attended a series of professional development opportunities and presented her work at a number of International and local conferences; she often contributes to ACS Athens Ethos magazine and co-authored the chapter "Middle and High School implementations of Moodle Facilitated Blended Instructional Designs" (2021 publication “Handbook of Research on K-12 Blended and Virtual Learning Through the i²Flex Classroom Model”).

Ms. Sidiropoulou’s goal is to support students with the essential resources and tools to foster independent learning and inspire self-reliance in them to evolve into reflective inquirers and advocates of Conscious Citizenship. She pursues any opportunity to optimize the learning process and student growth and success, while is a strong believer in lifelong education and personal development.

email: sidiropouloum@acs.gr

Ms. Evdokia (Evi) Sotiropoulou holds a Masters degree in Art Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. She has a K-12 Visual Arts education licensure and certification from the state of Massachusetts.

Ms. Sotiropoulou was born and raised in Athens, Greece and moved to the United States in 2011 for her studies. She is an ACS Athens Alumni, attending the school from junior kindergarten to 12th grade.

After receiving her Bachelor's degree, Ms. Sotiropoulou worked as an art teacher at a Greek-American bilingual school in Arlington, Massachusetts and discovered her passion to teach art. She then decided to continue her studies and received her M.A. in Art Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City.

This will be Ms. Sotiropoulou’s sixth year at ACS Athens teaching 8th grade Design and 6-8th grade Art Studio.

Ms. Sotiropoulou's ultimate priority as an educator is to create a student-centered classroom, where her students feel comfortable to design and express themselves freely.

email: sotiropouloue@acs.gr

Ms. Natasha Stratoglou is a Modern Languages educator. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in French Literature from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a Master’s Degree in Cultural Institutions Management from the Greek Open University. 

Post-graduate work includes studies in Human Development at the University of La Verne, Athens extension, Writing Across the Curriculum at the University of Berkeley, Athens extension, Education at the Kapodistrian University of Athens. She has been a member of the ACS Athens faculty since 1990. She has taught in all three education levels, French and Greek as a native, second, or foreign language. 

She has served as a Middle School Foreign Language Coordinator, Middle School Yearbook Advisor, French Trip advisor, French Club, Greek Club advisor, and Cairo Exchange advisor.

She is a member of the Greek Applied Linguistics Association. She has attended IB Middle Years Program conferences in Athens and Istanbul, several Learning Differences Conferences, and NESA Conferences. She has presented her work at two conferences for graduate students of Museum Studies organized by the Kapodistrian University of Athens, Museum Research section.

Ms. Stratoglou is a firm believer in lifelong learning. Her most recent professional development work is the yearly course in “Teaching Greek as a second and foreign language” from the Aegean University.

Through her experience and knowledge, she supports, encourages, and inspires children. She is an enthusiastic, motivating teacher that creates diverse, exciting, and provoking challenges to promote learning.

email: stratogloun@acs.gr

Dr. Toumpakari was born and raised in Athens and attended the University of Athens where she studied Mathematics. She obtained a M.Sc. in Applied Statistics from the University of Oxford and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Chicago on a full scholarship from the University, while being an honorary scholar of the Onassis Foundation.

Dr Toumpakari has made presentations in several mathematics conferences in the US. Recently she presented at the 1st Congress of Greek Mathematicians on a statistical project she participated in at the Childhood Cancer Research group at Oxford. Her teaching experience includes a variety of undergraduate classes at the University of Chicago, mentoring gifted teenagers at a math-themed summer camp and teaching under-privileged students in the Chicago Public Schools as well as teaching A-levels in the UK. Since June 2019 she has been a Senior Fellow of the Institute at ACS Athens.

Dr Toumpakari has been a teacher of mathematics at ACS Athens since 2012 and this year is teaching Math 6, Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1 in the Middle School.

email: toumpakarie@acs.gr

Ms. Evangelia Theofilou obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2016) and her Masters Degree in Environmental Health / Toxicology from the Medical school of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (2018) with the highest grade in her class.

She has worked as an analytical researcher in the National Center of Scientific Research "Demokritos" and at the University of Birmingham about toxicological topics like the "Carcinogenic impact of aflatoxins in peanuts" and "Skin toxicity of anticancer therapies".

She is a holder of QTS (Qualified Teacher Status-UK) and speaks Greek, English and French. She loves traveling and her dream is to travel all around the world.

She has been working at ACS Athens since 2019 as a Science and Technology teacher and in the math/science studio assisting students in Chemistry and Biology.

This year, she will be teaching Science 8, Computers 6 and 8 in Middle school.

email: theofiloue@acs.gr

Mr. Thymianos holds a B.Sc. in Physics with specialization in Astrophysics, Astronomy and Mechanics. During and after his undergraduate studies, he participated in numerous Space Related Projects, with one being the first construction and launch of the first High Power Model Rocket in Greece.

Mr. Thymianos is a Science and Mathematics educator since his early academic years with experience in a variety of curriculums at Secondary level. He tries to go over and beyond the classical way of teaching by organizing innovative projects for the students and participating in various international competitions. He has participated in many conferences and seminars around the world as he always tries to improve himself as the world changes.

He embrace the quote of B. Franklin who said: "Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”.

After teaching in various institutes and International Schools in Greece and Spain, he is currently teaching in ACS Athens the classes of Algebra 1, Physics 1 and STEAM.

email: thymianosa@acs.gr

Ms. Sophia Ponce Tsinakis was born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. She has earned a Master's in Elementary Education and a K-12 English Language Learners endorsement at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology - with a minor in Art Therapy - from Lesley University in Cambridge Massachusetts.

After teaching for four years at an innovative elementary public school in Nashville, Ms. Tsinakis joined the ACS Athens faculty in 2018, originally teaching first grade during the 2018-2019 academic year and fifth grade during the 2019-2020 academic year. In September 2020 she transitioned into the position of JK-6 Literacy Coordinator to further the aims of ACS Athens literacy program. The ultimate objective of the elementary ACS literacy program is the development of readers and writers across all the grade levels. To this end, she facilitates an ongoing collaborative literacy learning culture that aligns the school’s reading and writing curriculums (including Phonics and Grammar). Moreover, she champions teachers to support students in writing with fluency for an audience, about topics they care about. Lastly, she fortifies best instructional literacy practices through literacy coaching to bolster resilience, grit, and empathy in students to promote ethical decision-makers, strong relationships, and positive action. During the 2022-2023 academic year she was interviewed for the ACS Athens Owlcast (episode 16). She discussed her views about literacy in schools, coordinating the ACS literacy program, and coaching teachers in elevating their literacy instructional practices.

In addition, this is her second academic year teaching grade 6 Language Arts as a Middle School faculty member. Ms. Tsinakis has a great passion for teaching and her priority as an educator of young minds is to assist children of diverse backgrounds to find meaning, passion, and direction in their educational experience, and ultimately in their lives. Ms. Tsinakis is committed to fostering, inspiring, and sustaining high levels of authentic learning in all students as a path through which they become active, compassionate, independent, and global learners. Her continuous study of international literacy experts are a guiding influence in her inspired pursuit of refining and growing her literacy instruction.

email: tsinakiss@acs.gr

Maria Veloudi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Pedagogy and a Master’s degree in Educational Policy and Administration from the Philosophy school of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She also holds a diploma in Special Education.

Before joining ACS, Ms. Veloudi taught Greek at the International School of Piraeus to both Greek nationals and non-Greek students, where she differentiated and tiered learning activities for all students. Prior to that experience, Ms. Veloudi worked at the Museum of Education, planning and delivering various learning activities for students of ages visiting the museum.

Ms. Veloudi is passionate about teaching and very excited to share her love of teaching and learning with the ACS Athens students. Ms. Veloudi will also continue teaching the Greek class for the Youth-to-Youth program and for the ACS Athens Virtual.

Ms. Veloudi successfully completed a 9-month seminar offered by the Aegean University on the subject: Greek as a Second/Foreign Language.

She recently took part in the Cultural Diversity Day project on Metaverse, a collaboration about SDG's between ACS Athens and Hisar School in Istanbul.

email: veloudim@acs.gr

Ms. Wang is originally from Taiwan. She obtained her Bachelor's Degree from the National Taipei Institute of the Arts (1994), where she studied Piano Performance, Violin Performance as well as Chinese Language and Literature. She has won the 2nd prize in Taiwan Piano Competition. Ms. Wang also trained at Luebeck Musikhochschule in Germany and obtained her Masters's Degree in Piano Performance (1998). Each summer Ms. Wang travels to Taiwan and participates in the seminar "Chinese Language Research". In the summer of 2009, she obtained a certification following a 2-month course “Teaching Chinese as Foreign Language” from Tunghai University. In Taiwan and Germany, she worked as a teacher, teaching Chinese Language and Piano Performance. She has 27 years of experience teaching Chinese and 26 years of experience teaching Piano Performance. Ms. Wang joined ACS Athens in 2007.

email: wangy@acs.gr

Mr. Bobby Zervas was born in Chicago and attended DePaul University. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in English (2003), he started working as a law clerk and spent several years working in law. He thought about attending law school but realized it was not for him. In 2013, Mr. Zervas moved to Greece to pursue teaching and be closer with his family.

In the first two years at ACS Athens, Mr. Zervas assisted in the Writing/ Research Studio for elementary, middle school and academy helping students build grammar and vocabulary and develop writing skills through brainstorming, structure and research. He then began teaching language arts in Middle School. He has taught 6th, 7th and 8th grade, with a stronger focus on 8th grade. Mr. Zervas was also given the opportunity to co-teach in Combo 9 English. This was a memorable experience that allowed him to observe different teaching methods and work on aligning the 8th grade curriculum for students to have a smoother transition into the Academy. Last year Mr. Zervas taught Perspectives in Literature for 11th and 12 graders to further the continuation of aligning Middle School with the Academy. He also recently completed a Master's program in applied linguistics (2020). This year he will be teaching 6th and 7th grade language arts.

email: zervasb@acs.gr

Ms. Armodorou holds a Masters in Health Psychology from Middlesex University in London and a Bachelor degree in Psychology at the University of Plymouth, UK. For her Master's placement, she worked as an advisor at Edgware Hospital in London and for her Bachelor's degree she worked for a year as a Support Worker at the National Center for Young People with Epilepsy and associated conditions in Surrey, UK.

She has been a member of ACS Athens since October 2019. She started as an Optimal Learning Program (OLP) testing supervisor making sure that the accommodations fit were in place for academic tests and assessments. For the past three academic years, she has been working as an OLP aide in class for Middle and High School helping students achieve their academic goals and work towards their independence. She has been in charge of the ISP (Individual Support Plan) service in OLP ensuring that teachers and students apply the accommodations granted.

Prior to ACS Athens, she worked at Broadfields Primary School as a Specialist Unqualified Teacher for children with Autism in a specialist provision within a mainstream school. She worked as an Autism advisor for mainstream children and offered children with low self-esteem Psychological Support to promote emotional and social balance. She also taught dance lessons using improvisation based on the curriculum for the mainstream children. She was the initiator for Autism Awareness across the mainstream school. She was trained in Macaton sign language and delivered sessions across the provision setting. She also introduced Reverse Inclusion to allow neurotypical children to explore Autism. She created and designed a sensory-friendly program delivered in a theme-based environment for children with Autism to meet their sensory needs, make them feel safe and regulated.

She worked at the Annunciation Catholic Infant School in London offering learning, emotional and speech/ language support to mainstream children who had a diagnosis.

email: armodoroua@acs.gr

Ms. Androniki Manoli earned her Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Pedagogy, and Psychology from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (2015). She holds a Master’s degree in Special Educational Needs from the University of Leeds, UK (2017).

Ms. Manoli has been working at ACS Athens since 2021 as a Shadow Teacher and a LEP Instructor. This is her first year as OLP Elem/MS/Academy Inclusion Specialist, supporting students in OLP in all three schools by collaborating closely with faculty in a co-teaching model to ensure that differentiation is being implemented.    

 Prior to that, she worked as a Special Educator in the UK where she practiced evidence-based interventions for students with neurodevelopmental disorders. She has also worked at the Amsterdam International Community School as a Learning Support Teacher, where she built expertise in differentiation and inquiry-based approach. During her undergraduate degree, she volunteered at SOS Children’s Villages by implementing psycho-educational activities to enhance the emotional, social, and cognitive skills of children aged 4-7 years old. While in the UK and the Netherlands, Ms. Manoli taught Greek as a second/ foreign language.

Ms. Manoli has also attended several seminars and professional development workshops some of which include, ECIS, “Applied Behavior Analysis”, “Refugee and Immigrant Education and Support: Intercultural Views and Practical Applications”, “Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Intervention”, among others. She speaks Greek, English, and Spanish.

She is adept at creating a positive difference in her student’s learning development by promoting a socially just, multicultural classroom environment that delivers meaningful and long-lasting results for a diverse range of needs and interests. She is passionate about implementing inclusive teaching strategies as differentiation empowers all students to reach their maximum potential. Finally, Ms. Manoli is fond of surfing, hiking, and art exhibitions.

email: manolia@acs.gr