The tiny Greek island of Mykonos is known as a hedonistic holiday destination but there is a side that is not normally seen by visitors; that of the permanent local community & the challenges they face behind the glamourous image.
One of those challenges is schooling, to enable the local children to remain on the island with their parents at least until the final years of high school.
Mykonian natives proudly contribute in any way they can, and the family owned Myconian Collection Hotels has stepped forward to help by donating the complete construction of a fully functional, eco-friendly and tech-forward secondary school in the island’s Ano Mera village.
The new high school serves students between the ages 12 and 15 – the first leg of secondary education in Greece – from its location in Ano Mera, the second biggest settlement on Mykonos Island. This project set the goal of providing a fully functional, disability-friendly building consisting of 13 spacious and bright classrooms making use of cutting-edge smart tech, each of which can accommodate up to 20 students.
In total, the new facilities already serve 200 students and dozens of teachers. Eco-friendly and designed with the particular demands of the community of Mykonos firmly in mind, the new school is fully in line with sustainability considerations and innovative energy-saving technologies, as well as fully integrated with the traditional architecture of Mykonos. It adopts several technological breakthroughs and features tech and information science workshops, natural sciences laboratories, basketball courts, as well as a large, multipurpose space for assembly and events, among others. Moreover, the facilities include accommodation for teaching staff, with 18 homes built to this end alongside the school. This practical feature solves another challenge of the tiny island, the lack of affordable accommodation for locals.
