2nd High School of Pylea

School Profile

The 2^nd General Lyceum of Pylea belongs to the Municipality of Pylea-Chortiati, which is one of 14 municipalities of Thessaloniki with a population of 70.000 inhabitants of a quite high standard of living. Thessaloniki in more than 23 centuries of uninter­rupted history has been a major center of population, a busy economic, cultural and political center in the region of the Balkans and south-eastern Europe, an important meeting point for different cultures and peoples. For centuries, Thessaloniki was home to many different ethnic groups such as Jews, Ottoman Turks, Armenians and others. Alongside, the native Greek population, they all left their characteristic mark on the city and helped shape its cosmopolitan character.

Even though in our school we have neither foreign students nor immigrants we have participated many times in the past in programs concerning intercultural education. Besides, we think that modern school cannot ignore social and cultural changes of the present and it needs to modernize its internal structures and functions. This modernization should exceed the ethnocentric, monopolitismic and monoglossic approach of facts. From the other side students in adolescence see dramatic changes due to the economic crisis of our country, while the reduction of the parents’ salaries and unemployment have radically changed their everyday life, pushing them facing prematurely a hard reality. And this is an important problem of the contemporary Greek school.

The participation of our school aims at enhancing the European dimension of education by promoting joint co-operation activities between schools of other countries of Europe. An ancient and historic nation such as the Greek nation has obviously in its history many dates-landmarks relating to important facts. For instance slaveries and liberations of cities, grate battles, important political and religious facts are the reason for national celebrations, days of memory, thinking and reviving of our ideals.  Participating in this project we will have the opportunity to compare our cultural landmarks with those of the other countries and come more easily to the conclusion whether we are Nationals or Europeans in the end.

The project will give pupils and teachers of different countries an opportunity to work together on a topic of mutual interest. It will help pupils and teachers to acquire and improve skills not only in the topic or subject area on which the project is focused, but also in terms of teamwork, social relations, planning and undertaking project activities and using information and communication technologies (ICT). Participating in a partnership with schools from different countries will also give our pupils and teachers the opportunity to practice foreign languages and increase their motivation towards language learning.