Moraitis School

The Moraitis School
Σχολή Μωραΐτη

Type	Privately owned, Anonymous Society
Industry	Education: Primary Education, Secondary Education
Founded	1936 by Charles Beregean as Πρότυπον Λύκειον Αθηνών (adopted current name in 1976)
Headquarters	Athens, Greece
Website	http://www.moraitis-school.com/

The Moraitis School ( Greek: Σχολή Μωραΐτη, Scholi Moraiti) is a co-educational private school in Athens, Greece. It is located in Psychico, a suburb north of the Greek capital. In student population terms, the Moraitis school is one of the largest private schools in Athens. It holds a reputation of demanding academic teaching aiming at university entry for all students, with a pronounced interest in art and sport. It is considered one of the top and most exclusive schools in the country.

History

The school was founded in 1936 by Charles Beregean, a mathematician, under the name Standard Lykeion of Athens ( Greek: Πρότυπον Λύκειον Αθηνών, Protipon Likion Athinón). It moved to its current location in 1952, when ownership was transferred to Antonis Moraitis – whose name the school has adopted since 1976. After Antonis Moraitis' death in 1981, property and administration of the school was transferred to his daughters, Chrysanthi Moraiti-Kartali (middle and high school) and Katerina Moraiti (primary school, until her death in 1996). The school proclaims 12 fundamental principles (Dodecalogue, Greek: Δωδεκάλογος, Dodekálogos), ranging from religious tolerance to the equivalent of Becket's "fail again; fail better" premise, as a guide for all its members ^[1].

Academics

Almost all of the school's students are enrolled to Universities both in Greece and abroad upon graduation. For their final two years students at Moraitis can follow either the Greek educational system curriculum or the International Baccalaureate programme.

About 16% of Moraitis students achieve a grade of more than 19/20 in the Pan-Hellenic Examinations, with about 50% achieving over 17/20. In 2010, the average grade of Moraitis School IB students was 35/45 (compared to a global average of 27), with two students achieving a grade of 45/45. The average grade for each subject the school offers was higher than the global average.

Students from the Moraitis School IB are consistently accepted at top ranking institutions all around the world including Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College in the UK; Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Berkeley in the USA; Sciences Po, Sorbonne and École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in France.^[2]

The school has a very good track record in teaching foreign languages, with 74% of examined students earning the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (compared to a national average of 50%), 88% of examined students earning the Delf B2 exam in French, 88% earning the Zertifikat B2 exam and 100% the Zertifikat C1 in German.

For mathematics, physics and chemistry students are split into groups according to their ability in these fields during Gymnasium. This approach allows teachers to tailor their lessons accordingly. Moraitis School students have performed exceptionally well in mathematics and physics competitions, with seven students earning an award for the panHellenic mathematics competition in 2010 (http://www.moraitis-school.com/school/).

The school is also known for the large number of its high school teachers who hold PhD and post-Doc degrees.

Student Activities

Sports have always been encouraged and are a very important part of the Moraitis school life experience. Its various sport teams (football, basketball, volleyball, track and field) have consistently excelled in competitions both within Greece and in Europe.

In addition to sports teams the Moraitis school also has a notable forensics (debating) team that has achieved distinctions in national and international tournaments/competitions. Notably, in 2011, three out of the eight students selected from all of Greece during the 23rd National Selection Conference of the European Youth Parliament in Athensto represent Greece in three international conferences of the European Youth Parliament were High school students of the Moraitis School.

The Moraitis school also operates a variety of students clubs in the Middle School and High School, all open to both male and female students. These include the the UNESCO Club, the Theatre Club, the Comedy Club, the Film Club, the Modern Dance Club, the Science Fiction Club, the Applications of Science Club, the Digital Laboratory Club, the Yoga Club, the Modern Art and Architecture Club, the Music Club, the Musical Band Club, the Photography Club, the Chess Club, the Entrepreneurship Club, the Journalism Club, the Environmental Club, the Painting Club, the Photography Club, the Volleyball Club, the Basketball Club, the Soccer Club, the Aerobics Club, the Tennis Club, and the Track and Field Club. The yearbook, "Efivos" (Έφηβος) is produced by students as well.

The Moraitis School is also known for its annual school fair ("Panigiri").^[3] Organised exclusively by its high-school students once a year, the Panigiri hosts a variety of activities and events in order to raise money for charity. Traditionally, the very successful Moraitis School Panigiri is held on the weekend before the Easter break.

Since 2011 the alumni association of the Moraitis school, S.A.S.M., also started hosting an annual, two day alumni fair for charity.

Tuition and size

The tuition at the Moraitis school is very steep even by international standards, but the school funds a scholarship program that every year gives the opportunity to very good students from all socioeconomic backgrounds the opportunity to study there.

It is one of the largest educational institutions in the country with more than 2,600 students and 240 teachers in primary school, middle school and high school.

In the News

On December 6, 2008 a former Moraitis school student was shot and killed by a policeman in downtown Athens thus triggering the 2008 Greek riots.

In Popular culture

Konstantinos Markoras, the main character in the popular TV Show "Dyo Xenoi", was supposed to have attended Moraitis as was also the character played by Christoforos Papakaliatis (an alumnus himself) in the show "Ten Little Mitsi".

Notable alumni

The Moraitis school has a long list of distinguished former pupils. Indicatively some are mentioned below.

Business:

• Takis Arapoglou, Chairman and Governor of National Bank of Greece
• Stylianos Stylianoudis, Defense Contractor
• Petros Kokkalis, Businessman, Vice-president Olympiacos FC

Academia:

• Demetrios Christodoulou^{[citation needed]}: Mathematical Physicist

Arts:

• Apostolos Doxiadis, Novelist, Mathematician, playwright.
• Giorgos Lanthimos, Actor, director, producer, Academy award nominee
• Evgenia Manolidou, Orchestra conductor and television presenter
• Christoforos Papakaliatis, Actor
• Haris Romas, Actor, Director
• Pemy Zouni, Actress
• Natalia Dragoumi, Actress
• Tasos Lignadis, Actor, Director

Sports:

• Sofoklis Pilavios, President of the Hellenic Football Federation
• Kostas Piladakis, President of Superleague, Owner/President of Larissa FC
• Antigoni Roubessi, Olympian, water-polo.

Politics:

• Giorgos Markopouliotis, Head of the EU Commission Representation of Greece
• Nikolaos Donelis, Former Director of Friends of the Earth and environmental activist for the protection of the Amazon river in Brazil

References

1. ^ "Ο Δωδεκάλογός μας". http://www.moraitis-school.com/school/index.php?Itemid=65&id=15&option=com_content&task=blogcategory. Retrieved 31 August 2011. 
2. ^ Αποτελέσματα - Moraitis School - Athens
3. ^ ΤΟ ΠΑΝΗΓΥΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΣΧΟΛΗΣ ΜΩΡΑΪΤΗ - Αρχική Σελίδα

External links

Official website: http://www.moraitis-school.com/school/