In the eastern suburbs of Thessaloniki, a locally founded school combines international educational models with Greece's national curriculum.
Established in 2017 in the district of Pylaia, the bilingual school Fox in the Pine began with a single nursery class and has gradually expanded into a full educational pathway, including kindergarten and, since 2022, a primary school campus in nearby Thermi. Its Greek and English curriculum centres on inquiry-based learning and collaboration, fostering internationally minded students.
Psychologist Vera Ouzounopoulou, a graduate of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with an MBA and academic experience in Chinese studies in Hangzhou, founded the initiative. Her original idea emerged in 2015, when she began envisioning the kind of school environment she wanted for her own child: a bilingual setting designed not only to teach languages but also to cultivate critical thinking, confidence and emotional intelligence.
Fox in the Pine is engaging with global educational frameworks and has joined international networks by becoming an authorised International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, offering the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP).
Ouzounopoulou describes the atmosphere as intentionally energetic rather than strictly quiet. "I want children to come to school happily and leave happily," she explains. "A classroom in our school is not silent, it is 'noisy'. You hear ideas, discussions and problem-solving."
Learning at Fox in the Pine is strongly experiential, with pupils spending significant time outdoors on a three-acre campus, where they grow plants in the school garden, play with natural materials and observe seasonal cycles, fostering responsibility, cooperation and creativity.
Small classes, each staffed by two teachers, enable differentiated instruction tailored to individual learning styles. The school community includes bilingual families, Greek households seeking international education and children of families returning from abroad. According to Ouzounopoulou, the ultimate goal is to equip pupils with adaptable thinking skills. "The challenge is not memorising," she says. "It is to have critical thinking and produce ideas."
By Athanassia Bidiou - adapted from Greek by Vassia Barba
