Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mr. McGowan obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies from Northwestern University, a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing from Emerson College and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from the University of Buckingham, in the UK.

Mr. McGowan has a vast amount of international experience, particularly in the International Baccalaureate’s Diploma Program.  Since 1999, he has worked in Greece, Belgium and the United Arab Emirates, where he has taught IB English B, English A Literature, Language and Literature, AP English and the Theory of Knowledge.  With a keen interest in assessment and curriculum development, he became an IB examiner and workshop leader for both English A and ToK. He has published several articles and videos on integrating ToK into a school’s curriculum, and he co-authored the most recent English B Coursebook published by Hodder Education.  He has held various leadership positions, including ToK Coordinator and Head of English at the International School of Brussels, and BTEC Coordinator at the JESS school in Dubai.  In 2019, he obtained a Certificate of International School Leadership from the Principal’s Training Center in London.

Believing that cross-curricular events enhance student learning, Mr. McGowan has organized several student-centered activities, such as excursions to TEDx Talks, student-led workshops for Brussels area schools and speaker programs where professionals shared their insights into the relationship between education and experience. These initiatives are born from the idea that the more opportunities students have to apply their knowledge, the more enriched they become. 

An avid reader, sports fan and supporter of the arts, Mr. McGowan also enjoys travelling, swimming, cycling and spending time with his family.  He is excited to be joining ACS as the Director of IB and AP Programs because the school’s values of academic excellence, community service and global citizenship are perfectly aligned with his educational philosophy, and he hopes to use his experience to make a valuable contribution to the school community.

email: mcgowanm@acs.gr

Ms. Athanatou earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Business Administration from Texas A&M International University in Texas, USA, where she graduated with Honors. She completed a Master of Business Administration in International Trade and a Master of Business Administration in Management from Texas A&M International University in Texas, USA.

Ms. Athanatou has completed an online workshop with IBO specializing in Counseling for the IB Diploma and she has been a CAS Adviser for the past five years. Also, she has been assisting in the Youth-to-Youth Programs for the past six years.

Ms. Athanatou was born and raised in Athens, Greece. She is a resident of Kropia, Attiki, and has been elected to the Municipality Council where she has served as a member of the Economic Commission and as a Chair for the Committee of Tax Revenue.

email: athanatoue@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

Born in Canada and raised both in Montreal Quebec and in Athens Greece, Angela E. Chamosfakidis graduated from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, with a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy, Pedagogy, Psychology (concentration in Psychology). For her Graduate studies, she attended McGill University in Canada where she received a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology with a research focus on teachers' expectations for children of divorce. Whilst completing her Graduate studies Ms. Chamosfakidis taught in primary and secondary schools in the wider area of Montreal. Upon her return to Greece in 2003, Ms. Chamosfakidis accepted a position at KETHEA (Therapy Center for Dependent Individuals) where she led a team of professionals to provide educational and counseling services to adolescents and young adults with substance abuse problems, for over 10 years. As part of her professional development in the field of addiction, she received a post-graduate Certificate of Specialization in the "Administration and Social Planning in the field of Drug Addiction'' from the Athens School of Public Health in collaboration with the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego.

Since joining ACS Athens, in 2014, Ms. Chamosfakidis has been teaching IB Psychology and Theory of Knowledge. She also serves as an Advisor for the Model United Nations (MUN) club as well as the Intersection club: Where Biology meets Psychology. She has co-authored the book "Revolutionizing K-12 Blended Learning through the i2Flex Classroom Model" contributing to a new educational paradigm introduced by ACS Athens.

Ms. Chamosfakidis is passionate about teaching and learning and committed to supporting students and their individual needs. She holds a Teaching Certification by the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) and the Greek Ministry of Education and she is a certified IB Psychology Examiner (IBO).

email: chamosfakidisa@acs.gr

Natalia Dadidou was born and raised in Greece. She holds an MSc in Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, UK (2000), an MBA (1998), and a BSc in Economics (1996) from the University of Macedonia Economic and Social Sciences, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Ms. Dadidou has been an IB Economics and IB Business Management teacher at ACS Athens since 2017. She has also served as a Theory of Knowledge instructor.

Ms. Dadidou has been a Board Member at Zeda SA since 2012, and a Partner at Tecvocate Inc., since 2005. She has worked as a financial analyst and has served as a Project Manager for Budgeting and Planning at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games Organising Committee's IT Department.

In 2019, Ms. Dadidou was honored by the ACS Athens Academy students with the "Teacher of the Year" certificate of recognition and an ACS Athens Academy Yearbook dedication.

She has published a novel, "Abacus, ένα παιχνίδι απληστίας" (Kedros Publishers, 2012), short fiction stories and economic commentaries. She is proud to have completed the Athens Marathon in 2022. Ms. Dadidou enjoys long-distance running, reading, writing, and playing the piano. She is a devoted mother of two boys and considers herself blessed to have discovered the beauty of being a teacher.

email: dadidoun@acs.gr

Ms. Drogaris is originally from New York, NY. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College in Oberlin Ohio, a Master of Science from the Athens University of Economics and Business, where she graduated with honors and Master of Science in Educational Theory and Practice from Arkansas State University.

Before coming to teach at ACS Athens, Ms. Drogaris was a teacher at William E. Grady High School in New York. Upon moving to Greece, she held various positions in international business including Manager of Sales and Marketing for an American multinational for the Middle East and African regions. She decided to return to her true love which is teaching. This is her 15th year at ACS. She is teaching two sections of IB Economics HL and one section of  IB Business Management HL. Ms. Drogaris is an IB Examiner and has been involved in many student activities over the years.

email: drogarise@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

Ms. Falidas earned her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics from the City University of New York at Queens College. She earned her master’s degree in Mathematics from the City University of New York at Queens College and her master’s degree in Mathematics Education from the City University of New York at Hunter College.

Ms. Falidas holds a permanent New York State teaching license and she has worked in New York City public and private schools. In addition, she worked as a lecturer for the Mathematics Department at LaGuardia Community College in New York. She is a fellow at the ACS Athens Institute and a member of Thales and Friends, a non-profit organization aiming to bridge the chasm between mathematics and other cultural forms.

Ms. Falidas has been a teacher of Mathematics at ACS Athens since 2007 and is an IBO Mathematics Examiner since 2009. At ACS Athens she is the coordinator for the annual Mathematics Kangaroo Competition and the Division Chair of Mathematics.

email: falidasm@acs.gr

Dr. Fyrigou is a Language Educator. She earned a Bachelor’s in French Literature from the Greek Capodistrian University of Athens and in 2008 she received her master's degree in the History of French Civilization. Dr. Fyrigou defended successfully her doctorate thesis in History of French Civilization on July 2012 and received her doctoral degree. 

She has been working in the ACS faculty community since 1999 and has taught both in Middle School and High School. She is an IB teacher and an IB examiner in French language. Additionally, she has been selected by  Widener University to teach as an Adjunct Professor a course named  Values and Ethics in Education for a doctorate degree program in Low-Residency EdD with a Focus on International Schools Leadership. She is also an adjunct Professor at the Hellenic American University in Athens, teaching undergraduate students in the department of interdisciplinary and intercultural studies.

She has established different educational collaborations between ACS Athens and other institutions worldwide. Dr. Fyrigou has designed, developed and implemented different courses in French and Greek language and culture based on the i2flex methodology and innovative teaching and learning approaches. 

She has  authored a chapter in the 2016 publication "Revolutionizing K-12 Blended Learning through i2Flex Classroom Model." The title of her chapter is “Evaluating the i2flex educational experience via the Community of Inquiry (CoI 2000)” 

She has also authored a chapter for the enhanced book version 2021 publication "Revolutionizing K-12 Blended Learning through i2Flex Classroom Model." The title of her chapter is "The effectiveness of the i 2 Flex methodology and the CoI (Community of inquiry) in demanding educational fields."

Dr. Tonia Fyrigou has also presented her work in different colloquiums and conferences. She is a life-long learner, an open mind person with ethos and values with innovative ideas who always strives for excellence in education.

email: firigout@acs.gr

Dr. Hristakos completed his B.Sc. in physics at the University of Lancaster in the UK. He then continued his graduate studies in experimental physics (M.S) at the University of New Hampshire in the USA. Following this he successfully defended his Ph.D. in experimental low temperature physics at the University of Bayreuth in Germany. Dr. Hristakos worked as a post-doc research scientist at the Centre des etudes atomiques in Saclay-France and at the University of Tuebingen in Germany.

He has taught IB physics at ACS Athens for over a decade and he has also worked as an AP physics teacher at the American School of Dubai.

email: hristakosl@theinstitute.gr

Dr. Antonios Karampelas holds a B.Sc. in Physics, and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Astrophysics, from the University of Athens. He has been a post-graduate researcher at the University of Athens and the National Observatory of Athens, mainly contributing to the preparation of the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission. Dr. Karampelas has been an ACS Athens Academy teacher since 2016, teaching IB and 10th grade Physics, as well as the STEAM 1, STEAM 2, and Artificial Intelligence courses that he has created.

Dr. Karampelas is a strong proponent of the inclusion of Generative AI and Learning Analytics in Education and the development of AI curricula. He is a researcher with a record of more than 80 articles and a manuscript reviewer and has attended more than 30 conferences and workshops (with several contributions). His research work in education has been published or featured on, among others, AIP Publishing, IGI Global, the International Schools Journal, Medium, Business Partners, European Distance and E-Learning Network, the MSA Accreditation Newsletter, and the Inside Learning podcast series.

Dr. Karampelas has been leading and serving in different capacities as an ACS Athens Artificial Intelligence Framework Coordinator, Accreditation Internal Coordinator, and Action Research Coordinator. He also led the "spACS" program of high school students’ experiments that were conducted in space in two consecutive space flights of Blue Origin’s New Shepard capsule (2019), with both events being covered by media in Greece and the US. Moreover, he led a team of high school students that won first place in the first Aerospace Contest, organized by the Hellenic Physical Society in 2018, and coordinated students’ research projects from inception to publication.

Dr. Karampelas is a Fellow of the Institute of ACS Athens, a co-coordinator of the “STEM and Artificial Intelligence in Education” Working Group of the Hellenic Educational Society of STEM, and a member of several professional associations.

email: karampelasa@acs.gr

Ms. Matina Katsiyianni holds a B.Sc. in Mathematics from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She also holds a Master of Science in Economic Mathematics from the National Technological University of Athens.

Ms. Katsiyianni is a Mathematics educator with over 15 years of experience in a variety of curriculums at the Secondary level and she is published in the ACS Athens initiative on the revolutionary blended teaching methodology i2flex. She has participated in many conferences around the world as she always seeks the best professional development opportunities for the benefit of her students.

Ms. Katsiyianni is currently teaching IB Mathematics and AP Precalculus at the Academy. 

email: katsiyiannim@acs.gr

Dr. Kerkines received his B.Sc. in Chemistry (1997) and his M.Sc.(1999) and Ph.D.(2003) in Physical Chemistry from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA).

He worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the NKUA (2004-2006), at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, USA (2006-2008), and at the National Hellenic Research Foundation (2008-2011, 2013-2015). His research focus had been the application of Quantum Chemistry to novel main-group and transition-metal chemistry, as well as to the study of the interaction of materials with light for modern energy applications.

Dr. Kerkines has been teaching Chemistry since 2000. Before joining the ACS family in 2017, he had worked in the private sector as a content creator for e-learning courses and phone support for students from 4th to 12th grade (Chemistry, Physics, Math, Geography, Biology) as well as in a tutoring center for Panhellenic examinations. He also worked as a quality control head in a cosmetics company, being responsible for ISO and ΕΟΦ accreditations.

Dr. Kerkines has co-authored over 30 research papers in international peer-reviewed journals and has presented his work in scientific conferences in 12 countries. He has received scholarships from the Association of Hellenes from Egypt, the Hellenic State Scholarships Foundation, and the Marie Curie Foundation (twice). He received the 2008 Atlanta Area Chemical Physics award for his postdoctoral research, and he has briefly worked at CERN (Switzerland) and Karlsruhe University (Germany) as a visiting scientist. A firm supporter of the communication of science to the public, he received the honor to give invited talks at the Athens Science Festival/Cafe Scientifique Athens (2016, 2021), as well as at the inaugural Pint of Science Greece (2018).

Dr. Kerkines was born and grew up near the center of Athens, Greece. In his spare time, he enjoys lifting weights and engaging with website design and development.

email: kerkinesi@acs.gr

Born and raised in Athens, Greece, Ms. Melina Kolimpiri is a graduate of the National  Kapodistrian University of Athens, Department of Philosophy, with a specific major in  History and Archaeology. She also holds a Diploma in "General and Specialized Translation from English into Greek" awarded by the Hellenic American Union, as well as certificates in German and Italian Languages. 

Ms. Kolimpiri has worked for more than twenty years in Greek Private Schools and  Institutions as a teacher of Ancient and Modern Greek Language, Literature, and History. She joined the ACS Athens community in 2018. She has been teaching Greek in Middle School and Academy classes and she is a certified IB educator. 

She has completed numerous seminars in teaching methodology and educational programs, classroom effectiveness and inclusion workshops as well as a course held by the Aegean University on teaching Greek as a second /foreign Language.

Furthermore, Ms.Kolimpiri engages in professional text editing and proofreading publications in Psychology and Poetry.  

Her personal and pedagogical philosophy focuses on self-improvement and life-long learning; values which are then practiced within the classroom.  

This year she is teaching Modern Greek IB Language A: Language and Literature (Year 2)  as well as Greek Language and Literature in Grade 10.

email: kolimpirim@acs.gr

Ms. Elizabeth Ktorides attended ACS Athens K-12 and returned to teach in 2016. She studied at Bard College in Upstate New York where she received a B.A. in Literature in 2005. Ms. Ktorides received EFL teacher training from CELTA run by Cambridge, and her teacher training and certification from the University of Western Florida. She is currently completing her MA in Folklore and Southern Culture at the Northwestern State University of Louisiana.

After completing her BA, Ms. Ktorides moved back to Greece and began her career as an educator through tutoring. She also worked as a Shadow Teacher at ACS Athens for four years. Looking for change and adventure, Ms. Ktorides moved to Bratislava, Slovakia, where she taught Middle and High school Literature for one year and preschool for three years at the American School, QSI. At QSI, Ms. Ktorides participated in the Professional Development Conferences both as an attendee and as a presenter delivering presentations about Behavioral Differentiation and a two-day workshop titled Playing as “Learning in Early Childhood.” Additionally, Ms. Ktorides has also attended a number of conferences on Learning Differences at ACS Athens. She also completed two IB Workshops for both Language A: Literature and Language A: Language and Literature. Currently, she teaches IB English A: Language and Literature Years 1 and 2 as well as 9th-grade Combo.

email: ktoridese@acs.gr

Dennisse Legorreta was born in Mexico. She studied Communication Science and Hispanic Literature at Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City (1989). She also holds a Master's degree in "Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language" (1991).

Mrs. Legorreta has special training in teaching IB & AP Spanish. She has taught them for more than 14 years. She is currently teaching Spanish IB Ab initio years 1 & 2, Spanish B SL/HL years 1 & 2, and Spanish AP. 

Ms. Legorreta loves traveling, dancing, and singing. Animals are her passion. 

email: legorretad@acs.gr

Mr. Lianos was raised in both New York and Athens, Greece. He holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Maryland, University College and an M.A. in Mass Communications from the University of Leicester. His dissertation focused on the role proximity plays in the reporting of international conflicts.

Prior to joining the ACS Athens faculty, he was an editor and project manager at Macmillan Hellas publishers and edited for the weekly English language newspaper The Hellenic Star. He also handled marketing and communication for Aurion Image and Sound Distributors.

Mr. Lianos currently teaches American Literature Combo 10, Humanities, IB Language and Literature Yr. 2 and Media Literacy, Communication and Production. His students produce The ACS Athens Observer and The Literary Arts Magazine, which showcase student media projects, literature and visual art. He has also held a position at the ACS Athens Writing / Research Studio where he guided students to become more effective, confident and independent writers. 

As always, he is looking forward to the academic year and collaborating with his students.

email: lianosh@acs.gr

Dr. Natalie Mitchell was raised in Louisiana, USA, prior to attending high school at ACS. She earned her BSc. and MSc. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Greenwich, London. While working for the UK National Health Service (NHS) in infectious disease diagnostics, she was awarded Runner-Up Innovation of the Year for the invention and development of a rapid detection method for multi-drug resistant bacteria. She moved to Greece to continue her research in Professor Eleni Giamarellou’s lab at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens at Attikon Hospital, before moving back to the US. At the Biodesign Institute of Arizona State University (ASU), she developed recombinant and attenuated vaccines before embarking on a P.h.D in Microbiology at ASU, where she was the recipient of a prestigious Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Fellowship. Her PhD involved biomarker discovery using mass spectrometry and led to multiple additional patents.

Dr. Mitchell got the “bug” for teaching at ASU, where she taught Biology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology and Immunology to undergraduates, as well as mentored Capstone and Honors projects. She has co-authored multiple scientific articles with students and hopes to continue doing so at ACS Athens. She has also taught at Grand Canyon University and the Mayo Clinic Medical School in Arizona.

She has over a dozen peer-reviewed scientific publications, has given a number of scientific presentations around the world and is the author of 4 patents.

At ACS Athens, Dr. Mitchell will be teaching Biology 9, IB Biology Yr. 1 and IB Environmental Systems and Society Yr. 2 during the 2022-2023 academic year.

email: mitchelln@acs.gr

Mr. Barrett Nikodym began his higher education in Minnesota, acquiring Bachelor’s degrees in History and Social Studies Education while also obtaining a Master’s degree in History from Saint Cloud State University. Having spent time during his practicum at Munich International School, it was there that he confirmed his deep belief that international education provides a blueprint toward a better future, not just for students but the communities to which they belong as well. After a year of gaining new perspectives and educational experience in various public schools in Minnesota, Mr. Nikodym joined the ACS Athens community in 2019. This will be his fifth year at ACS Athens, and he believes even further that student-centered learning, diversity, and holistic approaches to education found at ACS Athens foster ethically responsible global citizens.

email: nikodymb@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

Evelyn Pittas earned her B.A. in English Literature, from Gwynedd-Mercy College and her M.A. in English Literature, from Kutztown University and Lehigh University. She has also earned her Teaching Certificate from the state of Pennsylvania and attended numerous workshops and conferences in IB, Learning Differences, Writing for teachers, and Leadership for the 21st Century. Currently, Ms. Pittas is the Vice Principal of the Academy and is studying to earn her Doctorate of Education from the University of Nicosia.

Ms. Pittas’ commitment to her leadership and teaching is mirrored through her highly energetic and enthusiastic personality.  She specializes in teaching Group 1 in the International Baccalaureate Program. As a Group 1 and Extended Essay Examiner since the late 1990s, she has experienced first-hand four consecutive changes in the Group 1 curriculum for the IB.  As the English Department Coordinator and the English Language and Literature educator at ACS, Athens, both at the Higher and Standard levels since 1998, her dedication, aptitude, and finesse to inspire, motivate, and lead diverse students while consistently maintaining a solid history of very high achievement is her pride and joy. Conscious citizenship and empathy are at the center of her leadership, teaching, and learning which promote ethos, morphosis, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills and encourage her students to make intentional choices and assume responsibility for their own actions. As a mentor teacher since 2014 and current Vice Principal, she successfully interacts and productively leads her colleagues into the professional requirements and expectations of the Academy. Her areas of expertise include building and maintaining excellent relations with students, parents, faculty, and administrators; she is self-motivated with excellent planning abilities, organizational skills, and implementation strategies in the curriculum. Ms. Pittas upholds her professional skill and growth through attendance and presentation at a variety of professional development events and conferences.

In addition to her responsibilities as Vice Principal, Ms. Pittas has been involved in a variety of positions at ACS Athens, including Forensics Oratory Coach, Coordinator and Judge at Pan-Hellenic Tournaments, 10th and 12th grade Student Council Advisor, Blue and Gold School Newspaper Advisor, Model United Nations Advisor, Activities Coordinator, Bonding Day Coordinator, Graduation Coordinator Assistant and is a member of the National Honor Society committee. She also served on the ACSTA Executive Council as President and the Federation Executive Council as Vice President.

Her mission as Vice Principal is to develop confidence in each student so that they will seek knowledge, question answers, and believe in their own abilities to become lifelong learners. She supports all students, listens willingly, and provides a loving environment so they can understand the bliss of learning and take pride in their accomplishments.

email: pittase@acs.gr

Ms. Pisanias, has been teaching at ACS Athens since January 1995. While at ACS Athens she has taught both Greek Language B classes and Greek Language & Literature classes. She has taught Modern Greek for the IB Diploma for more than 25 years and currently she is teaching Modern Greek IB Language A: Language and Literature.

Ms. Pisanias holds a Bachelor of Arts in Greek and French Literature from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, a Masters in Translation from Université de Mons-Hainaut & Université Libre de Bruxelles, in Belgium and a Masters in Education from the Hellenic Open University. The postgraduate courses she has taken are in the areas of Child Development, Cross-cultural Education, School Administration and Distance Learning. The subject of her thesis was "Communication and Interaction between students in Distance Education". She also holds a certification in teaching Greek as a Second or Foreign Language from the Aegean University. She has represented the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges as a member of an accreditation Validation Team.

Ms. Pisanias has a passion for education and a strong commitment to student development. While at ACS Athens she has been advisor of the Greek Literary Magazine, the Greek Club and several class Councils. Since September 2017 she has been the Coordinator of the Greek Language Department and currently she is the Division Chair of Greek Language and Literature.

email: pisaniask@acs.gr

Dr. Prodromidi earned a B.Sc. in Cell & Molecular Biology from the University of Essex, UK. She then continued her graduate studies at Imperial College London, UK, where she obtained a M.Sc. in Immunology and a Ph.D. with a full scholarship in Renal Medicine and Stem Cell Biology. She has worked in research and her scientific work has been presented in conferences world-wide, and has been acknowledged numerous times with international awards, such as the Best New Scientist (2006, UK). She has also published articles in scientific journals and co-authored books.

After the completion of her post-graduate studies and since her return to Greece, Dr. Prodromidi has worked both as a research scientist and an educator. To her, teaching means inspiration, creativity, and even a challenge to pass on knowledge and ethos to every student. Her teaching experience ranges from middle school students through university students.  Additionally, she has co-authored the textbook and the handbook of research entitled "Revolutionizing K-12 Blended Learning through the i2Flex Classroom, a novel pedagogical approach of teaching and learning first established at ACS Athens. Dr. Prodromidi is an IB examiner in Biology and has been a Faculty member at ACS Athens teaching IB Biology and IB Environmental Systems and Societies since 2010. Currently, she is also the Chair of Division of Science K-12 at ACS Athens.

email: prodromidie@acs.gr

Sophia Stella Soseilos is the Visual and Performing Arts Division Chair of ACS Athens since 2018. At the same time she is a High school Art Teacher and an IB Visual Arts Instructor. She has been to ACS Athens since 2012. She is a Greek Cypriot who was born in Germany, lived in Cyprus, studied in South Africa and moved to Greece in 1995. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from WITS University, South Africa, majoring in Painting and Theater Design and a Masters degree in Creative Writing from the University of Western Macedonia, in Greece.

She has worked as an Artist, Art Teacher, Interior Designer and Stage Designer for numerous theaters and TV Set Productions in Greece and Cyprus. She is also an author. She has short stories published in two books. Her book "When Color and Forms Become Words" was published in 2021. Most importantly Sophia Stella Soseilos has a passion for teaching Art. She embraces diversity, and has a great way of motivating and introducing creativity and design thinking into the education space. She is able to connect and communicate with her students. She defines targets and strategies and has the ability to convert vision to execution.

email: soseiloss@acs.gr

She earned both her Bachelor and Master's degrees while completing the extended program in Applied Mathematics and Studies of Science from the National Technical University (NTUA) of Athens. She then went on to complete a second Master’s Degree in Applied Mathematics, majoring in Mathematical Analysis. Having identified a distinct passion in her field, Dr. Stamati successfully earned her Ph.D. in Systems Theory from the NTUA on a full scholarship from the Papakyriakopoulos Foundation. She has published numerous articles in academic journals such as IEEE, Transactions on Automatic Control, International Schools Journal, and many more. During her Doctoral Dissertation, she lectured in various schools, such as:

• the School of Applied Mathematics and Studies of Science of NTUA.
• the University of West Attica
• the School of Engineering Officers of the Greek Army

After attaining her Ph.D., she worked as:

• a Visiting Professor in the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, at the Department of Economics,
• a Scientific Associate in the University of West Attica
• and as an Instructor in the School of Greek Navy Cadets.

She has taught Calculus, MATH 100, Linear Algebra, Optimal Control, Higher Mathematics, and Programming Software such as MatLab and Mathematica. She has also participated in research programs focused on the design, development, and implementation of mathematical algorithms. Dr. Stamati started working at ACS in 2013.

She is also the ECIS Ambassador (Educational Collaborative for International Schools) and Co Coordinator of the Professional Development Team at ACS Athens. 

Dr. Stamati has received the University of Chicago's Outstanding Educator Award.

She is also an IB Examiner.

This year she will be teaching IB Mathematics Analysis and Approaches HL Y2, SL Y1 and Algebra 2 and Trigonometry. 

She is enthusiastic and eager to share her love of mathematics, and she aims to transfer this enthusiasm to her students on a daily basis. Her motto is "The only way to learn Mathematics is to do Mathematics" - Paul Halmos.

email: stamatia@acs.gr

Dr. Evan Syropoulos is an accomplished educator, researcher, and an IB and AP Capstone-certified teacher, with a unique interdisciplinary academic background spanning English Literature, Critical Theory, and the Performing Arts. He earned his BA in English Language and Literature (1995), his MA in English Literature and Culture (1999), and his PhD in Musical Theater (2008) from the School of English Language and Literature of Aristotle University. He conducted postdoctoral research and/ or taught literature and theater courses at Aristotle University, Ghent University (Belgium), and Goldsmiths College (University of London). His research has been published in peer-reviewed journals in Greece, Belgium, and the UK. 

His commitment to advancing his teaching methodology led him to become a College Board-certified AP Capstone teacher in 2017, after training at McBride High School, Long Beach CA. In 2019, he further honed his skills at the AERO Summer Institute at Marymount University, Virginia, receiving training in the English Language Arts AERO standards. 

In 2016, he began his impactful journey at ACS Athens, initially working as the Writing/ Research Studio Coordinator and then primarily teaching IB English A: Literature, IB English A: Language and Literature, and IB Theory of Knowledge. In 2019, he joined the ACS Athens Institute as Fellow, designing and teaching an online course in English Literature for ACS Athens Virtual. From September 2022, he also serves as Division Chair of Language and Literature. This year, he teaches IB English A: Literature Yr. 1 and Yr. 2 and IB English A: Language and Literature Yr. 1 and Yr. 2. 

Currently, Dr. Syropoulos is also collaborating with Ms. Sophia Thanopoulou on the development of the Inquiry and Performance Learning Model (IPLM). This endeavor marries his love for literature, theater, and teaching, underscoring his commitment to pioneering effective and engaging teaching methods.

email: syropoulose@acs.gr

Ms. Thanopoulou received her degree in Theater Studies from the National University of Athens and a Master of Arts in Physical Theater from the universities of Surrey & Royal Holloway University of London.

She is a trained performer and dancer and has appeared in numerous venues, including the Athens Concert Hall, Michael Cacoyannis Foundation, and the Opening Ceremony for the Athens Olympics 2004. She worked in a wide variety of capacities in the theater before discovering her love for teaching in 2004.

Ms. Thanopoulou holds a teaching license from the University of Athens and from the Teaching Council UK (QTS), where she first started teaching and built the programs for A Level and BTEC Drama & Performing Arts in 3 different inner-city London schools. She started at ACS Athens in 2007, and since then, she has developed the curriculum for Middle School and Academy Drama and the syllabi for IB Theater; she has directed 18 full-scale student productions as well as numerous smaller performance projects; she has been responsible for the school’s participation in the Panhellenic Forensics Tournaments, yielding many distinctions every year; she is the principal coach of the Duet Acting team and every year offers a variety of performance-related extracurriculars; she has shared her insights and experience in conferences like ECIS and the Learning Differences Conference. She is a firm believer in the power of arts in education and does everything in her power to address her students’ creative needs and celebrate their talents.

email: thanopoulous@acs.gr

Dr. Liana Tsigaridi holds a B.Sc. in Mathematics, from the University of Patras, with the highest grade of the graduation year and award from the State Scholarships Foundation, a M.Sc. in Applied Mathematics, from the Technical University of Athens, a second M.Sc. in Astrophysics, from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) and a Ph.D. in Astronomy and Applied Mathematics, from the NKUA, in the field of Galactic Dynamics on a full scholarship from the Leventis Foundation.

Dr. Tsigaridi has participated in many Research Programs funded by the Academy of Athens in collaboration with the Research Center for Astronomy and Applied Mathematics (RCAAM), with publications in peer reviewed scientific journals and presence in numerous conferences. She has also participated as a visiting researcher in the project "Galactic Potential Extraction" at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Munich, Germany.

Dr. Tsigaridi has been teaching Mathematics for over 17 years. She has been an Academy and IB/AP Faculty at ACS Athens since 2017. This year she will be teaching IB Mathematics AA SL, AP Statistics and Geometry with Algebraic Topics. She is also an IB Mathematics examiner. 

In parallel with her academic studies Dr. Tsigaridi has also completed degrees in Music and Dance. She plays the Piano and the Viola and has been a member of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Athens since 1991. She is also a member of the Hellenic Astronomical Society (Hel.A.S.) and the European Space Agency (ESA).

email: tsigaridil@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

Ms. Zavacopoulou was born in London, but was raised in Athens and attended a British international school. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in European Social and Political Studies, a four-year course with majors in History, French and Italian from University College London (2004), and a Masters degree in Journalism from University of Westminster, London (2008).

A qualified secondary school teacher, she taught French and Spanish in an inner city London school through Teach First, a ground-breaking graduate training program that combines two years teaching in challenging London schools with business and leadership training. She also worked as a substitute teacher in over 20 different London schools in long-term and short-term placements for a further two years.

She joined the ACS Athens team in 2010 and started working in the Writing/Research Studio, where she helped and advised students on a variety of written assignments. She has since been involved in many aspects of school life: she coaches the ACS Athens Academy and Middle School debate teams, has participated in the Mentorship Program and has co-presented a workshop at the NESA Conference. With her teaching partner she has also developed and taught authentic Humanities courses for ACS Athens Virtual. Currently she is teaching IB TOK Senior Seminar, team-teaching Humanities and Grade 9 Europe and the World, as well as serving as Division Chair for Social Studies, K-12.

email: zavacopouloua@acs.gr