summer 2014 - Inter

Transcription

summer 2014 - Inter

SU M M E R 2014
CONNECTIONS
1960
inter-community school
zurich
Connections Summer 2014
1
table of contents
4-5
Celebrating with
the Class of 2014
6-7
Students
exhibit their learning
10-11 Having fun
School’s out for ever! See pictures
and coverage of Grade 12’s
Graduation from ICS.
Grade 5 students demonstrated
what they have been researching
and learning at the Exhibition in May.
Meeting friends, enjoying live music,
and eating delicious foods from around
the world... No wonder they call the
International Festival ‘the best party of
the school year’. And while we enjoyed
celebrating our international community,
we raised funds to support others.
12-13 Connecting
20-23
28
with other
communities
A Grade 11 student tells us how he is
raising $50,000 to set up a shellfish
farm benefiting villages in Zanzibar.
And Grade 9 students report on their
spring trip to Tanzania.
29 Three words: You.
Are. Needed.
We meet Peter Dalglish, senior UN
adviser and founder of Street Kids
International, as he comes to talk to
Grade 7 students and teachers.
2
Sports
reports
A round-up of spring sports and the
ICS Sports Awards 2014.
32-33
Rumble in
the Jungle
Primary’s rip-roaring production of
The Jungle Book leads 4 pages of
coverage of Performing and Visual
Arts at ICS.
while helping others
The height of
fashion
Students with an interest in the fashion
industry got some valuable first-hand
experience of how it works as they put
on a charity fashion show in late May.
Also in this issue:
Life after ICS
Student ambassadors Helping with transitions
Coffee with the
Leadership Team Lip dub makes us ‘happy’
Grade 10 Personal
Development Month Actor inspires leaders The Atkinson Award Primary Learning
Secondary spring concert
From the PA page 8
page 14
page 15
page 17
page 18
page 19
page 24
page 25
page 26
page 30
page 34
News in brief
Grade 3’s crafty way to help endangered animals
Summer issue of
Connections
In the last Connections of the school
year, we showcase some of the many
learning opportunities that have taken
place this spring.
When Grade 3 visited Zürich Zoo to learn
more about endangered species, 3HE
student Katherine M (above, fourth from
left) picked up lots of brochures. She
used them to make an information poster
about endangered animals and brought it
to school along with an idea to raise funds
to support these species through the
Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). When
she proposed her idea, many children in
Grade 3 wanted to support it. So, over the
next few weeks they crafted items to sell at
a school craft sale.
them and their threats so we can share
the planet with them. Animals are being
threatened because of us destroying their
natural habitat. Lots of animals are suffering
because their habitat is being destroyed.
We made crafts to raise money for the
WWF. We raised CHF 457.05 by selling
crafts and CHF 310 through donations
for baked goods. Many thanks to all of you
who bought crafts or gave us donations for
the cakes.”
Katherine and her friend Chanel M say:
“We raised money because we wanted
to help save animals. We are researching
endangered animals so we can understand
Grade 12 says goodbye to ICS
We highlight students’ academic
achievements and celebrate with our
outgoing Grade 12 students at their
Graduation.
We highlight sporting achievements
by ICS athletes and report on visits
by guest speakers.
We feature performances that have
taken place in the last term and we
report on some extraordinary service
given by students within and beyond
the school community. We feature
the whole school community coming
together at the International Festival.
We hope you enjoy this issue. We
wish everyone a wonderful summer
break, and we say ‘farewell’, ‘viel
Glück’ and ‘bon voyage’ to those ICS
families who are moving on.
For
returning
ICS
families,
Connections will be back in the
autumn.
The ICS Connections team:
news@icsz.ch
Grade 12s spent their last day in school
at the end of April before their IB Diploma
Exams. After putting on their own piratethemed party in the DSC, they were fêted
at a Secondary farewell assembly and then
given a special goodbye lunch. We wish
them all the best for the future.
• Grade 12 Graduation, pages 4-5.
3
grade 12 graduation
Saying ‘Goodbye and Good Luck’ to
our 2014 graduates
We have been celebrating with our Grade 12 students as they finish school and prepare to
go out into the world. On 7 June we held the ICS Graduation for the Class of 2014.
Saturday 7 June - the ICS Graduation
Ceremony for the Class of 2014 - was
a day for recognising the extraordinary
achievements of all our graduates. We
are proud of who they are - and who they
are becoming. The students finished their
International Baccalaureate Diploma exams
in late May. The ICS Graduation Ceremony
formally marked the end of these students’
time at school and celebrated all that they
have achieved in that time.
The students will receive their IB exam
results and certificates later this summer. At
Graduation they were awarded their High
School Diplomas. Most of them now plan to
go on into higher education, pursuing their
passions and studying subjects ranging
from international relations to mechanical
4
engineering, from drama to law and from
hotel management to medicine and natural
sciences. Universities they are going into
include Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and
Bristol in the UK; Johns Hopkins, Princeton,
Rice and Lehigh in the US; the the University
of Zurich and École Hôtelière of Lausanne
in Switzerland; University of Waterloo,
Canada; and VU University, Amsterdam
in the Netherlands. (See the full list of this
years’ university offers at: www.icsz.ch/
page.cfm?p=808
Some students are taking time to fulfil
national service obligations, while others
take a year out to do internships, travel
and gain other experiences. ICS is not
academically selective, does not have
entrance exams and takes students from
all corners of the world. The fact that most
of our graduates are going on to further
education demonstrates our belief that,
in the right environment and supported in
the right ways, when we are challenged to
achieve, we can all do better than we think
we can. ICS believes that their time at ICS
has prepared our graduates well for their
future challenges.
Graduate Olivia Wicki, one of two student
speakers at the event, agrees. “What will
ICS’s class of 2014 bring to the global
table? We will become the world’s next
philosophers, neurosurgeons, Olympians,
teachers, authors, mathematicians, artists,
mothers, fathers, advocates and hotel
managers. We will take on jobs that have
not been invented yet. We will take what we
Our Award-winners
Graduation
celebrates
the
achievements of all our graduates.
And there were also special awards
for students who have gone above
and beyond in a range of fields.
The Creativity Award went to
Ellen Victoria for her commitment
to the arts and ability to lead and
encourage.
Left: the ICS Graduating Class of 2014. Top of the page: happy faces at the
celebration. Below, our student speakers: left, Olivia Wicki with Head of
School Mrs Campbell, Chair of the Board of Trustees Mr Premchand and
Secondary Principal Mrs Butterworth; right, Alex Z’Danov at the podium.
have learned in the most transformative time
of our lives and use it.”
Her fellow student speaker, Alex Z’Danov,
talked about how important ICS has been
in his life. “For me, graduation is a symbol
for a new beginning. It is an open door, an
opportunity, a chance to go somewhere
new, meet new people, try new things. And
this way of seeing the future is a result of
what I learned in the past. What I learned
with my peers, together, at ICS. Whether
we like it or not, our opinions, thoughts and
decisions have all been influenced by what
we have learned at ICS. That’s how I will
always remember ICS, as the setting for our
development as human beings.”
Our
newest
graduates
were
also
congratulated by guest speaker Ben
Walden from Contender Charlie - an
organisation supporting youth development.
He urged graduates to follow their passions,
even when that involves taking risks in their
future studies and career choices. He said:
“Do not deny your own calling - that voice
which within you that is urging you towards
something.
Answering that call often brings tremendous
challenges and adversity. But as the late
Steve Jobs said, ‘Your work is going to fill
a large part of your life, and the only way to
be truly satisfied is to do what you believe
is great work. And the only way to do great
work is to love what you do. If you haven't
found it yet, keep looking. As with all matters
of the heart, you'll know when you find it.’ ”
The Action Award went to
Basia Clauer for her outstanding
contribution to the sporting life of
ICS.
The Service Award went to
two students who
have given
outstanding
service
to
the
school, local and
international
communities: Estelle Ijland and
Rebecca Fryer.
The
award
for
Excellence
went
Chomich for attaining
academic standards
subjects.
Academic
to
Mina
the highest
in all her
The European Council of
International Schools’ Award for
furthering the cause of international
understanding was presented to
Olivia Wicki.
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special Feature:
Students exhibit their learning
The gym was transformed into a great
exhibition of learning in May when Grade 5
shared their learning with visitors.
The ICS gym was transformed into an exhibition hall on 20 May
where Grade 5 students demonstrated what they had learned
about everything from conscription to captive breeding, and from
graffiti to genetically modified food.
In one corner, sports safety researchers were explaining how vital it is
that cyclists wear helmets. In another, ‘Rainforest Rangers’ in jungle
hats were answering questions about the habitats of endangered
animals. Further along Louise S, Ida L and Karoline S, passionate
about the wrongs of killing animals for cosmetic purposes, were
inviting visitors to climb into a cardboard ‘cage’ and experience
life as an animal on a fur farm. Elsewhere, visiting students and
teachers were playing board games about recycling, or trying to
imagine a world where rising sea levels would half submerge New
York. Meanwhile Haadi S, Chazz D, Jordan B and Tiago D, in a
powerful demonstration of waste, were displaying some of the 90kg
of food ICS students throw away at ICS every week...
From power plants to sports safety
The Primary Years Programme Exhibition is always an impressive
event. Students use the skills they have built up during the
programme to undertake a collaborative, in-depth inquiry. Guided
by teachers and mentors, they select topics, look at them from a
number of perspectives, carry out research and then demonstrate
understanding and take action as a result of their learning. And
this year, there were some very interesting actions. Joshua A, Julen
M and Owen G were the sports enthusiasts keen to encourage
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athletes to stay safe while exercising. “Many people have been
injured and even die because they don’t take safety precautions
like wearing bike helmets while cycling,” they told visitors. As their
action, they had created a video about cycling safety and were
showing it to Exhibition visitors.
Energy efficiency
After researching power plants and electricity, Oskar H and Joep D
wrote to ICS IT Manager Daniel Bocage to encourage him to buy
timer plugs for the computer carts in school. “The timer plugs will
automatically switch off the computers when you want them to. For
example, we could switch them off at the end of school and switch
them on one hour before school starts,” Oskar and Joep wrote.
“The computers don’t need to be charging all night. We know
they are not cheap but if you buy timer plugs, the school will have
lower electricity bills and so over time you will save money.” Daniel
Pictured clockwise from left, Mrs Campbell learns
about sports safety; ‘Rainforest Rangers’ Alicia H
and Tierney H; and Joshua B and Sam B who studied
Global Warming.
THE pYP EXhibition
Pictures: top row from left, Malti R and Ivanna R; Oskar H and Joep D; Lara K, Ellie C and Jessie M. Bottom row
from left: Eamon S-A and Ian M talk about playground safety with Ms Jeakins; Daniela C, Isabella M-B and
Luca P. Below: Evelyn E and Ms Bishop.
Bocage thanked the boys for their ideas. “Power consumption is
an important hidden cost and also being energy inefficient is not
good for our planet,” he said. “Using timer plugs is something we
should and will analyse carefully.” He added, “There might be other
devices in school that are not as efficient as notebooks where your
idea could provide even better results.”
Also taking action were Evelyn E and Bhavani L. They inquired into
global warming and found out that CO2 is a huge contributor to
global
warming. They decided to take action in the hope of
lowering annual global warming levels. The
girls say: “Since most of the CO2 in the
world comes from cars we decided
to hold a ‘Come to School Without
a Car’ Day on Wednesday 4 June.
We thought it would be great if
as many students, parents and
teachers could avoid coming to
school in a car on this day.” The
idea was supported by the ICS
Leadership Team and advertised in the
weekly Bulletin to the whole ICS community.
Meanwhile, Isabel G and Linnea W researched ‘Conscription’ here
in Switzerland, and asked what impact it could have if the focus
shifted away from military to civil service. (Both options exist here,
they pointed out to visitors, but the focus is still primarily on military
service.) As their action, they appealed to the ICS community for
donated garden tools that they could use to clean up the ICS
garden. Families responded to their call and on their exhibition table
were a range of gardening gloves, trowels, brooms and garden forks
parents had given to them to work with.
“It was a wonderful celebration of
our students and their learning and a
tremendous pleasure to witness their
accomplishments.”
Primary Principal Timothy Moynihan
7
special Feature:
‘This is the place our children grew up’
We hear from a parent of two ICS graduates
about their experiences here.
Parent Alexandra Heumann Wicki has been involved with
ICS for nearly 20 years. Her son William graduated three
years ago and is now at Stanford University. Her daughter
Olivia has just graduated with the Class of 2014 and will be
going to Princeton. We asked Alexandra to talk about her
family’s experiences at ICS.
“We have been at ICS since 1996. All three children began at
what used to be called Nursery School, and is now called EY1.
William graduated in 2011, Olivia now in 2014 and Valentina will
be graduating in 2016, completing our family’s 20 year journey with
ICS!
We had a number of reasons for choosing ICS. At the time, we
thought we were going to relocate to New York in the near future
so an international school seemed the right preparatory step for our
children. The other factors were the proximity to our home and that
I believe I have benefited tremendously from my own international
school experience.
The family has been very happy with this decision. Zurich 18 years
ago was much less cosmopolitan than it is now and this was a way
to open the wider world to our children. One drawback has been
the potential for isolation from the Swiss community and culture.
But local activities involving church, sports and music, helped us
maintain that vital connection.
ICS has undergone many changes over time, but it has always been
a supportive and welcoming place. We have had grandparents,
friends and colleagues attend events, visit on open days or join
“For our family, ICS has been a place
where if you seek you will find. Students
are encouraged to show initiative and
when they do, their efforts are met
with support.”
Alexandra Heumann Wicki, parent
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classroom invitations, and
everybody comments on
the warmth and openness
that they encounter. To
us, this ethos is central
to ICS. It has been the
platform for everything
from helpful conversations
with
teachers,
to
constructive solutions with
the administration and to
motivated children.
Everybody’s expectations in
regard to their child’s school differs, but for our family ICS has been
a place where if you seek you will find. Students are encouraged to
show initiative and when they do, their efforts are met with support.
The fact that ICS is a non-selective school in regard to the IB
Diploma programme reflects the faith that it has in every student’s
potential. This is a powerful message.
For the most part our children have truly enjoyed school. Not
necessarily the homework or the exams, but their teachers and their
peers. As they are, and will be, 100% ICS products, we cannot
compare varied educational experiences. But to our family this
grass has always looked very green. This is the place where they
all grew up.”
Above: William at his ICS Graduation. Below, Olivia
teaching at SMD School in Kathmandu during the
ICS Grade 10 Expedition in 2012.
life after ics
‘A tremendous effort’
ICS prepared her son “extremely well” for
his studies at ETH, says Amaya Albers.
ICS graduate Nicolas Albers-Schönberg (pictured) is finishing
his first year studying at ETH Zurich. The entry requirements were
daunting. “For Mechanical Engineering, ETH asks IB Diploma
students to score 38 points (before bonus points) and to have
Maths, Physics and one language at Higher Level,” says Nicolas’s
mother, Amaya. But Nicolas made the grade and was accepted.
“He was extremely well prepared at ICS in his Higher Maths
and Physics classes,” Amaya says. “So well prepared, in his first
semester, he was repeating things he already learned.”
Nicolas first joined ICS after the family moved back to Zurich from
England. Having finished Grade 2 there, he was put into Grade 2
again at ICS. “At the time I wasn’t convinced it was the right thing
to do. But now, as a more mature mother, I understand perfectly, it
was the right decision,” Amaya says. “He came with good grades,
but he was very young in comparison with the others as children
start school in England a year earlier. From an academic point of
view, he would probably have been alright. But from a social point
of view, it would have been a disaster. He would have been two
years younger than his classmates and at that age, that makes a
very big difference. And if he had carried on, he would have been
graduating when he was 16 – too young to go onto university or
go into the army or anything. With that experience behind me, when
I see Primary parents worrying now about their children, I feel like
saying: “Let the school do its stuff - they know what they are doing.
Let ICS do its job, it does it very well.”
For many parents, ICS is different to the schools their children have
moved from – or the ones they went to themselves. But Amaya
says: “You can’t compare your own school to ICS. This school
really teaches our children to learn for their own benefit and to learn
for life. The Swiss system encourages children to memorise a lot of
information. Here, students do so much learning and researching
information by themselves, I think they retain the knowledge longer
because they had to seek it out for themselves.”
Next year, her second son will graduate from ICS. At first he found
transitioning from Grade 10 into Grade 11 and the IB Diploma
Programme a shock. “The transition is quite difficult,” Amaya says.
“The expectations of students at IB Diploma level are extremely
high and it’s a big change. But the school really made a tremendous
effort to help us, teachers came in early or stayed after school to
help my son. That shows the involvement of the teachers: they really
do want to get the best out of the pupils.”
Work experience gives Lisa a new direction
In Grades 11 & 12, Lisa Moretti was not sure what she
wanted to do. So instead of going straight on to university,
she decided to do an internship. Six months in, she feels
she made the right decision, as she explains.
“I am working at UBS, on an 18-month internship which leads
to the Schweizerische Bankvereinigung Certificate. Following
submission of CV, school grades, references and proof of extracurricular activities, I was invited to an interview, together with 11
other candidates, which lasted a full afternoon. We were tested
on our teamwork skills, a role-play exercise in sales, a written task
– motivational letter, a maths test and an individual interview with
a panel of six people who questioned my education, my interest in
UBS and my hobbies. The very next day, I received a phone call
and was hired.
Initially, I have been assigned to the Schaffhausen branch of UBS,
dealing with a variety of customers on a daily basis. No two days
are the same. Issued with a tablet, we have to study all aspects of
banking, are tested on-line and two days a month attend classes
at the University of UBS. I am learning so much and thoroughly
enjoying it. I take great pleasure in the contact with people – if
you are kind, helpful and committed, people react positively. It is
an exemplary introduction to the working world and being a large
organisation, I am learning about management structures, laws and
compliance.
I haven’t given up on the idea of studying at University but this work
experience has made me realise in which direction I would like to
go. I have discovered how well-organised and structured I am and
how much I enjoy the management process. And how important
an international environment is for me personally. Therefore, for
my next 6-month assignment I am hoping to get into the Wealth
Management Department in Zurich. Ultimately, the University
courses I am researching are in International Management with
practical experience abroad. Whether at Uni or at UBS, there
are plenty of opportunities to achieve my potential, fulfil my
responsibilities and I can still pursue my dancing passion.”
9
community engagement:
A celebration of the ICS
The ICS community came together to enjoy a day of friendship
and fun at this year’s International Festival.
The International Festival brought the ICS
community together for a great day. Families
in national dress led the Parade Of Nations
which opened the day. Children played in
the sunshine while adults enjoyed each
other's company. Everyone loved the foods
on offer, ranging from cakes to curries. The
marquee rang with cheers and applause as
students and teachers entertained festivalgoers with some great performances.
Colombian dancers (in beautiful dresses)
enchanted the audience. Student soloists
wowed the crowds. There was a martial
arts show plus live music from several
bands and student ensembles.
Celebrating many cultures
The annual festival is organised by the
ICS Parents’ Association and celebrates
the many nationalities at ICS. Outgoing
PA President Nancy Michels said: “It was
a great day. The food was excellent, the
showcase of talent on the entertainment
stage was impressive, and the parade,
games, crafts, market, book sale and other
activities were a lot of fun. And the positive
and supportive comumunity spirit was
evident in so many ways.
“Thank you to the parents, students and
staff who worked so hard planning and
running this great event. It requires many
volunteers, and the ICS community made
it look easy! Special thanks to Festival
coordinators Kate Bergdahl and Kieran
Joshi and their team of committee chairs
who coordinated all the volunteers. We also
thank the caretakers at ICS - Kurt Schrag,
Andy Osborne and Robbie Wettstein and
their team. We could not have done it
without them. And thanks to all who came
to the Festival: it was another reminder of
what a wonderful opportunity it is to be part
of this ICS community!”
10
Above, Colombian dancers enchant the audience. Below, the Dutch and
Spanish stands at the 2014 International Festival.
The Festival raised over 6,000 CHF which
will go to support three good causes close
to the ICS community’s heart: the Second
Chance Education Centre in Tanzania,
the Arogya Agam Clinic in India and the
Nepalese University Scholarship Fund. In
addition, the Book Stall raised over 2,000
CHF which will help buy e-books for the
ICS library.
Thanks to Christina Fryer, Lena Victoria and
Tara Doubman for these photos. To see more
pictures from the
Festival, scan this
QR code with
your smartphone
and it will take
you
to
the
slideshow on our
website.
the ICS international festival
international community
Right: families having fun in the sun; top
right, a Mexican student and musicians
(above) join in the Parade of Nations.
Mothers’ Day Breakfast
Friday 9 May was a Mothers' Day celebration in Primary. To say
'thank you' to them for all that they do, Mums were invited into
school for breakfast. They enjoyed some delicious food and a
chance to catch up with other Mums. Then there was a musical
serenade from students. Mums were then invited into classrooms
to spend time with their children and to see the learning they are
engaging in. As the pictures show, they thoroughly enjoyed the
morning.
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community engagement
Making friends in Tanzania
A group of Grade 9 students and teachers
spent part of their Easter holiday helping
out at school...in Tanzania.
Visiting four tribes, working at two schools, going on safari and
interacting with local children. Those were some of the highlights of
the Grade 9 trip to Tanzania over the Easter holiday.
For the past few years ICS has offered Grade 9 students (and
teachers) the opportunity to visit Tanzania and take part in a
range of service and personal development activities there. This
year, students Cedric V, Hannah H, Toby H, Katrine B, Natalya L,
Josephine K, Finn B and Beem P were selected to go along with
teachers Mr Matthews, Mrs Pombinho and Mrs Bender. They visited
Makaa Primary School and Second Chance Education Centre,
working and interacting with the children. They carried out projects
to help make the school a better learning environment. They also
took 10 suitcases full of donated clothes, shoes, hats, toys and
games and bargained with local sales people to buy supplies and
materials for the two schools using funds donated by the ICS
community.
They say: “We were allowed to take part and observe a class in
Second Chance and some of us were able to teach the children
some songs and dances. We were also able to build new wooden
shelves for the classrooms in Second Chance. At Makaa we
helped repair the school. We made cement and made new floors
for two classrooms. We helped out in many rooms, painting the
walls, repairing and re-installing window mesh, and repairing
wooden desks. Both Makaa and Second Chance were very
grateful but they are still in need of help, so we hope to
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continue these efforts in the coming years. We had several moments
throughout our trip where we were able to play and interact with the
children. This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip!
“For four days, we went camping and visited four different tribes
that live in Tanzania. These include the Maasai, Datoga, Blacksmiths
and the Bushmen. We had a wonderful time trying to jump as high
as we could with the Maasai Tribe. We visited the Datoga village
and attempted to dance. We went hunting with the Bushmen tribe,
but failed to hit the target. We also went on a medicine walk where
we learned about different trees and their purpose – for example
making a toothbrush! This gave us the chance to learn about
different tribes and to engage with their everyday lives.
We ended our journey with a safari where we saw zebras,
elephants, rhinos, hippos and wildebeest. We then headed back to
Moshi to say our final goodbyes. On our last
day we said our goodbyes to the children,
schools and other wonderful people
who we had the pleasure of meeting.
It was an amazing trip, which we
will never forget, and definitely a
life-changing experience, which
we were fortunate to take part in.
Seeing the children’s smiles, and
the gratitude they had for us, was
simply heartwarming and will
always be with us. If we
could, we would go
back tomorrow!”
Cole hatches an idea to help
Cole H returned from his ICS trip to Tanzania wanting to
help improve living conditions there. Two years later, he is
very close to turning his dream into reality.
Cole H went to Tanzania two years ago when he was in Grade 9 and returned wanting to help improve living conditions in the region.
Since then he has raised nearly $35,000 of his targeted $50,000
to set up a shellfish hatchery to benefit village women in Eastern
Africa.
The ICS trip to Tanzania offers Grade 9 students service and
personal development opportunities (see story left). When Cole
was selected to go he spent part of his trip helping to improve
classrooms at the Second Chance Education Centre (he is pictured
volunteering there, far right). He says: “I saw how rough living
conditions were there and I wanted to find a way to help people.”
He was still thinking about that when he started his ICS Grade 10
Personal Project - and decided to combine the two. He says: “I
wanted to do my Project on marine science or conservation. The
idea for a hatchery came up through contact with a company in my
local town in the US. During my Personal Project I developed the
blueprints and designs for a shellfish hatchery. We are now working
to set up the hatchery in Zanzibar: it will help incubate cockles (a
type of clam) so that they can be farmed. This will provide a valuable
source of protein and income for local villagers in Zanzibar.” If
successful, his hatchery will be used as a model for more hatcheries
in Zanzibar and Tanzania.
by Christmas and the hatchery could be up and running by this time
next year.”
Cole, who followed the Business@School programme in Grade
10, is very interested in business as well as marine sciences. Next
year he will be applying to US universities to study for a major in
business and a minor in marine sciences. In the meantime, this
project is extending his interests in both areas. He says, “I would
love to raise awareness of this project and solicit for donations to
it. The money raised so far has come from family and friends, two
foundations and a local Rotary Club. But we need help raising
the final amount. The hatchery will be owned by Woods Hole - an
internationally renowned, non-profit institute. They are overseeing
the collection and distribution of funds for the project.”
• Anyone interested in Cole’s Zanzibar Hatchery Project can find
out more by reading his presentation here:
www.icsz.ch/page.cfm?p=762
Tax-deductible donations can be made via the Woods Hole
website: www.whoi.edu/support/ Click‘Make a Gift’ and select
‘Zanzibar Hatchery Project’.
Women in Africa’s coastal villages, Cole explains, lack opportunities
to earn an income and cannot afford boats for offshore fishing.
Shellfish farming provides these women with jobs. But they need
help to start the aquaculture process, which is where a hatchery
comes into place. Since his Personal Project finished, Cole has
carried on working on the hatchery initiative and hopes to see it
through to completion. He has support from leading research
institute Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. He is being
sponsored by WHOI aquaculture expert Hauke Kite-Powell who
helped bring on board the State University of Zanzibar which has
offered to host the hatchery on their campus.
Cole explains: “We want the hatchery to be low-cost. If the
university hosts it, it will be less expensive than having to construct
a whole new building. We are hoping we will have the full $50,000
by this summer to cover the cost of the equipment. The best case
scenario is that the parts should be bought and shipped to Zanzibar
Cole (above, on the right) volunteering at Second
Chance School in Tanzania in 2012.
13
community engagement:
Student Ambassador training
Across the school,
students and teachers are
working on ways to help
make new arrivals feel
welcome this summer.
One Monday lunchtime in early June a group
of Grade 4 students meets to discuss how
they will help welcome new students to
ICS this summer. At the Orientation Day in
August for new students and their families,
these Primary Student Ambassadors will
run activities for the new arrivals. Primary
Counsellor Ms Suery is helping them
organise what they will do.
“I’ll help with the basketball,” volunteers
one of the boys while a girl offers to look
after the art activity where new students
can go and draw their flag, their family, or
something about their country. “I’ll be on
the snacks and drinks stand,” say two of
the girls. Meanwhile, two boys offer to stay
by the woodchips area in the playground,
playing with any of the new students who
come there.
Making new students feel comfortable
This is a training session for Primary
Student Ambassadors. The Ambassadors
scheme has been refined since last year
and the new Primary Ambassadors have
defined areas of responsibility. They also
know that what they are doing is important
in helping new students feel welcome and
comfortable at ICS. As Ms Suery tells them,
“You are here to help the new students.
Look after them, talk to them and answer
their questions.”
Many of them want to do that as they still
have vivid memories of what it felt like to
be new themselves. Owen H says: “I
remember that when I was new last year
14
Any new Primary students who need help, or a playmate, at the
Orientation Day can ask the Grade 5 Student Ambassadors.
I felt really shy and awkward. I don’t want
the new students to feel like that. I want
to help them find friends.” Evita J couldn’t
speak English when she first came to ICS
and as a result, she says, “At first I didn’t
understand people and I felt left out. Then
people started including me and a friend
helped to show me around the school.”
Helping build the community
Many of these students will empathise with
the new arrivals. But they also see that it is
a good opportunity for them to start gaining
some leadership experience. Oliver K says:
“I decided to be a Student Ambassador as
I have been new several times and I know
what it’s like.” He adds with a grin, “But I
also like being in charge of things!” Edward
M adds: “We’ll be in Grade 5 next year –
the highest Grade in the Primary School.
We know we need to set a good example to
younger students and show that we can be
responsible. As Student Ambassadors we
can also help to build the ICS community.”
Meanwhile, in the Secondary School, a
group of older students is doing Student
Ambassador training. They are role-playing
the first conversations between a new
arrival and their Student Ambassador.
Despite lots of good intentions, the
conversations are forced and awkward, and
the small talk dries up after only a couple of
minutes. “I didn’t know what to say,” says
Melanie S, who was role-playing a new
student. Counsellors Lindsay Landmark
and Cristina Alcoz-Zazu offer tips.
Starting conversations
“New students may well feel the same as
you,” says Ms Alcoz-Zazu. “So when you
are talking to them, try not to use ‘closed’
helping with transitions
Families on the move
questions – questions with just a one
word answer. Instead, ask open-ended
questions.” Ms Landmark suggests that
‘how’ is a good word to start an open
question. “You could ask ‘How was your
trip here?’ Another good question is ‘Tell
me about your….’ and then you can ask
about their old school, or their family. And
if they give short answers to that, you
can always tell them about your school
or family to help get the conversation
going.”
The Counsellors are at pains to stress
that “We are not asking you to become
instant friends with them, so if you
don’t have a lot in common with them, it
doesn’t matter. Your role is to help new
students integrate. We are asking you
to make them welcome at ICS and help
them to feel that this is a safe, friendly
place to be.”
A great experience
The Secondary Ambassadors will make
their first contact with new students
before this term ends. They will email
them to introduce themselves and offer
to answer questions or meet up before
school starts. Several of them have acted
as Ambassadors before and are keen
to do it again. Elise N (Grade 10) says:
“It is a great experience to get to know
new people and to introduce them to the
school.”
Ms Alcoz-Zazu adds, “And it is great for
the new students to have you offering to
meet them, showing them around and
making sure that they are okay. It all helps
make their transition easier.”
ICS
Counsellors
have
been running
workshops
for parents and students
managing the transition to
another country.
Moving from one country to another is
exciting. But it is also challenging and can
trigger a range of emotional reactions, as
parents discussed when they attended an
ICS workshop for ‘Families on the Move’.
“In our ‘honeymoon period’ when we first
moved here I loved everything from the
beautiful scenery to the amazing range of
dairy products in the supermarket,” said one
parent. “I wanted to try them all – yoghurt,
quark, cream cheese, the lot!” By contrast,
another mum says: “We didn’t have a
honeymoon period, we went straight into
‘culture shock’ when we came here. At first
we were in temporary accommodation that
was too small – there were five of us and
we only had four chairs. Also we moved in
winter. There was heavy snow and I wasn’t
used to pushing a baby in a pram through
the snow. I didn’t see anything good about
being here.”
This range of reactions to moving is typical,
according to the Counsellors. Whether we
are adults or children, there are different
(continued on next page)
15
helping with transitions
Families on the move (continued)
emotional stages to the adjustment
cycle we go through as we disconnect
from our current environment, make the
physical move and then reconnect in a
new environment. But not everyone goes
through these stages in the same order.
As part of the support that ICS offers to
families who are moving, the Counsellors
explained this to parents – as they also do for
students who are moving. In doing so, they
try to help them understand and prepare for
the feelings they may experience, and offer
strategies for doing so.
These include building a ‘RAFT’. They advise
parents and students that before they leave,
it is important to try and ‘Resolve’ conflicts
or awkward situations; ‘Affirm’ relationships;
decide when and how to say ‘Farewell’; and
‘Think’ ahead to the new country they are
moving to.
As Grades 9-12 Counsellor Cristina AlcozZazu told parents, “We need to ‘Resolve’
issues so that we can close them and move
on in a healthy way. Maybe your child has
had a difficult relationship with another
child: perhaps they could try to have one
good playdate together before you move.”
Lindsay Landmark, who from next year will
be working with Grades 6-8, agreed. “In
order to transition positively, you have to
disengage positively. One way to do that
is to ‘Affirm’ relationships. One parent told
us about how her daughter wrote a really
nice letter to her three best friends to say
goodbye to them. That was a good way for
her to affirm her friendship with them and
positively disengage from one environment
and get ready to move to the next one.”
‘Farewells’ are also important, the
Counsellors say, but need to be managed
carefully. “It can be draining trying to fit in
farewell lunches and parties with everyone
who wants to say goodbye.”
‘Thinking’ ahead is also important, they add:
16
they advise trying to visit children’s new
schools as soon as possible, researching
the cultural differences they will face, and
planning trips to do in the new country.
Adults and children will react differently
to the move to a new environment, and if
they are having difficulties adjusting, this
may show itself as apparent misbehaviour.
Rachel Suery told parents that it is good to
listen to their children.
“Silence intensifies despair. Talk to your
children and try and understand the different
feelings they have. Give them assurance
and hope: transitions take time, three to six
months is typical. But things will get better.”
Advice from the
Counsellors
Before you leave:
• Encourage your child to help with
packing.
• Visit your new town and school via
the internet.
• Make a plan to say goodbye to
significant people and places.
• Keep to routines. Kids will often
try and push the limits. Leave
the curtains, the plates and the
boxes – they will get sorted and concentrate on routines. It’s
a different house, but the house
rules stay the same, and the
routine stays the same.
• Try to keep stable points of
reference such as grandparents.
• Give your child’s friends postcards
with your new address.
• Research new cultural differences
with your child.
• Allow your child to take special
things on the airplane.
• With younger kids, you may need
to explain the reason for moving
over and over. It can be annoying,
but if your child keeps asking, keep
explaining.
When you arrive:
• Take a break from unpacking to
tour the neighbourhood.
• Give your child something to do.
Maybe they can help unpack. Find
them a couple of activities.
• Allow your child to have input into
decorating his/her room.
• Plan trips in the new place.
• Encourage your child to bring
home new friends.
• Visit the school as soon as
possible.
• Establish routine as soon as
possible.
• Find out where to get familiar items
(food, magazines, etc).
coffee with THe ICS LEADERSHIP TEAM
Building skills and strengths
Staff changes next school
year will build our skills and
strengths, the Leadership
Team told parents at the last
Coffee Morning.
As well as the students and families
transitioning to and from ICS, there are also
staff coming and going. At June’s Coffee
with the Leadership Team, parents heard
about the changes.
At the end of this school year, we are in
the unique situation of having four teachers
retire, along with the staff who are leaving
to pursue new adventures in other countries
or taking time out to be with their families.
Making the transition as smooth as possible
for leaving and incoming staff is a key priority
for the school: “ICS is a team, so when we
recruit new staff, we are looking for people
who can complement the existing strengths
in the team,” the Leadership Team say.
“Bringing in additional strengths and skills
is important. It helps us up our game, brings
in new blood and introduces different ways
of delivering our curriculum.”
Next year there will be both new faces and
some new roles at the school. John Mikton
is coming from the International School of
Prague to take up a new role as Director
of E-Learning. As part of his move, he has
already spent some time at ICS, meeting
and working with future colleagues.
Similarly, departing Primary Principal
Timothy Moynihan has been liaising closely
with his successor, Tim Crocker. Meanwhile
on 5 June our incoming IB Diploma History
teacher, Linda Trautman, met all of the
Grade 11 History students during a visit to
the school and continued her transitional
work with Mr Pataki and the Humanities
team. Ms Trautman, who has a PhD from
the London School of Economics, is an
Next year brings more specialist Science, English and Humanities
teachers to work with Grades 6-8.
experienced IB History teacher, as well as
an IB examiner for History and the Extended
Essay.
New roles and responsibilities
Some changes taking place are internal,
with existing ICS staff members moving into
new positions of responsibility. As Angela
David says goodbye to ICS, music teacher
Melanie Ward takes up a role as schoolwide Head of Department for Performing
Arts. When Kathryn Freeburn departs, Erik
Eckstein will become Head of Department
for Secondary Mathematics, and will
cease teaching Science to concentrate on
Mathematics. Next year Elinor Osborne will
concentrate on her role as Deputy Secondary
Principal, so P.E. teacher Mike Findlay will
become Interim Athletics Director. There is
also a new role for current Grade 1 teacher
Claire Febrey, who will work next year in the
new post of Instructional Coach for Primary
teachers. In addition to participating in conferences
and workshops to enhance their skills, from
next year, Primary teachers will have inhouse coaching. “When a teacher and an
instructional coach get together to focus
on specific goals for student learning, a
coach can assist a teacher in identifying
ways to enhance the learning experience
for students.” Other changes in Primary
include the introduction of an integrated
dance & drama class that continues through
the year. New arrival Courtney Beamish will
be leading that class.
In Secondary, there has been a focus
on identifying teachers who have a
specialisation in working with particular
age groups – in particular, Grades 6-8.
There will be new Science, English and
Humanities teachers in the Middle Years
Programme who bring a lot of experience
as teachers of these grade levels and as
Middle Years Programme workshop leaders.
“With these changes, we are building on
the existing strengths of both our staff and
our departments”, say the Leadership Team.
17
boosting school spirit
Lip dub makes us ‘happy’
To boost school spirit, two
Grade 10 students got the
whole school involved in
shooting an ICS video.
As part of a Grade 10 Media Studies course
that has been piloted this year, two students
and a teacher worked to produce a ‘lip dub’
video with the entire school, writes Grade
10 student Olivia C.
Uniting the students of ICS
In their classes, students Amanda M and
Freya P worked with teacher Simon Lang
on organizing the ‘lip dub’. The aim was to
unite the pupils of ICS and produce a video
reflecting the feelings of joy and fun that
ICS students can hardly contain. After the
plan won the approval and support of the
ICS Leadership Team, the key tasks were
to choose a song everyone would enjoy
singing along to, and organise all the grades
and many practices.
The whole of ICS was there to support them.
“There were guys who took time out of their
mornings to help set everything up, students
who went home and practised a routine,
and teachers who thought up amazing ideas
for their students to do,” says Amanda.
Everyone thought of different ways to
express themselves from Grade 5 students
in onesies to Grade 8s dancing on the stairs
to Grade 11s dressing up in lab coats. Each
idea showed how privileged the school
was to host such talented and enthusiastic
students that were united by a simple song.
The song was “Happy” by Pharrell Williams
and was chosen by the students through a
school-wide poll.
Finding the perfect song
It is the perfect song to represent ICS as
it reflects the fun the school has every day.
18
Top: Early Years students kick off the video. Centre: a ‘happy’ Grade 4.
Bottom left: Grade 10 students get into the school spirit. Bottom right:
Grade 11 scientists.
Everyone was included and this lip dub was
not made by one small team but using the
ideas and passion of everyone at ICS.
Students were excited about the final shoot.
“The lip dub was fun and enjoyable and
working with the confetti was really funny,”
says Grade 8 student Connor M.
There were some issues along the way but
“it wouldn’t have been much of an adventure
if something didn’t go wrong at least once,”
Amanda says. Bad weather, short practices,
and organization were all issues that ICS
overcame. The students’ warmth and
eagerness prevailed over Swiss weather
and we all learnt that no rain was able to
dampen the spirits of ICS. Everyone learnt
how to cooperate and work together as the
community that ICS is to produce a piece
of work that shows exactly how ‘happy’ our
school can be.
Involving the whole community
As Freya says: “The lip dub has been a really
exciting project to work on. To see all the
hard work finally come together to create
something really special that involves the
whole school community is really fulfilling.”
grade 10 personal development month
A month of experience and learning
This year’s activities
Grade 10s are seizing the
opportunities offered by
the unique ICS Personal
Development Month.
For their Personal Development Month
this year, students are doing the
following activities - among others.
•
“It’s been a very long wait, but the Grade 10
Expedition is finally upon us,” writes student
Jan de B. “New experiences and going
outside your comfort zone are just some
of the things the Expedition offers. It is one
option that students can choose during their
Personal Development Month - and it really
is the one for me.
The Personal Development Month
only happens at ICS. It was developed
by Director of Studies Clive Greaves
who wanted to give students a personal
challenge after the Grade 10 exams
finished. All Grade 10 students are asked
to plan and complete their own Personal
Development Month (PDM). Two weeks of
school term and two weeks of holidays is
allocated for students to learn or experience
something new. Mr Greaves says: ‘Students
are encouraged to show initiative and
independence in choosing activities - such
as work placements, community service
or specialist courses - where they will be
learning in different environments and with
different people. It is a chance for students to
challenge themselves to do something new
and unknown and it requires perseverance
and co-operation - both qualities required
for the IB Diploma, and in the workplace.’
The PDM began with the first
month-long expedition to Ecuador in
2002. Then, when ICS moved away from
the International General Certificate of
Secondary Education, students had time to
go on expedition instead of spending five
weeks sitting exams. The programme was
expanded in 2005 so all students (not just
those going on self-supporting expeditions)
were enabled to complete a PDM.
A good thing about the PDM is
that you can choose what to do. You can
•
•
•
•
Above, last year’s Grade 10
students helping at a project
for street children during their
expedition to Bolivia.
go on an expedition hiking and learning
about a new culture, go to other schools to
study a new subject or work with a charity.
It is up to students to decide and as long
as they are able to justify their commitment,
anything is possible. This year, some Grade
10s are doing an apprenticeship to acquire
job experience, for example, shadowing a
doctor on a ward or working in a library. The
28 of us going with Outlook Expeditions to
Peru for four weeks are looking forward to
the challenge. The question is will our boots
hold out for that long?
The outline of the expedition is
provided by the school and expedition
organizers, but we students will choose
what we want do there. One group may opt
to see the ancient city of Machu Picchu,
while the other group may go sand surfing
in a desert oasis. The freedom given to
students to choose what to do encourages
them to try and learn new skills for the future.
Along the way it will create memories we will
not forget in a hurry. We’ve had years’ notice
and now it’s time to go out into the great
unknown to do adventures that will last
a lifetime. I wonder if I’ve packed enough
socks?”
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Chemistry summer school at
Harvard University;
Service projects in Costa Rica;
Archaeological excavation in
Cyprus;
Internship at Bank Julius Baer,
Zurich;
Pre-IB summer course and dance
programme at Oxford, UK;
Work on restoring Morris Minor
motor car, UK;
Internship at ABB, Zurich;
Animal work at Zurich Zoo;
Children’s Theatre in Wisconsin,
USA;
Work at dog rescue shelter, USA;
Print-making, design and drawing
at Rhode Island School of Design,
USA;
Course in business & finance in
London, UK;
Office work at One Football,
Germany;
Lab work, Cosmology &
Astrophysics lab, ETH Zurich;
Matterhorn trek;
Basketball camp in Miami, USA;
Robotics/Technology course at
Stanford University, USA;
Work at Navico Marine Electronics
factory, Mexico;
Volunteer at Bottlenose Dolphin
Research Institute, ETH Zurich;
English Literature course,
Cambridge, UK;
Internship, Sarada Devi Hospital;
Secunderabad, India;
Creative Writing course, Columbia
University; New York, USA
19
sports round-up
High times for High School tennis
Above, photos from the SCIS tournament in mid-May. Left: Mizuki S in action on the court on her way to
second place in the Girls’ Singles’ contest. Middle, Nick G and right, Robert R playing in the Boys’ Doubles.
Below, Desiree H and Bianca C who were undefeated throughout the two days of the competition.
The High School Tennis Team has been on top form this term. In
early May they returned triumphant from the SGIS (Swiss Group of
International Schools) Tennis Tournament in Leysin. They followed
up, a week later, by finishing second overall at the SCIS (Sports
Council of International Schools) Tournament at the Stork Tennis
Club, which ICS hosted.
Tennis champions
High School tennis players Alexander R and Mizuki S won the
Mixed Doubles title in Leysin, after competing against 36 teams
from nine Swiss schools.
Their final went down to the wire as they battled it out with their
opponents, Aiglon College, point for point. They finally clinched the
last set tie-break 9-7 to bring home the trophy.
At the same event, Alexander R partnered Denis D to take third
place in the Boys’ Doubles contest.
A win for the girls
A week later, at the SCIS event in mid-May, the ICS girls came
top in the Division 2 Girls’ Doubles contest: players Desiree H and
Bianca C were undefeated throughout two days of competition.
And Mizuki S came second in the Girls’ Singles contest, losing
20
in only one match, and defeating the contest’s eventual champion.
The ICS boys took third place in both the Division 1 (Denis D and
Alexander R) and Division 2 (Robert R and Nicholas G) Boys’
Doubles contest.
All the players should be congratulated on their performances.
Coach Rob McHarg
sports round-up
Netball - not just a club anymore
Netball started out as a
club but has now developed
into an ICS team sport.
Netball started out as a school club but
with determination from teachers and
students, it has developed into something
greater - a team sport.
Devin M writes: “In 2011, ICS organised
netball as a school club. Ms Fletcher
and Ms Thompson taught interested ICS
students how to play netball, which was
for some students a foreign and intriguing
sport. Though at first, ICS may not have
been the best, netball was still fun. The
following year ICS stood out to the other
international school netball teams as a
team who could play.
In 2013, ICS traveled to Geneva with two
teams to compete in a netball tournament.
ICS was the only international school from
the German-speaking area of Switzerland
to compete. This year ICS was once again
invited to the tournament in Geneva, and
won the sportsmanship award. ICS then
The ICS and LGB Netball teams pose for a group photo, above, after
competing on the court, below.
hosted a tournament for netball and invited
La Grande Boissièr - International School
of Geneva to come and play.
Over the past three years the ICS netball
club, with the enthusiasm of the players
and the organisation and dedication of the
coaches has transformed into a competing
team.”
Girls’ softball successes
The Varsity Girls’ Softball Team had a great
game in Basel, writes coach Leanne Byle.
They played with confidence and showed
great fielding skills and finished victorious,
winning the game 8-6.
The Middle School Girls’ Team (pictured
right) had an exciting softball match against
the International School of Zug & Luzern
here at ICS. For many of the girls it was
their first softball game.
They were up by one for the first half, but
were defeated in the end. However, they
did an excellent job coming together as a
team.
21
sports round-up
Athletics
There have been some strong performances in athletics
recently by students from across the school.
Over 40 students from Grades 2-11
represented ICS in a local cross-country
event, the Zumikerlauf, on Saturday 10 May.
They were joined by several ICS staff and
parents. Among the student runners was
nine-year-old Abigail F whose performance
in the 1.2km children's run secured her a
podium finish (see the picture above) and
coverage in local newspaper, the Zürichsee
Zeitung.
The previous week, despite persistent rain
and a temperature of just 4 degrees, ICS
athletes also competed strongly in the SGIS
22
Track & Field meet in Luzern. The Secondary
Athletics Team took part in the SGIS Track &
Field Championships, competing against 18
other schools from throughout Switzerland.
They performed well, netting several top 10
finishes and a few top 5. Ruby B (Grade 6)
and Emil P (Grade 11) both qualified for, and
competed in, their 100m finals. And Sofie
D (Grade 7) clinched the bronze medal after
finishing third in the girls’ 1500 meter race.
We congratulate
successes.
our
athletes
on
their
sports awards
‘Achieve in sport, achieve in life’
Sport teaches us vital
lessons about achieving in
all areas of life, our inspiring
guest speaker told students
at the 2014 Sports Awards.
“We are here to celebrate the sports
of this year, the achievements and
accomplishments, the teams and the
athletes.” With these words Grade 11
student Annika S, one of four student
hosts, opened the Sports Awards 2014.
She was followed by Athletics Director
Elinor Osborne who added, “Every year as I
watch the different sports teams I am always
struck by the high level of commitment and
passion that our athletes bring to their
sports and the talent our coaches uncover.
Achievement is something that all our ICS
athletes can relate to.”
Achievement was the theme addressed by
our guest speaker. Paralympic swimmer
Lord Holmes told students that passion
and commitment is vital – but achievement
requires courage as well.
He was already a competitive swimmer
when he unexpectedly lost his sight
overnight at the age of 14. One of the
things that kept him going, he told our
students, was his determination to fulfil
his dream to represent Great Britain at
the highest level. Six years later he did
so at the Barcelona Paralympics, where
he won a record-breaking haul of six gold
medals. He went on to become Britain’s
most successful Paralympic swimmer and
in 2012, led the organising team for the
London Paralympic Games.
He shared with students the ways in which
he overcame his disability to achieve his
goals. “In those first difficult weeks after
losing my sight, it was my dreams that
pulled me through. I asked myself, could I
Top: award-winning student athletes on the podium. Below from left:
speaker Lord Holmes; some of the trophies ICS athletes won this year;
Lord Holmes congratulating ICS tennis champ Mizuki S.
achieve any of them? What would I have to
do differently? It made me realise I still had
choices - and that I would need to lead my
own efforts to make my dreams happen.”
He returned to swimming but his first
European
Paralympic
championships
were disastrous. “I came 28th out of 29
swimmers.” The set-back made him
question himself. But when he realised
he still wanted to aim for the Paralympic
Games, he set himself the goal of making it
to the podium five years later in Barcelona.
To achieve that ambition required him to
shave between 5.5 and 6 seconds off his
race times in events “where races are won
by hundredths of a second.” He almost
gave up. “But then I thought, I train twice a
day. All I have to do, every time I get in the
pool, is to improve my race time by just one
five-hundredth of a second. Surely I could
do that?”
He achieved his dream. And that is why he
feels it is vital that “be it in sport or school
or university or work, you must believe in
what you are trying to achieve.” That is
also why he is a passionate supporter of
sport. “The lessons you learn in sport are
crucial. You learn about what it takes to
enable athletes to play and perform and to
be better tomorrow than you are today. If
you can drive yourself forward in sport, you
can drive yourself forward in anything else
you want to achieve.”
23
visiting speaker
Actor inspires future leaders
Actor Ben Walden came to inspire students
with his ideas about leadership, writes Grade
11 student Harrison H.
On Friday 6 June, Grades 9 and 11 participated in a leadership
course run by Contender Charlie, a company whose aim is “to
enhance and inspire the creative learning of young people as well
as their teachers and school leaders.”
The course was primarily focused on what it takes to be an
inspirational leader, or an entrepreneur, and how best to successfully
make a difference in the world.
Ben Walden, who ran the session, worked as a Shakespearian
actor at the Globe Theatre in London before forming Contender
Charlie a number of years ago. He currently speaks primarily at
schools and teacher conferences. He also spoke at the ICS 12th
Grade Graduation this year. (See page 4.)
The talk to Grade 9 covered the four main qualities it takes to be
an inspirational leader: adventuring dreamer, welcoming nurturer,
analyst, and achiever. Each of these qualities refers to a different but
necessary aspect of being a leader - respectively, being creative,
a good listener, able to think things through and having the desire
“I found the session inspirational.
What he said was fascinating. He
made you feel like you were the
only one in the room.”
Henry D, Grade 9
to succeed. The session took place in the form of a large group
discussion led by Mr Walden, where everyone was able to present
their own ideas about leadership, success, and what motivates
people to act in the way they do.
The 11th Grade session went into more depth. Similar topics
were covered - the basic qualities of leadership, what it takes to
be successful, and what motivates people. Instead of just talking
about it, however, we students participated in activities designed
Right: Ben Walden talks to ICS students about
leadership and calling.
24
to cater to one of the qualities. The purpose of this was to help us
to determine which of the qualities we are strongest in, and which
we need to work on.
The students in general found the session to be very interesting,
and even those who were initially skeptical ended up enjoying the
session.
Grade 9’s Henry D, one of the more enthusiastic participants, had
this to say about the session: “I found the session inspirational for
me. What he said about how people perceive you was fascinating.
He made you feel like you were the only one in the room –actually,
it was mind-blowing. I felt like he was talking just to me. At the end
of the talk, I went up and shook his hand to thank him personally.
He said to me, ‘good luck to you’ just like Nelson Mandela did in
one of his stories. That really touched me.”
Sabrina Reinke, also in Grade 9, said she found the leadership
session “really inspirational. What he said, about school education
only being a tiny part of how people see us, was really interesting. I
loved it, and learnt a lot from it.”
the atkinson award
Recognising exceptional teaching
teacher
confidence
when called in to mediate
disputes about grades
and evaluation in their
area of responsibility,
always having both the
teachers’ and students’
best interests at heart.
Clive
Greaves
is
the
inaugural recipient of The
Atkinson Award presented
by the ICS Board of Trustees.
Since joining the ICS
Community 33 years
ago, Mr. Greaves has
been valued as a teacher
in both the Primary and
Secondary School, and
has held the positions of
Primary Principal, Deputy
Secondary Principal, and
Director of Studies.
The Atkinson Award, which is named
after the founders of ICS, Gerald and Kay
Atkinson, was established in May 2013 by
the ICS Board of Trustees to recognise and
celebrate exceptional ICS teachers. The
Atkinsons inspired hundreds of students as
they embodied and championed the role of
the teacher.
As Gerald Atkinson wrote “A good teacher
does not need to rely on textbooks. Indeed
a good class is not … one in which the
children are all injected with the same
facts, in the same way, from the same
book. A good class is … one in which the
teacher promotes the subject, provokes
the curiosity of the children, and stimulates
the research and guides them to sources of
information that will help them answer their
questions.”
In his tribute to Clive Greaves, the inaugural
recipient of The Atkinson Award, the Chair
of the ICS Board of Trustees, Mr. Sanjeev
Premchand, said that “Mr. Greaves has
always shown leadership qualities that
demonstrate an attitude to lifelong learning,
and has always remained committed to
the education of all members of the ICS
community, regularly playing an active role
in introducing members of our community
to Zurich, often providing snippets of
information gathered over a lifetime of
learning and teaching, mastering the art of
imparting knowledge, good judgment and
wisdom to our students.
He has been described as ‘by far the finest
teacher I have ever had the privilege to work
with’ and as ‘a natural communicator’. In the
words of a colleague he is ‘single-handedly
responsible for so much of what makes
ICS a stand-out among top international
schools’. He is dedicated to making learning
tangible by leading students on field trips
and other excursions from the classroom, is
committed to bridging cultures, and taking
students out of their comfort zones.
Another member of staff said ‘What I
admire most is that he is a gifted teacher
with a sense of humour who inspires
students to achieve their potential and who
leads by example.’
A parent described Clive as having ‘the
knack for finding the right approach when
addressing 8th Graders as well as when
working with 12th Graders, and using
creative methods in making as abstract and
advanced a course as Theory of Knowledge
relevant and meaningful for students’ and
having the ability to restore student and
He
has
had
the
opportunity to do many
things at ICS from
looking after the 7th
Grade Show (which was
when our paths first crossed) the football
team, the table tennis club, and the drama
club. He was the first editor of the school
magazine, a driving force in the Personal
Development Programme for all 10th
Grade students, as well as the introduction
of the IB PYP and MYP programs to ICS.
He has been a goodwill ambassador for
ICS both through his charity work both in
Switzerland and in the developing world.
Clive Greaves is a teacher who epitomises
ICS’ mission to ‘Achieve your Potential,
Pursue your Passion and Fulfil your
Responsibility’. With great pleasure the
Board of Trustees selected him to be the
inaugural recipient of The Atkinson Award. It
is the collective wish of the ICS community
that Clive’s legacy lives on through the
thousands of lives that he has touched
during his time at ICS.”
25
primary learning
Grade 2 goes exploring
Grade 4 students experienced first-hand
what getting a drink of water means for
many people around the world. In late
May, as part of their unit of inquiry into
‘Water’, they did a sponsored walk to the
Zurichsee to collect one litre of water
from the lake. They then walked back up
to school carrying the water. This allowed
them to experience for themselves how
far many people must walk every day to
obtain clean water.
As part of their inquiry into
‘Exploration’, Grade 2 went
to find the Dragon Cave in
Küsnacht.
Cleo J: 2KL went on a field trip to the
Dragon Cave in Küsnacht. They planned
to go there to explore the cave. 2KL split
up into 2 groups. They walked 4km. When
they arrived they screamed WOW! 2KL
was so excited because the Cave looked
like a skull. 2KL rushed to get their torches
to explore the cave. After playing in the
cave 2KL had their snack and headed
back to school. On the way 2KL took a
break and the moms bought a treat for all
the hard work and went back to school. At
school the kids said ‘that was awesome
and we want to go on another exploration.’
Philip S: 2KL went on a walk to find the
Dragon Cave. They walked for a long time.
Every one was tired. But they didn't give up
because they wanted to see if it is true that
there was a cave. When we found the cave
Philip found an amazing rock and we used
torches to see inside the cave. The cave
looked like a skull.
Molly H: On Thursday, May 22nd, 2014,
2KL went to a cave to explore. They went
because they wanted to win a race against
the other two classes. 2TA took 45 minutes.
2KL wanted to be faster. After a long time
of walking, they finally reached a field. They
had to vote on which way to go. Group 1
went to the field. Group 2 kept going on
the road. Soon they came to a waterfall.
They walked until they saw the cave. The
people that saw the cave told the people
in the back. Then the people in the back
started running. The cave was awesome!
26
Grade 4’s walk for
clean water
Above, Grade 2 students reach
the cave. Below, putting their
exploring skills into action, map
reading and deciding whether to
go via the field or the road.
Their walk also gave them a chance
to support Water for the Third World
(W3W), a Swiss charity that buys and
builds pumps to help people around the
world who don’t have access to clean
drinking water. W3W came into school
and demonstrated the pumps that they
provide, which cost about 50 CHF each.
The pumps can change the life of farmers
dramatically as they allow them to irrigate
crops and to lift drinking water from nine
metres underground.
primary learning
Early Years learns
through play
Early Years students enjoyed
learning through play on a
trip to the Zurichhorn park
in early June.
Early Years teachers took their students to
the Zurichhorn Park on a trip to support their
current units of inquiry. Early Years teacher
Rebecca Smith writes: “The students
are finding out about 'How We Express
Ourselves' (with a focus on expressing
ourselves through various types of play)
and 'How we Organise Ourselves' as we
inquire into various modes of transport.”
They clearly enjoyed their inquiries, as
these photos show.
Early Years students explore different types of play including playing
with water fountains, swings, climbing frames, slides and the sandpit.
They also enjoyed chase games.
27
A fashion for learning
The
Fashion Show in
May gave students some
experience of the industry
and
raised
funds
and
awareness for good causes.
By Grade 10 Journalism student Kyra V:
The cafeteria was transformed into a catwalk
one May evening where students presented
casual and evening wear ensembles from
fashion houses Coast, Pepe Jeans and
Tommy Hilfiger. The event was run by ICS
parents Kristin Nerseth and Gemma van
Ree (with the help of many others) as a way
of giving the 65 students involved some
practical experience of the fashion industry.
It also raised awareness, and over 3,000
CHF, for two good causes: the charity
glowbalAct fights human trafficking by
helping sex trafficking victims start a new
life after being abused; Right to Play is an
organization that gives children a chance to
have a childhood.
Teacher Lindy Hirt says: “I was
really impressed at how well Alex H and
Renzo V represented these two charities.
On behalf of glowbalAct, we were so
thankful and honoured that we could be
a part of raising awareness about human
trafficking at the fashion show and so
grateful for the money raised for freedom.”
The show was a huge success.
Olivier Timonin, Coast’s founder, sat right in
the front row proudly taking photos of the
models in his evening gowns. And at the
end the audience rose to their feet to give a
standing ovation.
Fashion Show director Kristin
Nerseth started planning the show last
November. It took tremendous amounts of
work from her, all the other parents who
helped with decorations, ticket sales, hair
and make-up etc, and the 65 students
involved. Thanks to Kristin Nerseth’s past
work in the fashion industry, Coast, Pepe
Jeans and Tommy Hilfiger provided the
28
clothes for the fashion show. Coast showed
evening gowns from top designers Diane
von Furstenberg and Blumarine while Pepe
Jeans showed slick denim wear from their
summer 2014 collection. Tommy Hilfiger’s
collection included casual wear outfits
from Fall 2014 and each model wore the
trademark Hilfiger glasses. There were also
seven Grade 2 students modelling Hilfiger
Kids clothes. There were three teams of
models, each showing one of the brands,
and each with their own hair and make-up
artists and stylist.
As well as fashion there was live
entertainment on the night. Vocalists Ellen V
and William S beautifully performed “Dream
a little dream of me” and Nina Simone’s
“Feeling Good”. Zoe B-M stunned the
audience with her performance of Christina
Aguilera’s “Beautiful”, proving that neither
size or age define talent. Kristin Nerseth
said: “There are so many elements that
must come together, and a lot of details.
However, I am very pleased with the show,
and extremely proud of all the students
involved.”
The show ran smoothly and the
audience was very impressed with the
professional outcome of the show. None of
this would have been possible without the
help of all of the students and staff involved,
as well as the generous hair and make-up
sponsors. This event was a fantastic way to
raise money and awareness for two good
causes, a fun CAS opportunity for students,
but also a once in a lifetime opportunity for
students to experience the glamourous
world of Fashion! ICS can only hope this
tradition will continue for many y e a r s
to come.
Pictures by Grade
student Freya P.
10
“Three words: You. Are. NEEDED!”
In May, students met a UN envoy who
has dedicated his life to helping children
deprived of education, food or their human
rights. “You can help too,” he said.
“When you go home today, thank your parents for investing in your
education: they chose a great school for you. As a result, you have
a great path and wonderful opportunities ahead of you. The kids I
worked with – children dying of starvation in Ethiopia, living on the
streets in Asia, or being deprived of an education in Afghanistan
– didn’t get the options and choices that you have. But you can
help by using whatever skills you have. Even aged 13, you are old
enough to volunteer. Remember three words: You. Are. Needed.”
With these inspirational words, humanitarian Peter Dalglish finished
a talk to our Grade 7 students last week. He is the founder of charity
Street Kids International and is currently Country Representative
for the UN-Habitat programme in Afghanistan. He was invited
to ICS by our Head of School to talk about the ICS Scholarship
Programme. The programme is intended to help children from
around the world who could benefit from being at ICS. For the last
six years, it has offered Nepalese students from remote Himalayan
villages, where there are very few schools, the chance to come to
ICS to study for the IB Diploma and hopefully go on to university.
This is one of many projects Dalglish has set up in the last 30 years.
An epiphany
He originally wanted to be a lawyer and after graduating from
Stanford University and finishing law school, he started working at
a large law firm. Then one day in 1984 he turned on his television
and saw news of the devastating famine in Ethiopia. He says. “I
decided I had to do something so I helped organise an airlift of food
and supplies to Ethiopia from Canada. I spent the last two weeks
of 1984 in a camp in Ethiopia with kids who were starving to death.
Some of them had walked 50-60km carrying their younger brothers
and sisters on their backs. I had a sudden realisation that this was
my life’s work, working with destitute kids who everyone else had
forgotten.”
He gave up his job at the law firm, went to Sudan, and at the age
of 26, was working for the UN World Food Programme, directing
humanitarian operations in Darfur. One of his saddest jobs was
helping bury children who died in the refugee camps. “We would
dig a shallow grave and something would be recited from the Koran
(because they were Muslim). Then we would bury them. We had
Above, Peter Dalglish with our Nepalese Scholarship
students Tenzin, Damzik, Kunchok and Chhimi.
nothing to wrap the bodies in - so we used empty food grain bags
marked ‘A gift from the people of America’. These experiences
shook me profoundly,” he says.
A school for thieves
He went on to set up a vocational school in Khartoum for
pickpockets and thieves. Funded by Bob Geldof of Band Aid,
the school trained them to become carpenters and electricians
instead of criminals. Dalglish had the idea when he saw a street kid
breaking into his car with a long finger-nail. “He almost succeeded
in breaking into a highly secure UN vehicle! I was about to take
him to the police when I realised he was pretty deft with his hands
and might make a good mechanic.” Dalglish later went to work in
Nepal, during its Civil War, helping children living on the streets
during the conflict. “They were in danger of being kidnapped and
forced to fight as child soldiers.” He later created several projects,
like the ICS programme, that offer Nepalese students educational
opportunities they can’t get at home.
He introduced ICS’s four current Nepalese students to the Grade
7s and explained that as Tibetan Buddhists, they have very few
material possessions. “But even so, in some ways their world is
bigger than yours. They all speak three or four languages, they
see things very differently from you, and they make the school a
richer place. It’s a symbiotic relationship – you are really lucky to
have them and they are very happy to have you.” To experience this
further, he urged our students to go and volunteer as he did and to
benefit from experiencing life outside their comfort zone. Dalglish
also works as an admissions adviser for Stanford University and
says “We love to see kids who have done volunteer work as early
as 13 or 14. This is something you are all capable of and could do.
Go and make the world a bigger place.”
29
Performing arts
Music for a spring
evening
School musicians gave us
a treat at the Secondary
Spring Concert.
The Spring Concert in May was a wonderful
evening of music-making. The ICS Wind
Band delighted the audience with their
renditions of Henry Mancini favourites followed by ‘What Does the Fox Say?’,
complete with audience participation!
The Big Sing showed their talents with
a performance of a Swahili song called
‘Amani’ (Peace). ICS Strings presented the
movie favourite ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’
and the Inter-Community Saxophone
Quartet wowed the audience with their
mellow quartet sound.
Student soloists and small ensembles
also showed their passion for music,
with technically secure and expressive
performances by Monica C (voice),
Alexander S (piano), Tola S (violin), Anita A
and Sasha B (piano duet), Almeric L (violin),
William S (voice), and Ms David (voice).
William S also presented a summary of
the three AMIS (Association for Music in
International Schools) festivals attended
by ICS musicians this year: Jazz Skills
Workshop (held at Zurich International
School), Solo and Ensemble Festival (The
American School of The Hague), and the
Middle School Honour Mixed Choir
(The International School of Turin).
Well done to all musicians –
thank you for sharing your music
with the ICS community.
Photos: Stephen Doherty
30
visual arts
Inspiring our artists
In art classes, students
have been inspired by
expressive artists and by
painting in the open air.
Grade 4 students studied watercolor
technique as their final unit in art. (It also
linked to their inquiry into ‘Water’.)
They explored materials that change the
way that the water, paint and paper work
together (such as salt and masking fluid).
They also focused on using different colour
shades and textures to make things look
more realistic.
Having the chance to paint nature
outside in a beautiful environment was
very inspiring for the students. They also
experienced some of the unique challenges
of working outdoors: limited water supply
and materials, choosing one’s subject and
composition from a wide open space, and
the sun and wind. But they also had the
joy of creating art outdoors in peaceful
surroundings.
Expressing chaos and order. Grade 9 students explored the work of expressive artists such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Hans
Hofmann, Willem de Kooning and Richard Diebenkorn. Inspired by these artists, they then had to express a concept through their art
and were also challenged to create ‘chaos’ and ‘order’ in the artwork as well. These are just three of the colourful works that resulted.
31
Performing Arts
A Rumble in the Jungle
The
biennial
Primary
musical, The Jungle Book,
was a smash hit! Grade 10
Journalism student Jan D
reports.
Students from Grades 2 to 5 took part in an
uplifting, feel-good production of The Jungle
Book, performing it to parents and children
in early June. Incorporating a musical into
Primary is an exciting enhancement to
the programme, offering students the
opportunity to take to the stage. The junior
version of The Jungle Book was chosen as
the first Primary musical.
“Spectacular” was the response of Primary
Principal Timothy Moynihan. He says: “It
was a great opportunity for students across
Primary to take the stage and benefit from
participation in a full production. We are
very proud of our students and grateful to
the teachers and parents whose efforts
made this happen.”
The first thing that struck you as the
performance started was the colourful array
of costumes on show. Incredible detail
had gone into the making of each costume
which made the jungle come alive. By the
end of scene one, it was apparent that a
large amount of work had been put into
composing an effective piece of theatre for
everyone to enjoy and they really pulled it
off.
The way that the cast seamlessly added
the different sets of animals to the stage,
such as the elephant army and the snake,
showed a well-rehearsed unified effort. In
terms of set, apart from the backdrop, it
was the students whose acting created the
32
jungle through their motions and costumes.
This allowed for the jungle to move and
transform without having to change the set.
An advantage of doing such a well known
show is that it made the evening even more
enjoyable. People young and old were able
to sing along to “I wanna be like you” and
other classics as they reminisced about film
and print versions of the story from their
childhood. Seeing how well the Primary
Top: Joshua A and Julen M. Main
picture: Zoe B-M as Mowgli
being taken away by monkeys
Philip B, Abbey C, Megan D, Anna
T-S, Jonny C, Tamsin H, Lara K,
Abbie C and Aimee W. Centre
left: Bhavani L and Paris I as coils
of Kaa, the snake. Centre page
right: an army of elephants!
students were able to perform truly warms
my heart as I can be safe in the knowledge
that when they enter middle school, their
experience will show.
The next Primary musical will be in 2016. I
can guarantee that to watch will be a bare
necessity.
Before then, during the next academic year,
Primary students will have opportunities
to showcase their talents in the visual and
performing arts through taking part in new
and exciting performance opportunities.
“Cocoa and Cake” will be a celebration
of the singing talents of our EY - Grade 2
students and is scheduled for early winter
2014. The “Primary Spring Performance”
will showcase the dance, drama and
musical talents of Primary students from
across the grades.
Top: Louise S as Shere Khan.
Centre left: Keelyn B, Georgia L,
Ida L, Freja T as Shanti, Zoe B-M,
Linnea V, Jessie M, and Ruby G.
Center right: Louise S with Zoe
B-M, Valentina R, Grace P and
Karen R. Bottom: Elephants Otto
J, Sami D, William M, Vinesh Y,
Keita S and Oscar S in front with
Maria P, Theo S and Tierney H
behind.
33
From the Parents’ Association
Welcoming the new PA
Board for 2014-15
UPCOMING EVENTS
AUGUST
Wednesday 20:
Welcome Back Coffee
14:00 - 15:15, Treffpunkt
Wednesday 27:
08:30 - 10:30, New In Zurich
presentation for new families
Sunday 31:
12:00 - 14:00, Welcome Back Picnic
SEPTEMBER
Wednesday 3:
Community Information Morning
08:30 - 10:00
At the Parents’ Association Annual General Meeting in May, a new PA Board was elected
for the school year 2014-15. Back row, from left to right: Secretary Maria Rinaldi, President
Rachel Dale, and Communications Coordinator Ingrid Indahl. Front row, from left to right:
Primary VP Silje Sigernes, Treasurer Kerry Hayden and Secondary VP Barbara Curtin.
A thank you from the 2013-14 PA Board
As we conclude the school year and
our service as a PA Board, we want to
express our deep appreciation to the ICS
community. It has been a privilege to work
with so many supportive, enthusiastic,
thoughtful and capable fellow parents on a
variety of topics and events. Thank you for
the opportunity to work with all of you and
for trusting us to represent you. It has also
been a pleasure to work with the school
leadership team and staff who are so hardworking and dedicated to our children's
education. We have enjoyed the active
partnership between ICS staff and parents,
focusing on what is best for the students.
A great strength of ICS is its welcoming
and supportive school community and
we are proud to have played a role with
34
all of you in continuing this tradition. As
families come and go, what endures are
the friendships and relationships we build
while we are here.
We wish the very best to all those who
are leaving ICS this year. We hope you
take with you many good memories of this
special community. For those returning
next year, we look forward to supporting
the new PA board and making many more
memories and friends along the way. In the
meantime we wish you all a very relaxing,
happy and safe summer break.
Nancy Michels
on behalf of the 2013-14 PA board
Thursday 11:
Coffee with the Leadership Team
08:40 – 10:00 in the Treffpunkt (TBC)
Week of 15 - 19:
Class/Grade Coffee Mornings
For the most up-to-date calendar of
events, please see the school website:
www.icsz.ch
Contact the PA Board:
If you have questions or want to know
how to get more involved with the PA,
please contact a member of the 201415 PA Executive Board.
Rachel Dale:
papresident@icsz.ch
Silje Sigernes:
pavpprimary@icsz.ch
Barbara Curtin:
pavpsecondary@icsz.ch
Ingrid Indahl:
pacommunications@icsz.ch
Kerry Hayden:
patreasurer@icsz.ch
Maria Rinaldi
pasecretary@icsz.ch
calendar for the school year 2014-15
35
The Inter-Community School is committed to
providing a supportive and enabling learning
environment in which all members of the
community are challenged to achieve their
individual potential, encouraged to pursue
their passions, and expected to fulfil their
responsibilities.
ICS Inter-Community School Zurich
Strubenacher 3
8126 Zumikon
Switzerland
Tel: +41 44 919 8300
Website: www.icsz.ch
ICS is fully accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS) as well as the New
England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
36

summer 2014 - Inter

Transcription

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