My final stop on this Turkey and Greece tour was to Perrotis College, part of the American Farm School. The American Farm School is an independent, nonprofit educational institution founded in 1904 to serve the population of Greece and the Balkans. Major educational divisions include the Primary School, Haseotes Middle School, Vocational High School, General High School, and our focus: Perrotis College.
For every age group it serves, the School shapes students to become stewards of the land and responsible citizens of the world.
It all began with the enlightened American educator Dr. John Henry House and his wife, Susan Adeline. After 30 years of service in the Balkans, the two founded the American Farm School on the outskirts of Thessaloniki in 1904. Their first students were boys orphaned in the uprisings marking the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in Europe. Modest donations of funds and equipment from a loyal circle of American supporters helped the young institution survive, as it bore witness to two Balkan Wars, World War I, and the massive resettlement of Greek refugees from Asia Minor.
The 1930s– a period of expanding academic facilities and new agricultural innovations– gave way to World War II and the Occupation, a civil war, and postwar efforts to reconstruct Greek agriculture and agricultural education. In the second half of the 20th century, the Farm School was led by Bruce M. Lansdale, an American teacher, engineer, and philhellene who shared with his wife, Tad, a remarkable ability to communicate with and inspire people from all walks of life. A visionary leader, Lansdale introduced coeducation, short courses and technical advice for farmers in the region, information technology embedded across campus and farm, and “training of trainers” programs for international groups.
Faced with the growing demand for higher education, the American Farm School established the Perrotis College of Agriculture, Environment and Life Sciences in 1996, through a gift from Mrs. Aliki Perroti, a glamorous philanthropist deeply committed to agriculture and the environment. In 2011, the School began operating a Pre-K and Kindergarten, followed by an Elementary School in 2013 and the Haseotes Middle School in 2019. I can tell you there was something utterly charming about every aspect of the Farm School. Who wouldn’t want their child to learn in such an idyllic setting?
Today, the American Farm School adapts its education to the needs of the 21st century while staying true to its roots and long tradition of experiential learning. In the 29 years since its founding, Perrotis College has remained dedicated to preparing students for leadership roles in today’s global economy– developing innovative, sustainability-driven professionals ready to make a positive impact in their communities and industries. Its academic programs prepare graduates for dominant roles in the sciences, agriculture, and the food industry, with a focus on sustainable practices that are economically viable, environmentally friendly, and socially responsible.
The campus is very large– about 200 acres– and much of that is a working farm. The land is peppered with more than 2,000 olive trees, fruit orchards, barns, and a vineyard. The farm produces milk and dairy products, eggs, and during Thanksgiving and Christmas, more than 15,000 turkeys. Both faculty and students work the farm and use it for high-level research.
Perrotis enrolls about 200 undergrad and graduate students (the K-12 schools enroll another 700), but the college also serves hundreds of American study-abroad students from thirty land-grant universities who come to spend a semester in Thessaloniki.
The American Farm School is a unique institution in Greece — bucolic, scientific, innovative, and inspiring. For years, it has received substantial support from USAID; signs on those buildings carry the words: From the American People. How tragic to witness the end of that support, which has so effectively benefited gifted students in Greece and thousands of American students who came here to learn.
