On Saturday, February 22nd, 2025, we celebrated the 170th anniversary of the founding of the Ralleio Gymnasium and Lyceum for Girls in Piraeus.
The event took place in the auditorium of the school complex and began with a speech by the Director of the Lyceum, Mr. N. Zarkadoulas, who discussed the holistic school culture and the positive school climate he encountered when he took up his position in the summer of 2023. He made special mention of the voluntary work carried out by the school’s educators, who, since the 1990s, have been tirelessly dedicating their time, knowledge, skills, connections, and expertise to design, create, and organize, beyond their formal teaching duties, activities such as theatrical performances, conferences, workshops, pilot and sample teachings in philological and foreign language subjects, European and international programs (including numerous free student and teacher exchanges abroad), social solidarity initiatives, outdoor-oriented teaching, and numerous other actions and activities. Mr. Zarkadoulas emphasized that all these efforts have played a crucial role in establishing the excellent reputation of the Lyceum at local, national, European, and international levels.
Next, the Director of the Gymnasium, Mr. D. Kalaitzidis, took the floor, providing historical information about the school and discussing the Sustainable School model implemented at the Gymnasium. A video was then shown featuring Gymnasium students from the Sustainable School groups which have been operating since the previous academic year. With great emotion, we watched the video created by Ralleio Lyceum graduate and filmmaker, Ms. Sonia Koutsoukián, which vividly demonstrated the impact of the holistic school culture on shaping the well-rounded education and ethos of Ralleio students.
The event continued with the presentation of the yearbooks for school year 2023-24 for both the Gymnasium and Lyceum by educators, Ms. H. Lemoní and Ms. K. Christodoulou, respectively. In her presentation, Ms. Christodoulou "flipped through" the Lyceum yearbook, highlighting the diversity of voluntary activities and initiatives undertaken by the educators who designed and coordinated them.
The event proceeded with the awarding of former and current directors and deputy directors of the two schools, as well as former and current presidents of the Parent Associations' Boards. The Deputy Director of the Gymnasium, Mr. N. Arfanákos, was specially honored with a plaque by a representative of the Panhellenic Animal Welfare and Environmental Federation for his pioneering and long-standing work in the field of school animal welfare. During the event, two songs were performed by the Gymnasium choir and orchestra, conducted by educator Mr. M. Gartzopoulos.
Following this, in the foyer of the Lyceum, the unveiling of the wall-mounted list of school directors from the post-dictatorship period to the present took place, along with the presentation of an exhibition featuring historical photographs of Ralleio, curated by educators Mr. L. Ferentinos and Ms. K. Christodoulou. The Director hosted a cocktail event at the Lyceum Library, where a permanent exhibition of posters showcasing the various activities designed and implemented outside the regular curriculum by Lyceum educators since the 1990s was displayed. Further information, photographic material, and historical details are available on the bilingual website of the Lyceum.
The event was attended by many current, retired, and former teachers of both schools, who joyfully and emotionally reunited, embraced both current and former students, and exchanged warm words of affection and appreciation.
Our school community and the representatives of the local community who honored us with their presence wish that our school continues its long-standing tradition of providing quality education, fostering good character, and offering a variety of activities that promote the cognitive and emotional empowerment of our students, the active citizens of the future.