On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, Pierce Theatre hosted a powerful student-led event titled “PIERCEing the Silence.” The initiative emerged from an English class’s participation in the Leadership for Change 2025: Decode the News competition, organized by The Economist Educational Foundation and Rolex.

Notably, Pierce is the first Greek school to participate in the Economist competition and the first to win, alongside Eager Readers from India and Taipei Municipal Neihu Senior High School from Taiwan. During the event, Mr. Vakerlis, Lyceum Director, received the competition trophy on behalf of the school. Students also received their certificates from Ms. Lazana, Senior Vice President of Administration and Pierce, and Mr. Vasileiou, Associate Vice President, Pierce Administration.

Driven by creativity and determination, 15 students, guided by their teacher, Ms. Gisela Iosif, worked collaboratively to design and deliver an engaging and thought-provoking event focused on cybersecurity and the growing threat of cyberbullying. Their efforts culminated in a well-organized TEDx-style production featuring eight different segments and welcoming an audience of approximately 150 attendees.

The event opened with a skillfully performed duet act by two English Forensics Club members, Christina Koumasi and Nadina Konopisopoulou. Despite joining the project only a few weeks prior, they delivered a compelling performance inspired by Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner by Jasmine Lee-Jones.

A key highlight of the event was the presence of three guest speakers from diverse professional backgrounds, who offered valuable scientific insight into the impact and prevention of cyberbullying. Their contributions enriched the discussion and sparked meaningful reflection among the audience:

• The first speaker, Etty Varouch, a psychologist, emphasized the importance of maintaining digital dignity and vividly described cyberbullying as a “public spat”. She concluded her talk by encouraging B Lyceum students to steer clear of digital cannibalism and apathy.
• The second speaker, Bill Nikolopoulos, System Engineer Manager at Fortinet, introduced key cybersecurity concepts such as phishing and quishing, and urged students to report any incidents of cyberbullying affecting themselves or others.
• The third speaker, George Xatzipavlou, a stand-up comedian, reflected on the complexities of teenage life, highlighting young people’s desire to fit in alongside adults’ tendency to seek individuality. In doing so, he illustrated how teenagers can become vulnerable to adopting behaviors they may not fully agree with.

It was a great honor for us to have the "presence,” via video, of our mentor, Ms Vinjeru Mkandawire, News Editor at The Economist. Our meetings were extremely helpful, as they enabled us to organize the event more effectively and with greater clarity.

Between presentations, the audience enjoyed musical interludes performed by talented students: Odysseas Sabanis, Sotiris George Biniaris, Nicolas Papazoglou, Myrto Christodoulou, Marilia Christodoulou, as well as outstanding vocal performances by Maria Anagnostou, Kyveli Apostolopoulou, and Annie Hove. Following the second musical break, attendees were invited to enjoy light snacks and refreshments in the theatre lobby.

Special mention should be made of the 15 student volunteers who were trained to usher guests and serve refreshments, under the guidance of Faidra Gkatsi, Volunteers’ Trainer and Manager. The event was also documented by student photographer Marcel Negrin. The banner was created by an A Lyceum student, Eleftheria Gousiou.

“PIERCEing the Silence” stands as a testament to what students can achieve through teamwork, initiative, and a shared commitment to raising awareness about critical issues in today’s digital world.

In the following links, you can see the announcement about Pierce's winning team, as well as the first steps in implementing the program.

Reflecting on the experience, student Kleisthenis Gryllakis noted:
“As a student and a participant of the project, I am flabbergasted that we actually pulled it off in such an organized manner. Reflecting on the experience, it helped both me and my classmates improve our communication skills and overcome our concerns about presenting in front of a big audience.”