ACS Athens: American Community Schools

Cathy Makropoulos, Acting Principal, Kindergarten/Early Childhood

Cathy Makropoulos earned her  Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from LaVerne University and since then has earned over twenty graduate credits in Education. She is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership as well as her International Administrator’s Certification. Cathy Makropoulos has been an educator at ACS Athens Elementary School for nineteen years.

During the last five years she was the Early Childhood Coordinator. Furthermore, she  also served as a member on the committee of Institution-Wide-Accreditation of the Middle States Association (MSA). Additionally, Ms. Makropoulos was also selected to be a member of the European Council of International Schools (ECIS) Early Childhood in 2010 and has since then been an active member of this committee.

email: makropoulosc@acs.gr

Dina Pappas, Elementary School Principal

Ms. Pappas has been selected to undertake the challenging position of ACS Athens Elementary School Principal, with the charge to promote quality teaching and learning.  Ms. Pappas earned a Bachelors of Science in Education and a Masters of Education with a concentration in Curriculum and Instruction and a strand in School Supervision from Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois.  During that time, Ms. Pappas also earned her Type 75 Administrative Certificate from the state of Illinois.  She has been an administrator for five years at ACS Athens.  Prior to becoming an administrator, Ms. Pappas taught Elementary School students, 5th grade and Junior Kindergarten, for a total of over seven years in both United States and Greece.  She speaks fluent English and Greek, and conversational Spanish.   Ms. Pappas fosters a love of learning, cultures and, most importantly, children.

email: pappasd@acs.gr   ph: +30. 210. 639. 3200

Alessandra Sax-Lane, Counselor

Ms. Sax-Lane holds a Bachelor’s degree from Hampshire College (U.S.A.) in Psychology and Child Development.  She graduated from New York University (U.S.A.) with a Clinical Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work; Children, Adolescents and Adults.  She has been a Psychology Lecturer of Child Psychology, Life-Span Development, Cultural Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Advanced Psychopathology, and Group & Music Therapy.  She is also a licensed psychotherapist who has been in private practice for over fifteen years with children, adolescents and adults.  Since September of 2006, she has been working at ACS Athens Elementary as the counselor for grades JK-5. 

Ms. Sax-Lane is currently working on her Doctoral degree at Argosy University (U.S.A.) in Counseling Psychology and Supervision in Counselor Education. She also presents her work at Professional Conferences within the ACS Athens Community and throughout Europe and has published articles on her research interests and clinical work in the field.

email: saxlanea@acs.gr

Chryssoula Xiggi, Administrative Assistant

Ms. Xiggi has been at ACS for twenty two years. She holds a Teaching English License for ESL recognized by the Greek Ministry of Education.

At ACS she has held the following positions: Middle School Counseling Secretary, Middle School Principals Secretary, Registrar, and Assistant to the IB Director.

She currently holds the position of Administrative Assistant to the Elementary School Principal. Both of her children currently attend ACS Athens. 

email: xiggic@acs.gr  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it


Korinna Kokkali, Junior Kindergarten Teacher - Early Childhood Coordinator

Ms. Korinna Kokkali was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She completed her studies at the University of Illinois, in Urbana-Champaign, where she graduated with honors in her education courses. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education and received her certification from the State of Illinois. In addition to her degree, she also holds approval for Special Education.

Ms. Kokkali has been teaching children in both Junior Kindergarten and first grade for the past eleven years. Having worked in the Chicago Public School system and then moving on to ACS Athens, she has had much experience working with young children who come from a diverse background, many of which were students who spoke English as a second language.  This will be her sixth year teaching Junior Kindergarten with ACS Athens.

email: kokkalik@acs.gr

Vasilike Koutsioukis, Junior Kindergarten Teacher

Ms. Koutsioukis received her B.Sc.  in Psychology at the University of Warwick and then qualified as a teacher at the University of Cambridge.  She furthered her studies in Psychology and Education by earning her Master’s degree in Child Development at the Institute of Education. She has taught for five years in public and private schools both in England and Greece.

email: koutsioukisv@acs.gr

Alexandria Selemidis, Junior Kindergarten Teacher

Ms. Selemidis was raised in Napa, California.  She received a BA in Liberal Studies and a minor in Art History from Santa Clara University. She furthered her studies in education by earning her Multiple Subject Teaching Certificate from Sonoma State University.

She has experience teaching in the Napa Valley public school system whereby she worked in a multicultural setting with bilingual students. She later moved to Athens, Greece and has worked with ACS Athens as a shadow teacher and a teacher’s aide. During this time she furthered her professional development by attending various educational seminars. Ms. Selemidis also attended courses at the Hellenic American Union which focused on teaching English as a Second Language.  She is currently a Junior Kindergarten teacher at ACS Athens. 

Ashley Bray, Kindergarten Teacher

Ashley Bray comes to us from Granbury, Texas where she taught Kindergarten for three years, and successfully helped in launching a brand new Kindergarten Program! She is a graduate of Tarleton State University in the neighboring town of Stephenville, Texas where she played softball and graduated with honors to receive a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies EC-8 with an ESL endorsement. She is excited to be in Greece and to be joining the ACS family!

email: braya@acs.gr

Anna Dimitri, Kindergarten Teacher

Anna Dimitri grew up in both the United States and Athens. She graduated with a BA (Honors) in Psychology from Deree College.

She then earned a Masters in Education from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She has been teaching kindergarten at ACS Athens for eleven years.

email: dimitria@acs.gr

Christina Birbil, 1st Grade Teacher

Ms. Birbil graduated Magna Cum Laude from New York University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education with a minor in Philosophy. Ms. Birbil pursued her teaching career while simultaneously receiving her Master’s degree in Education from The University of La Verne. With her Graduating Thesis, entitled The Socio-Emotional Benefits of Animals in the Classroom, and her Black Belt in Mixed Martial Arts, Ms. Birbil puts forth a select brand of empathy and perseverance into her life’s work.

She is a Greek-American who was born in Spain and grew up in Spain, Italy, England, South Africa, Mexico, The United States (Austin, TX. and New York City) and Greece. A true citizen of the world and a self-professed (Adult) Third Culture Kid, she understands the make-up of our student body as she too has traveled the world attending international schools.

Ms. Birbil has attended various Professional Development Training and Seminars. Some of which include a PYP training seminar in Burgos, Spain; a NESA conference in Athens, Greece; and several Learning Differences conferences hosted at ACS Athens campus.

email: birbilc@acs.gr

Kersten Ficke, 1st Grade Teacher

Ms. Ficke was born and raised in Nebraska.  She earned her Bachelors of Art in Elementary Education with High Distinction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  After graduation, Ms. Ficke moved to Houston, Texas where she spend three years teaching first grade and continuing her professional development.  Ms. Ficke loves the eagerness and energy of first graders and is looking forward to a working with the children at ACS.

email: fickek@acs.gr

Ioanna Lamprou, 1st Grade Teacher

Ms. Lamprou was born in Connecticut and shared her childhood between the United States and Greece, her native country; however, she also lived in London. Her experiences in different countries has provided her with strong observation skills, an understanding of different cultures and an acceptance of all people.
  
Her education covers the education sector with a focus on special needs, with a B.A. in elementary and special education from Holy Family University (Philadelphia, PA) and with an MIS. (Master's in Information Systems and Technology) from Drexel University (Philadelphia, Pa). She has worked in schools, information systems, and in the advertising field. 

She has worked closely with her professor and advisor, James Dullea Ph.D. at Drexel University where she also researched and published an article in the Data & Knowledge Engineering (DKE) journal (http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=961808.961810) (http://www.ischool.drexel.edu/faculty/song/publications/p_DKE_03_Validity.pdf), entitled 'An Analysis of structural validity in entity-relationship modeling'.

email: lamproui@acs.gr

Jessica Johnson, 2nd Grade Teacher

Jessica Johnson is a second grade teacher at ACS. She graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and a specialization in early childhood. She has taught outdoor education, kindergarten, first, and second grade in the states of Michigan, Illinois, New Mexico, and Colorado.

email: johnsonj@acs.gr

Sophia Moros, 2nd Grade Teacher

Ms. Sophia Moros was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois where she completed her studies at St. Xavier University earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education.  During her first year teaching grades K-4 she completed a Masters Degree in Reading.  She then took on the challenging role as a Reading Specialist working with struggling students in grades 3 through 8.  Sophia was privileged to work with Sony Corporation Education in developing an interactive program, in order to successfully bring the lowest performing students up to state standards.  Later, she worked as a Reading Literacy Teacher for ESL students and work as a mentor to fellow teachers and students through various team teaching strategies.

After 9 years of teaching Sophia seized the opportunity to study at Trinity College, Barcelona and earn both a TESOL Certificate and Business English Certificate.  She also taught temporarily at this institute before deciding to move to Athens where she had accepted a position as the Director of English Studies in a large private language school. 

With international experience and an open mind to possibilities, Ms. Moros is looking forward to a new challenge working with ACS and the diversity it offers in a place she loves.  

 email: moross@acs.gr  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Aggeliki Spiliot, 2nd Grade Teacher

Ms. Angela Kiki Spiliot earned a B.Sc. in Education, and a M.Sc. in Education at St. John’s University, School of Education, in New York City. She taught Technology for two years in New York then moved to Rhode Island, where she continued to teach Technology K-12 in Newport.  She holds a United States Life Teaching Certification, from the Common Wealth of Massachusetts. Ms. Spiliot has taught Kindergarten through the 12 grade, evening adult programs and at the University level.

She moved to Athens, in 1989 where she has been teaching Information Technology ever since. She was an American Community School high school student of Athens, who graduated in 1983.

She has also taught for ten years at the University of Laverne, Athens, in the Masters Program. She led Masters’ candidates towards their degree in M.Sc. in Education & Psychology. Ms. Spiliot has attended many educational seminars in the Athens area and overseas in the past 20 years which include Constantinople and Morocco and was the Information Technology Coordinator K-12. These seminars have led her to teach with specific educational techniques that have resulted into great success stories for her students. Her knowledge on the field of Technology has also taken her on Greek TV, where is has spoken about the positive and negative aspects of Technology and the Child. Her strength is "using technology in the classroom to build self-esteem”.

Teaching once again in the Elementary School has brought great joy into her life, where she is teaching 2^nd Grade.  Her abundance of love for teaching in general is widely seen every day of her life.  Her high school students are walking over to the Elementary School to just say hello to her!

email: spiliotk@acs.gr

Susan Ernst, 3rd Grade Teacher

Ms. Ernst is very excited to be joining the ACS family!  She recently moved from Colorado where she taught the past three years.  She has taught both third and fourth grade in private and public school settings.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education with an English as a Second Language endorsement.  She graduated from the University of Northern Colorado located in Greeley, Colorado- Go Bears!

email: ernsts@acs.gr

Matt Perroni, 3rd Grade Teacher

Mr. Perroni, known as Mr. P to his students, grew up across the United States as a military child.  From California to Washington DC and North Dakota to Alabama Mr. P grew up attending 9 schools by the time he was in 9th grade.  

Ending up in Colorado, he earned his BS in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Childhood Education.  He also received an endorsement in Elementary Education from Western State College. Mr. P taught 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades over the past 5 years and is excited to join the 3rd grade at ACS!

email:perronim@acs.gr

Patrick Perry, 4th Grade Teacher

Mr. Perry was raised in the mountains of Colorado.  He earned a BA in Sociology from Colorado State University and a Master in the Arts of Teaching from Colorado College. Mr. Perry has been teaching 3^rd and 4^th grades in Denver, Colorado for the previous four years before moving to Athens. He is looking forward to challenging his students ad himself at ACS.

email: perryp@acs.gr

Irene Soteres, 4th Grade Teacher

Ms. Soteres was raised in Atlanta, Georgia.  She earned a BA in Middle Grades Education (4-8) from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA and a Master in Education in Middle Grades Education with concentrations in Mathematics and Language Arts from Georgia State University.

Ms. Soteres has authored articles in Ethos magazine including Touch the Future and From the Classroom to the World.

email: soteresi@acs.gr

Marla Coklas, 5th Grade Teacher

Ms. Coklas earned her B.A. in Psychology from DePaul University of Chicago, and her M.A. in Education from St. Xavier University of Chicago. She has also earned her Teaching Certification from the state of Illinois.

Currently a fifth grade teacher in the Elementary School, Ms. Coklas has been at ACS Athens since 2008. She is also the Civic Responsibility Coordinator.

Ms. Coklas's passion for teaching comes from the outstanding teachers she has had throughout her life. She remembers feeling safe, loved, and inspired. This is what she wants her students to feel. Without love, without feeling secure enough to be who you are and express your thoughts in a "safe" setting, and without inspiration, learning cannot take place. Her goal has always been to be a small, yet important factor in her students becoming educated individuals that inspire leadership and be a positive force in changing the world to become a better place. She believes if we all work together, this can happen, one person at a time. 

email: coklasm@acs.gr

Penny Kynigou, 5th Grade Teacher - Upper Grades Coordinator

Ms. Kynigou was raised in England. She received her BA and MA degrees in Social Anthropology from Cambridge University and then qualified as a teacher at the London University, Institute of Education.

She has been teaching at ACS since 1990 and has actively developed curriculum innovations for Early Childhood 4^th and 5^th grade levels. She was recently invited to present a school-wide curriculum development seminar on using blogging and a writing workshop approach to teach writing.

Ms. Kynigou represented ACS at the NESA Spring Educators Conference 2010 where she presented a workshop on the creation on the 5^th grade play. She also presented at the Constructionism 2010 conference at the American University of Paris, and presented at the ACS 6TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON LEARNING DIFFERENCES this past summer. She has been a presenter at TESOL, Athens. She has been a frequent contributor to the school Ethos Magazine.

Ms. Kynigou has created 2 blogs for her students where they can conduct discussions and celebrate class projects. Blog links:

http://acsathensgr5.blogspot.com/

http://acsathensgr5classblog.blogspot.com/

email: kynigoup@acs.gr

Catherine Schulz, English as a Second Language Teacher (E.S.L.)

Ms. Schulz was born in Crossville, Tennesse, but shortly after moved to Brazil where she grew up.  She returned to Tennessee to attend Union University and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language and later a Master of Arts in Education.  

She previously taught English as a Second Language in Tennessee but has also tutored students in Brazil and interned at the Federal University of Para, Brazil.  She is excited to be at ACS Athens working with such inspiring colleagues and students!

email schulzc@acs.gr

Sarah Kaldelli, Optimal Learning

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 George Washington University, Washington, D.C.  She has 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 14 years. She has taught students with learning differences and disabilities ranging from Kindergarten to 7^th grade.  In past assignments, she was also responsible for teaching the elementary school arts program.

This is her seventh year at ACS with the Optimal Learning Program. She is an advocate for early intervention and for focusing on each child’s best interests.

email: kaldellis@acs.gr

Helen Sarantes, Instructional Technology and Computers Teacher

Ms. Sarantes was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She earned her B.S. in Business Administration and Marketing from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She has been teaching Computers for over 20 years and has witnessed the transformation of computers from the simple 64 kilobyte home computer to the current high speed personal computers of today. Ms. Sarantes recently participated in a pilot study for the development of a new educational search engine, Choosito.

email: sarantesh@acs.gr

Peggy Apostolou, Music Teacher

Ms. Apostolou was born in Greece and started playing the piano at the age of four. After completing her school and music studies at the conservatoire in Greece she went on to higher education in the UK and graduated with a Bachelor of Music, a Masters in Ethnomusicology and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education.

Having worked in UK public schools for many years as a music teacher Ms. Apostolou then decided to return home and share her passion for music and education with people who experience life in Greece.

This is her first year at ACS where she is the music teacher in the elementary school. She takes great joy sharing her musical knowledge with her students. She also equally enjoys helping them develop their skills and experiences in a creative and stimulating environment that are adjusted to their needs and age from kindergarten right through to Grade 5.

email: apostoloup@acs.gr

Kimberly Jones, Art Teacher

Ms. Jones is from Iowa where she studied art education at the University of Northern Iowa. She holds a BA in K-12 Art Education. After teaching elementary and middle school art in Iowa for one year she moved to Chicago and taught K-8 art for three years in the Chicago Public Schools.

This is her second year at ACS teaching Elementary Art.  Ms. Jones is an active member of the ACS community where she heads the Elementary Yearbook, the Elementary Blue and Gold (our school's electronic newspaper), and coaches her favorite sport, soccer, after school to 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th graders. 

email: jonesk@acs.gr

Stavroula Salouros, Physical Education Teacher

Ms. Stavroula Salouros was born and raised in New York.  She earned a BS in Physical Education from Adelphi University where she attended on a Coston Crouse scholarship. She then continued at Adelphi University and she received an MA degree in Health Education.

Ms. Salouros holds a life certification license “K-12” in both Physical Education, and in Health Education.   She has written various articles for the ETHOS magazine and she has attended training on the Middle Years Program and Primary Years Program. She has also attended various professional development seminars on learning differences. The most recent have been:  “Learning Differences:  Daring to Dream;” “Differentiating Teaching and Learning:  Unraveling the Myths;” “Leading by Example:  Holistic, Meaningful and Harmonious Approach to Teaching All Children.”

Ms. Salouros is also a member of AAHPERD (American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.)  She has been at ACS Athens for thirteen years, and she is currently teaching in the Elementary School.

email: salouross@acs.gr

ph: 210 6393200 ext. 299

Akathi Kovaiou, Foreign Language Teacher, Greek

Ms. Kovaiou was born in Canada but was raised in Athens, Greece.  She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Greek Philology  and a postgraduate degree in progress  in teaching the Greek language to foreign people from the National Kapodistrian University of Athens.

She has attended many seminars on educational issues and mainly on learning differences.  In addition, she has attended lessons at the National Kapodistrian University of Athens where foreign students were taught  the Greek language  and she was given the opportunity to contribute to their studies by participating as their teacher. Furthermore, she  has been teaching native speakers the Greek, Ancient and Latin Language for six years.

email: kovaioua@acs.gr  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Anastasia Papageorgiou, Foreign Language Teacher, Greek

Ms. Papageorgiou was born and raised in Thessaloniki. She graduated from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where she studied Greek Literature with major in Ancient Greek Literature and Latin.

She 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 has attended educational conferences – seminars on Teaching, Technology in Education and Learning Differences.

Ms. Papageorgiou teaches the Greek Language A classes at ACS Elementary. She also teaches the Greek Isotimia Program of ACS Athens High school.

email: papageorgioua@acs.gr

Irini Rovoli, Foreign Language Teacher, Greek

Ms. Rovoli was born in Athens, Greece.  She received a BA in Education from the School of Philosophy, University of Athens and then received an MA in the Psychology and Education of Children with Special Needs from the University of London, Institute of Education.

Ms Rovoli teaches the Greek Language A classes at ACS Elementary. She previously taught at Hackney Community School, London, and Varibopi High School for Repatriated Greeks, Athens.

She has published articles in the British Journal of Educational Psychology, Institute of Education alumni magazine, NESA news magazine, ACS Ethos Magazine and has attended many international and local conferences and seminars on educational issues. 

email: rovolii@acs.gr

Lamia Accari, Foreign Language Teacher, Arabic

Ms. Accari is the Arabic language teacher at the Elementary school.  Born in Latakia, Syria, Ms. Accari became a certified elementary teacher by the University of Latakia.  She has a rich experience in teaching all levels and has been at ACS since 1990.

Ms. Accari has attended various international and local conferences on language teaching.

email: accaril@acs.gr

Leigh Anderson, Library Coordinator

Ms. Anderson received a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Douglass College, an Master of Science from Rutgers University in Chemical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Columbia University in Finance. 

She is the library manager for the Elementary and the Academy/MS Libraries.

email: andersonl@acs.gr

Eleni Zakas, Assistant to the Counselor

Ms. Eleni Zakas holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of La Verne in Psychology. She earned a Master of Arts Degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Indianapolis.

As a volunteer she worked in various settings including, hospitals, second-chance public schools, the Learning Program at ACS-Athens and Student Services, where she provided psychological support to children, adolescents and adults. She also works with adolescents who have Learning Difficulties. Ms. Zakas has attended various Professional Development Training Seminars, including the American Psychological Association (APA), convention held in Washington D.C., in 2011.

email: zakase@acs.gr

Lia Sinouris, Optimal Learning Aide

Lia Sinouris earned her BA in European History from Connecticut College, USA, and obtained her MA in Special Education (Inclusion and Disability Studies) from the Institute of Education in London, UK.

She has been working in the Learning Differences arena for 10 years, taking part for 2 years in the Early Intervention Program for children with developmental difficulties at the University of Athens, as well as holding a challenging post at a private mental health clinic for 3 years. Adhering to an inclusive educational philosophy, Ms. Sinouris has also had a 2-year experience as a shadow teacher, supporting students with developmental and learning difficulties in class at a mainstream International school.  

This is her second year as the Elementary Assistant at the Optimal Learning Program at ACS Athens where she has also been involved teaching students at the After School program. She is currently working towards earning her International Teacher Certificate from ECIS and the University of Cambridge.

email: sinourisl@acs.gr

Mariren Meleki, Library/Media Assistant

email:  melekim@acs.gr

Eleftheria Doufekia, Junior Kindergarten Aide

Ms. Doufekia was born and raised in Virginia. She earned her Bachelors of Arts in Linguistics and Spanish from the University of Virginia. Ms. Doufekia has taken many courses in education and psychology and she has volunteered as a teacher's assistant for ESL classes in Charlottesville, Virginia. She also teaches English to young children at Eurognosi after school and she is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Management of Language Learning at the New York College in Athens. She speaks English, Greek, Spanish, and is conversational in French.

Ms. Doufekia is currently an aide for Junior Kindergarten at ACS Athens. This is her first year at ACS Athens.

email: doufekiae@acs.gr

Georgia Katsipi, Junior Kindergarten Aide

Ms. Katsipi has been working for twenty one years at the ACS Athens Elementary School as a Junior Kindergarten Aide and a Day Care supervisor. She holds a Diploma in the Tourist Business from T.E.I of Patras.

email: katsipig@acs.gr

Dionysia Themeli, Junior Kindergarten Aide

Ms. Themeli has been working at ACS since 1983.  She has worked as an Aide throughout the Elementary School. She is currently an Aide at the  Junior Kindergarten for ACS Athens Elementary School.

email: themelid@acs.gr

Katerina Demoulini, Kindergarten Aide

Ms. Demoulini is an ACS Athens graduate. She has been a teacher's aide at ACS Athens Elementary School for thirty years.

email:  demoulinik@acs.gr

Donna Maglara, Kindergarten Aide

Ms. Maglara has been a Kindergarten Aide and a Day Care Supervisor at ACS Athens Elementary School since 1983.

email: maglarad@acs.gr

Eleftheria Ferentinos, 1st Grade Aide

Ms. Ferentinos has been employed at ACS Athens Elementary School since 2002 holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Early Childhood Education. She is a 1st Grade Aide.

email: ferentinose@acs.gr

Charikleia Oikonomou, 1st Grade Aide

Ms. Oikonomou has been working at the ACS since September 2010. She holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in Modern Foreign Languages from the University College St. Mark and St. John, Plymouth, United Kingdom. She was born in Athens but grew up in Evvoia. During her studies she also lived in Denmark and Spain.

email: oikonomouc@acs.gr

Hara Daskalis, 2nd & 3rd Grades Aide

Ms. Daskalis was raised in Athens, Greece. As a teenager she moved to New York and lived there for 26 years where she took courses in Liberal Arts at the Orange County Community College and also gained experience in Early Childhood Education in school settings. In addition she gained several certificates in TESOL from the Hellenic American Union. Ms. Daskalis has been a part of the ACS family in the Early Childhood Department for the past three years. 

email: daskalish@acs.gr

Stacey Castanes, 4th & 5th Grades Aide

Ms. Castanes is the 3rd and 5th grade aide at the ACS Athens elementary school. She holds a B.A. in Diplomatic History from the University of Maryland. Stacey has been working at ACS Athens for fifteen years.

email:  castaness@acs.gr

Mary Papalanis, Health Specialist

Ms. Papalanis was born and raised in Manchester, CT., USA. She graduated in 1978 from Greater Hartford Community College Nursing Program with an Associate’s Degree in Science. She is licensed as a Registered Nurse in the state of CT.

She has worked in various areas of hospital nursing including, Medical-Surgical, Geriatric and Psychiatric. She also spent many years working in a facility caring for patients with developmental disabilities.

She has been the school nurse at ACS for thirteen years, is married and has one daughter.

email: papalanism@acs.gr