Dr Charalampos Ladopoulos has been appointed the new principal of St John’s Greek Orthodox College in Melbourne.
Dr Ladopoulos, who until recently was the Consulate General of Greece in Melbourne, has taken the role after the present principal John Rekouniotis resigned due to family reasons. In a speech given after his appointment, Dr Ladopoulos said he was “honoured for the opportunity to serve as principal of St George College and Director of Hellenic Studies at the After Hours Schools of Victoria.”.
Dr Ladopoulos also discussed his plans as principal for the college saying he will take a “holistic approach” to education. “Effective teachers teams will determine the success of our college. We want St John’s students and teachers to experience a multi-levelled journey of discovery and expression, and grow together. The time is right for us to shift our assumptions, methods and notations, and to strategically adjust our focus in creating and providing a meaningful, engaging learning experience for our students.”
A supporter and key deliverer of the Greek language in schools in Australia, Dr Ladopoulos has also been behind many bilateral agreements between the Greek Government and the various Australian governments to ensure the survival of the Greek language in education in Australia.
“In our college we use the Greek language as a vehicle for promoting linguistic diversity and the Hellenic Studies as a program of studying the Greek language, the Orthodox Christian Religion and the Hellenic culture and history,” said Dr Ladopoulos. “The values that Hellenism upholds enable our students to understand the virtue of democratic thinking and to apply its principles with dignity in their lives.”
