The Greek Community of Melbourne schools played host to students and staff from Unley College in Adelaide for the second consecutive year, engaging in a meaningful and memorable intercultural exchange.
The City Campus of the GCM Schools welcomed the 13 visiting students from Year 9 to 11 and their two accompanying teachers on Saturday 28 June.
They stopped by the Greek Centre, which hosts Greek language classes for over 200 students every Saturday morning, where they were greeted by GCM Schools Principal Maria Bakalidou, who offered them a guided tour of the facilities.
The visit continued with a special joint lesson where the Unley College students connected with their Year 9 and 10 peers from the GCM Schools through interactive activities designed to foster communication, collaboration, and cultural exchange, as prepared by GCM teacher Vicky Lampropoulou.
Through icebreakers and team games, students got to know each other, shared their experiences learning Greek, danced to traditional music, and exchanged contact details to stay in touch.
The visit marks the second consecutive year that Unley College and the GCM Schools have collaborated on such an initiative, made possible by the strong professional relationship between Unley College’s Greek language teacher, Lazaros Gialamas, and Bakalidou.
Their shared vision is to build lasting connections among Greek language learners across Australia.
“These encounters help our students realise they are part of a broader community of learners,” said Bakalidou.
“They see that others, even in different states, are on the same journey and facing the same challenges and joys in learning Greek. It strengthens their motivation and sense of identity.”
The visit special was made possible thanks to funding from the Hellenic Studies Foundation, along with the valued sponsorship of the schools’ Greek Parents’ Committee.
