High School Peace and Freedom
The “Irinis kai Elefterias” High School is located in the green-line area of the free Famagusta district. Founded after the strenuous and persistent efforts of the Mayor of Deryneia at the time, Mrs Flora Ioannou, the Town Council Deryneia and the Town of Sotira, to serve the educational needs of the Municipalities of Deryneia and Sotira, so as to take some load off the high school of the Red-Villages area and Paralimni in terms of numbers of students.
The school first opened up in September 2002 with just one class. The foundation stone was laid on 30 May 2002 by the Minister of Education and Culture, Mr Ouranios Ioannidis, under the chairmanship of Glafkos Kliridi, the mayorship of Andreas Shapanis and with the School Board chairman Mr. Panagiotis Nikolaou (Mavroyiannou). The plans for the building and the associated facilities were finalized by the architectural office Economou in coordination wit the Technical Services of the Ministry of Education and Culture.
Our School, a ground floor building, extends over an area of 82,000 square meters, built on the green. It comprises 18 classrooms, laboratories for Physics, Chemistry, Computer, Technology, Home Economics, classrooms for Art, Music, Languages, Literacy, Special Education Unit, Mathematics, a library, a infirmary, a multipurpose room, offices for the Director and the school managements assistants, the secretary, as well as for the School board of Deryneia.
The hallmark of our school is the sculptural composition that decorates the area of the halls of the teaching staff and the school management and which has been there since 2007. It was created by the sculptor Mr. Christos Simeonides and finalized with the kind sponsorship of Mr. Loucas Louca in memory of Chrysostomos Louka. It depicts an olive tree on the branches of which some pigeons are perched, while others fly freely over and around it. The symbolic character of our sculptural composition is entirely consistent with the name of our School.
The symbolic expression that is imprinted on the school flag wants to convey the same message. A white pigeons flies in a blue sky holding an olive branch in its beak, framed by a white decorative fret. Its gem, the golden cross, which towers on its top, was a winning design in a competition among students and teachers of the School.
Our High School from its inception until today has been featuring rich activities in all areas: spiritual, epistemological, athletic, artistic and social. That is owed to the dedication, hard work and collaboration of the school management, the teachers, pupils and to the continuous support and assistance of the Parents and Guardians Association and the School board of Deryneia. As school we have participated in various competitions such as DISEFRO, athletics games, mathematical Olympiads, European programs, artistic, musical, and other competitions. Also the editorial work of the school is remarkable. Besides the gymnasium magazine "Pupils Creations” a school chronicle and our newspaper" Mathitografimata " have been added in recent years.
Hopefully we will be able to maintain this very positive spirit and progressive trend to develop our school and progress our students to enable them to achieve the highest goals, whilst looking forward to a better future for the Good of Cyprus and our world in general.