ΡΑΛΛΕΙΟ ΓΕΝΙΚΟ ΛΥΚΕΙΟ ΘΗΛΕΩΝ ΠΕΙΡΑΙΑ - 28-10-2016 Educational visit- collaboration between Hersby Gymnasium and Ralleio Lykeio

Four teachers (Ms Johanna Rasmussen, Ms Stina Lundholm, Ms Karolina Nylund and Mr Patrik Roddar) and eighteen graduating students from Hersby Gymnasium, Lindigo, Stockholm, Sweden visited Greece and our school from 20 to 28 October 2016. The visit was a follow-up of our partnership with Hersby Gymnasium in the framework of the European Program Erasmus+ KA2 ?ROUTE?, which was completed in June 2016. We are happy to say that the unobtrusive cooperation during the Erasmus+ program and the warm hospitality during their previous visits in April and June 2016 brought our Swedish friends back to Greece and Ralleio Lykeio.

The Swedish teachers and students followed an educational program organized and coordinated by Ralleio Lykeio, which included educational visits, field work, completing especially designed worksheets, interviews, lectures etc., in the framework of special projects that the Swedish students have to work on as part of their graduation year. The project subjects that the particular group of students dealt with included, among others, recycling in Greece and Sweden, the widespread use of microplastics, tourism management, water consumption in car washes in Greece and Sweden and the Greek financial crisis.

The activities which took place during the visit were as follows:

Friday 21-10-16: The Swedish group visited the Department of Biology of the University of Athens, with C class Ralleio students and teachers Mr G. Katopodis, Mr P. Markopoulos, Ms M. Kokkaliari and Ms K. Christodoulou, where they were briefed on the research activity of the Department, took part in experiments and visited the Zoological Museum of the Department. In the evening they attended a concert at Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

Saturday 21-10-16: The Swedish group visited Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum.

Sunday 22-10-16: The Swedish group visited the ancient mining site in Thoriko, Lavrion, where they performed field work on the subject of metal enrichment during Antiquity under the guidance of Mr V. Psallidas. The group also visited the Temple of Poseidon in Sounio.

Monday 23-10-16: The Swedish group, accompanied by the Director of Ralleio Dr D. Kalaitzidis, visited the Corinth Canal and the volcano in Sousaki where they engaged in field work.

Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25-10-16: The group, accompanied by the Director of Ralleio Dr D. Kalaitzidis, visited The Centre for Environmental Education in Amfissa, Central Greece, where they had the opportunity to engage in the following activities:

Visit to the Archaeological Museum of Delphi where they were guided by Mr. T. Panagou, member of the Amfissa Centre for Environmental Education.

Lecture on the Olive Tree by Mr M. Theoharopoulos, in charge of the Amfissa Centre for Environmental Education.

Experimental production of soap under the guidance of Mr G. Kottis, Agricultural Scientist.

Degustation of various types of olive oil and other kinds of oil at the Centre.

Collecting olives at Amfissa olive grove with the help of a local olive oil producer. The collected olives will be fermented in laboratory in Sweden.

Visit to an oil press facility to monitor the cold process of oil making and to an oil processing and packaging facility where they monitored all the stages of the procedure, from handling the olives to packaging the produce for export.

Thursday 27-10-16: Our Swedish friends visited Ralleio Lykeio where they attended with us the ceremony for the national anniversary of the 28th of October 1940 and had the chance to communicate in person with our teachers and students. They then visited the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry where they attended lectures on the Greek financial crisis by the Chairman of the Chamber Mr Manesiotis and Mr N. Karavitis, Professor at Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Athens. During the farewell dinner in the evening Swedish students and teachers ate and sang traditional songs of both countries together with Greek teachers.

Our Swedish friends left the country early in the afternoon of Friday 28 October 2016.

We shall meet again soon!