In 1950s Greece, still healing from the wounds of war, Mary Nikolaou Raptou returned from her studies in Educational Sciences at the University of Geneva, where she was taught by top educators such as Jean Piaget, Robert Dottrens, and others, determined to offer Greek children a Christian educational institution comparable to the European standards.
Her parents, the doctor, patriot, and Member of Parliament Nikolaos Raptis, and Rodothea Raptou née Porsanidou, a Constantinople-born teacher and municipal councilor of Larissa, provided the ground floor of their family home on what was then Vasileos Konstantinou Street, near the Post Office Square (now Panagouli 18), to house the first Kindergarten and, shortly thereafter in 1957, the full Primary School of Mary N. Raptou.
In 1965, the Mary N. Raptou Primary and Kindergarten were relocated to the then suburban area of Neraida, near the small Prophet Elias chapel, where they remain today. They also acquired their first school bus, the legendary “Tirou-Rirou”!
The spiritual support of the late Father Anargyros Stamatopoulos, preacher for a few years at the Holy Metropolis of Larissa and Tyrnavos and later head of the Brotherhood of Theologians “Life,” stabilized the school’s mission and gave it firm spiritual foundations.
The school’s social presence, with carefully organized celebrations, impeccable and spirited participation in student parades and gymnastic displays, established this “private” school as something different, selflessly contributing to the Larissa community and the Greek family.
In the 1990s, expansion of privately owned facilities on Karditsis Street and a more solid and professional organization of the school took place.
In 1992, Mary N. Raptou Educational Institutions added a Gymnasium, housed in a privately owned sports center built in the Mezourlo area of Larissa. After Father Anargyros Stamatopoulos’s passing in 1994, spiritual guidance was entrusted to Father Kyriakos Tsolakis.
In 1997, the Mary N. Raptou Lyceum was founded. Its successes in the national university entrance exams skyrocketed the school’s reputation!
After nearly fifty years at the helm of the institutions, in 2004 the founder and director Mary N. Raptou invited her nephew, Dr. Nikos Raptis, a pedagogy PhD, to join as collaborator. He remains today the CEO of the Mary N. Raptou Educational Institutions.
Mary N. Raptou Educational Institutions from 2004 to Today
Mary N. Raptou Educational Institutions have successfully responded to new needs and the more difficult economic conditions of the financial crisis! The flexible schedule is established (elementary school children leave whenever their family wishes according to their schedule, from 2 to 4 p.m.), the summer camp, and the study of the next day’s lessons at school. New afternoon activities are introduced such as children’s tennis, chess, handball, and more.
The teaching of English is expanded in cooperation with the British Council. Remedial teaching is established for the most important subjects in the Gymnasium. In the Lyceum, a full preparation program for the Panhellenic Examinations is implemented as part of the morning schedule. The number of students in the Gymnasium and Lyceum increases significantly.
Our Values
For over sixty years, Mary N. Raptou Educational Institutions remain faithful to their original commitment to offer the children of Larissa a quality education, full of Christ and Greece.
For over sixty years, we have succeeded in translating our original mission into the language of each era. For over sixty years, hundreds of families in our city entrust the most precious thing they have—the education and upbringing of their children—to the hands of our school’s teachers with confidence.
Our mission is to treat every child as a unique person, to listen to their needs and desires, and to “guide” them into the world of knowledge with the compass of Orthodox Christian faith and Greek national consciousness.
Our Facilities
The Educational Institutions today constitute a dynamic community of education, culture, and sports, recognized throughout Greece. The Institutions include a Nursery, Kindergarten, Elementary School, Gymnasium, Lyceum, After-School Care Center (K.D.A.P.), and the MARSA sports academy.