{"id":18152,"date":"2021-06-28T07:09:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-28T04:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mandoulides2.edu.gr\/graduation-ceremony-for-the-graduates-of-2020\/"},"modified":"2021-06-28T07:09:00","modified_gmt":"2021-06-28T04:09:00","slug":"graduation-ceremony-for-the-graduates-of-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mandoulides.edu.gr\/en\/graduation-ceremony-for-the-graduates-of-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Graduation ceremony for the graduates of 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

Emotional return to the school for their graduation, one year later\u2026<\/p>\n

A different graduation ceremony for the graduates of 2020, it was held a year later due to coronavirus<\/p>\n

With an emotional, special and exquisite celebration, 12th<\/sup> grade students of the school year 2020 of Mandoulides Schools,<\/a> being university students now, bid farewell to their school life a year after the scheduled but cancelled due to coronavirus graduation ceremony.<\/p>\n

It was a celebration full of memories, wishes, music, a screening of \u201cmoments\u201d of school life and moving speeches. The event took place on the Junior \u2013 Senior High School premises, on Monday, 28 June 2021.<\/p>\n

The keynote speaker of the event was Mr. Adam Papadamakis, Professor of Criminal Law in the Law School<\/a> of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.<\/p>\n

In the beginning of his speech, Mr. Papadamakis referred to the founder of the Schools, Evangelos Mandoulidis, who was one of Mr. Papadamakis\u2019 instructors at a private coaching school of Thessaloniki.<\/p>\n

Later on, he addressed the graduates of 2020 and university students for the past year and, as a professor during these challenging times, he conveyed a message of hope and self-esteem to them: \u201cYou have graduated from this school, but this journey wasn\u2019t concluded with the usual festive farewell. You managed to get admitted into the school of your preference, but you didn\u2019t actually enter the lively buildings of your Schools, you didn\u2019t come in real contact with your fellow students, you didn\u2019t experience the atmosphere in the university amphitheaters during lesson deliveries. You transitioned from the distance education of the school to that of university. Nevertheless, your generation has gained a lot. <\/em><\/p>\n

Truth be told, your generation is now prepared and experienced in dealing with challenges. You now possess the ability to effectively handle a transition from the security of the predictable to the insecurity of the unpredictable, with which the pandemic has made us familiarize ourselves. Such a perspective and mindset don\u2019t signify historically illiterate innocence, but portray social maturity, personal conscience and education being cultivated.<\/em><\/p>\n

Under these conditions, today\u2019s graduation ceremony contains a powerful symbolism: it represents a restart and optimism, which connect the puzzling and sad 2020 with the hopeful and \u00a0reflective 2021, while it signals the Schools\u2019 genuine blessing in relation to your academic life, social development and recognition, and actually life itself<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

A farewell speech to the graduates was delivered by the President of Mandoulides Schools, Mrs. \u00a0Aikaterini Mandoulidou, who stressed: \u201cProceed in life with values and optimism, following the example of life set by the founder of the Schools, outstanding teacher and dreamer, Evangelos Mandoulidis, who supported that \u00a0\u201c Life itself requires virtue and courage! Bliss requires virtue and courage! Success requires virtue and courage! Meritocracy requires virtue and courage!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Mr. Evangelos Mandoulidis was a fighter in life since the day he was born, in times much harder than the current. Let his life course set an enlightening paradigm for you (outstanding, proud graduates of the Schools of Evangelos Mandoulidis) and, as you proceed in the stages of your life, let it contribute to your efforts to surpass difficulties and strive for a better future for you and your country, while possessing principles, values and high ideals.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Addressing the graduates\u2019 parents, she thanked them for the trust they have been exhibiting during all these years and she highlighted: \u201cIn this critical period, when the economic crisis has severely afflicted our country, you selected Mandoulides Schools for your children\u2019s education. You have chosen to invest, employing all possible economic resources available to you, to your children\u2019s education, the most certain and secure investment.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

General Director and Senior High School Principal of the Schools, Dr.Aspa Chasioti, who attended to the organization of the event, welcomed the attendants and highlighted: \u201cWe welcome you to this distinct celebration and we thank you for your presence. We are here to bid goodbye to the 12th<\/sup> grade students of 2020, one year after the scheduled date of their graduation ceremony, due to the extraordinary conditions imposed on a global scale by the pandemic. We are significantly satisfied that our promise made a year ago is now being realised and we are able to bid goodbye to our students today, wishing that the years to come will be proven favourable to them and full of good luck and pleasant adventures<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addressing the graduates, she provided them with 12 pieces of advice, as many as the months of the year which had passed by: \u201cGet accustomed to dream and take risks.<\/em> Pursue and honor your dream as if your life is dependent upon it. \u2013 Do what you love or love what you do. – Love. Love deeply. Don\u2019t be frugal with love. \u2013 Technology is positive, it has been life-saving this year, but nothing compares to human contact. \u2013 Go the extra mile. Make the most of yourselves. Say \u201cthank you,\u201d \u201cyou are welcome,\u201d as well as \u201csorry.\u201d Provide positive reinforcement. Be generous with it. It will come back to you. \u2013<\/em><\/p>\n

Always be honest, in order to be able to sleep peacefully at night \u2013 Maintain a positive stance towards life, so that life will be positive for you, too. \u2013 Live for today and work for tomorrow. \u2013 Equip yourselves with a lot of tools, for the future will inflict challenges upon you. \u2013 Paradise isn\u2019t a chimera! It\u2019s a human right! \u2013 All that you are searching for is inside you. – Finally, you ought to grant yourselves a pleasant Greek summer, abundant in light and sea,\u201d she urged the 2020 graduates. <\/em><\/p>\n

At the ceremony honorary awards were given to graduates who were admitted into top American and European universities, gained distinctions in international and national competitions in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology or exhibited remarkable performance in computer science, Forensics, international conferences, Greek language, music, theater, dance, drawing and, of course, sports.<\/p>\n

The \u201cEvangelos Mandoulidis\u201d award was presented to graduate Nefeli Konstantinidou, Biology Olympiad winner and undergraduate student in the School of Medicine of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, while the farewell speech on behalf of this year\u2019s graduates was delivered by graduates Zoe Kamopoulou, undergraduate student in the Law School of the Sorbonne University in France and Stergios Mastoris, undergraduate student in the School of Economics of the Boconni University in Italy. The graduates were welcomed to the Alumni Association of Mandoulides Schools by the alumna Christina – Dionysia Sarantidou, Lawyer.<\/p>\n

The graduation ceremony, at which all the necessary protective measures against coronavirus were taken, was attended by parents, graduates\u2019 relatives and members of the teaching personnel.<\/p>\n

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