The Bilingual IB School in Greece That's Rewriting How Kids Learn

Jan de Vries · 2026-11-02

What if a school treated every subject as a primary subject? Not just math and literature, but sport, music, art, and even time spent with animals in the garden. That's the idea behind DES Interactive European School, a bilingual English-Greek facility in Varkiza, along the Athenian Riviera. The school recently earned recognition as the Best Bilingual IB School 2026 in the Attica region at the Hellenic Business Awards, and it's easy to see why people are paying attention. DES works with children from nursery age all the way through secondary education. It has built a genuinely international community spanning nearly 30 nationalities. We spoke with Dr. Billie Konstantara, the school's founder and CEO, to understand what makes it tick. ### Where the IB Meets Multiple Intelligences DES was the first bilingual school in Greece to combine International Baccalaureate (IB) programs with Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences. That theory pushes back on the old idea of a single general intelligence. Instead, it argues that people carry several autonomous intelligences that interact and help them solve problems. At present, DES is authorized to offer the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the Middle Years Programme (MYP), with the Diploma Programme to follow. The result is rigorous, inquiry-led, student-centered learning grounded in the Greek educational context, international teaching practice, and the broader IB framework. As Dr. Konstantara puts it: "At DES, innovation begins with a simple question: does this improve the way a child learns, belongs, or understands the world?" ### Four Campuses, One Small Community Today the school spans four separate complexes in the southern suburbs. Across its nursery, kindergarten, primary, and middle school offerings, DES serves roughly 450 students with about 150 staff. The first location opened back in 2004, and the mission has stayed consistent: inspire young minds through a curriculum built around them and their growth. That's why the school treats all subjects as primary subjects. Sport, music, art, literature, languages, and math all get equal weight. The campuses aren't just places where teaching happens, either. They're part of the curriculum itself, letting kids learn across classrooms, gardens, and outdoor spaces. Animal interactions and other hands-on experiences help students connect what they know to the natural world. Technology, robotics, creativity, and social responsibility are woven into the mix too, since nobody quite knows what their future careers will look like. ### Values That Go Beyond Test Scores Teaching at DES follows five central values: - Intellectual curiosity - Inclusion - Responsibility - International-mindedness - Genuine care for the individual child These point to a school that cares about more than results. "Our goal is not merely to prepare students for examinations," Dr. Konstantara explained. "It is to develop knowledgeable, ethical, and emotionally secure young people who can think independently, collaborate across cultures, and contribute meaningfully to society." Every staff member works toward a simple mission: make sure each child is seen, understood, and challenged appropriately. They set high but achievable expectations, pair them with close observation and strong relationships, and differentiate teaching carefully. Because DES functions as an international microschool, students benefit from a tight-knit learning community. Teachers really know their students and can respond quickly when needs shift. ### Connections Across Subjects and Cultures Strong connections run across subjects, age groups, and cultures throughout the school. That cross-pollination is deliberate. It reflects a belief that learning doesn't happen in silos, and neither does life. For families weighing international schooling options, DES offers a model worth studying: one where curiosity comes first and every child gets room to grow. For U.S.-based readers following European education trends, the takeaway is clear. Innovative models like this one are shaping how schools think about bilingual learning, the IB framework, and what it means to prepare kids for a fast-changing world.