With the awarding of participation certificates to its students on Tuesday, May 21, the school unit of the Hellenic Community of Melbourne (HMC) in Bentleigh completed its participation in the Olympic Education Program entitled "4th Olympic Week, on the road to Paris 2024".
This is the most important Olympic Education program, implemented by the Hellenic Olympic Committee and the National Olympic Academy, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, for the fourth consecutive year, between April 22 and 26. Schools and teachers from both Greece and Cyprus and the wider diaspora participated in it.
The aim of the program and the actions developed on the occasion of the Olympic Week is to promote Olympism and the Olympic ideals. This year the Olympic Week was dedicated to the Olympic and Paralympic Games that Paris will host in a few months.
A highlight for the students was the online meeting they had, as part of the program, with the gold medalist in instrumental gymnastics, Lefteris Petrounias, and the champion of instrumental gymnastics, Vassiliki Millousis. During this meeting, in which schools from Greece, Cyprus and the diaspora participated, the two athletes shared with the children their sports experiences, answered their questions, talked about the Olympic ideals and their next goals.
"It was an experience of a lifetime, I would say, for our students to meet athletes of such a level and ethos. I am sure that it will be a source of inspiration for many children in terms of their personal goals and the values they will follow in their lives", says the teacher of the ECM schools, Mr. Syrmo Kapoutsis, who participated in the program with her students. "This year is an Olympic year and on this occasion we implement a series of related activities in our schools throughout the year. It is important for us that our students get to know the history of the Olympic Games, the ideals and values they convey."
