From October 12 to 14, 2018, a group of pupils and teachers of the Bougas High School and Lyceum visited North Epirus, Albania. Our visit was for two purposes . On the one hand, we were going to visit the territories where the work of locating, digging up and identifying burial bones of Greek soldiers killed on the Albanian front during the Greek-Italian war of 1940-41 is being carried out, and on the other hand, to pay tribute to the most important Greek soldiers ever which had been scattered , not buried and not identified in the area of Epirus.
At the same time, we wanted to get acquainted with Greek Orthodox pupils attending the Greek-Albanian School of Gjirokastra “Breath of Love” and the Lyceum that has been operating for two years, both truly “inspired” by Archbishop Albania, Anastasios.
In conclusion, we would like to say that our journey has stimulated both the national memory and contributed to the formation of a healthy national consciousness of the students, as well as strengthening our bonds with the Greek community ,recognizing the multifaceted work of Greek Orthodox education provided to Greek-speaking schools.
Our main tours:
- The Military War Museum 1940 – 41. A small museum thanks to the comprehensive and informative guided tour of the Thracian Battalion guerrilla and the visual representation of the heroic battles that took place in Kalpaki made us aware of the decisive contribution of the VIII Infantry Division Commander of Chief of Staff Charalambos Koutsimitros to repel the Italian invaders during the early days of the war.
- The village of Vouliarates in the province of Dropolis on the road Kakavia – Argyrokastro. There we visited the military cemetery (inaugurated in 1999), in the courtyard of the small church of Ag. Skepis where we observed the first graves with recognized Greek soldiers of 40-41, including the names of Messinian soldiers.
- The valley of Kleisoura. Specifically, starting from Gjirokastra and crossing a green landscape alongside the Aoos River, we reached the new military cemetery, a work of Archbishop Messenia. Anastasiou, where in the courtyard of the monastery of Ag. Nicholas rises a huge cross and below are all the empty graves (with a cross) in which the bones of the heroes kept in metal ossuaries are intended to be placed. We were very happy that our school’s visit took place on the day after the official burial of the first 573 identified dead soldiers. There and then, we placed a wreath and sang the National Anthem.
- The Hellenic-Albanian Lyceum “Breath of Love”, where we had the opportunity to learn the curriculum and the objectives of education provided by a Greek Orthodox school in Albania. Basketball and volleyball matches between the students of the two schools, traditional dances and local dishes completed this first visit with teachers and students.
- The Fortress of Gjirokaster, the emblem of the city of Gjirokaster. A castle that resists the wear and tear of time from the Pyrrhus to the present day to remind the visitor that there was a symbol of a people’s martyr, a cemetery of “alive” in the Hoxha regime, in which those who fought for the redemption of their land martyred.
- The seaside town of Ag. Forty, just across the northern part of Corfu. It is a touristy developed city that has increased its permanent population from 23 to 45,000 in the last 20 years, while at the same time providing the facilities for hosting and hosting thousands of tourists. There we walked on the pedestrianized coastal area, went to restaurants and cafes and lived moments of relaxation.
Our last station is the National Park and the Archaeological Site of Voutroto, very close to the Mavromatiou border station. We are talking about an ancient Greek city unknown to the Greeks, an adorable coexistence of natural paradise and archaeological finds from prehistoric times to recent times (eg Ancient Greek temple of Asklipios, Roman theater, Byzantine basilica
cruciform). We saw why people have always wanted to live here: a natural harbor, a natural fortified site, a rich lagoon, a hub of waterways and a unique World Heritage Site.
From the coarse description that precedes it, it is perceived that a three-day trip with targeted destinations – stations and appropriate cognitive and emotional preparation, can put another milestone in the general education of students and teachers.
Early in September, the Bougas Schools traveled to CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire), the largest experimental nuclear physics research center in the world. The trip with 30 students and three Bougas teachers began on August 29th and was completed on September 3rd, it was entertaining as well as educational, combining a beautiful and interesting tour in different parts of Italy and Switzerland. On 1/9/2016, students and professors were at the CERN gateway that reminds of a border outpost as only those working, or those with the necessary accreditation pass can enter. Here Mrs. Ioanna Dimitrakopoulou – Koutava co-ordinator of the visits to the CMS experiment and Mrs Despina Hadjifotiadou, researcher and head of the ALICE experiment. In the Bohr meeting room in the building 40, Mrs. Chatzifotiadou gave a lecture in order to introduce them to the world of particle physics and in the end the students asked various questions. Their visit continued in the ATLAS Experiment one of CERN’s two major experiments, where officials Anastasia Patsouli and Krysztof Zabrzycki described how the big detector works and saw the scientists in their control center in action.
Their tour continued in the SM18 cryogenic test building where Mr. Apostolakis, Patsoulis, Mr. Fantakis and Mr. Papastergiou described to them in groups, the operation of the large LHC accelerator , how they accelerate various particles, the use of magnets and the purpose of all experiments.
At noon they ate at the famous CERN canteen, where they had the opportunity to meet with students, professors, researchers from all over the world, and some of them met Professor John Ellis.
In Cern’s second major experiment, the CMS detector,while wearing appropriate safety helmets, they went down 80m below the surface of the Earth, where huge computing systems collect the detector information and was in operation at the time. The briefing at CERN continued on the following day 2/9 where Despina Hatzifotiadou, an experimental physicist working at Cern since 1987, guided them through the ALICE experiment, one of the four LHC accelerator detectors. The ALICE experiment studies the interactions of heavy lead ions by trying to identify if, as it has been described theoretically, a “soup” of elementary quarks and gluons particles was created in the first seconds after the big explosion, which naturally is not free in nature. Mrs. Hatzifotiadou works at CERN as the first researcher of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics in Italy, based in Bologna.
General information:
CERN is located west of Geneva, on the border of Switzerland and France. It was founded in 1954 by twelve Europeans, including Greece.
The Large Hadron Accelerator (LHC), a 27-kilometer circular experimental array of electromagnets, is sunk 100 meters below ground, between the two countries in Central Europe. Scientists from all over the world are working to find out what happened in the universe a few seconds after the Big Bang. To achieve this, they accelerate proton energy packets (atomic nuclei) at extremely low temperatures, which collide within four experimental detector assemblies (circular structures with thousands of 40 meter length sensing sensors and a height of more than 20) producing particles that do not appear freely in nature.
But CERN is not only important for his research in Physics. Tim Berners Lee has created the world of web which now uses millions of computers worldwide to navigate the internet and is now ready to give the world of computing a new revolution that hears to the Grid name.
Dr. Ellis is Professor of the University of London King’s College Maxwell, and has done his research at CERN for more than 40 years. He served as Director of CERN’s Theoretical Sector and adviser to CERN’s General Manager.
![ξ09[[]](https://bougas-school.gr/wp-content/gallery/cern-1/%CE%BE09.jpg "ξ09[[]")
On Sunday April 14, 2019, IRONMAN 70.3 was the world’s largest triathlon competition that took place in Greece for the first time. The Bougas Schools were there and participated with 50 volunteers, a group made up of students and teachers. Mixed emotions , thoughts and pride that we all felt about the enormous struggle, that all the athletes did not only on this day but have done all their lives for a specific purpose. A struggle, “food for thought”, for those who were fortunate enough to live it from up close.
In the framework of Etwinning 15 students from the 1st year of High school till the 2nd year of Lykeio travelled from the 8th -12th of March 2019 to the Le Longeron , near the city Nantes and had a fantastic time.
The students and 3 teachers , were hosted by the French families and were part of their daily routine, saw how school lessons were and the culture of a French society.
They visited important areas of the city, the Duke’s castle , the castle Goulaine in the valley of the Loire river, the biscuit museum LU famous for the petit beurre biscuits, the picturesque villages Clisson, Cholet, Noirmoutier and the picturesque villages on the coast of the Atlantic. They tasted great French specials like la galette nantaise, la choucriute, les crepes, la vaclette and many varieties of French cheeses.
They took part in the lessons at the French school and worked with students doing exercises ,which had to do with Ancient Greek mathematicians , French literature and Spanish. The French students learnt Greek everyday expressions and learnt about Kalamata by watching a video.
We are waiting for our French friends to visit us on the 30th of April , 18 students with 2 teachers, so that we can offer our hospitality and show them our area.
This project called : Tisser des liens et devenir citoyen du monde (Bridging relationships and becoming a citizen of the world) gave the whole group the opportunity to learn authentically, co-operate , use new technologies but also practice foreign languages.
The French school Lycee Champ Blanc wrote on its website: We hope that the bonds created during this first meeting with the Greek students will continue and will be put down in the history of Lycee Champ Blanc.
UK 2016 – KEELE UNIVERSITY
άλλη μια χρονιά τα ΕκπαιδευτήριαΜπουγά έδωσαν τη δυνατότητα στους μαθητές να συμμετέχουν σε καλοκαιρινό εκπαιδευτικό πρόγραμμα στη Μεγάλη Βρετανία και συγκεκριμένα στο Keele University στο Manchester. Το πρόγραμμα αυτό ήταν διάρκειας δέκα ημερών – 7 ημέρες στο πανεπιστήμιο και 3 ημέρες στο Λονδίνο και έγινε με τη συνοδεία εκπαιδευτικού του σχολείου μας. Στόχος του ταξιδιού ήταν τα παιδιά να γνωρίσουν άλλον πολιτισμό, να μιλήσουν μια ξένη γλώσσα , να επικοινωνήσουν , να ψυχαγωγηθούν και να καλλιεργήσουν αξίες όπως τη φιλία, τον αλληλοσεβασμό και την αλληλεγγύη.
Από τις 8 Ιουλίου – 15 Ιουλίου τα παιδιά έμειναν στις εγκαταστάσεις του Keele University όπου έκαναν μαθήματα με ειδικευμένο προσωπικό. Κατά τη διάρκεια της διαμονής τους πήραν μέρος σε πολλές δραστηριότητες καθώς και εκπαιδευτικές εκδρομές και τα παιδιά ήρθαν σε επαφή και με μαθητές από άλλες χώρες. Υπήρχε ένα ειδικά σχεδιασμένο εκπαιδευτικό πρόγραμμα , που προέβλεπε 4 ώρες διδασκαλίας καθημερινά το οποίο ήταν υπό την έγκριση του Βρετανικού Συμβουλίου. Οι μαθητές είχαν καταταχθεί σύμφωνα με το επίπεδό τους και τους δόθηκε πιστοποιητικό παρακολούθησης στο τέλος των μαθημάτων. Παράλληλα με τα μαθήματα οι μαθητές επισκέφτηκαν τις πόλεις Manchester, Liverpool και Chester. Επίσης έλαβαν μέρος σε δραστηριότητες – όπου διακρίθηκαν και σε αρκετές από αυτές – όπως Αθλητικά Τουρνουά, Βραδιά ντίσκο, ομαδικά παιχνίδια λεξιλογίου – Quiz night, Talent show και mini- Οlympics.
Το ταξίδι συνεχίστηκε από τις 15 Ιουλίου – 17 Ιουλίου στο Λονδίνο όπου έγινε περιήγηση στα αξιοθέατα και τα παιδιά είδαν τους ρυθμούς ζωής της Αγγλικής πόλης. Επισκέφτηκαν to Βρετανικό Μουσείο, το Μουσείο Φυσικής Ιστορίας και Επιστημών , το Μουσείο Madame Tussaud – είδαν το London Eye , το Tower Bridge , το Big Ben, τα ανάκτορα του Buckingham και τα περισσότερα διάσημα σημεία της πόλεις. Γενικά είχαν την ευκαιρία να περπατήσουν σε όλη την πόλη , να δουν , να ψωνίσουν και να διασκεδάσουν.
Ήταν ένα υπέροχο ταξίδι με θετικές εμπειρίες και πολλές γλυκές αναμνήσεις που θα μας συνοδεύουν για πάντα.
UK 2017 – OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY
Από τις 11-20 Ιουλίου 2017 μαθητές της ΣΤ’ Δημοτικού, του Γυμνασίου και του Λυκείου των Εκπαιδευτηρίων Μπουγά ταξίδεψαν με την καθηγήτρια τους, Τίνα Γιαννακέα στην Οξφόρδη της Αγγλίας.
Οι μαθητές που πήραν μέρος στο ταξίδι παρακολούθησαν μαθήματα Αγγλικών στο Πανεπιστήμιο «Oxford Brookes University». Εκτός από τα μαθήματα συμμετείχαν σε ξεναγήσεις και σε επισκέψεις σε μοναδικά αξιοθέατα, στις πόλεις Oxford, Cambridge και Bath. Επίσης είχαν την ευκαιρία να συμμετάσχουν σε αθλητικές δραστηριότητες, να συνεργαστούν σε ομαδικά παιχνίδια με παιδιά από άλλες χώρες μιλώντας στα Αγγλικά και με αυτόν τον τρόπο να μοιραστούν απόψεις και εμπειρίες. Επιπλέον το πρόγραμμα περιελάμβανε θεατρικό παιχνίδι, κινηματογράφο και βραδιά disco.
Ήταν άλλο ένα ταξίδι στο Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο από το οποίο αποκόμισαν σπουδαίες εμπειρίες και αναμνήσεις.
UK 2018 – READING UNIVERSITY
Από τις 10-18 Ιουλίου 2018 μαθητές των Εκπαιδευτηρίων Μπουγά των τάξεων Ε΄και ΣΤ’ δημοτικού και τις Α’ γυμνασίου μαζί με τη συνοδό τους Τίνα Γιαννακέα ταξίδεψαν στο Reading της Αγγλίας για να παρακολουθήσουν καλοκαιρινό εκπαιδευτικό πρόγραμμα στο Reading University.
Τα παιδιά έκαναν μαθήματα Αγγλικών για τα οποία έλαβαν πιστοποίηση παρακολούθησης , συνεργάστηκαν με μαθητές του εξωτερικού , έλαβαν μέρος σε ομαδικές δραστηριότητες, μοιράστηκαν εμπειρίες, σκέψεις και βίωσαν διαφορετικές κουλτούρες. Σε συνδυασμό με τα μαθήματα οι μαθητές χαλάρωσαν με παιχνίδια, πάρτυ, βραδιές καραόκε, εκδρομές και ξεναγήσεις. Εκτός από την πόλη του Reading επισκέφτηκαν την πόλη Bath και βεβαίως το Λονδίνο όπου θαύμασαν τα σπουδαιότερα αξιοθέατα του Ηνωμένου Βασιλείου.
Άλλο ένα ταξίδι με αποσκευές γεμάτες αναμνήσεις και ανυπομονούμε για το επόμενο!
A journey full of London beauty! A journey full of Knowledge!
The pupils of the Bougas School started a beautiful trip with the main purpose of filling their suitcase with experiences, smiles, knowledge and of course making new friends. Traveling stations were London and Oxford University. Students from the 5th year of primary school to the 2nd year of Lyceum wore their most beautiful smile and started their journey on Sunday, June 30th,2019.
First stop in London.
The students started their day with an English breakfast and then walked the streets of Piccadilly & Leicester Square, having seen the most important London squares, they headed to Buckingham Palace where they saw the palace. They admired London Bridge and Big Ben going up on the giant London eye on the south bank of the River Thames. They did not miss their snack and picnic in the sun ,in one of the most beautiful parks in London, St James Park. After resting , they continued their day with something very impressive, Madame Tussauds a museum full of beloved heroes, scientists, royal families, actors and singers, a world full of … wax. The trip continued by taking photos of the horses from the royal stables and going by Kensington Palace. The day was over by going on a night walk out on the streets of China Town.
The new day began with the Museum of Human History and Culture, the British Museum, where the children saw collections of more than seven million objects coming from all continents. Particular admiration and awe was felt when they saw artifacts from ancient Greece such as the Caryatida and other sculptures of the Parthenon. They discussed the sculpture because during the school year they had performed a Theatrical play based on the Caryatids and Acid rain titled “The Beauties of Athens” with which they participated in the “Science through Theater” competition.
Then their curiosity about botany, entomology, minerology, palaeontology and zoology led them to the Natural History Museum. There, they traveled to other worlds and experienced dinosaurs, strange insects and rare plants. Finally, their love for S.T.E.A.M., made them curious and they wanted to get to know a museum full of technology. So they did not fail to visit the Science Museum, where they walked on 7 floors with educational exhibitions, while with great interest they participated in interactive games. Leaving all these museums, children had “taken with them” the most beautiful souvenirs: knowledge, images and unforgettable experiences. In the evening they wore their formal clothes and watched a spectacular musical entitled “School of Rock”. In the best way, they said goodbye to London and continued their beautiful trip, at Oxford Brookes University (Oxford).
The second station was Oxford.
For the next seven days the students of Bougas School satyed at Oxford Brookes University. The University Team welcomed the students and helped them go to their rooms. After a tour of thestate-of-the-art University, students from different parts of the world played games of acquaintance, and various groups of pupils from all countries were quickly created.
For Seven days the University provided children with unique experiences, knowledge and entertainment such as English lessons with innovative methods, excursions and recreational activities.
The practice of the English language was done daily, talking to their teachers, discussing, eating in the canteen, playing with other children. Apart from knowledge, the children met different cultures, exchanged views and saw different attitudes than they had seen so far. They traveled to other places through their thoughts and of course made new friends. But all this was not limited to the University, the children visited the city of Oxford and wandered on the beautiful streets with beautiful buildings , spoke with their friends, ordered food, paid in pounds and learned about equality.
They visited Blenheim Palace, a monumental mansion located in the Woodstock area, spoke about the Duke of Marlborough, and came into contact with the palace history with the help of special headphones explaining the history of each room in English. We visited Oxford’s oldest college, Christ Church College. The size, architecture and extent of the College impressed both young and old. A wonderful excursion took place in the historic town of Warwick, on the banks of the Avon River. The children wandered in the great castle (Warwick castle) built in 1068. They learned about its history depicted in a modern and exciting way. They did not fail to see the classy home (Earls Warwick) and learn about the Victorian lifestyle of high society. At the same time, events such as archery and flying eagles took place in the walls, mainly in the lawn area, which impressed children.
Stratford was the next destination, the birthplace of the English poet and playwright Shakespeare, an area known as the Mecca of millions of Shakespeare lovers all over the world. The students learned about the most important writer who wrote in English, spoke about his works such as Hamlet, Roman and Juliet, and finally saw the family grave.The students were particularly impressed with the inscription on his grave, which includes a curse against the movement of his bones. Leaving Stratford, the students admired the beautiful city, listened to music from various bands, and walked by the canal. Our trip ended with a great boat trip in the city of Oxford, on which we admired hidden beauties.
The children, arriving at Heathrow Airport, had their suitcases full of beautiful and sweet memories, unique experiences, great knowledge, new friends, and dreams for future trips.
On Friday, March 22, 2019, high school and lykeio students visited Athens with special destinations such as the Presidential Guard and the Presidential Palace.
As the children themselves describe: “Initially, we visited the camp of George Tzavella, where the Presidential Guard is based. After a very interesting and informative guided tour through which we learned about the history, the responsibilities and the way of making and preserving the costume of the legendary Evzones, as well as the types of uniforms (winter, summer, Pontian, Dodecanese), we attended part of the training in the field of the camp. What is most remembered in our memory is that the most difficult time in the service of a warrior is neither the cold nor the heat, but the time when his uniform is separated, confirming the well-known saying “Once an Evzone … forever an Evzone”.
Last Thursday, October 10th , 2019, pupils of the 1st and 2nd year of high school participated in a day trip to the neighboring prefecture of Ilia, accompanied by the High School Principal, Maria Kollatou, and the teachers, Stavroula Giannakopoulou and Mihali Kousoulako. Specifically, with the help of the guide Maria Arambatzoglou, who gave us a tour of the archaeological site of Ancient Olympia, we saw the temples of Zeus, Hera and the altar, where the Olympic flame lit before the winter and summer Olympics . A group of students chose to take part in a 100-meter race in the Ancient Stadium, and the first three winners were crowned with an olive wreath created by the tour guide.
The children were then given free time and a tour of downtown Olympia.
Immediately afterwards, we went up to an 800 meters altitude by bus, where we reached the oak forest of Foloi, a place truly taken out of the pages of fairy tales. Initially, the children were divided into two groups and visited the Foloi Environmental Museum, where Nikos Shiakoulis, a nature lover, talked about the flora and fauna of the forest, history and mythology, and made them aware of its protection. Then, we went out and walked in the woods together for 20 minutes.
Finally, before leaving for Kalamata, we stopped in the village of Lalas, where we tasted local grilled dishes at a traditional tavern.
