Socrates-Demosthenes School (''École Socrates-Démosthene'') (''Σχολείο Σωκράτης-Δημοσθένης''
(www.socdem.org)is an elementary school in the province of
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
that serves students in Greater Montreal while also servicing the members of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal.
Founded in 1909, the school offers a trilingual program (
French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
, Greek and
English), and while following the curriculum provided by MELS, it also teaches aspects of Greek history and culture according to the pedagogical program provided by the Ministry of Education of Greece.
Campus
Socrates and Demosthenes Primary School has six campuses in greater Montreal to better serve all students and the Greek community alike:
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
,
Laval,
West Island
The West Island (, ) is the unofficial name given to the city, towns and boroughs at the western end of the Island of Montreal, in Quebec, Canada. It is generally considered to consist of the Lakeshore municipalities of Lachine (specific ...
and the
South Shore (Montreal)
The South Shore () is the general term for the suburbs of Montreal, Quebec located on the southern shore of the Saint Lawrence River opposite the Island of Montreal. The South Shore is located within the Quebec administrative region of Montéré ...
.
SOCRATES II5777, ave Wilderton, Montréal., H3S 2V7
In 1982, the community bought a new lot of land to build a new community center. This community center was also planned to have a school. This would later on be established as the 2nd campus of the Socrates schools. This building has a cathedral, a library, a reception hall, a gym, 27 classrooms (including a daycare center "Ta Paidakia"), and many administrative offices. Today, 250 students attend the school.
SOCRATES III
11, 11e rue, Roxboro, H8Y 1K6
In 1982, a new building is built in Roxboro to attend to its Greek student population. This building consists of 29 classrooms (including a daycare center), a library, a gym, and many administrative offices. Today, more than 200 students attend this school.
SOCRATES IV5220, Grande Allée,
St-Hubert
St-Hubert BBQ Ltd. is a chain of Canadian casual dining restaurants best known for its rotisserie chicken. St-Hubert is most popular in Quebec and in other French-Canadian areas such as Eastern Ontario and New Brunswick. The chain enjoys the s ...
, J3Y 1A1
In 1985, the H.C.M. agreed to build not only an elementary school (which would be the 4th campus built by the community) but also a community center that would be able to serve the full population of the South-Shore region. The building has a church, 18 classrooms (including a daycare center), a multimedia room, a library, a cafeteria, a gym, and many administrative offices. Today, the school consists of about 100 students.
SOCRATES V931, Emerson, Laval, H7W 3Y5
SOCRATES V(ANNEX)
1005, boul Pie X, Laval, H7V 3A9
In 1990, the H.C.M. bought a new building to serve to the students of the Laval community. This building consists of 23 classrooms, a gym, a library, and some administrative offices. Even though it is the smallest building in all the H.C.G.M (besides its annex bought in 2002 to attend a daycare and the kindergarten groups of the 5th campus) it has the largest number of students, consisting of about 500 students.
DEMOSTHENES1565, boul. St-Martin O. Laval, H7S 1N1
In 2011, the H.C.M. bought the Hellenic community of Laval along with all its organizations. One of the biggest interests of the H.C.M. was their elementary school, Demosthenes. Today, this school has more than 200 students. It is the newest addition to the community's schools.
In total, the schools consist of about 1 300 students. This number is growing every year. It is the pride of not only the H.C.G.M. but of the Greek Embassy of Canada as well.
Future projects
NEW BUILDING IN LAVAL
In 2013, the H.C.G.M. had begun efforts to sell all school buildings in Laval to provide a better service in a new building that would be constructed in back of Laval's major Greek Orthodox Church, The Saint-Cross Church. This building would consist of many modern aspects. construction has been foreseen to begin in 2014, after all buildings have been sold.
FUTURE HIGH SCHOOL PROJECTS
For more than 30 years, the community has been talking about building a high school for the students that would graduate the elementary schools. Lately, this project has been put under a serious note. If all construction projects go well for the new elementary building in Laval, then further research will be done to make this future project possible.
References
{{reflist
Educational institutions established in 1909
Elementary schools in Montreal
Greek-Canadian culture
Greek international schools
Schools in Laval, Quebec
Elementary schools in Longueuil
1909 establishments in Quebec