Programme : Comenius 1

Linopetra Gymnasium

Kolonakiou 1

CY- 4103  Limassol                                                      

CYPRUS

Tel. +357-5-306019                                                                                                                   Fax +357-5-306024

e-mail: gymnasio.linopetras@cytanet.com.cy

Subject: Activities of Linopetra Gymnasium in the frame of Comenius 1 program.

The official title our team is dealing with, is called “Electricity Unifies: Energy supply in a United Europe”.

Actually our subject is ‘Energy / Energy and Environment / The Energy needed at home and school and how we can save Energy / Energy in a United Europe and mainly changing direction in using renewable sources of Energy.Our co-operators are the following schools:

I.G.S. Muhlenberg, Hannover (Germany),

Antrim Grammar School (Nothern Ireland) and

Volos 4^th  Lyceum (Greece).

Information about Linopetra Gymnasium

We leave in Limassol in the south of the island of Venus called Cyprus, that is the eastern big island in Mediterranean Sea. Our school is a general secondary and it’s located in the east part of the city of Limassol not too far from the seaside. Our pupils have the ages of 12 to 14 years old and they come from the area nearby the school, but a large number of them come from the villages east of Limassol.

A team with about 30 pupils are involved in the project. Every year the teachers are involved, have to renew the pupils’ team because the half number of them, have to leave the school to go to Lyceum (secondary school for the ages 15 to 18)

Choosing topic, searching for partners, preparatory visit

We had the first information about Comenius 1 from the headmaster in February 1998.

In two days time two teachers of Science from our school decided to find partners for a project in the topic of Energy.

Why energy? Energy is a main ‘axis’ of the national and global economy. That means it’s an ‘alive’ topic of Science. Working on such a project our school could ‘open’ to the community, co-operate with the local authorities, local companies and organizations.

By this way we wanted to introduce our school to a modern education tendency that wants the school to be in a live relation with the surrounding community. A second reason is that Cyprus imports all the energy sources (oil, gas and coal, except the sun!!!) but also is a consumer that consumes too much energy, compared to it’s area.

Cyprus is a sunny island, with about three hundred days of the year, clear days. Nearly all the homes use the solar energy for heating the water for domestic needs and that’s the six  per cent of our national energy needs. Cyprus can and must save energy and also must turn to the use of the solar energy as much as possible. We wanted our school to put a small brick to change the way of thinking about energy the environment and healthy life. Thinking not only for the present but also for the future generations.

Why Comenius? Cyprus is in the first group of the countries that will be soon the new members of Europe. We are among the people who really believe in the United Europe and every value that carries (Democracy, Peace, Human rights…). We found from the first information that Comenius is a path that leads to understanding and friendship among the participants on a first level and generally later.

We were also sure that in Europe we could find colleagues having the experience in the topic of Energy. It is well known that Europe ‘plays’ the leading part on the subjects of Environment.

Through the internet, we had managed to find our partners and finally we met them face to face in the preparatory visit in Cyprus in May 1999. Actually until the preparatory visit the title was ready but we had to discuss how to approach our theme. The conditions in every country are different. For example our partners in north (Germany and N. Ireland) use too much energy to heat their schools and houses but in the Mediterranean Sea we need the energy to cool our buildings. The decision was that, every country could approach the theme according to the local conditions.        

Activities of our Comenius team of our school during 1999 - 2000

At the beginning or the year the participating pupils met each other through internet.

Visits: To the Power Station of Moni and the Applied Energy Center that belongs to the Ministry of Commerce Industry and Tourism.

Main activity: Day Seminar with the theme: “The House, of the aspect of Energy, Aesthetic  according to the Environment”.

Socrates / Comenius 1 team was responsible to search and write down the main features of our students’ houses according to a questionnaire.

The answers were checked statistically and presented during the seminar.

The seminar took place in the Town Hall manifestation room on the 7^th April 2000.

We asked the introducers to deal with the following subjects:

Energy: The use of Energy at home, kinds of Energy used and heat isolation components.

Aesthetic: House as a unit and as a part of the neighbourhood. Studies to construct relatively same houses in a certain area. (With common plans and same way of construction, “Urban planning’ and its role.

Environment: Protection of woods and agricultural areas. Built up areas in sterile regions. Connection between the building and the Environment. Before we build something we must consider which building material could be recycled or at least would not pollute the Environment, when the building completes the period of its existence and must be demolished.

The following five people were the introducers of the meeting.

Christakis Sergides, General manager of the Urban Planning Office in Limassol: The title of his speech ‘The Law about aesthetic and the environment in the build up areas.’

Sofocles Sofocleous, Representative of Electricity Authority of Cyprus (E.A.C.): He informed us about the activities of E.A.C. to manage to save energy.

George Roditis, Member of the Applied Energy Center: He talked and explained how  we can use solar energy without destroying our environment.

Petros Lapithis, Architect specialized in Environment searching: The title of his speech ‘The Solar Energy, the Environment and the Man’

Anthonia Theodosiou ‘Architect-Environmentalist’. She supported her views about ecological approaching of Architect and Construction.

Our official guests were: The Mayor and members of the Town Halls of the greater district of Limassol, Mr Demetres Syllouris, member of the Cyprus Parliament and president of the committee of Commerce Industry and Tourism in the Cyprus Parliament as well as representatives of political parties of Cyprus.

In May, because of the visit of our colleagues from Germany, we got the chance, in co-operation with the committee of the Greek-Cypriots Teachers of Cyprus, to arrange a meeting in the cultural Centre of Popular Bank in Limassol where all the teachers were invited. Dr Hans Jurgen Mueller Deputy Headmaster in IGS spoke and explained how the educational system in Germany works.

Activities of our Comenius team for the academic year 2000 – 2001:

On September 2000, a team of twelve pupils accompanied by two teachers visited Hannover and the international Exhibition EXPO2000. The Exhibition had the following Official Title: “Man - Technology - Environment”. According to our search we found the hall which presented Energy and it’ historical background very interesting. Very interesting were also the plans and the ideas about future usage of energy.

Another significant visit was to the ISFH Institute. It’s a complicated lab dealing, informing and presenting the usage of solar energy.

In order to inform the students of the third class, our team arranged a manifestation and explained everything in detail about their visit to Germany. A discussion followed after the whole event. The manifestation was arranged, targeting ‘the development of communication and discussion’. That was the target of this academic year.

Main activity: It was the construction of small model cars that used solar power. The cars would participate in a speed race competition among the involved schools.

The design and the construction of the model cars were include in the lessons of ‘Design and Technology’, under the supervision of the teachers who teach this lesson. The competition among students was great.

Our cooperators from Greece, Germany and North Ireland visited our beautiful island the first week of May.

During this visit a race for the constructed, by the students, solar cars took place. The race was financially supported by the Hall of Agios Athanasios and it was promoted by the Mass Media, radio and TV.

The committee of the representatives of school parents supported all the activities of hospitality during that week.

On the second of May, in the evening we organized a meeting and we presented events of our Tradition. The whole manifestation took place on the Honour of our Guests. At that night we presented a Traditional wedding reception and our guests participated as well. Our school choir, sang traditional Cyprus songs. Students danced folk dances and also played different games of the second day of Easter.

The planned Activities of our Comenius team for the academic year 2001 – 2002:

We have already started the creation of a district educational center of energy in Linopetra Gymnasium according to the one that has already existed in IGS Muhlenberg School in Hannover. The creation of the center will be based on various sponsors. The Co-op Saving Bank of Limassol have already sponsored 17 m² of solar cells plant installed on the roof of the centre to supply it with 1KW electric power.     

We also plan to construct a web site that it will contain the activities and conclusions of the co-operation among the four schools, which worked for the project.