Our school = A jewel in our village = where our children spend half their lives = where our future is created . . .

Other than the Church, our school is, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful area in Elia. It's built high up in the village, with beautiful sunny rooms, a big courtyard surrounded by eucalyptuses and cypresses, and with amazing teachers that, from their heart, implant knowledge, morals and sentiment into the 67 students of the Grammar and Kindergarten school. Recently, I heard that it is the school with the "fewest" problems than any other school in the Gouves Municipality.

And here is why.  I must underline that the contribution of the parents in the resolving of these “few” problems is decisive. The paving of the courtyard many years ago, is the work of the parents, I'm told, as is the installation of the heating system, which was a donation by the Parents Association.

Also, from the association's meagre funds a small monthly sum is added to the humiliatingly small wage of the cleaning lady.

Last year, from the money collected from calendar sales, parents painted all the schoolrooms with ecological colours. This year, a lot of parents gathered during certain weekends and cleaned the courtyard of all the rubble and since then the teachers, together with the children, have maintained it absolutely spotless.  

The same parents repaired and painted the old benches, after the promises for replacing them were somehow forgotten.

And ok, up until now all the "small" problems are solved by the "little time" and the "little money" the parents in the village have.  But, what about the lake in front of the school when it rains, which covers half the courtyard outside the Kindergarten?  After all the discussions, requests and promises for so many years now, can someone else besides the parents fix it, please? 

The sewerage pipes that need maintenance, repair, change or whatever, because their waters stagnate where our children play . . . can they only be repaired by indignant parents?

The room that should be added, after the school became a four-position this year, must the parents do that also? In fact, they did offer to do what they can, but we need "specifications."  And, perhaps someone can bring us a truck full of soil to put in the flower beds where the kids can't wait to plant their flowers.

Elia's 'lakefront' school

And, while we're at it, let's talk a little about that notorious road – 800 metres in length – that connects Elia with Vrahokipo.  It should at least be negotiable by parents who don't own 4-wheel drive vehicles. In fact, an 18-year veteran kindergarten teacher who lives exactly exactly 950 metres away from the school, is forced to cover a six kilometre distance, going to Elia from Vrahokipo via Vathia, just to commute to work!  

For this school . . . for the jewel of the village . . . for our only place of education, recreation and gathering of our children, I call to anyone who feels any responsibility to help in resolving our "little problems."

On behalf of the Association of Parents and Guardians of the Grammar School and Kindergarten of Elia, of which I have the honour to be its president, I thank all the parents, the schoolteachers, the fellow villagers and non, the donors and especially the children, for the work, for their time, for their interest about subjects that concern us ALL and because all of us together can still show that . . . there is more strength in numbers.