Dimotiko Scholeio Kakopetrias 
in Nicosia, Cyprus

Kakopetria is a traditional famous mountain village in Cyprus, rich in history and culture, with a river passing by. More information about the village can be found here. 
Our school is a regional rural school with 102 students with a multicultural background, aged 6 to 12 years. We also have 11 teachers. As a school, we aim to develop intellectuality and independence in our students’ creative minds. We also aim to support healthy bodies and ethical spirits that are the cornerstone in pouring wisdom, compassion, and leadership into a global society. We also want to prepare students to understand, contribute to, and succeed in a rapidly changing society, thus making the world a better and more just place. As a school with a multicultural background, we are committed to sustaining an institution in which individuals of diverse cultures and diverse experiences instruct one another in the meaning and value of community, joy, and the importance of lifelong learning.
Traditional crafts are a subject we want our students to get to know and appreciate. Kakopetria is a village renowned for its silkworm breeding and the production and processing of silk. This history reaches so far that historical documents mention British soldiers taking all the silk production from Kakopetria during World War Two. They did so with the production from other Cypriot villages too. Soldiers then used the silk to create parachutes. Women used the cocoons of the silkworms and created decorations, artifacts, and trays. We consider it extremely important for our students to get to know their cultural heritage and preserve it. Considering that several of our students’ ancestors were involved in these crafts and trades, it is imperative to know the historical roots of their families. We also considered it essential for students to understand how other factors, such as morphological structure or the weather, affected trade choices in the past.