NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

North Carolina Teacher, School Receives International Award

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- International Teacher Exchange Services (ITES), a Charlotte based international teacher placement company and designated sponsor of the U.S. Department of State Exchange Visitor Program, has awarded Ms. Zoi Karavokyri, an exchange teacher from Greece working at Socrates Academy in Charlotte, NC its 2009 International Education Week Spirit Award.

International Education Week (IEW) is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of State designed to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and to attract participants from abroad to learn and share experiences in the United States. In support of IEW 2009 (Nov. 16-20), ITES held its annual Spirit Award contest, challenging its teachers and school partners to use creative methods and techniques to engage their students and celebrate international education.

Ms. Karavokyri incorporated a variety of Greek themes into her second grade classroom and engaged her students in ancient Greek mythology and Aesop's Fables by challenging them to read and write their favorite fables in Greek and in English. The students also created comic strips and posters of the stories, culminating with a performance of "The Hare and the Tortoise" for their fellow Socrates Academy students. In addition, Ms. Karavokyri gave a presentation at the Community School of Davidson, NC, where she visited and answered questions about daily life in Greece. Ms. Karavokyri and Socrates Academy will each receive a cash prize of $250.

"Ms. Karavokyri is well deserving of this award," says Janis Dellinger-Holton, Principal at Socrates Academy. "She is an experienced elementary teacher who contributes much to our Greek Language Program and to the Academy's Professional Learning Community every day."

Mr. Larry Peroulas, President of the Socrates Academy Board of Directors adds, "We are very fortunate to enjoy this special relationship with the Greek Education Ministry and ITES. We appreciate the teachers from Greece who inspire excellence in our classrooms and help prepare our students to enter the global society."

"The level of participation from ITES teachers in this contest was outstanding this year," said Rory McNicholas, President of ITES. "Ms. Karavokyri impressed us with her enthusiastic response to the contest. The staff at Socrates Academy promotes the spirit of international education throughout the entire student body on a daily basis. We are delighted to present them with our IEW Spirit Award 2009."

About Socrates Academy

Socrates Academy is recognized as a North Carolina Honor School of Excellence with a focus on global education. The curriculum follows both the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and the National Greek Curriculum Standards. It is an innovative research-based curriculum, with expertise in various aspects of education, English and other languages, mathematics, and technology, with part of each school day taught in Greek. Instruction relies on the Socratic Method to foster critical analytic thinking which is characterized by high academic quality and a special emphasis in mathematics, reading, writing, and character development.

About ITES

International Teacher Exchange Services (ITES) provides opportunities for schools and students in the U.S. to experience firsthand the benefits of having highly qualified international educators teaching in the classroom. ITES teachers bring unique international teaching methods and perspectives from all over the world to help U.S. students prepare for the global marketplace. ITES is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. and has offices in Venezuela and the United Kingdom. For more information visit www.itesonline.com

CONTACT: Rory McNicholas, +1-704-258-3530, rmcnicholas@itesonline.com

SOURCE International Teacher Exchange Services