Halkidiki: Five Women Changed View to Primary School in Galatista

Important stations of history, starting in prehistoric times and reaching the present, remind the students of the walls of Galatista Primary School in the midst of the paintings – works of five women of the Cultural Association of Arts “The Anthemuses”. The artists of the Association, who during the pandemic had decorated with paintings the fountains and walls of their village, this year, at the end of January they again caught their brushes to paint and beautiful this time the interior of the Primary School. Speaking to the APE-APE about the action, the president of the Cultural Association of Arts “The Anthemuses” Maria Maltese explains: “During the quarantine, because the Society’s Visual Department could not function, we painted pots and fountains of the village as well as some walls. Also, two years ago we had painted images from the old alphabet on the outer walls of Galatista Elementary School. Last January we received a proposal from the principal of the Primary School to paint the interior walls of the School, which has three floors. We found plans in collaboration with the school’s art teacher. We tried to find images and evidence that kids like. We caught the brushes and the work was completed in mid-March”. Anna Giorgi-Chiocanu, Maria Gusiou, Dimitra Kanava, Maria Maltezou and Gerakina Hajudi were the members of the Association who undertook to paint the walls of the School. “We built a historical line on the third floor of the School, with elements from the stone era, the copper era, the geometric, the archaic, the classical, the Hellenistic, the Roman, the Byzantine era, the Turkish occupation, the Greek Revolution of 1821, the 19th century Greece, the expansion of Greece, the Mesopolomos, the Second World War, the post-war period, the post-war period, the post-war period, the post-politization until today. So we can say that the walls “tell” or “teach” children stations of history. Also on the third floor we made a tree that spreads its branches up to the ceiling and underneath the manager made, with pallets, a couch for children to sit on. On the second floor, because the space was filled with a frame that had the School, we painted on the columns numbers and letters Greek and English, and made some small drawings so we wouldn’t load it too much. On the lower floor, in front of the special classes we made a drawing about the course being taught. In a shared space, where tables and pillows have been placed, we painted a reading mouse. There the children can sit, eat their lunches during breaks and read. To note that a very nice job has been done by the principal and teaching staff of the School, thanks to which the School has become very friendly and the children during breaks can listen to music from speakers. She has an image that we don’t often see in schools that are usually more distant, cooler. In the days we were going to paint we saw that the children liked what we did and how happy they were going to school,” suggests Mrs. Please note that the Association, as part of an Environment Day, had received a proposal from the Municipal Community in order to paint a traditional faucet of Galatista. The ladies of the Association accepted and saw the response of the world, during quarantine, other fountains and some walls of village buildings. Their action continued in Paleochora, and then painted 24 works, on the work of doctors and nurses during the pandemic, which they donated to Polygyros hospital.