With 26 years of experience, Private Piri Reis Schools will elevate the level of education with the opening of Arkas Piri Reis Private High School in the 2025-2026 academic year. The high school will stand out by offering a dual foreign language education in English and French, ensuring its graduates are fully prepared for their futures. Lucien Arkas, Chairman of the Orion Education Foundation, stated that although the school is based in Izmir, it is designed to offer a new and distinctive educational approach for students across Türkiye.
With the goal of cultivating adaptable, communicative, confident, and “global citizens,” Private Piri Reis Schools, a well-established educational institution in Izmir with over a thousand graduates to date, are now expanding their educational journey to the high school level, after successfully running kindergarten, primary school, and middle school programs.
The goal of the preparatory year, known as the “Academic Empowerment Year,” is to prepare students for the future world. The institution will offer a five-year comprehensive education program and welcome students in Bornova with a staff of Turkish and international educators. In addition to direct admissions for students of Private Piri Reis Schools, the high school will be open to applicants from schools all across Türkiye.
Recognized as an Anatolian High School, Arkas Piri Reis Private High School was officially introduced in a press conference attended by Lucien Arkas, Chairman of the Orion Education Foundation, as well as Hasan Denizkurdu, Vice President of the Orion Education Foundation, Sabrina Ataseven, General Manager of Private Piri Reis Schools, and Tuba Sarac, Head of Arkas Piri Reis Private High School.
“Not Just for Students from Izmir, but for Students from All Across Türkiye”
Lucien Arkas, Chairman of the Orion Education Foundation, stated: “Twenty-six years ago, we began this journey with the dream of preparing students who are self-confident, principled, and grounded in both national and universal values, capable of standing independently as they head to university. At our schools in Karsiyaka and Guzelbahce, we have gained valuable experience and achieved significant success toward this goal over 25 years. Today, 900 students are enrolled in those schools. With the addition of our high school, we will surpass 1,000 students. Our aim is to provide education to 2,000 students.”
He continued: “Our goal was to offer children a complete educational path – from kindergarten to university – and we took the final step by founding the Arkas Piri Reis Private High School. Our motto is “With Strong Roots Towards a Universal Future.” We are welcoming students from all across Türkiye, not just Izmir. Thanks to our bilingual approach, our students will graduate with certifications that will give them access to not only French Universities but also to institutions around the world. With that excitement, we’ve temporarily opened the school in this building, and our goal is to launch our new campus in Guzelbahce once construction is complete.”
University-High School Collaboration
Hasan Denizkurdu, Vice President of the Orion Foundation, stated that the education world stands at the threshold of a major transformation, emphasizing that beyond traditional education, students must be equipped with decision-making, responsibility-taking, and research skills, as well as communication skills that are necessary to support these abilities. He noted that Arkas Piri Reis Private High School will take a revolutionary step in education.
After announcing their collaboration with the Izmir Institute of Technology, he said: “With support from their academic staff, we aim to develop students’ communication skills and implement technological transformation practices. Our top priority is artificial intelligence. We’ll work with the Izmir Institute of Technology to teach students how to use AI correctly and make use of the feedback they receive. This shift will also mark a new era in teaching. We will ensure that both students and teachers benefit from AI to the fullest.”
Sabrina Ataseven, General Manager of Private Piri Reis Schools, stated that their mission is to raise global citizens. “We’ve taken a step to build a high school program that carries students from a strong heritage to a universal future. Our goal is to raise individuals who can express themselves to the world, equipped with 21st-century skills, and who contribute to their country and the world,” she added.
Students Will Be Ready for Dual-Language Learning with the “Academic Empowerment Year”
Tuba Sarac, Head of Arkas Piri Reis Private High School, shared that the school will offer a five-year bilingual curriculum and continued: “Unlike other schools that treat a second language as an add-on, we will teach both English and French at the same level. This means students will have a wider range of options for their university education and future careers. The Academic Preparatory Year will not only offer intensive language training but also help build a strong academic base.”
Integrated with the World
By the time they graduate, students will have earned internationally recognized language proficiency certificates – IELTS (International English Language Testing System) for English and DELF (Diplôme d’Études en Langue Française) for French – allowing them to study abroad in either language. Those who are interested can also obtain the IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) as an additional English qualification.
Starting from ninth grade, students will take part in personal development programs, covering topics like active listening, communication skills, leadership, and financial literacy, all embedded into the school curriculum through national and international partnerships.