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Global Educational and Maritime Leaders Sign Significant "Blue Frontiers" Agreement at ACS Athens to Champion Ocean Stewardship (0)

ACS Athens proudly hosted the signing ceremony for the Blue Frontiers Program, an inspiring international partnership between Roger Williams University, the International Propeller Club Port of Piraeus, the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, and ACS Athens. This collaborative initiative establishes a strategic alliance dedicated to advancing maritime education and ocean stewardship for the next generation of leaders.

The program, centered on a commitment known as "Our Pledge," offers students a real-world summer exploration of the Earth’s oceans and the burgeoning global Blue economy. By combining academic rigor with scientific research and industry networking, the partners aim to inspire youth to protect and sustainably manage marine environments.

The event featured impactful remarks by ACS Athens President Dr. Peggy Pelonis and Mr. Costis Frangoulis, President of the International Propeller Club, Port of Piraeus, whose vision and leadership continue to champion environmental stewardship and youth opportunity. The ceremony also welcomed Dr. Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou, Greek Prime Minister’s Envoy for the Ocean and Chair of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Environmental Protection, who underscored the national and global importance of such initiatives.

A significant highlight of the partnership is the generous scholarship support provided by Mr. Frangoulis and the Propeller Club, which helps make this transformative experience accessible to students. Additional insights were shared during the ceremony by Ms. Carla Tanas, Dean of the Institute, and Ms. Beatriz Tintoré of the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, who both emphasized the vital intersection of research, sustainability, and experiential learning.

Through the Blue Frontiers summer program, students are challenged to embrace Conscious Global Citizenship—applying their skills, compassion, and learning to protect the oceans and improve life and living for future generations.

The official agreement was signed on May 13, 2026, at ACS Athens, marking a new chapter in international educational collaboration for the benefit of the global maritime community.

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Students and teachers commemorated the victims of 9/11/2001

Students, teachers and principals of day and evening schools in the New York metropolitan area, as well as the Hellenic Classical Charter Schools of Brooklyn and Staten Island and the Odyssey Charter School of Wilmington Delaware on a sunny Thursday morning , October 3, 2024 gathered at the historic St. Nicholas Church in New York's World Trade Center to pay tribute to the heroes and victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack.

The events of honor and memory were organized by the Department of Education of the Holy Archdiocese of America and the Federation of Hellenic Educators of America and were highly instructive, because the majority of those present did not have personal experiences of the tragedy experienced by New York and, by extension, America. day of September 11, 2001.

On the left side of the soleus were placed distorted sacred objects recovered from the ruins of the historic church of Agios Nikolaos, which piqued the students' interest.
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The Deputy Director of Education of the Holy Archdiocese, Fr. Grigorios Stamkopoulos, the priestly head of the church, Fr. Andreas Vythoulkas and the priestly head of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Fr. Chrysostomos Gilbert held a trisagion for the fallen.

The coordination of the event was undertaken by the president of the American Federation of Greek Educators, Ms. Stella Kokoli, who referred to the heroes and victims of the terrorist attack, making special mention of the more than fifty diaspora members who breathed their last in the wreckage of what was once Gemini Tower.

Greetings were addressed by the new Consul of Greece in New York, Petros Dorizas, the deputy education coordinator at the Consulate General of Greece, Dr. Dimitra Patronidou and the director of the Department of Education of the Holy Archdiocese, Dr. Anastasios Koularmanis.

Dr. Ingrid Martin-Lewis, Advisor to the Mayor of New York, who was the keynote speaker, conveyed the heartfelt greetings of Mr. Eric Adams and focused her attention on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers that plunged New York into grief and by extension, America and literally changed the world radically.

The speaker also referred to her recent visit to Greece and the unique experiences she experienced.

Immediately after, the students and teachers went to the site of the sacrifice of our three thousand fellow citizens and laid wreaths in the specially designed area next to the monuments that were created at the foundations of the Twin Towers.