“My beloved students, today I graduate with you all over again, fulfilling a dream of mine since 1954: to – one day – come back and give back to my school.”

These are the words American Farm School Alumnus Mr. Dimitris Vlachos (class of 1954) used to open his keynote speech at the High School Commencement Ceremony a few years back. Recently, Mr. Vlachos added another attribute to his name and his relation with the School: together with his wife Lydia, he made a generous gift for landscaping the space surrounding the campus chapel and, today, he continues to support the institution’s educational mission in various ways.

Mr. Vlachos came to the School from Velventos, a small village near Kozani, in 1950. Four years later, he graduated along four other students – one of whom was Mr. Pantelis Panteliadis, successful businessman and Honorary Trustee.

During his school years, he was working in various Thessaloniki shops as an assistant and at his spare time he would write to numerous educational institutions in the States trying to find opportunities for further studies. He was accepted to a Texas College on a Fulbright scholarship for a year. Over the course of that year, he managed to improve his English and receive a scholarship from the Arizona State University (ASU) where he studied agriculture majoring in plant production. But he didn’t stop there. He also got a job at a botanical garden in the desert to cover his room and board expenses.

He graduated from ASU with a degree in agriculture and languages. After his graduation, he worked as an electrician for 7 years and spent the next 7 years working as a teacher of agriculture and Spanish. He used his savings to buy land in Arizona and started his own landscaping business. Today, together with his son, they supply their products to companies in the southeastern United States.

Mr. Vlachos recalls his years at the School as his personal paradise. He believes that this School is different from any other school in the world. Its students gain scientific, technological and practical knowledge. But, most importantly, they learn to appreciate the land and respect other people. His path was full of challenges and hard work. Work he never failed to deliver because of the ethos and character built thanks to the School.

At the end of his journey from Velventos to Arizona, he feels he has gained a lot, mostly experiences. And this is what he promises his sons: experiences that are shaped according to personal values. The American Farm School remains his own personal value.

Athina Peristeropoulou