On Friday, January 30, 2026, on the Day of the Three Hierarchs, the traditional "Honoring the Teacher" event was held at the Theater of the Latseio Building in Kantza. Guests were welcomed by the Director of Psychico College Elementary School, Ms. Dimitra Panagouli.

Athens College President, Professor Spiros N. Pollalis, delivered a welcoming address and introduced the event's keynote speaker, Mr. George Prokopiou x65, founder of Dynacom Tankers Management Ltd, Dynagas Ltd, and Sea Traders S.A., and a member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic-American Educational Foundation. The topic of Mr. Prokopiou's speech was "Introducing Shipping to Schools."

Mr. Prokopiou spoke about his personal experiences, noting that his daily contact with the sea as a young child played a decisive role in shaping his character, and expressed his wish for young children to have similar experiences. Providing a brief historical overview of shipping as the axis around which great civilizations developed, he emphasized that Greece is a major maritime nation at the center of global developments, with the world's largest merchant fleet.

As he noted, education in this sector must be strengthened, and students should be introduced to shipping from Kindergarten onwards. "We must open this heavy door so that students can see the endless opportunities and infinite professional fields that can develop around the sea," he remarked.

Students from Psychico College Elementary School, Grade 3, then hosted a presentation for the "Adopt a Ship" educational program, through which they exchange letters with ship captains around the world.

This was followed by the presentation of Academic Chairs and Pedagogical Training Certificates to teachers, as well as commemorative gifts to HAEF retirees. The awards were presented by the President, the Co-Director of Athens College, Mr. Christos Konstantopoulos, the Co-Director of Psychico College, Mr. Panagiotis Giannoulatos, and the Director of the "J.M. Carras" Kindergarten, Ms. Tatiana Gouskou.

Reviving the institution of academic chairs, established in 1991, a total of fourteen chairs were awarded this year, as proposed by the Administrations of Athens College, Psychico College, and "J.M. Carras" Kindergarten, in recognition of teachers' contributions to student education and learning. The chairs are named in honor of former teachers who have left a lasting mark on the College.

Pedagogical Training Certificates were awarded to HAEF teachers who completed the two-year course cycle during the previous academic year. The Pedagogical Training Program is implemented as part of the College's Teachers Training Program in collaboration with the University of the Peloponnese.

Commemorative gifts were also presented to HAEF employees who retired in 2025. A brief speech was delivered by Ms. Polyanthi Tsigkou, who retired after 43 years of service at the College, where she worked as a philologist at the Athens College High School, served as a member of its Administration, Co-Director of Athens College, and Advisor to the President.

The event concluded with a performance titled "Growing Up" by the Music Theater Group of the Psychico College Elementary School.