Ms. Natalia Maravegias completed her BA in Psychology, in 2013, from The American College of Greece, and she holds a Master of Science in Health Psychology from The University of Nottingham, UK, in 2016. Currently, she is a graduate member of the British Psychological Society, MBPsS.

She is a certified fellow rational-emotive cognitive behavioral therapist, of the Affiliated Training Center of the Albert Ellis Institute. This will be her fourth year working at ACS Athens, at the Educational and Diagnostic Testing Center, and her second year as the Educational and Diagnostic Testing Center Coordinator. Prior to that, she has worked for two school years as a shadow teacher at ACS Athens. While completing her undergraduate degree she worked as a lab assistant, creating, and supervising psychological experiments for undergraduate students.

Ms. Maravegias has completed an in-depth training course in Educational and Psychological assessments, under the supervision of Dr. Michael Castleberry, Professor at the University of Washington, accredited by the State University of New York.

Ms. Maravegias was born in Athens, Greece and is an alumna of ACS Athens. 

email: maravegiasn@acs.gr

Manto Agouridou was born and raised in Athens Greece. She graduated from Mercer University, Georgia, USA with a BA in psychology and a BM in cello performance under two full scholarships. After her graduation, she was offered a position as a researcher in a neuroscience-psychology laboratory at Northwestern University, IL, USA where she worked with adolescents of all ages.

She completed a master’s degree in “Liaison Psychiatry: Integrative Care of Physical and Mental Health” in the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School. Last year she worked as a school counselor child psychologist in all the public kindergartens in Papagos - Holargos Municipality. She counselled and provided psychological support to students, parents, and teachers regarding learning disabilities and difficulties, attention deficiencies, emotional imbalances, and stress management.

Ms. Agouridou will be teaching the Advisory Class for years 9 and 10. Her goal is to teach the students to be independent and inspire them to express themselves and find their talents.

email: agouridoum@acs.gr

Eleni Angelidou is an office management/marketing professional. She studied business administration and office management and has acquired several years of experience in her field. Born in Athens Greece in 1984, she has previously worked for major companies and academic institutions both in Greece and in the US. Driven by her passion for ongoing knowledge, she strives to inspire individuals around her to become the best version of themselves, no matter what they do.

She is a proud parent of a two-year old and believes that education is a way of life.

email: angelidoue@acs.gr

Eirini Antoniadou has studied Classics at the University of Athens and holds a certificate in Special Education by the same university. She also has a master's in Special Needs from the University of Nottingham, UK and has completed two years of training in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy at the Hellenic Institute for RECBT.

Ms. Antoniadou joined ACS Athens in 2012. She has held various positions such as Middle School Citizenship Coordinator, Student Affairs Officer and Academy OLP Specialist. She has also taught the Greek "Isotimia" program as well as the Beginning Greek program for adults. This is Eirini’s fifth year in the Optimal Learning Program (OLP) and she is excited to continue working with Middle School students in the OLP classroom as well as promoting inclusive practices in the regular classroom setting.

email: antoniadoue@acs.gr

Ms. Andriana Armodorou holds dual citizenship from Greece, and from the United Kingdom where she lived for 14 years. She has been a member of ACS Athens since October 2019. She worked in the Optimal Learning Program (OLP)  as a proctor making sure that the accommodations based on every individual student’s needs fit were in place for academic tests and assessments. She supported Middle School and Academy students reach their optimal learning potential by creating a friendly and stress-free testing environment.

Ms. Armodorou obtained her Masters in Health Psychology at Middlesex University in London and her Bachelor degree in Psychology at the University of Plymouth in Devon, UK. For her Masters placement she worked as a patient advisor at Edgware Community Hospital in London and for her Bachelor degree  she worked for a year as a Social Support Worker at the national Centre with Young people with Epilepsy and associated conditions in Surrey, UK.

While in London, she worked at Broadfields Primary School as a Specialist Unqualified Teacher for children with Autism (Pathological Demand Avoidance, Asperger, ADHD) in a specialist provision within a mainstream school. She worked as an Autism advisor for the mainstream children and offered the 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. At Broadfields Primary School she was the initiator for Autism Awareness across the mainstream school, and also geared towards parents. 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 called "Senscape" delivered on a theme based environment for children with Autism to meet their sensory needs, make them feel safe and regulated.

In addition, she worked at the Annunciation Catholic Infant School in London. She offered learning, emotional and speech and language support to mainstream children who had a diagnosis (Autism, Down Syndrome, Global Delay and Learning Difficulties).

email: armodoroua@acs.gr

Athina Gargali is a certified Nurse from the Prefecture of Athens and also registered with the Nursing Association of Greece. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing from the Technological Educational Institute of Athens. In 2018, Ms. Gargali earned a scholarship and subsequently completed her Master's Degree in Health Economics and Administration at the University of West Attica, department of Public Health Policy. Lastly, in 2020, she completed her 9 month specialization program in School Nursing from the Education and Lifelong Learning Center in University of Thessaly.

Ms. Gargali has completed her work study as a Nurse in Konstantopoulio General Hospital. She has worked as a Freelance Nurse in Athens and since 2017, she has been working at ACS as the Head Nurse of the Health Center. Ms. Gargali holds a Pediatric/ Adults First Aid Certification as well as a certificate for a BLS/AED Provider Course. She has also completed a 3 year course in sign language.

Ms. Gargali was born and raised in Athens Greece.

email: gargalia@acs.gr

Sofia Gennimata was born in Thessaloniki, Greece and has lived most of her adult life in Athens; however her educational experience in Florida, U.S.A during middle school was what shaped her life. Being an ESL student in Florida, she looked up to her teachers and that is when the spark of teaching ignited. Upon her return to Greece, she pursued a B.A in English Language and Literature at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. At that time, she started working with students learning English as a second language. In 2016, she earned her M.A in Developmental and Learning Disabilities from Deree - The American College of Greece, where she completed her Practicum as an intern in the Optimal Learning Program (OLP) at ACS Athens. After her Masters, she joined the OL Program of ACS Athens working with Middle and High School students. She later started working in the Elementary School and this will be her 5th year as an OLP Specialist.

In her work, Sofia assists students in reaching their true potential through differentiating classroom curriculum and accommodating resources based on student needs. She continues to expand her knowledge and dive deeper into education through participating in various courses and programs. She has attended courses on "Differentiated Instruction in the Classroom", on "Conquering Behavioral Challenges" and on “Inclusive Virtual Learning Practices for Diverse Learners” among others. Currently she is working on earning her Reading Specialist Certification from the Wilson Reading System and is eager to apply this teaching approach to the ACS Athens population.

email: gennimatas@acs.gr

Ms. Eugenia Hatziagelides received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Central Connecticut State University in 1990 and a Master's of Science in Counselor Education from Central Connecticut State University in 1993.

She worked as a Guidance Counselor from 1994 to 1997 at Lyman Memorial High School in Lebanon, CT before moving back to Greece in August of 1997 and worked at the Paidagogiko Institute as a consultant. Ms. Hatziagelides was then hired at Moraitis School and worked as a School Counselor from 1998 to 2017. She has done extensive volunteer work in shelters for women and their children. This will be her first year as Academy Guidance Specialist at ACS Athens.

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

email: hatziagelidese@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 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 22 years. She has taught students with learning differences and disabilities ranging from Junior-Kindergarten to the 12th grade.

This is her 15th year at ACS Athens in the Optimal Learning Program (OLP). For the first 12 years, she was the Elementary School Optimal Learning Specialist, and is now 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 the University of Phoenix. 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 Counseling component of the Student Affairs Department. She is an advocate for early intervention, for focusing on each child’s best interests and for building each child's confidence to become the architect of his or her own learning.

email: kaldellis@acs.gr

Andreas Kokkinos was born and raised in Athens, Greece. He holds a B.A. in Theatrical Studies from the Faculty of Fine Arts, obtained from the University of Peloponnese. During his B.A. studies, Mr. Kokkinos worked in the elementary school of Kyveri, Argolida as a drama practitioner. This was an excellent experience that truly sparked his interest in working with children. In 2015, he moved to the United Kingdom and pursued an M.A. in Applied and Participatory Theatre at Royal Holloway University of London.

After concluding his studies, Mr. Kokkinos worked at the St. Mark’s Social Education Day Service in London for three years. There, he gained extensive training and valuable experience in the fields of autism, special education and social training. This professional experience taught him to truly recognize, understand and cater to students’ unique personalities and traits, encouraging and assisting them to improve their capabilities and talents through specialized and goal-driven educational methods. During his time at St. Mark’s Social Education Day Service, Mr. Kokkinos also obtained the Diploma Level 3 in Health & Social Care (autism specific) from Pearson Edexcel and First Aid training.

Upon his return to Athens, Greece in 2020, he joined the ACS Athens community as a shadow teacher. During his time as a shadow teacher, Mr. Kokkinos supported the student academically by implementing Optimal Learning techniques and exercises in the student’s daily schedule. He also devised creative organizational methods to support the student in following the pace of the classes, staying up to date with responsibilities and commitments as well as developing concentration, participation and multitasking skills. Mr. Kokkinos also takes great interest in building students’ self-confidence and social skills within the school environment. He is very committed to meeting students’ personal, unique needs and improving their skills through his collaboration with them. Last but not least, Mr. Kokkinos’ work ethic and trust in his students are driving forces in not only helping the students improve their academic performance but also motivating them to thrive in anything they set their hearts and minds on conquering.

email: kokkinosa@acs.gr

In his thirteenth 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 teaching certifications. He has also completed extended course work for a Masters in Clinical Psychology from the University of Indianapolis.

Having worked as an Academy Counselor for 6 years, Middle School Counselor for 5 years, and past Interim MS principal, he is now the Counseling Coordinator for grades K-12. A past advisor of the National Honor Society, Model United Nations club, and Student Council advisor, he is also an active coach of after school recreational teams under the Athletic Department.

email: kalogridakiss@acs.gr

Konstantinos Kontos was born and raised in Athens. He graduated from the Technological Institute of Athens and is registered with the Nursing Association of Greece.

During his studies he spent time in various children hospitals, where he developed empathy along with the knowledge of how to take care of kids.

Nursing started for him with his internship at Ippokrateio General Hospital and continued with his employment in a variety of departments, throughout a period longer than 3 years, such as the General Hospital of Samos, the Hellenic National Defense College, house nursing, Emergency Rooms and a hemodialysis clinic. Additionally, he has a Certificate of attendance of Basic Life Support (BLS/AED) Instructor candidate from European Resuscitation Council.

His goal and main focus, is to treat each incident and each patient as a unique case and a unique personality, prioritizing their needs.

email: kontosk@acs.gr

Antigoni Karnesioti-Simantira was born in Athens, Greece and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy, Pedagogy and Psychology from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. During her studies, she also earned a specialisation certificate in Special Education from the same University. In June 2018, she earned her Master’s Degree in Educational Sciences from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, after having completed her educational research practice at Rutgers University, NJ, USA. She has been working as a private Special Education teacher since 2015 and is a firm practitioner of implementing up-to-date educational research in the school setting. She also believes that personalised teaching based on each student's needs is key to supporting children with or without learning difficulties, which is the main reason why the Optimal Learning Program is the ideal working environment for her.

The last few years, Antigoni's volunteer work is mainly around socially integrating vulnerable populations, through informal and non-formal learning.

email: karnesiotia@acs.gr

Manos Kougioumzoglou is a licensed Clinical Psychologist/Psychotherapist. He holds three Bachelor's and two Master's degrees; a BA in Philosophy - Pedagogy and Psychology from the University of Ioannina, a BSc in Psychology from the University of Cyprus and a BA in Sociology from Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences specializing in Criminology. He received a Master’s of Art (MA) with “Summa cum laude” from the University of Ioannina and a Master’s of Science (MSc) from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School. He has been trained in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy at the Attica Psychiatric Hospital and Group-Analytical Psychotherapy Center. He also holds a diploma in Trauma Therapy (EMDR).

Mr. Kougioumzoglou has ongoing publication and research activity in scientific journals and conferences. He is also part of the review committee of two scientific journals (Sophia & JOCP) for clinical, victimological, grief and bereavement-related research issues. He has lengthy clinical experience in therapy and rehabilitation for Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders, and has worked in public and private clinics. He has been training health professionals since 2016 in Personality Disorders, Grief and Bereavement issues, Intra-domestic violence, and Psychodiagnostics. He has also worked as Head of the Department of Special Vocational Training and Education of “Theotokos Foundation,” as well as at the Red Cross where he was in charge of the Psychological and Diagnostic Services. Simultaneously, he worked as a Consultant in the Palliative Care Unit "Jenny Karezi" (Areteion Hospital). He is currently a Ph.D candidate at the School of Medicine, University of Athens and he also teaches a 1 st year compulsory module on group and individual psychology at the Hellenic Cost Guard (Sxoli Dokimon Llimenofilakon) for the academic year 2020-21. Mr. Kougioumzoglou promotes a holistic health approach for ACS Athens in order to assist students to effectively and holistically manage psycho-emotional challenges so as to develop resilience and a strong  sense of Self.

Manos Kougioumzoglou was born in Kos (Greece).

email: kougioumzogloue@acs.gr

Maria Laiou holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from Baldwin-Wallace University in Ohio and has completed coursework towards a master’s degree in Higher Education Leadership with Capella University. She joins ACS Athens as the Interim Middle School Counselor for 2020-21 with more than 15 years of service in academia, having held advising and leadership positions in Career Services, Student Affairs and Retention at Deree - The American College of Greece. To Ms. Laiou, the most incredible part of being an educator, is having the privilege of guiding students through the amazing adventure of discovering who they are and how their individual traits and talents will help shape our future.

Maria Laiou was raised in Cleveland, Ohio and Athens, Greece.

email: laioum@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

Michela Martines holds dual citizenship from Italy and Norway. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Sussex. For her academic achievements, she received a full scholarship to complete her Master's degree from the same university in Clinical Psychology and Mental Health. She is currently continuing her studies and is in her third year of a four-year training and supervision program in Rational-Emotive and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with children, adolescents, parents and educators at the Hellenic Institute for RECBT.

Ms. Martines has been a member of the ACS Athens community since 2017. She has held various positions including elementary school counseling intern, shadow teacher and substitute teacher. This is her third year as a member of the OLP Department in which she has supported students across all schools and has worked closely with teachers in order to promote inclusive practices in the mainstream classroom. She is excited to take on her new role as Middle School and Academy OLP Specialist.

email: martinesm@acs.gr

Argyris Oikonomopoulos was born in Athens, Greece and completed his Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy, Pedagogy and Psychology from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. After his studies, he earned a Specialization Certificate in Learning Disabilities and Special Education from the Open Education Institution, and a Certification in Support and Intervention in  Attention Deficit and / or Hyperactivity Disorder from Unicert (collaboration with the University of Piraeus Research). He is currently in the process of obtaining his Master's Degree in Special Education Needs from the Metropolitan College of Athens, and is participating in a seven month long Intercultural Education seminar from the University of the Aegean.

He has been working as a Special Educator since 2017 and taught Greek Language to refugees, through the Metadrasis NGO, in Tavros (2018). Before working as a Shadow Teacher at ACS Athens for one year, Argyris provided Special Education support through the Specialized Speech/Language and Counseling Center of Kamatero, Athens. This will be his first year in the OLP Aide Test Supervising Aide position at ACS Athens.

email: oikonomopoulosa@acs.gr

Danai Papaioannou earned her Bachelor's degree in Greek language and literature from the University of Athens. Upon the completion of her studies, she enrolled in a one-year program at the same university, which resulted in a certificate in Special Education, seeking to gain deeper knowledge in inclusive practices. Ms. Papaioannou also completed extensive training in Mindfulness, as she firmly believes that training our attention to experience the present moment with greater curiosity and kindness helps to provide new possibilities to identify and overcome difficulties. In August 2018, she finished a Master's degree on Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health from King's College London.

Ms. Papaioannou has been a member of ACS Athens since 2015. She has worked as the Student Affairs Officer promoting learning through service and has also served as the Administrative Assistant of the office. For the past two years she has worked as an Academy/Middle School OLP Specialist, supporting students to develop their talents and build collaborative relationships in their learning environment. She has also worked in the Learning Commons as the Enhancement Programs Coordinator. Most recently Ms. Papaioannou has become an Academy Guidance Specialist providing academic support, college planning and helping students understand and overcome social or behavioral problems through counseling.

email: papaioannoud@acs.gr

Demetri Pelidis earned his Bachelor of Education from Boston College, a Master of Education (M.Ed), in Counseling Psychology, from Keene State College of New Hampshire, and his Advanced Graduate Degree in School Counseling from Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. Born in Zimbabwe, Africa, and reared in Athens, Greece, Demetri is a proud graduate of ACS Athens.

Mr. Pelidis first started working at ACS as a High School Counselor and has served in many capacities with both in the Middle School and Academy Counseling Departments. In his role this year as Pre-Junior Kindergarten-5th grade School Counselor he is responsible for approximately 400 students. As the Elementary School Counselor, he works with school personnel, secretaries, and administrators to meet the needs of our students. Demetri serves as a consultant to teachers and parents by providing support in regard to meeting student academic and emotional needs. While working together with teachers and administrators he will strive to build a partnership between the school and the home life.

Demetri has interned and worked in various school systems both in Boston, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire School Districts. Demetri has completed over 25 years of professional experience in counseling and teaching students in middle school, high school, undergraduate, and graduate school levels. He is a certified school counselor from the state of Massachusetts, and actively enjoys his professional affiliation with ASCA-The American School Counselor Association.

Mr. Pelidis also assists our ACS athletic department as the Boys Varsity Soccer Coach. It has been a very rewarding experience for him! Over the years our Lancer Boys Soccer Teams have earned first place gold medals in ISST championships. Prior to coaching soccer for ACS, Athens, Coach Pelidis played his collegiate soccer for the Boston College Eagles, where he was named Senior Athlete of the Year. He also played professionally in the American Soccer League for the Boston Bolts.

email: pelidisd@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

Helen Seretis has a Bachelor's in Psychology from Loyola University Chicago, and a Master's in Education with a focus on Family Therapy from the University of Miami and a certification in School Counseling from National Louis University. 

She has over five year of experience working in academia as an Academic Advisor at the Illinois Institute of Art and as a Certified Licensed School Counselor at both the Elementary and High school level. She has also completed the training and internship component for the CADC (certified drug and alcohol counselor). This is her second year at ACS Athens as an Academy Counselor.

Helen Seretis was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois.

email: seretish@acs.gr