After analyzing the story A Case of Identity, eight of the students wanted to try writing their own mystery story featuring teenage protagonists. Following a brief introduction to creative writing, they decided on the main character, the supporting characters, the stolen item, and the setting of the story. In the end, two stories were created, both of which are included in the current issue of our magazine. An audio recording featuring both stories was also produced.

My after school English club: 2 short stories

Η υπεύθυνη του ομίλου Αγγλικής Γλώσσας

Ευθυμία Σίτα

ΠΕ06 – MEd in TESOL

A scream suddenly echoed in the hallways of the school that day. A bunch of boys ran to investigate the source of the scream. James, one of the boys, had a really bad feeling about the situation. Once they got closer to the source of the sound, the trophy room, they heard a woman’s voice yelling:

- Where is it? Where in the world is it?

The boys were horrified to find out that the trophy to the debate competition had vanished, seemingly, into thin air. The principal, having learnt about the robbery, announced for all the students to remain in their classes until further instructions were given.

James was ordered by a teacher to gather all the members of the school debate team since they were the ones responsible for safeguarding the trophy. Out of the blue, a thought came to James’ mind «I, for one, will solve this mystery».

James went straight to the principal’s office, knocked on the door and asked for permission to enter. Without second thought, he suggested his plan to the worried principal:

- I would like to ask for permission to investigate the matter, but I have one condition, nobody and I mean nobody shall know. Only you and I.

- Yes James, you have my permission to investigate the matter and don’t worry nobody will know about your investigation.

-Thank you for trust me , mr. Principal, I promise that I won’t let you down.

After James thanked the principal, he immediately left his office and went straight to the trophy room so he could start searching for clues in order to find a place to start his investigation.

In the trophy room, he found a receipt from the school cafeteria that read that somebody had purchased a pizza right before the robbery took place. So, he visited the lunch lady who told him that this was the principal’s receipt.

James decided to play a little trick and reveal to everybody that the principal was the thief. He gathered the whole school outside and started to explain how he found out what had actually happened. When the kids got outside, they were really confused as they didn’t know what was happening. James started telling everyone the truth. Even the teachers were surprised.

The principal felt really embarrassed and, surprisingly, denied nothing. Looking down at his feet, he apologised for everything. He said that he desperately needed some money, so he was planning to sell the trophy.

Finally, he returned the object and everyone forgave him acknowledging he truly regretted it. Moreover, the school council gathered money from every student and teacher in the school to give to the principal.

James was awarded as the school’s fastest and cleverest investigator. Lastly, the debate competition finally took place at the school premises. Even though James didn’t win, he felt proud of himself. Marco, his best friend who won the competition, gave away his prize to his best friend. He deserved it anyway!

Everyone at school finished the school year without any other incidents, accidents or mishappenings…..

Γαρδούνης Ιωάννης-Αλέξανδρος

Κορμά Καλλιόπη

Πέτσα Ελένη

Τσαγκαράκη Αναστασία

          A scream suddenly echoed in the hallways of the school that day. A bunch of boys ran to investigate the source of the scream. James, one of the boys, had a really bad feeling about the situation. Once they got closer to the source of the sound, the trophy room, they heard a woman’s voice yelling:

- Where is it? Where in the world is it?

The boys were horrified to find out that the trophy to the debate competition had vanished, seemingly, into thin air. The principal, having learnt about the robbery, announced for all the students to remain in their classes until further instructions were given.

James was ordered by a teacher to gather all the members of the school debate team since they were the ones responsible for safeguarding the trophy. Out of the blue, a thought came to James’ mind «I, for one, will solve this mystery».

James went straight to the principal’s office, knocked on the door and asked for permission to enter. Without second thought, he suggested his plan to the worried principal:

- I would like to ask for permission to investigate the matter, but I have one condition, nobody and I mean nobody shall know. Only you and I.

The principal agreed with Jame’s conditions and gave his approval to the matter. James thanked the principal and quickly gathered all of his           team members to the trophy room just as the teacher ordered him.

As the teacher sat down, she said: “As you all know somebody stole the trophy so I will now ask you some questions to hopefully uncover the culprit”.

“Does anybody have any idea of what could have possibly happened?”.

Everyone denied being connected with the burglary, but James realised that Mark, the first of the two team leaders, was clearly holding something back based on his expressions. Virginia, the second one of the two captains, raised her hand and asked: “ Was there any evidence left in the crime scene?”. James found her suspicious but everyone else, including the teacher, seemed to have no doubt about her innocence.

All of a sudden, a notification came to the teachers’ phone,

“ It is the principal, he says that he has the CCTV footage of the night of the trophy’s disappearance.”.

Mark started looking around nervously and then excused himself to go to the bathroom. Upon him leaving, the room fell in deep silence.

At that point, everybody turned their suspicions against Mark, but James thought that the culprit would probably be more careful with their behavior.

Breaking the silence, the teacher said: “The principal texted me and informed me that the person in the footage was clearly a female student.”

“That leaves us with only two suspects, Those being Maria and Virginia, in this room.”

“Then, I believe I can speak for everyone when I say that Mark, despite not being the culprit, clearly knows something.”, said Virginia.

After that ordeal, everybody waited impatiently for Mark to return. As Mark was suspiciously absent for way too long, James offered to go out looking for him. As James entered the bathroom, he found Mark crying: “How will I ever confess my love for her now? .How could I betray her and expect her to love me?”

‘’What is going on Mark?’’ said James after walking into the bathroom and hearing Mark sobbing.

‘’If something is bothering you, you can always share it with the rest of us you know!’’, continued James.

‘’No! You would not understand even if I told you!’’ said Mark with a trembling voice.

‘’Even if I don’t understand, I believe I can still help you’’, responded James with a calm voice.

Mark tried to run out of the bathroom but James blocked Mark’s way with his hand.

‘’At least try to help us by doing the right thing’’, said James with a reassuring smile.

The boys went back to the classroom with James taking the lead.

‘’So, Mark! What happened? Is everything alright?’’, asked the teacher.

Mark takes a deep breath and exclaims:  «Virginia….  She is the one    who stole the trophy. I saw her hiding it in her locker!»

Virginia tried to deny the allegations against her but due to the previous situation with Mark leaving the classroom out of the blue, nobody could dismiss Mark’s claims. Virginia said in a frustrated voice: – Fine … I’ll take you to my locker.

After the trophy was found, Virginia explained her reasoning behind it: – After our last practice, I thought that our team had absolutely no chance of winning the upcoming debate competition and I didn’t want to get humiliated in font of  my parents and my friends. It was just a desperate attempt to prevent that. I knew from the very beginning that what I was doing was wrong, but I wanted to avoid getting kicked out of the team.

After Virginia’s confession, everyone was left with a feeling of denial and betrayal. The principal was called and thanked James for his assistance. He gave Virginia a three-day suspension and demanded her getting kicked out of the team.

‘’Stop!’’ screamed everyone.

James started talking: ‘’I believe that I speak for everyone when I say that while Virginia should definitely be punished  for what she did, I think that kicking her out of the team would be a bit too harsh! ‘’

‘’I think we could just demote her from the second captain’s position,’’ suggested Mark.

‘’Then, who will take her place?’’ asked the principal.

‘’James!!’’ shouted everybody.

And thus, James was not only given the honour of becoming the second captain of the debate team but he was also rewarded with a special trophy for helping solve this mystery.

As for the competition, James’ team won and went on to achieve many more victories. At the end of the school year, Mark found the courage to ask Virginia out and she accepted his invitation. Needless to say, everybody got their happy ending.

Ζαχόπουλος Παναγιώτης

Μπασδέκης Ορέστης

Σχίζας Νικόλαος-Δαμιανός

Τασσόπουλος Δημήτρης

Do you ever feel like your study isn’t working for you?

Here are some tips to help you study effectively:

1. Maintain a studying schedule. Prepare your own study plan and do have breaks! Listen to music, have something to eat or just relax. Your brain needs to take a break.

2. Use the pomodoro technique. That means: study for 25min and then rest for 5min. After 4 pomodoros (25min work) you take a long break for half an hour.

3. Maintain a healthy sleep schedule. Don’t overdo it. Rest and relaxation are important. Unfortunately only 8% of students get the recommended amount of sleep.

4. Unplug from social media and avoid your mobile. You’ll make your parents happy and help your brain.

5. Hydrate. Not only our body but also our brain needs water to function well.

6. Eat healthily.

7. Choose a quiet place at home to study on your own or work with a friend if that helps.

8. Use diagrams, graphs, charts or underline important things.

9. Summarise and review your work.

10. Be confident and relaxed. Stress doesn’t help!

Last but not least, remember that learning takes place everywhere, every day. This is how our brain works!

Karalioth Basilikh

Why is that you may ask. Well its as simple as it seems. The joyful eyes of a puppy or the fluffy fur of a cat that’s what brings as joy. Its because it sends signals to our brains our brain produces oxytocin the «feel-good» hormone, while lowering stress hormones like cortisol. Or as you may know it “cuteness overload”. Plus, the routine of feeding, walking, and caring for your pet creates structure in your day, which can reduce feelings of anxiety and help you stay grounded.

Last but not least owning a pet is an all time friend , roommate and phycologist . They will always be there for you and you will always be there for them. The listen to you they keep you company and they just genuinely make your life better !

Arka Artemis Sofia

When it got dark and the sky turned black something magical happened. The Northern lights appeared and made the sky turned bright again. The amazing colors were green, blue and purple. Needless to say I have never seen anything like that before.

Seeing these extraordinary colors in the sky I was thoroughly impressed by nature. I felt beyond amazed and, privileged for getting to experience something as outstanding as that. Recalling my trip there I see that it was a once in a lifetime experience and it made me want to explore the word even more.

Concluding, the Northern lights or the Aurora Borealis are one of the most amazing natural sights in the word. I believe that they saw us how increadible earth is.

Almpanh Elenh

One striking example is the case of the black footed ferret. Although considered to be extinct, scientists have managed to revive it using DNA from dead specimens. Another successful attempt was the work done to save the white rhino. Because only two females have remained-after the death of the last male in a reserve in Kenya- geneticists have preserved cells and are trying to create embryos from them.

Even so, all the above raise ethical issues concerning the control of genetic material and the possible negative effects on the environment. In addition, these methods cost a lot and are very complex, a fact that hinders their worldwide use. It is also vital to deal with the causes of extinction, such as the loss of habitat and illegal hunting in order to protect endangered animals.

In spite of all these matters of interest , genetic technology can surely offer solutions and help protect easily hurt species if used wisely for both animals and the planet.

Evmorfia Karamitrou

There are numerous drawbacks. As one psychologist said: “Over the years, we’ve seen an increase in depression, anxiety and poor body image among teens and it’s clearly linked to the growth of social media”. People in social media present a distorted view of their real life because they want to attract more views. That fact influences people’s life and behavior as they compare their lives to the fake ones that they see and as a result they feel depressed. For example, teens compare themselves with their peers and because of the fact that they are more vulnerable than adults their self confidence is damaged. That phenomenon can cause mental issues to the young teenagers.

On the other hand, social media are also beneficial. It is a common phenomenon that young people receive support from other people in social media. There are not only people that give bad influence to others but there are people who can provide aid if need be. Another positive effect is that social media promote communication. If you need to connect with someone who lives far away, you can at any time.

In conclusion, social media have both negative and positive effects, but I think that there are more disadvantages if you are not careful. Thus, especially young people should avoid spending too much time in social media and try to use them in moderation.

Chryssa Moschou C1

Digital literacy has some basic features. First is getting information right. This refers to searching assessing and evaluating information from various digital sources. In addition media use is the effective use of digital devices applications and software for a variety of purposes such as communication, research and productivity. Furthermore, media relay to analyzing and interpreting media messages such as images, videos and articles to understand their intended meaning and potential biases.

Moreover, communication is understanding how to interact and communicate with others in the digital world through email, social media and other online media. Security is the awareness of potential online threats and knowing how to protect personal information and data online. Also, digital citizenship is adopting responsible and ethical behavior in the digital world, including respect for others, proper online behavior and positive engagement with online communities.

All things considered, digital literacy is really important nowadays due to the fact that many things are associated with this.

Sofia Lada

Chrisa Moshou

Zoe Lolou

But what exactly is digital citizenship and why is everybody interested in this? Well, digital citizenship is the ability citizens of today should have to use technology in a safe and responsible way. It means to be active and respectful in digital environments.

It is true that we all live in a digital world today no matter how old we are. Students, teachers, children, parents even grandparents, people of all ages use smartphones, play computer games, have online communication. Everybody interacts in a digital world. So, it is extremely important for us to know that whatever we do in this digital world affects ourselves and everybody. Our actions in the online world can have a real impact.  We all have a role to play as digital citizens and it is important that we  remember a few things as citizens of today.

Firstly, there is a real person behind every screen so be polite, be a human being. Secondly, we should use digital tools to connect only with friends, family and people we know. In addition, we have to check our sources before we share information and respect people’s privacy and of course our own.

Last but not least, we have to remember the Golden Rule for everything: treat others as you want to be treated.

All in all, everyone should have in mind 3 words when using technology: respect, educate, protect. Using technology is not an easy skill. To paraphrase Tassos Livaditis, a Greek poet

if you want to be called a Man,

you will never stop fighting for responsibility and ethics in digital world

not for a single moment.

  Vassiliki Karalioti

  Anastasia Micheli