Episode Transcript
[00:00:10] Speaker A: This is the owlcast, the official podcast of ACS Athens.
Listen to the exciting story of the american community schools of Athens.
Check out what drives all the members of our international community of learners as we create the education of the future.
Here's John Papadakis.
[00:00:49] Speaker B: Moving dedication ceremony on January 19, the school community came together to commemorate the posthumous contribution of the late Steve Madeiros, an esteemed educator and administrator whose literary fervor shaped the academic tapestry of our institution. The ceremony marked the formal dedication of the Steve Madeiros book collection, a valuable literary pository generously donated by the family of Steve Madeiros. Attendees, including retiree teachers, alumni and current administrators and staff, convened to honor the enduring influence of Madeiros's commitment to education.
Steve Madeiros, who passed away in 2019 after years of battling with cancer, donated his book collection to his beloved ACS Athens and it is now hosted at the Sabah Library of the Learning Commons. His collection was curated by another retired faculty member, Patty Green, a personal friend and longtime colleague. Against the backdrop of a newly constructed and beautifully lit section of the library, the school president, Peggy Pelones, a close friend and colleague of Madeiros for many years, delivered a heartfelt address. She expressed genuine emotion and recounted anecdotes that underscored Madeiros'unwavering dedication to instilling a love for literature and learning. Dr. Pelonis emphasized the profound impact Madeiros had on shaping the intellectual landscape of the school. Following Dr. Pelonis, retired teachers and alumni took the podium, each sharing poignant recollections that echoed the laughter and wisdom synonymous with Steve's presence. The afternoon served as a profound celebration of a life dedicated to education, with a newly inaugurated book collection standing as a continuous testament to Madeiros's enduring legacy within the halls of the library.
Stephen Wayne Madeiros passed away on November 7, 2019 at his residence in Athens. He was the husband of Tony Rompus. They shared 38 wonderful years together and were married in 2013. He was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He accepted a teaching position in Greece when he was 26 years old and moved to ACS Athens in 1981, and that was the beginning of a lifelong dedication to education.
Steve was a devoted and exceptional educator and advisor to his students and colleagues. He earned his bachelor's degree magna cum laude in English from Yale University and completed the teacher preparation program. He earned his master's degree in american literature from Middlebury College and his edem in education in teaching, curriculum and learning environment. Steve held many positions throughout his career and was active in numerous projects at ACS Athens. He ended his career as dean of academic affairs and dean of the Institute for Innovation and Creativity. After he served as assistant superintendent, middle school and high school principal, IB coordinator, director of academics, English department chair, and of course, teacher of humanities, English and theater. He also taught as an adjunct lecturer in writing, English and american literature at the University of Laverne in Athens. Steve Madeeros was a kind man whose voice could be heard from across the campus. He enjoyed arranging flowers for his home and collecting artwork.
[00:04:29] Speaker C: First of all, thank you all for coming today.
This is a special day for us.
And I have to tell you that all week I've been thinking about writing a speech related to Steve Madeiro's. And somehow I just couldn't get myself to do it. I kept thinking, what do I say? And I thought at the end, Steve wouldn't want the speech. That wasn't Steve. But at the same time, we're talking about a person who was so talented, so personable, so multifaceted, that where do you start to talk about this man? Right? I said, forget the speech. I'm going to tell you a story.
But before I do that, I just wanted to those of you, there are a lot of you here who knew Steve, and he was here for about 35 years in the school. A very learned man, very educated man.
Whenever I go to places around the world and I meet alums, one of the main people that they remember is Steve Madeiros as a teacher. He was a talented teacher. He was an inspiring human being. And most of all, he was so humble that if he were here now, he would know. You don't need stop this.
I was very honored to know this man. He was my mentor, he was my friend, and I hope I don't start crying. So the legacy that he left behind is significant, but I want to tell you a story and really focus on one aspect of that legacy.
When Steve was ill, he was ill for a long time, and he just dealt with it. He just went on with it. He was here, he was at work. He was just going on with it, and he didn't want too much fuss about it.
But towards the very end, I don't know if you know this, Tony.
He asked me one day, can we go to lunch? It was a Sunday. Can we go to lunch? So we went to lunch downtown Athens. And one of the things that he liked to do on Saturdays and Sundays, he liked to walk around Athens, downtown Athens, and take pictures of unusual things, people on the street, singing or artifacts or whatnot. And then he would post them up on social media.
That particular Sunday, though, we went to lunch, and it was a very somber mood.
And he said, we're having idle conversations. And he said, you know, it's hitting me.
I said, what? And he said, that I'm dying.
And I mustered up all my courage not to cry and thought, okay, let me get my psychology hat on and see. So I said, how do you feel? And he said, I feel sad and I feel scared. There was a pause, and I was ready. And he said, but I'm very curious.
And I said, what are you curious about? And he said, the death experience.
And I thought, that's Steve.
He was curious about everything.
He read non stop.
He told stories.
He engaged with people. And that was Steve, the curiosity. He was curious about life. He was curious about people. He was curious about history, literature. He was curious about politics. He was just curious. It was insatiable.
And I think this is, above everything else, the legacy that he has left with his students.
To be curious, to investigate, to go forth, to ask questions, to find out. Don't stay with labels. Don't stay with what you think. Don't stay with perceptions. Go beyond that.
Create relationships, figure things out. Keep asking questions.
So I think it's really special that he donated his personal library to us. And this is the legacy that he has left behind. This is a place where that curiosity can be infectious, where people can come and look and see. What was he reading about? What was he curious about?
And I think in this way, it's inspiring people to really build on that curiosity. And if we could do that with our students, I think that is everything.
So thank you all for being here and honoring Mr. Madeiros. Steve Madeiros. Steve. He never liked Mr.
Though he came from some of the most prestigious universities, Gale and Harvard. But he could talk to anybody, a five year old, you know, a teenager, an adult, and make you feel like you were the most important person in the room.
I think Steve's philosophy came from a deep belief in people. And so naturally, he believed in children. No know who they were, where they came from, what their struggles were and whatnot. And he had a way of empowering people. And so he approached his work that way. He approached his work by instilling curiosity in others, asking questions. How do you see this? What does this say to you? What do you see? What do you hear?
What does this say to you? Nothing was irrelevant. Nothing was wrong. And he built on that and drew people in. And that's how when he and I worked, we wrote together, we did workshops together.
[00:10:54] Speaker B: You were principals together?
[00:10:56] Speaker C: We were principals together, that's right. For both middle school and high school, potentially. We became the duo on campus. He was the dean of academics, I was the dean of student affairs, and so on and so forth. But he approached his work that way, and we would sit down and we would brainstorm and we would say, okay, what do we want the audience to hear? How do we want to draw them in? And we'd ask these questions. What do you see? What do you hear? What if? And that was the big question.
What if we could go have the perfect school? What would it look like? And then we would work backwards.
It's very difficult moving away from that model, and I don't want to because it works, but it's always attached to my memories of Steve, and I think everybody who has experienced Steve feels to a degree that way.
[00:11:52] Speaker D: I would like to thank everybody that you honored Steve. Perhaps you know that I was his husband, and I spent 40 years with him. I served them.
So the point is that I will only say I'm a university teacher, but he was my teacher.
He taught me a lot, and I'm very, very happy that I was blessed to spend my life with this person.
Okay, I'm Tony. I was Steve's husband for 40 years. We had a wonderful relation. This kind of relationship is very rare, and I wish many people have the same relationship. I think he was a great person.
I'm a university teacher, but he was teaching me every day. He was teaching me any kind of thing.
And I was always ready to hear his advice, his guidance, and I was really admire him of what he was doing in his life. He was a hard worker, never stopping, never giving up. Even at the end of his life, when I was close to him and he died in my arms, he wouldn't give up.
[00:13:21] Speaker B: Friends, students and colleagues of Steve Maderos have written, I associate Steve with a time when life still had carefree moments, a time when we were definitely grown ups, but still had a childlike enthusiasm for meeting new people, discovering, sharing, and, of course, laughing and having a good time. I remember being with friends in his charming apartment in Athens, the visits to Anthony's place in Aleppohori, the evenings out at seven steps. May the ocean of his youth, his final resting place, be a place of sweet comfort.
I will be always thankful to him for spending so much time with my daughter, trying to guide her when she was struggling to decide about which university to choose in Boston. A sensitive, caring, with great sense of humor, but yet shy member of my family.
Your students are better people in this world because of your teachings. As Alexander had Aristotle as a teacher, so did we have you as our teacher, or more accurately, Eddie Dascalos, an educator and a counselor.
It's hard to imagine ACS Athens without Steve. While I also know that his philosophy and wide educational reach will live on in so many teachers and students. He knew that more could be accomplished with careful listening and tough questions. And he always sought the best in each of us.
[00:14:58] Speaker E: Steve and I came in 1981, along with Helen Andreas.
We came from the east coast, Boston area.
He was New Bedford, I was Newport. Very close together. So this was already a connection between us.
He took a lead and I followed. I learned so much from him. We all did.
But I remember the past, the five years that we had an office right next to each other, and we shared more than what was going in school. I was going to say, tony, we're sorry at ACF for taking him away from his home for so many hours, because we were here practically six to seven days a week, working, working.
Peggy knows.
But so many students came to the office either to see me or him, and we sometimes talked about it. He believed in every student.
Even if the student was struggling, he saw something on that student and guided them.
Even when parents and some of the teachers did not believe in the students.
He took lots of good notes.
I was really embarrassed to show him what I had written because I knew he would write all over it. But his words were so much more eloquent and his handwriting. And he's here with us. I believe that he's seeing it. He's happy. And his legacy doesn't just because of plaque or the books that petty and many of other colleagues put together.
These will always stay together. His scholarship fund that is going on and on and on. And my wish is that we all take a small portion of what Steve was, take it with us, and become better people. Just thank you for coming. And I'm really honored because I'm a retiree. Steve and I retired the same year.
[00:17:19] Speaker C: You think.
[00:17:23] Speaker E: I owe it to him to continue many of the things he wanted to do. And I know he doesn't, like, know with all the retirees, but I love them because we share stories. And I see some people here I haven't seen for many, many years.
Thank you, Dr. Palones, for doing this.
[00:17:47] Speaker C: I wanted to thank you for doing this. This is a great memory of Steve. I remember Steve. He was a principal to us. I remember him in humanity. Trips and the great times, our humanities.
But most of all, I was touched when you approached me to take on Steve's role, and that was something that he wanted. And this is part of the reason why I took on the role.
So Steve was really an inspiration to me. He was always well ahead of the game. And I remember my first encounter with Steve as an alum after graduating back. He called me in in 2010, and we did the first ever TEDx in Greece, the first ever TEDx youth. It was the first show I remember. It was even before the TEDx Athens even started. We were so well ahead of the game. I remember even being represented in the first TEDx Athens. They even made a call for ACS. So it was really inspirational. And Steve, just the fact that he brought this forward and thought about ways to do things, even when there was a challenge, he would find an expert, somebody from outside.
I really miss Steve. What an educator he was. Once I had to leave my class urgently. I was teaching monopolistic competition for IB economics. And Steve, of course, he came in to substitute for me on the spot, right impromptu. So I go, Steve, I don't know. I'm doing monopolistic competition. Do whatever you want. I have to run. I come back, but 20 minutes later, and I see the whole blackboard full with economics by questioning, asking questions to students. And he worked on monopolistic competition. Who? An english teacher. I said, I bow to your excellence. Really? This is what he was, an interdisciplinary teacher. He was a principal, and he hired me as a teacher, and then we worked together. I've learned so much. So much.
[00:19:44] Speaker E: Look, for me, the gift was being able to have the opportunity to do this, but the true gift was what I saw between the pages of every book. I've put this book together. I gave Tony the originals, but I made copies of everything that I found in the books.
[00:20:03] Speaker B: So you curated his collection?
[00:20:05] Speaker E: I did, yeah. Back before everything came to a halt in March 2020.
So over here are all the copies of what I found between the pages of the book. And what was amazing to me was the vast scope of his interest in the books, from history to mathematics to physics.
I met Steve in. When did he come here? 81. That's when I met Steve. Yeah, I was here before him, but I met him in 1981, and great friend. And you know what? I was talking to somebody a few months ago, and she said to me, steve always had the right thing to say.
Steve always said the right thing.
And, I mean, one could go on, but.
[00:21:03] Speaker B: From the book illuminations by Walter Benjamin, essays and reflections Steve has underlined the following the storytelling that thrives for a long time in the milieu of work, the rural, the maritime, and the urban, is itself an artisan form of communication. It does not aim to convey the pure essence of the thing, like information or a report. It sinks the thing into the life of the storyteller in order to bring it out on him again. Thus, traces of the storyteller cling to the story that way. The handprints of the potter cling to the clay vessel.
In the book the disciplined mind by Howard Gardner, Steve has highlighted I want everyone to focus on the content of an education, the meat and potatoes, on how the content should be presented, mastered, put to use, and passed along to others. Specifically, I believe that three very important concerns should animate education. These concerns have names and histories that extend far back into the past. There is the realm of truth and its underside, what is false or indeterminable. There is the realm of beauty and its absence in experiences or objects that are ugly or kitschy. And there is the realm of morality, what we consider to be good and what we consider to be evil.
[00:22:43] Speaker F: I had Mr. Madeiros as a teacher. I graduated 1992.
You know, he was. He was my humanities teachers for two years in theory of knowledge. And, I mean, it was just such a wonderful experience. And his focus on asking us what we see as students was always integral to his teaching. Well, what do you see? Because he was so curious as to what we saw in things. And of course, he guided us.
And I remember when we paid farewell to him as well.
So many of my classmates and friends, we gathered and we were together, and afterwards we were all sharing stories.
And this is many years later, right? Because I graduated 1992, and he taught with Kathy, Jason Edis as well.
And right now I'm teaching humanities. And really I saw Jan as well. When I came back, she was teaching. I had Mr. Madeiras and Ms. Jacinisville, and I saw you and I was observing your classes, and it's just such an inspiration and a motivation and sort of guidance as well. So that's all I wanted to say.
[00:24:05] Speaker E: Thank you.
[00:24:10] Speaker G: I am a 1984 graduate. I had him as a teacher. He was a fantastic teacher. But what I want to say is congratulations to you for making this corner. But since my time, which was here in 6th grade, all the teachers were fantastic. The blessing for ACS is that all students, since it started, 1945, they always had fantastic teachers. So Mr. Madeiros, we can say he was an exceptional teacher, but I want to say that congratulations to acs for all these years for having fantastic teachers. Thank you. I'm a 1984 graduate. I had Steve Madeiros as a teacher in a theory of knowledge in the IB program. He was a fantastic teacher. He was a teacher, as I would say, a listener. He mainly listened to his students and he was very humble, never shouted. He was very calm, very friendly and sorry we don't have him next to us and we miss him.
[00:25:17] Speaker C: Our minds clicked. He was so sophisticated and eloquent and I just loved him.
He always had a kind word, even when things were tough. So I'll always remember him.
[00:25:31] Speaker H: When he first came in 1981, he was english teacher, and in this class we were all these Australians, South Africans, many international students. And years later, when I came back, he started laughing. I didn't know what to teach you guys. You didn't know English, you came from all these different countries, and I'm supposed to teach you how to write. So I remember when he was correcting my papers, it was comments everywhere. So I'm blessed that through him I'm able to write somehow now, even though it's a challenge. Still, when I came back after college, I was asked to take over the middle school. But let me explain that I was the counselor, so I wasn't really the head of the school, but Steve was in charge of middle school and high school. So he said to me, just come to when you have the big problems, otherwise take care of it. It didn't feel like he was my principal, he felt like he was my colleague.
[00:26:29] Speaker C: I've known Steve since the early eighty s. I had graduated at the time that he came. But when I came back to work as a physical education teacher, he was a teacher in the academy. I bumped into him many times. And then of course, when I worked here as an athletic director, we collaborated many times. He was not only a great teacher, but a great human being, a very good administrator. And one thing for sure is that his heart was here at ACS and he gave it all. His 37 years were something that I guess not many people can match.
Every time that I would go and talk to him about something that I had written, I remember he would correct it. And I always said to him, you have beautiful handwriting. Well, I'm going to start with something at the end of my career at ACS, and then I'll work backwards. I decided to retire from ACS in 2015, and it was kind of an early retirement. But one of the reasons that I decided to retire in 2015 was because I knew that Steve was getting ready to retire. And I could not imagine working at ACS without Steve. And that's how I'm connected with Steve. The roots go really deep.
Steve came when I was already here. I came back from the States. I had been here in the 70s, went to the states for two years, came back in 83, and Steve was here. Found Steve here. How lucky was that? And even though we never taught together, he was a mentor for me as far as humanities was concerned, which became the best teaching job ever.
And generally in my outlook on life, because of this very broad interdisciplinary view that he had of just every time I talked with Steve about anything professionally, personally, he just always made people feel good about themselves. And that's one of the things that I will stay in my memory of Steve forever.
[00:28:50] Speaker H: Well, look, the first person I met when I came to Greece was Steve, and he helped me get settled. And the first thing he said is, don't take the Greeks too seriously.
Go with the flow. Don't try to do too much in one day. And he said, most importantly, try to get to know people.
He really got to know his students. He knew the right question to ask. And I can think at so many stages in my career where my shift in thinking came from a question that he asked me, whether it was over a coffee or a glass of wine or just strolling through the placa. So he had insights to see things, but not tell you, but to bring them out in you. And he did that in a lot of people.
[00:29:38] Speaker E: Steve was my teacher when I first came to Greece.
He was difficult as a teacher. And I'll never forget the topic of my essay for that exam, what makes man human?
Every time I thought of that question, and I still think of that question, I think of Steve Madeiros as I worked with him throughout the years. I always ask him, why would you put a question to a 1617 year old? You think kids at that age could answer that question? He says, of course they can answer that question. And you can answer that question in every year of your life. He was the principal and assistant principal of the middle school and high school, and I was his assistant for years.
It was amazing to see how before any event, he would just get up and give a speech. And I would say, when did you write that? He would say, I didn't. I just took a couple of notes down and I'm going.
So after, for example, a graduation ceremony, I said to him, you just prepared that like 20 minutes before? He says, yeah, amazing what he can say and what he can think at the spur of the moment. He didn't have to prepare anything.
He was truly a genius, I would say, and a pleasure to work with. Steve was my teacher. Should I say my name? I guess. Joanna Papadopulos graduated in 92. Steve Medir was my beloved teacher. He was an inspiration. He was a unique, kind, warm, loving, perceptive, rare person who inspired all of us and had a magical way of understanding everybody in his unique way. I have many memories of Steve.
He wrote me a glowing review when I left to go after college.
He encouraged me to be a writer, which I am now, among other things, art and writing. And he bumped into me once in the middle of Manhattan. And I just remember in all of Manhattan, I bumped into him and said, hey, Mr. Madeiro.
And then I met him again when I brought my child to acs. And there was a brief moment where he thought I should become a teacher. And I said, I'm not a teacher. And I remember he said this thing that everybody is a teacher, actually. They just don't know it, which I thought was very sweet, and he's very humble. But he was an incredible person, and I'm very happy that he's been commemorated like this.
[00:32:20] Speaker C: I had come up with an idea to create something new, like a project focused on the homeless. And I went to five people that I thought I need to talk to about, but I didn't have a set goal. And when I told those five people, everyone turned me down and told me that it's dangerous and I should focus on my studies and not worry about something like that. And then I went to my mom's office to tell her about it, but I found Mr. Steven there, and I was frustrated. I started telling him about it right away, and he said to me, do it. Go do it, and you're going to do great. And I did it. He gave me the courage. And after that, it became a very big project in school and globally now. And I think I was in 9th, 10th grade, if I'm not wrong. But he gave me the courage to start and to believe in myself. And I actually went through a course with him about leadership, and he would always talk about how you need to find the courage inside you and believe in yourself, and then you can do anything. So now anything that I want to do, I always think of Mr. Steve, and it gives me courage.
[00:33:39] Speaker E: I met Steve in elementary school in Castri.
We had a school there, and he was in charge of the writing.
Yeah, the writing section, literature.
And we had just gone into this new phase of how to teach writing.
And of course, he came to our school to see how are we teaching writing? Curious. And he found out that I was teaching writing in a different way. I was lucky. I had these packages of paper, which I got from the Ote, downtown Athens, because they threw away all this paper because they were going into new technology and don't throw it away. And I had one for each student on the floor. And the kids would pick up the paper, put it on their desk, and write on every other line because it was green, white, green, white. And Steve, he just started to laugh.
[00:34:37] Speaker C: He says, this is perfect. This is exactly what they have to do.
[00:34:41] Speaker E: Write on every other line so you can go back and correct. And that's the way I met Steve. We had a wonderful time together.
[00:34:54] Speaker B: In the book the innovation zone, by Thomas M. Culopoulos, Steve Madeiros has underlined the following.
Innovation is not a feel good exercise. It needs to be grounded in some practical tools and methods. It needs systems and solutions. There is nothing wrong with feeling good about it. But you need something in place to keep innovation going after the singing and dancing have ended. Innovation and creativity are processes. You can learn them and you can improve them. And if that sounds like sacrilege, then it's time to sign up for a new religion, one that doesn't put the ability to innovate on a pinnacle, but rather within arm's reach.
[00:35:48] Speaker E: Steve Madeero taught me, always ask the.
[00:35:52] Speaker A: Question, stop talking, stop thinking, and ask a question.
[00:35:57] Speaker E: That's where you'll find the answers.
[00:35:59] Speaker D: Steve, other than how good a friend he was, was that occasionally he played tennis with us and he never seen you. And he was always able to beat us. But he didn't play very much. But he said, oh, he said, we need a fourth. Okay.
He was great. And what can you say about somebody like him? It's a life well lived.
[00:36:26] Speaker A: The most clear memory I have of Steve Madeiros is when I was in 9th grade. He comes into a language arts class and just recites at least two Shakespeare poems right off, like the tip of his mind.
I don't know, I thought it was the most magical thing ever. I don't remember which poems exactly, but I just remember his voice, his passion, and just him as clear as day that will never leave my mind. And his laugh. Yes, but he was so serious with these poems because writing is serious and words matter. And that's basically what he stood for in my head.
[00:37:03] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:37:04] Speaker E: Hello, I'm Lydia, class of 93. I had Mr. Madeiros and Mrs. Daley together for my last two years in academy for IB, higher English and debate and group discussion.
And I remember one thing he used to say, there isn't such a thing I cannot do. There is a thing I do not want to do. So if you put your mind to it, you can do whatever you want. And I still remember him until today. Whenever I try to do something new and I get discouraged, I remember his saying, there isn't such a thing I cannot do.
[00:37:54] Speaker B: In the I squared flex book revolutionizing k twelve blended learning through the I squared flex classroom model, Steve Madeiros, along with Stefanos Yalamas, Peggy Pelones and Abur Serif, wrote a paper named Aristia Leadership. That's chapter nine of the book. The paper concludes, if academic institutions are to contribute to the formation of more worldly human beings who are able to go beyond the prejudices that are intrinsic in many of our cultures who believe in equality and service as well in education on a global level, they must have leaders who uphold these same values. It is necessary for a leader to define a personal leadership philosophy that is genuine and consistent with his or her personality and then to live it. It is also necessary to prepare personnel to handle issues that arise from the changes implemented. Achieving the cooperation of team members at all levels is a challenge that must be taken in order to achieve the vision of the institution.
[00:39:08] Speaker E: Steve was a very important part of this institution from when he came in 1981 up until he left us. And I believe the school is what it is because of people like Steve. He was a kind, inspirational, teacher, leader, friend, a person that everyone could communicate and relate with. And he sorely missed. And I'm very happy and proud to say that he was a good friend. I remember Steve always finding the positive when sometimes I would be frustrated and would not see it in the same way as him. And I remember him, no, no, listen. And he would always turn it to the positive, in which case then both of us would just smile. That's what I remember. That's Steve always thinking the best and the most positive way.
[00:40:34] Speaker A: You are listening to the owlcast, the official podcast of ACS Athens. Make sure you subscribe to the owlcast on Google Podcasts, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This has been a production of the ACS Athens Media studio.
