Episode Transcript
[00:00:09] 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.
[00:00:50] Speaker B: Welcome to this first episode of Outcast of the season, and as every year, we are happy to host the president of Asia's Athens, Doctor Peggy Pelones, as we're underway in an exciting and monumental year, our 80th anniversary as the entire school community reflects on eight decades of academic excellence, community impact, and global leadership, todays conversation focuses not only on where weve been, but more importantly, where were going.
This milestone year is more than a celebration. It is a bridge between the achievements of the past and the innovations shaping our future. The president shares her personal reflections on what this moment means to her, both as the leader of this institution and on a personal level, while highlighting the.
[00:01:37] Speaker C: Continuity of our mission and vision from.
[00:01:40] Speaker B: The past year to the exciting road ahead.
Last academic year, ACS Athens continued its tradition of academic excellence with remarkable achievements. Our graduating class earned acceptance to their first or second choice colleges with students attending prestigious institutions such as Harvard University, Imperial College London, and the University of Toronto. These accomplishments underscore the school's commitment to providing top tier education, further supported by the fact that 67% of advanced placement scores were fours and fives.
[00:02:15] Speaker C: As we embark on this new year.
[00:02:17] Speaker B: Listen as the president's vision is captured in a single powerful word which will guide the initiatives that ensure our students remain at the forefront of academic and personal growth. Continuing this legacy of success innovation has always been a cornerstone of ACS Athens, and last year was no exception. The school hosted its first international media literacy festival, drawing schools from across Greece and southern Europe. This event showcased our leadership in media literacy education while giving our students a platform to create and engage with emerging digital trends, develop critical thinking and presentation skills, and explore new career paths. Moreover, ACS Athens is breaking new ground by undergoing certification for responsible AI learning.
[00:03:03] Speaker C: Through the Middle States association of Schools.
[00:03:05] Speaker B: And Colleges, a first of its kind initiative that reflects ACS Athens commitment to blending technological advancement with human centered education. As we discuss the role of AI in our school, well explore how these efforts will ensure that innovation and responsible leadership continue to go hand in hand.
Conscious global citizenship remains at the heart of ACS Athens, demonstrated through impactful projects that earned the school three global Inclusion Awards at UNESCO in Paris last year. These awards recognize programs like the youth to youth educational and social integration program and the Quinonos Homeless Project which exemplify how our students are not only learning about the world, but actively making it a better place. This commitment to service and leadership also extends to honoring the legacy of our alumni through the Angela and Philippe Mandalos Conscious Global Citizenship Award, a new accolade established in their memory. As the president discusses with us the importance of global citizenship, well hear how these initiatives continue to inspire our students and faculty to make meaningful contributions both locally and globally. Finally, the school's connection with its parent and alumni communities continues to deepen. Last year, we witnessed the expanded activity of the Global Advisory Council, made up of successful alumni, along with alumni gatherings in London and Miami. Driven by the alumni platform acsathensglobal.org comma, new activities that allowed meaningful avenues and means for alumni to network and give back through internships and job placements, these efforts highlight the vibrant, lifelong connection between ACS Athens and its community, a bond that the school's leadership is dedicated to nurturing. As we look to the future, today's conversation will not only reflect on the legacy of these pursuits, but also explore how we can build upon them in innovative ways in the years to come. Finally, stay tuned to find out the title of the first chapter. If this academic year was a book.
[00:05:16] Speaker C: This is a milestone year. 80 years since our founding is a.
[00:05:21] Speaker B: Cause for a big celebration.
[00:05:22] Speaker C: Of course, how does this fact resonate with you as the president, but also on a more personal level?
[00:05:30] Speaker D: I'm very proud of this institution. It has a long history, and it, of course, has changed over the years, but the american philosophy has prevailed. That's very important because it talks about choices and kids having choices and being able to try different things and understand, have knowledge from different perspectives, because that speaks to the whole child. And so it gives opportunity to every student to be seen as a unique individual and to tap into their, you know, potential and help them to thrive in that way. So that in itself, there are many things about the school, but that student centered approach, for me, is something to be very proud of.
[00:06:11] Speaker C: Well, thinking about the 80 years gives you a different perspective. But if we come closer to the reality we just started, a new academic years, what is the one word that captures your vision for the school's future for this year? Maybe for the next few? How do you see that word translating into maybe actions, maybe initiatives, projects?
[00:06:35] Speaker D: I would say awareness, but you're asking for one word. But I want to tag the word.
[00:06:40] Speaker C: I'll give you some leeway.
[00:06:42] Speaker D: Yeah. Global awareness to this, because I think one of the things that our kids, our students you know, they're involved with so many different cultures, nationalities, mindsets, and I'm always in awe as to how well they navigate that world and how that provides the tools for them to be really comfortable anywhere in the world, is what we hear from our alumni. I think those tools, which are many times tacit and you don't necessarily see the result right away, very much come in handy in their lives eventually. So I would say global awareness, not only of issues, but other ways of thinking about the world.
[00:07:25] Speaker C: If you're not aware, you cannot tackle anything.
[00:07:28] Speaker D: Exactly.
[00:07:29] Speaker C: This past summer, we earned a very important endorsement from middle states association for responsible AI in learning. It's a new, new thing, and it talks about our dedication, our commitment to embedding or implementing as a partner artificial intelligence in teaching and learning.
AI is rapidly transforming many industries, including education. What do you think is the most misunderstood aspect of AI in schools? And how can we leverage it, how can we use it to enhance both the learning and teaching, but without losing that human touch, the human element?
[00:08:11] Speaker D: I think that, you know, with anything new, and especially with something that has to do with technology that is growing and developing and evolving so rapidly, I think the main feeling about that is a feeling of fear.
And whenever we have fear and we don't understand where this is going and what it's about and how we can control it 100%, then that creates a lot of, you know, conspiracy theories. We want to fill in the gaps, and we fill in the gaps through our perspective, whatever our individual fears are.
[00:08:46] Speaker C: Or whatnot, or have truths or have.
[00:08:48] Speaker D: Truths, because, you know, as someone once said, we don't see the world as it is, but as we are. Therefore, that can create, you know, anxiety and panic and so on and so forth.
I think, however, there's a lot of things in the world that we can't control, and we need to focus on the things that we can control.
One of the greatest fears in the schools is that students will be using AI to do their work for them. They will be plagiarizing. They will be able, or at least will not be putting in the effort, and especially the critical thinking piece to do the work. Well, that's a strong possibility. But then again, how do we work with that, and how do we help students get to the next level so that AI is a partner, a tool, not only for their students, but for the teachers as well and the administrators. And we can get ahead of that, to be able to guide them, to use it ethically, but also to help young people move to a higher level of thinking and not necessarily informational or, you know, but higher level to use that information to go further.
[00:09:54] Speaker C: And I think through the activities that we are planning for this year, we're also going to include parents. The parent community has to be aware of what we're doing with AI. And now with this endorsement, it makes it a little bit more transparent and more meaningful for them. So this is something that we're including to all the activities of the school.
Let's go back to the identity of our school. We are a very diverse international school community, and you're leading it through times of change. And the change is inevitable, and the change is continuous, especially with the influence of social media and technology, which requires unique leadership traits. What personal experiences or values do you draw upon to guide the school through these dynamic times, through these changing times?
[00:10:44] Speaker D: I always believe in the uniqueness of the individual. There's many theories out there, and as a psychologist, of course I want to understand human behavior and how we think and what makes us tick and what helps us unblock areas so that we can, you know, people can thrive. There are many theories out there, and it's a very common mistake to try to fit kids or people into a particular theory. What I say is, let's go the other way around. Let's look at each unique individual, because like the fingers in our hand, you know, we're all unique. And that uniqueness of the personality allows each of us to see the world through a particular lens, where we have our own feelings, translations, interpretations of what the world means to us through our experiences, through the way we were raised, so on and so forth. So I think to be able to listen and see and observe what is that uniqueness about is very important to me. And to pay attention to what builds psychological muscle, because no matter what you tackle in the world, if you feel like you are standing on strong foundation, have a really strong sense of self, and don't allow yourself to feel like I'm the victim here and all the circumstances are against me. But rather, look, and I'm not saying that there aren't, you know, people aren't victimized in the world. That's a different story. But what I'm saying is it's the mindset of being a problem solver, being able to pivot in times of change, when change is thrust upon us or even to initiate change, is a very, very important piece that I want to instill in the mindsets of young people so that they can navigate very complex world we are in the school, you know, they're very protected in many ways and in any school. But once they get out into the world and they have to navigate it on their own, I hope that these tools that they achieve here will be their guiding light.
[00:13:01] Speaker A: You are listening to the owlcast, the official podcast of ACS Athens.
[00:13:05] Speaker C: And it's very evident in our mission as a school, the notion of ethical global citizen. That's what we're trying to form, that's what we're trying to sculpt out of the young minds, you know, through the activities, through the academics, through the extracurriculars, but also through the services that we offer. Global citizenship is a key aspect of education today anyways. We see it all around us. Everybody talks about it. How do you personally define global citizenship? And what are some unconventional ways we know, the conventional ones? What are some unconventional ways you inspire your wish to inspire this value to our students and staff? Beyond the classroom?
[00:13:57] Speaker D: I talk about conscious global citizenship because it all starts, as I said, with awareness. Here's what's going on around me. You know, here are the kind of people that are around me. Here's how they think. Here's some other ways of thinking. And I can, you know, I may not agree, but I'm open to trying to understand those perspectives. Here's what's going on in the global arena.
[00:14:18] Speaker C: Is this where the conscious element comes.
[00:14:20] Speaker D: Becoming aware and being more conscious? So it's not, you know, it's not something that, you know, I'm aware of what's going on. And so learning about that. And that's why, for example, we might use the sustainable development goals as a way to help young people understand that there are some goals that the world has to improve. It's not just our individual goals in the classroom, the objectives of learning and so on and so forth. But there's a larger picture here.
And I think what I want to help them understand is that I can't control a lot of things about what's going on in the world, but there are some things I can control in my environment here. What can I do to contribute, you know, solving the problem, a problem? Or am I doing something that's contributing to the problem itself, or am I just choosing to stay to be neutral about it by helping kids understand that, you know, when you contribute to a problem solving or initiating a good thing here, you're also contributing to a larger picture. So, for example, you might, I don't know, let's say that we go and we clean up the beaches, because we realize that in a particular area. You know, we want to make sure that the plastics are where they need to be and so on and so forth. That also contributes to a larger goal of clean oceans. For example, through our youth to youth program where we teach young refugee miners about, you know, we teach them a language so that they can better integrate into the world. Our kids become teachers to teach Greek or English. And that contributes to a larger whole what it provides opportunity for these other kids who have lost those opportunities to have an education, even at a small scale, but also to integrate into the society better. So that purpose is very important to connect to the here and now, that higher purpose. And when students make those connections, potentially they will be able to identify their own higher purpose. Okay, what is my ultimate? Where do I want to get? What do I want to do? And how do I start? One step at a time, on a small scale, but grow that? And then how do I get other people who do I turn to? What resources do I have to help me achieve these goals? And how do I get other people to support and collaborate so that that just grows and becomes bigger? And that's how, when they come, when they. And they will be, because I trust that these kids are going to go out there and be leaders in the world, then they can do this on a larger scale, and that multiplies.
[00:16:53] Speaker C: And this is something we see very often. And to tell you the truth, a few months ago, I met with one alum who.
She made her goal for life to do something that promotes sustainability, to promote diversity and justice. And all these things and all these important issues that you're mentioning must be owned by the entire community. And if anything, ACS Athens is known for its community. So we have a very strong school community within our walls, but we still have the very strong parent community. We also have the alumni community. So these are very highly active communities in our environment.
What surprising or innovative ways do you see these groups contributing to the school's mission this year, but also in general? And how do you envision nurturing, helping, in a sense, making them more empowered to do this kind of initiatives in the long term?
[00:18:00] Speaker D: I'm often touched by how many people come forward offering their expertise, their sometimes even financial support. I saw this project and I thought this was really great. How can I contribute to this?
What is, you know, what is there in the school that I can. That you need, that I can support you with? I'm really touched many times with how many people are coming forward because they believe in the mission and vision of ACS. Athens. And more importantly, they see through their kids that, you know, there's something good happening here. I think, though, that I was surprised, positively surprised, last year when we brought the community together.
Two of our teachers, Doctor Siropoulos and Miss Danopoulo, they created this community project, a performance that involved all stakeholders, everyone, people from everywhere. It was the energy bus. It was a variation of the energy bus and the spirit and passion with which everyone came together.
And on the day of the performance, the amazing energy that took place and how everyone, you know, not only enjoyed it, but learned from each other.
[00:19:20] Speaker C: The positive spirit.
[00:19:22] Speaker D: Yeah, you had students, you had parents, you had teachers, you had administrators. And to this day, I hear about that performance not as the performance per se, but as a way of the community coming together towards a common goal. And so I would like to do more of these things, and I'd like to bring everybody together as a result of that. And a few parents have approached me and said, you know, after that, this project came about, and my son is going to be involved in this and my daughter's going to do this. And I thought, that's great because that's just developing exactly what I said. That energy is growing out there in the world.
[00:20:01] Speaker C: And another example, of course, is the alumni circles that we do. This is going to be, I think, the third year that we do where we bring alums to talk to students that are either juniors, seniors, or maybe they have just graduated. So the involvement of the alumni and the parent community is very, very strong, and we draw strength from that.
[00:20:23] Speaker D: Yes. And, you know, the alums, they say it like it is. They tell them, you know, how many times they failed and got up and where they, how many times they changed careers. They hear it from us adults, and they, maybe they'll hear it, but when they hear it from the alums and people close to their age, that's when they really pay attention.
[00:20:39] Speaker C: It's the third eye in the equation.
We are in the digital age. I mean, there's no discussion about that with children growing up surrounded by technology. And we see that this year, especially with the ban of the mobile phones. And we see, personally, I see a very big change in their attitude. I mean, first time in many, many years, I saw kids just sitting in the grass looking at the sky or reading a book under the sun. I mean, this is amazing. I couldn't believe it this year.
[00:21:13] Speaker B: So what do you believe are the.
[00:21:15] Speaker C: Essential character traits that need to be developed to navigate the digital landscape? How do you develop, how do you foster these traits within the school.
[00:21:25] Speaker D: Yeah. What you mentioned with the cell phones is very important because I have to tell you that I was anticipating this, that law that changed so quickly, and I was anticipating this because it was kind of, you're back in school and you have to be without phones. Of course, we took time to explain, you know, the benefits of being without a phone and the detriments of being with a phone all the time. But the response of the students was so well done, as you say, that tells me that they need something different, that they need that ability to just, you know, think or look at the sky or daydream.
[00:22:06] Speaker C: They needed it without knowing they needed it.
[00:22:08] Speaker D: Exactly, exactly. And you get addicted to this, you know, to what's on the screen, and you don't even realize you have to keep it up because that's what everybody's doing.
[00:22:17] Speaker C: Right?
[00:22:18] Speaker D: But now that nobody's using the phones, all of a sudden you're discovering parts of yourself that it could evolve and strengthen. What I would love to see continuing to happen is for the kids to be curious in other ways, to go into the library and check out a book, to go talk to some of our teachers and say, hey, I had this idea to create, to innovate, to be able to look at that sky and daydream and say, and the next day come back and say, hmm, I just had, you know, something came. Mister Babalagas, can I come to the studio and make this happen? And that's what's happening more and more, and that is something I want to cultivate further.
[00:22:58] Speaker C: It's going to be very evident this year because we already see, especially here in the studio, proposals for new media projects that were like, oh, my goodness, why didn't we think about it last year? You know, things like that.
Looking at the leadership style now through a different lens, if you could choose a metaphor or maybe a symbol to represent your leadership style at this moment of time, what would it be? How does that shape your approach to education? And of course, leading a school? As an administrator, I've written about this.
[00:23:31] Speaker D: Before, and I would use the symbol of a fractal. And, you know, that means that I want every part of the institution to reflect the whole. So that, you know, when you're on the campus, the language and the ways of being and the ways of creating and initiating and whatnot, it permeates the whole campus from elementary school all the way up. So it's not necessarily a top down approach, although there are times when that, you know, decisions have to be made. But I want every leader in the school, and I consider every teacher a leader of their classroom. Every student could be a leader, you know, whether leading clubs, activities, sports, whatever it is, that should reflect the bigger picture of the school. That's when you know that the values are permeating the culture. And so that's what I consider my style.
[00:24:22] Speaker C: Finally, we have a whole year ahead of us, and there should be some kind of story at the end of the year. And with your vision as the leader of the school, you should know that story at this point of time, or at least have a rough draft, as we say. If you were to tell the story of this upcoming academic year, let's say it was a book.
Let's say that there is a book and we're missing the title. What would you say the title would be? And maybe what would the opening chapter look like.
[00:24:55] Speaker D: Immediately, as you said that, two titles came to my mind, and I will, you know, title and subtitle, then they could be integrated into one, I believe, eventually. But the book would either be called the courage to change or the courage to be happy.
And I believe that. What would the first chapter say? All of the things that I just mentioned, in fact, I'm actually writing about this, that we need to have that the foundation as individuals, the resources around us that will encourage us to develop our best part, but also embrace the parts that are weaker or when we fail, or when we fall or whatnot, and learn to get back up, problem solve, to move forward, be aware, embrace different parts of the world, but at the same time not necessarily agree, but be able to work together to problem solve. That I think provides the foundation for, if not happiness, I would say happy moments or satisfaction. And from there we find the courage to navigate life. We have the courage to deal with change because change is inevitable and it's at multiple levels, but also the courage to initiate change and to be the ones that are going to shake things up for the better, you know, or sometimes even not, but, you know, figure out a way to improve life and living on the planet.
[00:26:28] Speaker C: So let's put the two titles together and say, have courage to be happy when you change.
[00:26:34] Speaker D: I sounds good.
[00:26:35] Speaker C: Doctor Pelones, thank you so much for.
[00:26:36] Speaker B: Being here for the first episode of.
[00:26:38] Speaker C: The outcast for this season. Let's have a great year and celebrate our 80 years history throughout the year.
[00:26:46] Speaker D: Thank you Mister Papadak and looking forward to it.
[00:26:50] Speaker A: You are listening to the Owlcast, the official podcast of ACS Athens. Make sure you subscribe to the Owlcast on Google Podcast, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This has been a production of the ACS Athens Media studio.
