History

1810

The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions is organized in Boston.

1840

Missionary Cyrus Hamlin founds Bebek Seminary on the outskirts of Constantinople.

1862

The Seminary is transferred to Merzifon in north-central Turkey; soon begins the construction of the new campus.

1886

Anatolia College is founded at the Merzifon Seminary with Charles Tracy as its first President. Students are principally Greek and Armenian, most boarding at the school. The faculty is Greek, Armenian, and American. Enrollment soon reaches 115 students.

1887

First Anatolia College graduating class.

1891

The Anatolia campus in Merzifon now includes the Girls' School, orphanages, and a hospital.

1891

George Herrick is appointed as the 2nd President of Anatolia College.

1894

Anatolia incorporated under the laws of the state of Massachusetts.

1910

Anatolia College establishes the first School of Deaf in the region.

1914

George White takes over as the 3rd President of Anatolia College.

1914

Turkish massacres of Armenians. Among those killed are Anatolia staff and faculty.

1916

Anatolia closed for three years because of World War I, its campus occupied by Turkish troops.

1921

ΕExecutions by Turks of student leaders and faculty advisor of the Pontos club, the school's Greek literary society. The new government terminates the operation of Anatolia College in Merzifon, forcing the school to seek refuge outside of Turkey.

1922

Smyrna catastrophe and defeat of Greek expeditionary force. Anatolia Board of Trustees organized in Boston.

1924

Anatolia College reopens in Thessaloniki, with the help of Eleftherios Venizelos, in rented buildings in Harilaou, with 13 students, all boys, mostly refugees.

1927

Mission School for Girls in Thessaloniki becomes part of Anatolia College.

1933

Ernest W. Riggs becomes the 4th President of Anatolia College..

1934

Anatolia moves to a newly constructed campus near the village of Pylea, on the lower slopes of Mt. Hortiatis.

1934

The iconic Macedonia building of Anatolia College is entering its final phase of construction.

1937

The Anatolia College Alumni Association is organized for the first time.

1940

Greece enters World War II when Italy invades. The school is closed, and its campus is used as a military hospital.

1941

Germany invades Greece, and the Anatolia campus is taken over by Germans, to be used as general headquarters for the Balkans.

1945

The school reopens with the help of its students. The Girls' School moves to Pylea, with George White Hall, Ernest Riggs Hall, and Olympos Hall (now Ingle) soon added to the campus.

1950

Carl Compton serves as the 5th President.

1950

Anatolia establishes the first English-only school in Thessaloniki, "Piney Woods School", for the growing international community.

1951

The Athens Alumni Association is founded.

1958

Dr. Howard Johnston becomes the 6th President.

1961

Inauguration of Kyrides Hall, with state-of-the-art labs that accommodate Anatolia's innovative approach to the teaching of sciences.

1964

Robert Hayden is appointed the 7th President of Anatolia College.

1964

The Secretarial School opens on campus, leading to employment opportunities for young women.

1972

Joseph Kennedy becomes the 8th President.

1974

Dr. William McGrew takes over as the 9th President, while 26 scholarship students from Cyprus arrive on campus, in the wake of the Turkish invasion.

1976

The Indoor Gym is completed with the help of USAID, exemplifying the US government's commitment to the development of our campus.

1981

Anatolia College classes are now co-ed.

1981

The American College of Thessaloniki – ACT (then named SBALA) is founded to provide post-secondary instruction in business and the liberal arts.

1985

The Association of Friends of Anatolia College is founded to provide moral and financial support for Anatolia College.

1986

Anatolia College celebrates its first centennial since its founding in Merzifon, receiving a Silver Medal for its contribution to education by the Academy of Athens.

1989

The Eleftheriades Library is built to serve the High School, named after a former scholarship student and his wife, a former professor of Anatolia.

1995

ACT opens Stavros Constantinidis Hall, then called New Building, the first on its new campus.

1997

ACT is now accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the same body which accredits top US schools such as Harvard and Yale.

1998

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is now offered at Anatolia High School.

1999

Richard Jackson takes over as the 10th President.

2002

Dedication of the Bissell Library at ACT.

2003

Anatolia Elementary School opens as Anatolia assumes operations of the Rigas Feraios School located on an adjacent campus.

2005

The new football field is inaugurated, donated by the alumni.

2007

Raphael Hall is fully renovated and reopens as an events space.

2008

The Bachelor degrees offered at ACT receive European validation. The renovated indoor High School gym is inaugurated.

2009

Dr. Hans Giesecke becomes the 11th President of Anatolia College.

2011

The President's Club is organized, its members being Anatolia's most dedicated and ardent supporters. Anatolia successfully completes its 125th Anniversary Matching Fund campaign.

2013

Dr. Panos Vlachos takes office as the 12th President of Anatolia College.

2014

Anatolia College becomes the hosting partner of Johns Hopkins University’s world-renowned Center for Talented Youth-Greece (CTY) program with a founding donation by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

2014

The Entrepreneurship Hub opens at ACT.

2017

The Lifelong Learning Center receives its license, offering various courses for upskilling and reskilling at ACT.

2017

Introduction of the Innovation Isle, which includes flexible learning spaces, the Fabrication Lab, and the Green Education Center.

2019

Anatolia College welcomes Pinewood American International School back into its family.

2019

ACT's New Building is renamed Stavros Constantinidis Hall, in honor of Stavros Constantinidis, 1947 alumnus, Trustee of Anatolia College, and one of the most important benefactors of our not-for-profit educational institution.

2020

The Anna Papageorgiou STEM Center opens its doors on the Anatolia High School campus.

2021

ACT expands with the acquisition of the Rigas Feraios facilities, which are fully renovated to become the West Hall.

2022

A new Anatolia Elementary School campus is created to accommodate our new learning paradigm.

2023

A new building is completed to host the IBDP program, as well as The Kassandra Center for Educational Excellence, which shares innovative educational practices with the wider community.

2024

Anatolia College celebrates 100 years since its relocation to Thessaloniki.

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