ConnectionsThe International School of Amsterdam Magazine

Co

nn

ectio

ns The International School of Am

sterdam M

agazine | Spring 2015

Issu

e 2

1

Connections

The International School

of Amsterdam Magazine

Spring 2015

Editor-in-chief

Erika Harriford-McLaren

Co-editors

Shelly Harrison

Chris McLaren

Design and layout

Wouter F. Goedkoop

CAS assistants

Hugh Huyton

Jim Knight

Natasha Vohra

ISA Photographer

Kerry Reinking Photography

www.kerryreinking.nl

Publisher

ISA in collaboration with

XPat Media, The Hague,

the Netherlands

Printer

Drukkerij Damen

Werkendam

the Netherlands

ISA alumni, families,

faculty and friends receive

Connections. We welcome

your comments and

encourage you to submit

ideas and articles for

consideration.

Letters and inquiries

may be addressed to:

Connections

Sportlaan 45

1185TB Amstelveen

+31 20 347 1111

communications@isa.nl

www.isa.nl

Cover

Korean Fan Dancers at ISA

Global Village Day 2015

Changing of the Guard

In June of 2015, ISA will bid farewell to Board President Leo

van Os and Treasurer David Masters as they retire from ser-

vice.

Remembrance Day

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the

Netherlands during World War II. To mark this occasion, ISA

students participated in a unique commemoration project.

Home is Where the Heart is

Moving can be difficult. ISA counsellors give insight into how

the school prepares students, families and staff for these life

transitions.

Reaching for the Stars

After 8 years of commitment and dedication to the school, the

Brannigan-Smith family will be leaving ISA for new ventures.

Global Village Day

A favourite tradition amongst ISA students and alumni, Global

Village Day 2015 provided students and families, both new and

old, with a global review of ISA’s diversity.

Music at ISA

From Pre-School drumming lessons to international honours

choirs, the ISA Music Programme inspires students of all ages

to openly express their inner love of music.

Centres of Learning

Two new libraries opened at the start of the 2014-15 school

year, allowing ISA to offer unique and innovative student

centred learning spaces, author presentations and more.

Challenges

The life of an ISA student is busy but rewarding. From the

annual ISA Special Olympics to the Duke of Edinburgh

Award and competing in international math competitions, our

students are finding that taking on challenges can be both fun

and rewarding!

Faculty and Alumni Profiles

4

8

12

14

18

28

38

Contents

42

45

2

Editorial

four very special individuals who epitomise the phrase “staying power”.

Rob Vossenberg joined ISA as a science teacher in 1984. Over the past 31 years, he has served in so many capacities, teaching science, mathematics and many incarnations of technology over the years. One of the quietest members of the faculty, Rob is a perfect example of the old adage: still water, deep water. He is one of the true wise men of this school’s long list of exceptional minds. Those who take time to talk with Rob know that his knowledge of so many subjects is as broad as it is deep. His rich but quiet sense of humour will be especially missed next year when we open our doors for the first time in four decades without him.

Quiet and calm—perhaps not the first words that come to mind when we think of another member of staff who is retiring after 24 years—Nurse Anita. For those of you who may have wondered, Nurse Anita actually does have a last name—Lieftinck—one with deep and interesting roots in this country. But who needs a last name when you are as known across the globe, literally, as Nurse Anita? Anita has been a trusted friend

As the calendar pages fly off the wall, signaling the rapidly approaching end of ISA’s Golden Jubilee Year, our attention at school shifts to the annual task of bidding farewell to far too many of our faculty, staff, students and families. Each June, as school closes down, the campus is a virtual valley of tears as students say goodbye to friends who head to new international schools around the globe or who travel back to their home countries to resume their lives. Tearful transitions; friendships interrupted; studies cut short; bumpy endings before new beginnings. Such is the price of the expatriate life, despite its many advantages.

The phenomenon of international school transition can have an especially deleterious effect on the school’s professional community. In so many international schools, on average, faculty and administration and staff move after just a few years. Even the average tenure for a director in international schools is a mere three and a half years. I have no doubt that one of the reasons ISA continues to excel in so many ways is the fact that its faculty and staff are committed to the school and demonstrate that commitment by staying on board for the longer run. The average length of tenure of ISA’s overseas hire staff is eight years—nearly twice the average of most other leading international schools recently surveyed. That staying power makes a big, big difference.

This year, all of us at ISA will pause to express our deep appreciation to four individuals whose talents and love of this school have touched the lives of literally thousands of young people, colleagues and mem-bers of the community in so many ways. Each of these individuals has left an indelible mark on the school and on all of us. So, please join me in celebrating these

3

tirelessly to ensure that the school’s finances have remained healthy even during dramatic global economic catastrophes, and they have been committed to ensuring that the school could continue to support the dreams of the educators who thrive in this school’s unique culture devoted to professional development. David and Leo also played critical roles in the creation of the culture of dialogue and trust that now makes ISA one of the most highly regarded schools—and work-places—in Europe. And will you be surprised to know that both of these Board members played vital roles in the financial and architectural processes that led to the building of our stunning new extension?

There is so much one could say about these two individuals (and more will be found in their interviews in this issue of Connections). Let it suffice for me to say that it has been ISA’s great fortune, and especially my great fortune as Director, to have these two gentlemen on the Board of Governors for so many years. The num-ber of challenges they have handled on behalf of all of us would fill a book. In recognition of all they have giv-en to our school, they were both recently appointed as the school’s very first Board members Emeritus for Life. Their impact on ISA has been profound and will last long into the future.

On behalf of all of us at the International School of Am-sterdam, let me extend our heartfelt appreciation to Board members Leo van Os and David Masters—and to Rob Vossenberg and Nurse Anita Lieftinck—as all four of these special individuals ‘graduate’ to the many new, happy and rewarding opportunities awaiting them.

Thank you!

Edward E. Greene, Ph.D. Director

and advisor to so many of us at ISA since she joined the school in 1991. It would be hard to find another international school in the Netherlands—or across our region—with a more diverse and robust health clinic. It was Anita who established the dentist’s office in our school; it was Anita who cast her net far and wide to ensure that information on key health issues of our time has been available through her newsletter alerts; it has been Anita who led the way on nutrition issues and on emergency first aid. Who made sure that the school was one of the very first international schools to have AEDs (automated external defibrillators) strategically placed throughout our hallways? No need to guess. Nurse Anita. And it is Anita who can be found online or on the phone late into the night—be it a week-end, holiday or school night—providing advice to ISA families during emergencies. Her knowledge and medical background, her love of the children and her all-out commitment to everyone’s health have become icons of our school.

In June, we will also celebrate the almost unfathomable years of Board leadership of our Board Treasurer, David Masters and Board Chair, Leo van Os. Together, they have given 34 years to ISA. David has held Board member-ship as a parent member and as an appointed member for a total of 19 years. Leo has served as an appoint-ed Board member for 15 consecutive years. As they will both be happy to remind you, Board members do not run schools, but they sure do enable those who do. The ability to ensure that others succeed is the essence of leadership—and both Leo and David have led with greatness throughout their years on our Board of Governors.

Together, they have served as critical friends to five directors, reaching back, in David’s case, to Marga-ret Armstrong Law, whose vision and passion created the campus in Amstelveen. They have both worked

From top to bottom: Rob Vossenberg, Nurse Anita Lieftinck, David Masters and Leo van Os.

4

Changing of the GuardIn June 2015, the ISA Board will say farewell to Leo van Os and David Masters after 15 and 19 years, respectively. Their experience and knowledge have deeply impacted the developments of our school over the last two decades. Their contribution has added enormous value, thanks to their continuous dedication, commitment and time.

Leo van Os – Chairman

What inspired you to join the Board of ISA?I consider myself an ‘Internationalist’, therefore, the ISA culture was a huge incentive. And the idea of giving back was important. By the way, I was born in Amstelveen and lived the first 18 years of my life here; in fact, I used to skate where the school is located today.

What roles have you had on the Board?I have been a non-parent Board member, Vice Chair-man, Chairman and have sat on many committees, including the Governance Committee, Finance Committee, Policy Review Committee and Marketing and PR Task Force. This last one strictly in an advisory role!

What has been your biggest ‘giving back’?I have used my years of experience as a global market-ing professional to support ISA in understanding how the outside world perceives the school offerings and how to meet the needs of international families in the Amsterdam region. Also, being Dutch, I have been able to use my national network, for instance to work with government officials in projects such as supporting our teacher’s 30% ruling and helping to ensure guarantees for the sizeable investment of the new building.

What changes have you seen over the last 15 years?The size of the campus; it was for around 600 students when I started, and now it’s nearly double that! The most significant change has been the atmosphere – the warmth in the school, the happiness of the staff, parents and students. The Director, the PTA and the Board played key roles in creating this ambience.

What makes ISA special?I wish I’d been a student here. The campus makes it special, of course, but most of all the students, thanks to the very special, uniquely committed teachers.

What has been your greatest achievement?Supporting the Board to work together as a team. It was rare not to achieve a unanimous decision when voting. We organised several away events to help the Board bond and work effectively together. And, perhaps even more importantly, supporting the Director to shine and allowing him to operate and succeed.

“ISA is a

fantastic

school.

I’m jealous of

the students

today who

have this

opportunity.”

“ISA is not a business, but it

needs business processes

and practices”

Interviews by

Wendy Mackey Jones

5

What advice would you give someone if they were considering being part of the Board?Be sure to realise that this is a commitment of ideally more than three years. Continuity is really important for the success of the Board and the school. Be sure to realise that it is a supervisory Board role and not operational – that can be challenging! The job is ‘vrijwillig maar niet vrijblijvend’ (we are volunteers, but not here for a free ride).

What has been your best memory?The celebration of ISA’s 50 years Anniversary at the Van Gogh Museum in December 2014, when the Director and Board were able to recognise all ISA staff for their contributions.

Why leave now?After 15 years there has been good continuity, and now it is time to hand over to an able successor. I have found that person and have been fortunate to be able to gradually transfer responsibilities for some time now. Finally, ISA is doing extremely well with the recent building enabling us to meet the needs of our community. I wanted to be part of that historical event. What better time than at such a peak to hand over to an able successor!

What’s next for you?I will continue as chairman of a patients’ organisation and as a buddy for a psychiatric patient; and I start as Chairman of the Art Fund of my old University, Nyenrode; my wife and I will continue travelling, for instance to South Africa each winter, and attending op-era in various cities around the world. Yes, I’m busy, but when I retired from full time employment, my wife read me the riot act: “We’re married for better or worse... but not for lunch!” So it’s all my wife’s fault, really!

It’s been a privilege and honour to serve ISA for 15 years.”

50 years old

50 years young

50 years successful ... and

still growing in reputation,

size and quality.

6

David Masters – Treasurer

What inspired you to join the Board?I realised what the school was aiming to do was extremely worthwhile … making international children feel instantly at home … the school did an incredible job accepting all children and their families – that was my motivation to join, when asked.

I had already been involved in the process of trying to raise funds to move to this site. I also recognised that ISA was different and special – I felt that I could help it to move to the next steps. I thought the Director at the time, Margaret Armstrong-Law, was particularly good.

How have you used your commercial experience in your time at ISA?My accounting experience helped, particularly in the early years. I have also worked in many cultures in business, which easily transitioned to ISA to help understand different perspectives. My wife and her family were also in education, so I had some prior understanding of the teaching profession.

What roles have you taken at ISA?I was the Auditor for the PTA for the first ten years, which overlapped for four years with the Treasurer position, when I was asked to join the Board. I con-tinued three terms as the Treasurer parent Board member and was invited to return as a non-parent Board member.

What changes have you seen over the last 22 years?The core values are broadly the same, focusing on the growth for students and being aware of, and understanding, other cultures. ISA, however, has become more professional outside of the classroom, with administration, the committees, the Board and, importantly, positive involvement of the staff in the Works Council. The expansion of activities outside the classroom can also be seen in projects such as the Tanzania project, Model United Nations and Duke of Edinburgh Award. I have been particularly impressed with our link to Harvard University with Project Zero, introducing a culture of ‘Visible Thinking’ into ISA.

What makes ISA special?The child-centred approach and creating a sense of involvement for the child and family when they arrive

in Amsterdam. Having thinking rather than learning at its core and allowing everyone to give an opinion, recognising it as a valuable contribution without judgements being made. This is embracing diversity. ISA also differentiates itself in the use of technology to support learning. What are you most proud of?In the early days, it was getting through financial challenges, then it was being part of the Board who selected Ed. We got that right! I am also proud of being at the forefront in providing financial support for professional development of our staff and, I believe, it is really appreciated by them. The creation of our Professional Development Centre is enabling us to host conferences not only to support our staff but also having the added benefit of reinforcing our reputation as a leading international school, and one that is highly attractive to work at.

What advice would you give someone if they were consider-ing joining the Board?Be able to devote a minimum of one day per month in committee meetings, reading and attending board meetings. You need to have a perspective of what ISA should be in the future and what actions are required to

‘I remember

a seven year

old discussing

with a class-

mate which

strategies he

needed for

solving a

maths

problem

– fantastic!’

7

move it forward. As a parent-Board member, remember – it’s not about your own children, but future students. It is also important to respect the professionalism of the ISA teachers and administrators, and to empathise with them, as it is a school first, but, being independent, has to have some business aspects to run it successfully.

What is your best memory of being at ISA?The opening of the new extension with our finances in good order was, of course, satisfying. When I felt most uplifted was at the Graduate ceremonies – our grade 12 students not only achieve great IB results but also many have done so much more, and that is as impres-sive a feeling as any. It’s quite humbling seeing what

ISA has done to support the students to achieve ex-traordinary things. Personally, I have a memory a few years ago when a long-established member of the Works Council thanked me for my contribution to the school in his retiring speech.

Why leave now?I’ve been here a long time: 28 years ago when we came to the Netherlands and 22 years ago when I was first elected to the Board, and with the school in a healthy financial situation, it is time to hand over for fresh thinking.

At the end of the day, I know I’ve been able to contribute, and I do take a lot of satisfaction from that.

‘Teaching

staff are

critical;

they’re

dedicated,

fully trained

and

experienced.’

8

“Even in darkness it is possible to create light.”Elie Wiesel, Open Heart

Freedom is not self-evident. There are many different people all over the world who live in fear and under oppression. To emphasise that freedom should not be taken for granted and is to be cherished, the Dutch celebrate their freedom on the fifth of May, to commemorate the country’s liberation at the end of the Second Word War. The fourth of May is Remembrance Day, a day of reflection and a tribute to all Dutch victims of war, as well as those lost in recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions.

The Netherlands is the only country in Europe with consecutive days for the observance of Remembrance and Liberation events. Surviving members of the Dutch resistance believed that each event evoked special and somewhat incompatible reactions and memories from the war, and as the Netherlands did not already have an established commemoration tradition from World War I, this gave the Dutch the ability to create two distinct but equally important days for recognising the wide array of emotions and experiences connected to these two days.

A unique tradition of Dutch remembrance is the two -minute stilte, when the entire nation comes to a quiet stop at 20:00, and observes two minutes of silence. When this occurs, public television and radio follow suit and only broadcast for viewers and listeners the silence from the ceremonies that are occurring throughout the land. Organisations such as the Nation-al Committee for 4 and 5 May have helped to develop a theme for each year, and from 2011-2015 the theme Passing on Freedom was used to explore and create a bridge from the solemnity of Remembrance Day on the 4th to the joyful celebration of Liberation Day on the 5th, with nationwide festivals, concerts and ‘Freedom Feasts’.

Remembrance Day

9

With the 2015 Liberation Day marking the 70th anniversary of Dutch liberation, the city of Amstelveen, where ISA is located, invited 425 students from 11 local primary schools to participate in their ‘Freedom Is Important’ art project. The students were asked to think about what freedom means to them and to share and express their thoughts on a ceramic tile. The mayor of Amstelveen wanted the students of ISA especially to emphasise the importance of freedom worldwide.

ISA grade 5 students worked with their art teacher, Kathy Ellis, to explore the subject of freedom and gain inspiration for their tiles. After sketches were made, the students drew their unique and individual designs with specialised porcelain markers on an individual tile.

The contributions from the Amstelveen primary schools will culminate with the embedding of the tiles in a new-ly established ‘Freedom Wall’ in the Amstelveen city centre in the summer of 2015. ISA is extremely proud to have been part of such a special project, and proud that our students’ efforts will be a lasting part of the national remembrance of those who lives were lost.

ISA STUDENT TILES

From left to right, tiles made by:

Isobel Haxton, Sam Wise-man, Madeleine Saint James, Leah Hall, Helena Haldane, Rui Li Hu, Lucie De-baig, Chika Yoshida, Danielle Lewis, Athiná Economon, Lilli Boersch, Daniel Hasson, Sara Leal, Alva Schlyter, Julie Beaulieu, Sheli Goldis, Ben Storey, Nicolas de Jaime Cespedes, Kai Fujikawa, Cato Hartog and Milly Ma.

Photos from the Nationaal Archief

Top: Twee minuten stilte bij de Spoorwegen (1950); Two minutes of silence on the platform

Middle: Vreugde in Hilversum over de Bevrijding (1945); Joy in Hilversum over the Liberation

Bottom: Een Twentse vrouw bij een Britse Brencarrier (1945); A Twente woman at a British Bren Carrier

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Building ConnectionsOn April 23, the grade 11 Diploma history class had the honour of hosting visiting students from the Young Is-raeli Ambassadors School (from Dalyat El Carmel ORT High School, in the Haifa District in the North of Israel).

The students, members of the Israeli Druze minority group, came to ISA to share their traditions and culture and to discuss a topic that is part of the Diploma History course – the Arab-Israeli conflict.

ISA students were educated on the history of the reli-gious group, shown photos of their home in Israel and were given a lesson in a traditional Druze dance. The students then exchanged views and opinions regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the importance of a peaceful resolution being reached.

It was the first time that ISA hosted visiting students from the school and provided an opportunity for the stu-dents to learn from each other.

“We were surprised that the Druze students were as

interested in learning about us as we were about them,” noted ISA grade 11 student Alessandra Lessen.

“They found ISA to be a beautiful school and campus and were impressed by the classes in our curriculum that are not available to them in their own school.

“Our class is really grateful to our history teacher, Brian Chenault, for this opportunity to meet with these amazing young people and to learn from one another.”

Story contribution - Alessandra Lessen

11

Frequent plane travel is a given for most ISA students, even for the youngest ones. Recently, ISA Pre-school and Nursery teachers brought the travel experience closer to home, as they and their students simulated travelling around the world – complete with self-created passports, makeshift aeroplanes and their very own KLM flight attendant.

Upon returning from a school holiday break, many of the young students excitedly shared their stories of visiting their home countries or new lands. It was these stories that inspired the Early Childhood team to create a large-scale role-play exercise to encourage the children’s passion for travelling and learning about the world. It also provided a great opportunity to familiarise them with airport travel requirements for future holiday travels – or transitions to new countries and homes.

“Following the children’s interest, we facilitated playing aeroplanes for a few weeks. We made paper aeroplanes, constructed planes with connectors, and Lego, and role- played airport and aeroplanes. The children then built large aeroplanes to sit in using the large wooden blocks in the common area,” explains Elizabeth Arenas, ISA Pre-school teacher.

The students worked on literacy by making passports and plane tickets and practised numeracy through timing of fights, numbers on the cockpit dials and recognition of flight numbers.

To round off the experience, the teachers surprised the students by welcoming them to class through their own ISA airport check in – including picking up their passports and tickets and being processed through passport and security control. Finally, before boarding the students were greeted by a uniformed KLM flight attendant (and ISA parent), Veronique Bouchet.

“They helped to build a cockpit for the pilots to sit in the common area aeroplane and we travelled all over the world. We talked about where we come from, where our families come from, as well as where we fly to when we go and visit our families.” A large screen in the common area was used for visuals to fly to the children’s families’ homes around the world.

“We could see our flight paths over maps of the world and with Google earth. The students took control of the aeroplane and took turns taking off and landing, as well as serving food to passengers. It was an amazing experience for all the children and parents who were involved and is one that we hope really prepares them for future travel or relocation.”

And We’re Off

12

Home is where the heart is

It’s been said that moving is one of life’s most stressful events, and for many ISA families and alumni this rings true. Starting out with a new home, school or friendship group is something of a norm for many ISA students, which is why the school works hard to ensure that the life changes associated with such transitions go as smoothly as possible for those entering and leaving the school.

The average ISA student has a stay of two to three years, making change a constant in both the Upper and Low-er Schools. With this in mind, ISA’s counselling teams have developed a programme to help students and their families cope with the excitement and anxiety that comes with such frequent changes in environment, cultures and social dynamics.

Coming and GoingThe transition process begins as soon as families know that they will be moving, which is something that isn’t always understood by both parents and students. For students, their mental state shifts from thinking in terms of the present to thinking in terms of the future and, depending on whether the student is the “leaver” or the “stayer”, reactions may vary.

“It’s essential that teachers are aware of the stages of transition and are sensitive to some of the behaviours

linked to the transition process that our students might exhibit in the classroom and/or on the playground,” explains Denise Granai, ISA Lower School counsellor.

“Children who know their friends are leaving may begin to distance themselves from the leavers – we may see them strengthening friendships with children that they know will also be here the following year. Conversely, children who are leaving may also begin to distance themselves from friends – they may appear preoccupied or withdrawn at different times before they move. Of-ten students are anxious about the prospect of leaving and may show increased agitation in their interactions with others or withdraw from full participation in class activities.”

ISA trains teachers to be aware of these emotional shifts and to address them early on. Early intervention is essential to ensure that the students know that what they are feeling is natural, temporary and that they will indeed adjust to the new changes in their lives.

Engagement is KeyThe decision to move, where to live and what school to attend often involves only the parents, so allowing students to feel some sense of control is also key. Encouraging them to connect early with their new surroundings helps, as does allowing them to

13

establish solid communication links to their current friends before they move to ensure they remain in touch. While a sense of closure is important, so is continuity.

“For our younger students who are leaving ISA, we encourage them to reflect on their friendships, to determine a way to show appreciation to those who have been special to them, and to think of ways that they can say goodbye. They often need to be reminded that it is normal to feel overwhelmed with emotions as their last day approaches and that saying goodbye is difficult.To help with the transition process, classrooms engage in activities such as creating photo journals and writing goodbye letters. This is beneficial to both leavers and stayers,” says Granai.

For long-term students, the difficult experience of repeatedly saying goodbye to good friends is also recognised by the school. Involving them in ISA’s Student Ambassadors Programme connects them with incoming students even before they arrive, allowing “stayers” to develop a special role in the moving process by recognising their ability to be positive facilitators and contributors to the transition process.

Conversations on the benefits of being a Third Culture Kid, such as the value of experiencing different parts of the world and building a positive picture of the opportunities that come with moving, are held with parents as well as with the students in class. ISA admin-istrators and counsellors host parent workshops at the beginning of the school year for incoming families as well as at the end of the year for leaving families.

The Role of TechnologyBefore the widespread introduction of technology into our lives, moving often meant that friendships would fade. However, with the growth of social media, this is often no longer the case. As participants in the school’s one-to-one iPad and laptop programmes, ISA students are digitally savvy, allowing maintenance of connections through social media to become the status quo.

“Staying connected varies from exchanging con-tact information between children or even between parents, depending on the student’s age level. Parents are encouraged to allow younger students to email each other or talk face-to-face with their friends online, while older students can continue to share experiences through Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and other popular digital platforms. Then of course there is always email, postcards and letters.Setting up systems of contact before a move is important, as it confirms to students that moving isn’t the end – just the next chapter.

In the end, open communication is essential to assit-ing a child through the moving process. Acknowledging your child’s concerns and answering their questions can go a long way to alleviate fears and making them com-fortable with the changes happening around them.If you are concerned about how a transition is affecting your child, please contact either the Lower or Upper School counselling teams for assistance.

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When the crew of the Apollo 11 mission made the first lunar landing in 1969, thousands of children around the world watched those grainy black-and-white TV imag-es and announced that they, too, wanted to grow up to become astronauts. Among them was Steve Smith, now an ISA parent but, back then, just 11 years old, watching from his living room in Phoenix, Arizona. For him, those few minutes of footage really did inspire a career with NASA – one that has included four space flights and seven space walks.

Steve’s wife, Peggy Brannigan, a consular associate at the United States Consulate in Amsterdam, had a similar longing for exploration. She and Steve met when both were studying at Stanford University in California. “My dream from an early age was to travel everywhere – except outer space,” Peggy says.

“I wanted to step foot on every continent and experience all types of places, people and cultures. I was born in a small town in Ohio, which gave me a wholesome, safe childhood. When I was 18, I ven-tured out, and I’ve been travelling ever since. I probably will never stop. It’s a joy, especially when you have a wonderful home base to return to after each journey.”

That home base has, for the past eight years, been Amsterdam, where Steve works for NASA with the European Space Agency and Peggy splits her time between the consulate, vetting Dutch applications for US business visas, and her other role as director of ISA’s sustainability programme, something both Peggy and Steve are passionate about (see separate story, page 17). Their daughter Shannon, now 22, attended ISA for four years and son Brian, 18, is in his final year.

Reaching for the starsAim high – and keep your

feet on the ground, say ISA

parent couple

15

Worldly curiositySteve has given regular talks to ISA students – and parents and community leaders – throughout the family’s time in Amsterdam. He tells young people to pursue their dreams with vigour. “You determine where your life path sends you; it’s all about what’s inside your heart and body that determines whether you reach your goals or not,” he says. “I love talking to young people about following their dreams. The answers I get are incredible in depth and breadth and variety.”

When Steve first started doing talks for children, their ambitions were to become teachers, lawyers, basketball players and, occasionally, astronauts. Now, their dreams are informed by technology, entertainment and a curiosity about the wider world.

“The kids that we’re around get their inspiration from other things going on in the world, from adventure and travel and other interesting people. The kids at ISA are incredibly worldly, they’re deep thinkers, they’re interested in what’s going on around them … the school really helps them be worldly, interested kids.”

While the world of work that awaits the graduates of tomorrow has changed immeasurably since their own school days, Peggy and Steve say some of the fundamentals of success are not really all that different. Before joining NASA, Steve was a product manager at IBM and earned three degrees from Stanford; Peggy has a Stanford MBA and has worked at Apple and Wells Fargo Bank.

Steve says: “Hard work, being humble, overcoming challenges, being a good person – those are still the core things that help you advance.”

As economies in the Western world have shifted from a manufacturing focus to one based on services, young people need to develop their people skills. “Lots of these kids will be going into service-oriented jobs and there, more than ever, the ability to work as part of a team – to be a leader sometimes and be a part of team contributing sometimes, is really important,” Peggy says.

“You need to be generous with what you know, so you share and look for win-win, you look for building relationships with people, finding common ground.

16

Beyond technology skills, I think people skills and being able to collaborate on a team across geographies and time zones are really important, and ISA is a great place to learn those things.”

Where the heart isTravel and sport are two passions the family shares. Shannon played basketball, volleyball and swam for ISA, and she won the Dutch national volleyball championships with local club Martinus Amstelveen. Brian, who has an athletics scholarship to Stanford, runs cross-country, track and plays basketball for the school. He has also won a Dutch national championship for the 800 metres and holds multiple Dutch and school conference track records.

Despite their busy schedules, the family tries to eat dinner together every night; they read together and keep to a minimum any work trips that would take one of them away from home. Shannon, now at university in the US, joins in family chats via Skype at least once a week.

“We cherish our family experiences more than material goods,” says Steve. For Peggy’s recent birthday, Brian committed to spending more time with her, and they’ve been on long walks and cooked together more often. Steve took her on a cycle ride to see the flowers in

bloom in the fields. Steve says: “That’s kind of the way we were raised: to value friendships and experiences.” Now the family is preparing for another move and another mission. Brian will be starting at Stanford next year, hoping to become a doctor, and Shannon is already a senior there, studying biology with plans for a veterinary career. For Peggy and Steve, it seems like the right time to return to the US, to continue their journey where it began.

That means saying farewell to their Dutch neighbours, who have become close friends, and to the school community that has given them a social network as well as an education for their children. “The expat experience is so intense,” says Peggy.

“Things happen quickly, and you bond so fast, and before you know it, people move on. The worst part of being an expat is having to say goodbye. We really don’t want to leave, but it’s time to go. At least with the internet you can stay in touch, and that’s really important.”

Shannon, Brian, Steve and Peggy

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The achievements of ISA’s Eco-schools programme, co-ordinated by Peggy Brannigan, energise her and keep her motivated to do more. Just eight years after its formation by Peggy and a group of other parents, staff and Board members, the “Green Team”, as it’s known, has grown from just eight founding student members to 132 students and 20 adult volunteers. They run ongoing projects and ad hoc events to minimise the school’s impact on the natural environment, and work to make issues like biodiversity and waste reduction top of mind for everyone in the school community.

“We don’t focus on doom and gloom,” Peggy says. “The Green Team is all about making quantifiable changes, to make the community aware of the issues and then focus on personal responsibilities and personal opportunities that students, teachers and staff can take action on to be part of the solution.

Green Dream

“There are kids involved with alternative energy: one year they were involved in solar, the next year was wind power, one year even with pedal power, and they work with the science department to build working models of different types of energy producers. There’s gardening, eco-friendly food prep, a whole range of activities going on. There are nine student groups from both the Lower and Upper School, and every day of the week there’s a group of students and adults meeting to do something for the environment.”

Fragile ball in spaceSteve is also an avid supporter of the Green Team, and is often roped in to help when an extra pair of hands is required. His perspective on the environment comes from a unique vantage point. “I’ve made a lot of speeches at the school, and one thing I tell the students is that we live on an island, this beautiful, fragile ball in space,” he says. “When astronauts see it, they really are inspired to be environmentalists and to spread the word about being eco-friendly, taking care of our resources and coming up with alternative ways to meet our energy needs.”

The Green Team’s commitment has helped ISA achieve Green Flag status, the highest rating in the international Eco-Schools programme. The school’s an-nual trash audit has, with the help of the school’s caf-

eteria, helped reduce by 52 percent the amount of trash, on average, thrown away by each stu-dent. The Green Team’s representations to the school Board also helped ensure that the new school building, was built to the highest BREEAM Excellence environmental standards, with sustaina-ble building materials and solar power.

“It’s exciting that so many more people have be-come involved and the whole culture has be-come much more pro-ac-tive about being green,” says Peggy.

An annual school award was recently launched

to honour Peggy’s years of work with the Green

Team. A graduating senior who has demonstrated

leadership, commitment and action to protect the

environment will receive the award each year – a

1,000 Euro scholarship, with a further 1,000 Euro

donated in the student’s name to the environmen-

tal organisation of their choice. The first Peggy

Brannigan Award for Environmental Action will be

conferred in June this year.

Smith Family articles by Jo Bowman

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Global Village Day

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In Just 50 years, ISA has managed to develop a rich and enduring sense of tradition amongst its students, families and staff – both current and past. From the traditional wooden goodbye clogs for those leav-ing the “pink castle”, to the good-spirited senior send-off, each ISA tradition deepens personal con-nections and leaves a lasting impact on the com-munity. Of all the traditions, however, there is one special event that for many families sets the ISA experience apart from other schools by allowing each of our students to celebrate and share something innately special to them: Global Village Day.

Global Village DayOne of the school’s most beloved and long-standing traditions, Global Village Day was created over 17 years ago to give students the opportunity to celebrate the cultural and geographical diversity that they bring into ISA.

Organised each year by the Lower and Upper School student councils, Global Village Day features a morning assembly including speeches, music and dance perfor-mances from younger and older students to showcase the uniqueness of each of their cultures.

With the addition of 250 new students for the 2014-15 school year, the 2015 Global Village Day event was marked by a palpable sense of new excitement as several “first-timers” were able to experience and grasp just how special it is to attend an international school like ISA. For many, it was the first time that they really understood how diverse their classes and friendships were, and how much more interesting their worlds are because of it.

A Warm WelcomeThe day started with grand performances – a flautist playing classical Chinese music, a young Moldovan girl bravely dancing solo to show her country’s traditional dance and a warm welcome to parents and students from ISA Director, Ed Greene, and Upper School Stu-dent Council President, Matthew Freeman.

Freeman recalled how special his own participation in Global Village Day has been during his time at ISA.

“I’ve been at ISA now for a total of five years, and it always amazes me the amount of cultural diversity we have at this school,” noted Freeman. “As a school, we aim for the valuable integration of the international com-munities, and each of those is shown here today.”

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“This day in the school calendar is an extremely special one. We gather as a school to present our individual backgrounds as citizens from all over the globe, and together we hold an incredible set of group values based around international understanding in this global community. It is valuable for people of all ages, whether it is those in the Lower, Middle, or Upper School, as well as the adults in the room here today, to notice the incredible diversity we hold as a community and the pride we should take in what is an outstanding Global Village at this school.”

He concluded by noting that ISA students develop international understanding: a pride in where they come from and an awareness of where others come from. “By gathering today, celebrating the diversity of our school, we exemplify the strength of harmony in an international community. We show ourselves, and those around us, that no matter what happens in the world, be it war or terror atrocities, this school is a safe haven for international camaraderie.”

Hello WorldWith 52 nationalities represented in the student body, Global Village Day encourages each and every ISA student to openly express pride in what makes them unique – be it dual-nationality, their mother-tongue language, homeland music, dances and games or even the food that they eat. It also allows students to see just how alike they are – joining in on songs from South Af-rica or smiling and clapping for a stunning Korean fan dance. A special video and dance performance by Jap-anese students even featured surprise cameo dance ap-pearances from ISA Faculty and staff. International and intergenerational understanding at its best.

The culminating event of the morning assembly was the highly anticipated parade of nations, resembling an opening ceremony of the Olympics, with students carrying flags from their respective countries and dress-ing in traditional costumes, with others choosing to put a more humorous spin on what their homeland offers.

It Takes a VillageThere is an old African adage that says it takes a village to raise a child, and there is no better place to see this in action than at ISA.

This year, Global Village Day featured over 30 “villages” created in the Lower School classrooms, by teachers, parents and Upper School students. These “micro-country” experiences allowed younger students to learn more about the global communities within the walls of ISA. Armed with homemade passports, the students toured the villages, learning phrases and songs and experiencing fun-filled activiites such as Bulgarian dancing, Canadian curling, Indian sand art, Japanese Origami and Dutch stroopwafel making.

As the school evolves, so will Global Village Day. While ISA may see new activities for the Lower and Upper schools and ever-increasing community participation, one thing will always stay the same – the importance of promoting international understanding within the ISA community.

Top Photo:

Dr. Edward E. Greene

Bottom Photo:

Matthew Freeman

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“It takes courage to stand up in

front of people and perform. It

takes giving to share with your

team and create something,

or even to serve someone in

the audience of a performance

a cup of tea to welcome them.

Young people learn vital life

skills, without even realising it.”

Judy O’Callaghan

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People the world over have always been drawn to music. It is a vital component of almost all cultures, an intrinsic part of our lives. An understanding of music’s impact and global significance is advantageous for any young person embarking on life’s journey, as exposure to music at a young age only deepens a child’s sense of connection to the world around them. ISA’s Upper and Lower school music teachers, inspired by a desire to share their own love of music, are committed to guiding students of all ages to unlock their own musical potential.

Research has proven time and again that there are physical and psychological benefits of learning music. When it comes to playing the drums, for example, both the left and right side of the brain are needed, with the full use of the brain in this way enhancing mathematical and other abilities. Aside from the academic benefits, critical thinking, communication and the ability to manage one’s own time are also among the life-enhancing skills that music students develop.

The effect of music studies never fails to surprise stu-dents, teachers and parents alike. Young people blos-som, and their passion for the subject drives them to learn more and share their experiences widely. Middle School music teacher Judy O’Callaghan notes how each student’s contribution is valid and welcomed in an open, non-judgmental environment. Some students may be a little shy. For others, English is not their first language, yet all find their place and thrive.

Having spent time in the classes, students want to show their skills and challenge themselves. They begin to bring in an instrument and play for others, having previ-ously been reluctant to do so. Judy teaches instruments like the tin whistle or guitar, which are relatively fast to learn and provide a solid musical foundation. Even for students whose time at ISA is short, a lot can be achieved.

Living and Learning together through Music

Some students make contact with music for the first time at ISA, but quickly learn to tap along to a rhythm. Lower School music teacher Fabian Galli is always in-spired by how quickly students learn and how self-mo-tivated they become in classes. By semester’s end, they astound their parents with their achievements. The art of music is demystified, and learning comes alive as students play in ensembles, listen respectfully to each other, work in teams and revel in their achievements. Fa-bian teaches them to grow, learn, push their boundaries and, above all, take pride in themselves.

A student’s musical journey at ISA can begin as ear-ly as age three in Pre-kindergarten, and the teachers’ shared philosophies provide continuity through each grade. ISA students learn the origins of music and can visualise its influence in both history and modern so-ciety. They build their appreciation and understanding of the subject and learn to create their own pieces. By playing instruments from Africa, Europe, Asia and Latin America, they learn about different cultures and gain an appreciation for the different sounds and melodies from mu-sic around the world. Teaching techniques at ISA are varied, with in-fluence often drawn from other arts like graphic design or drama. As with all courses, research and IT are incorporated. A fantastic online pro-gramme provides many resources and virtually transports students to tutorials abroad.

“Young people can shine in

music class. I’m inspired by

how quickly students learn,

how well they remember

things and how they drive

themselves to master an

instrument.” Fabian Galli

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The world of music at ISA is especially magical for younger children, and a series of events and visitors keeps this magic alive. Pre-kindergarten music teacher, Aideen No-lan, joins with art teachers to transform her students’ stories into a sensory experience filled with pictures and music. Musicians from far-flung places like Ghana or Brazil join lessons, whilst various open days and assemblies add to the activity. World Music Drumming is part of the programme, an unusual benefit at the primary level of educa-tion, and the Orff Schulwerk approach is followed, which brings playing and singing together as an entire experience.

For the students in the higher grades, getting to grips with notation and technique is fundamental. An annual concert for local senior citizens, parents and fellow students is a cornerstone of the grade 6 music course. This event, which requires a great deal of input and involvement from the teachers and members of ISA’s Music Academy (ISA’s after school extra-curricular music programme), lets students share their talents and skills with an audience who appreciates their young talent.

For ISA Upper School students, the planning and rehearsing required for any of their musical performances is substantial, and students must find a way to combine their school and musical commitments.

Upper School Music teacher Douglas Beam runs a rigorous course of study that helps students grow and build their portfolio as performers and composers. His grade 8 students are tasked with making music videos about beauty. This requires not only mu-sical competency but also challenges their own inner concepts of beauty, be it natural, man-made or from within. Students develop aesthetic appreciation, sensitivity and a greater understanding of creativity.

As with all arts courses at ISA, an Upper School student’s musical progress is meas-ured. This is done via The Process Journal, which students complete each week. They record what they do in classes, reflect on this and connect it to other subjects or life experiences. Then they select a personal challenge, which could be anything from mastering a piece of music to working better with others. These recordings, reflec-tions, connections and challenges are eventually graded according to the criteria of

understanding, skills developed, creative thinking and reflections on work done. It is a holistic approach that allows students to extend their learning into many areas of life.

The study of music requires us to collabo-rate, socialise and take a risk. It helps stu-dents become happy, well-rounded adults, versed in the arts, communication and the ability to perform individually or in a team. When academic and artistic pursuits meet, amazing things happen. At ISA, the study of music is truly beneficial, not just for the students and their families, but for society as a whole.

Interviews and article by Jenny Maat

“Students around this age need to be thinking about societal

norms. They are bombarded with images of beauty from the

media and tend to mirror those. Having them apply their views

of beauty to music – giving them the opportunity to express

their opinions and feelings through artistic intention – allows

them to walk away with a better understanding of a musical

artist in society. It allows them to see that music and media are

telling a story and that translates well with them.”

Douglas Beam

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“We have visitors from

Ghana, the United States,

Argentina, Brazil and, of

course, the Netherlands.

This allows all of our

students to have an

authentic experience of

connecting to the music

and makes the music more

relevant and alive.”

Aideen Nolan

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A World of MusicOver the past three years, ISA music and drama teacher Kelly Webber has had a mission – to seek out talented singers at ISA and show them what the world of international music has to offer.

“When I came in, I was asked to build up the choir aspect of our programme,” says Webber. “Choir is an extracurricular activity here at ISA, so I wanted to make sure that the students who were interested in singing took it seriously. I had them meet four times a week and started some new traditions like the senior goodbye song and ISA concerts twice a year in order to inspire and motivate them.”

“They hadn’t really performed in public before. They sang at lunches, but none had really performed on stage or in competitions. My students like music, and they love to sing. Especially the young men here at the school. I actually have more male than female singers.”

After hearing her ISA students perform, she believed that the talent she was working with would benefit from an international honour choir experience. Prior to coming to ISA, Webber worked closely with the Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS). Highly competitive, the AMIS competition tryouts in-volve students performing prescribed vocalising and repertoire, which is then sent off for blind adjudication

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for selection. This prestigious global choir event is held annually in different locations around the world. Webber will be on the judging panel this coming fall.

In Webber’s first year at ISA, student Jack Evans qualified to join the 100+ member AMIS International Mixed Choir, which was then held at the American School of Dubai. It was the first time ISA had ever had a student try out, and Evans solidly secured a place.

This year, ISA student Fintan McCafferty decided to compete against the hundreds of students around the world for a coveted position, and he too secured a place.

McCafferty, a tenor, has been at ISA for 12 years and recently decided to give public singing a shot.

“I always liked singing, but it was personal. Being in choir was a step forward in terms of self-confidence and pushing myself to do new things. Now I really like sing-ing in a group,” notes McCafferty.

In March, prior to AMIS, McCafferty, along with several ISA classmates, was selected to participate in The American School of Oman’s renowned Festival of Choirs. This gave him the perfect warm-up for the AMIS event in Brussels, allowing him to see the caliber of the 180-member choir in Oman and to prepare for his upcoming AMIS adventure. ISA has 35 students in the choir – so singing in a larger choir was a new challenge for him. Additionally, learning the prescribed repertoire

for AMIS was an interesting experience for him.

“Learning gospel was interesting for me and was a new challenge. It’s all about harmony with the size of choirs like these,” explains McCafferty.

AMIS also hosts a Middle School choir, which ISA will be facilitating next year. Webber and ISA music teacher Doug Beam will organise that event.

Webber is hopeful that she will have great participation from the school. “ISA will have 12 participants from our choir. As it stands now, we don’t have a full Middle School choir. We are hoping to remedy that and are trying to be creative to encourage students to join.

“After a recent concert which Dr. Greene attended, he suggested that we invest in acoustic shells to help build on the student’s voices, which is fantastic. Next we will get proper risers, so that we can have an excellent set up for the AMIS event. It helps with the aesthetic, but more importantly it helps with the sound. It helps them hear themselves better and gives more instant gratification.”

Seeing music in the world is important. Webber knows that, and McCafferty is grateful for this experience.

“My confidence has improved. It’s been a great experience working with professional conductors and making new friends from all over the world,” says McCafferty.

Left Photo:

McCafferty and Kelly Webber

Right Photo:

McCafferty and his parents, Martin and Bethan

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Special Olympics

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a vari-ety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportu-nities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olym-pics athletes and the community.

In 1885, the van Koetsveld school opened in The Hague, with the principal objective of ensuring “the physical and moral formation of children with defective or improper-ly developed mental faculties, where ordinary and even primary education is inappropriate.” The school’s administration fundamentally believed that every disabled child was capable of learning something, a very progressive educational approach at the time. Just over 130 years later, the van Koetsveld school continues to thrive and to prove that their students can do more than just learn – they can also teach life-long lessons and inspire young people from around the world, includ-ing those from ISA.

For the last six years, ISA English teacher Jennifer Gryzenhout, has been leading the ISA Special Olympics project, connecting ISA Community, Action and Service students from grades 9–12 with young van Koetsveld students. The ISA programme, which has been running for over 17 years, has been a tremendous success.

“I like the idea of supporting and being involved in a lo-cal initiative, which is why I decided to advise the ISA Special Olympics group,” explains Gryzenhout. “This activity supports our local community and allows our students to see the results right away. Both they and the children walk away from the day feeling great. For me, that’s really inspiring.”

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“In the grander scheme of life, our students are lucky. They have their health and a lot going for them in the world. During the Special Olympics Day, they see that some children have more challenges to face, and this really resonates with them, because they are able to make real human connections and see how their actions can make an impact on a human and not just a theoretical scale. This really leaves a lasting impression.”

Jim Knight, grade 11 student, understands this very well. “My sister, Georgia, was the head of the ISA Special Olympics student group for two years. I became involved then and really enjoyed it,” says Knight.

“I wanted to follow in her footsteps in terms of a leadership role with the group and keeping student involvement and interest high, so I stayed active after she graduated. Next year, I will be President of the ISA Special Olympics Committee, which will involve me organising the event, leading the committee and communicating with the Koetsveld school. But for me, the best part will be the day itself and to see just how happy the children are and how special this time is for them.”

Getting students to participants is generally not a problem. As it stands, there are only nine slots left to fill for the committee for next year, since every student from this past year has decided to return for the 2016 edition.

Abby Knudsen, grade 11, is one of those students. “I’ll definitely do it again next year. I did this in my last school in Budapest, and really wanted to take part in it at ISA. It was a fantastic experience, especially since I was an activity leader (bowling), so I got to interact with all of the children. When I saw how happy they were, I got emotional. It was a fantastic day.”

Hugh Huyton, grade 11, will also return. Having attended ISA for 14 years, he is eager to give something back to the community. “It’s really nice to do something for the local community. For me, it’s about putting smiles on the faces of the children and seeing real happiness.

“I plan to help coordinate the event next year. It’s a great group and a great initiative.”

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The sentiment is the same for the staff at the van Koetsveld School. Anita Ijzer, who used to work at the school, has been involved since the beginning. After 17 years, she still joins the day and volunteers her time.

“Many of the older children have been before. So when we mention coming back, they get very enthusiastic, and the younger kids get excited. We tried this with other schools, but ISA was really committed, and so we have continued the programme with them.”

Ingrid Weenk-van den Dungen, a teacher at the school, agrees that the partnership with ISA is special.

“Our students really look forward to this day, but many of them had trouble coming, because their parents had difficulty getting them to Amstelveen during a weekend. ISA really helped. Their bus drivers volunteered their time to pick the children up from home and drop them off after to ensure that they could attend. It’s really a special experience for our children.”

International Cooperation“One of the great things about this programme at ISA is that we have been able to share our experiences with students from the Il. gimnazija Maribor school in Slovenia,” notes Gyzenhout.

“A few years ago, some ISA students attended an art fair at the Slovenian school, and the teachers there mentioned that their students were in need of more service opportunities. We invited them to come to ISA for our event and have now established an exchange where we send students to participate in their art fair and they send students to join our team for the Special Olympics.”

Vesna Hojnik, a biology teacher at Il. gimnazija Maribor, accompanied this year’s volunteers from her school. The students, from Serbia, Montenego and Macedonia, are international students at the school.

“We were prepared to join in, because a team from the school came a few years ago. After seeing what ISA has done, we are now doing the same. It’s not on the same scale: our school has only 800 students, and 13 have done the IB so far. It is a great programme, and we are learning a lot.”

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The three students for this year attended classes for a day at ISA and then helped set up for the event.

Jelena Lacmanovic is a grade 11 student at Il. gimna-zija Maribor. She wants to study psychology and child behaviour and was eager to take part in this exchange. Her fellow students feel the same.

Tamara Ilioska, grade 11 at Il. gimnazija Maribor, loves to volunteer and has been active in working with special needs kids in Slovenia.

“There are 15 children in the group I work in in Slovenia. We work with them in the gym, play basketball and do gymnastics. It’s been great coming here and seeing how the ISA students create such a great programme for the children here.”

Anya Dekanski, also grade 11, agrees. “It was more than I expected. So well organised, and we are given so much responsibility with the kids, which allows us to really get to know them better.”

Sharing is caringThe Special Olympics is one of ISA’s strongest commu-nity service organisations, and Gryzenhout doesn’t see that changing any time in the future.

“This is an amazing organisation, and I’m so proud to have the support of so many people here at the school,” says Gryzenhout. “For example, Barak Cahen, our Food Product Design teacher, comes in on his own time to organise and assemble lunches for all the participants and students as well as staff from the schools. Nurse Anita comes here on a Saturday to assist anyone who needs help. The help from the bus drivers, security and other members of the faculty and staff really helps us keep this going.

“It would be great to see even more members of our community come out to join us next year. I promise it will be a great experience.”

“This has really been a great

experience. For me, this was

about more than service. It

was about spending the day

making children happy. That’s

why I came.”

Isabella Niels, Grade 9

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Centres of Learning

The start of the 2014-15 school year saw the opening of two new library facilities for ISA – an Upper School library and research centre and a dedicated Early Childhood library. The two additions allow ISA to offer three beautiful student-centred libraries with books in over 20 languages and 24-hour access to services for students via the individual library websites.

The designs for the new libraries were influenced by local Dutch culture and the environment. The Upper School library, which serves grades 6–12, is reminis-cent of a tree house, with wooden beams and details throughout and is situated within a leafy-green space of the ISA campus. At just over 500 square metres, the library boasts expansive picture windows, provid-ing views of the surrounding treetops and allowing for natural light to stream in and energise those studying or using the space to hold classroom sessions. The colour schemes of the furnishings were influenced by Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh’s two most prominent paint-ings – Sunflowers and Wheatfield with Crows. This was

of extreme importance to librarian Michelle Andis. “ISA’s role as a leading educational insitution in the surrounding communities is significant,” notes Andis. “So I wanted to make sure that the Upper School library incorporated an important and widely-recognised artist within Dutch culture as part of our design. We want to maintain our link with local culture, and this was one way to do so.”

The Early Childhood library serves children from ages two to four that are in the Early Childhood, Pre-school and Pre-kindergarten classes. Featuring a child-size sailboat for students to climb and read on, the library also has a Dutch-themed windmill bookshelf to encour-age ISA’s smallest patrons to develop a love of reading. ISA’s Lower School library, in the main school building, was also upgraded with the creation of an internal class-room, and a picture books section moved to a glass sunroom to stimulate young minds.

Both new libraries offer learning common spaces, with niche areas throughout to encourage a myriad of

By Michelle Andis, ISA Librarian

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activities. For the Upper School, there are quiet and group study rooms as well as two internal classrooms allowing for IB-centred research instruction. The spaces are available for presentations, pleasure reading, author visits and embedded learning collaborations between classes, and also include a makerspace for DIY projects and 3D printing opportunities.

The Lower School and Early Childhood libraries of-fer spaces for IB-centred embedded research collab-oration, pleasure reading and author visits, but also include space for visiting professionals to perform pup-pet shows and storytelling.

“The main purpose of our library learning commons spaces is to create various niches to offer increased opportunities for the ISA community to connect, inves-tigate, discover and learn for personal and academic growth,” explains Andis.

“We want to offer spaces that are conducive to a variety of activities and want all to feel welcome. Our goal is to make these dynamic spaces into centres of learning for our school. “

The new library learning designs and reconfigured spac-es have allowed for increased flexibility and patronage for both students and faculty. This will allow all three libraries to increase the number of events and services and further encourage inquiry, creativity, collaboration and critical thinking in the coming years.

The ISA Library team encourages the community to stop by to visit the new space and wishes everyone a summer filled with reading adventures and wanderings filled with wonder.

ISA Librarians

From Left to right: Michelle Andis, Anne Boone, Sabrina Rossi, Nathalie Morrisey and Farin Mendis

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Book WeekIn March, the three ISA libraries hosted Book Week 2015, a week dedicated to encouraging reading and use of the libraries, and which brings in a variety of author and sto-ryteller presentations, events and workshops to ISA for the school community.

American author Bob Shea and famed Irish storyteller Niall de Burca presented to students in the Early Child-hood and Lower School libraries, while British author Joe Craig met with grades 4 and 5, allowing them to experience first-hand the storytelling skills that helped him launch his famous Jimmy Coates book series.

Craig also met with students in the Upper School as did American author and Dutch resident Nina Siegal to discuss her book The Anatomy Les-son, a fictional story which delves into the sto-ry behind one of Rembrandt’s most famous paintings of the same name. Two ISA faculty members, Sarah Woods and Anna Lopez Dekker, also met with Up-per School students to discuss their respective works.

“Seeing that real people are behind the words in books inspires students, sparks their creativity and encourages them to embrace their own writing talents,” says ISA Librarian, Michelle Andis.

Ensuring that students gain an understanding of the importance of reading and books in their academic and emotional development is also of great importance to the ISA library team. The Upper and Lower School libraries hosted ‘The Great Read-In’, a day of reading opportunities and information sharing to instill in students the idea that reading is one of the greatest predictors of personal and academic success.

“Whether its the Lower School students coming to school dressed as their favourite book characters or Upper School students asking for writng advice, Book Week allows students to bring their favourite books to life and share their favourite stories with others, and that’s priceless.” says Andis.

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Global Issues NetworkFounded in 2003, at the International school of Luxembourg, the Global Issues Network (GIN) started as a small collective of six international schools, which gathered together to encourage their students to col-laborate on a local, regional and international level to create and implement solutions for pressing glob-al issues. Using J.F. Rischard’s book, High Noon: 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them, as a guiding document, the network has now expanded to include schools in Asia, North and South America, Africa and the Middle East. ISA has been active in the network for several years now.

This year, ISA’s GIN club met during their lunches to review these global problems, to discuss ideas about how these challenges might be addressed and to pre-pare for the club’s participation in the GIN European conference, held this year at the International School of Milan. Over 350 Middle and High School students, from 30 different schools, attended the conference, and the programme boasted several guest speakers sharing their stories on promoting positive changes in the areas of sanitation, agriculture and social entrepreneurship.

Three of ISA’s grade 10 students, PB Balakrishna, Luca Mustert and Jorge Sobrino, attended the event and chose to highlight the successes and challenges faced by the ISA Green Team as thier topic. They prepared and presented an informative half-hour seminar at the Milan conference, highlighting the many conservation and sustainability initiatives created and maintained by the school’s 120-member student Green Team. The students also shared advice with other students and teachers about how they could start a school-wide conservation and sustainability programme, and provided ideas for keeping these clubs vital and attractive to students. The students’ presentation was very well received and sparked an interest amongst other students that may in turn generate real-life solutions to this global challenge.

Alan Storey, grade 8 science teacher and advisor to the group, was pleased with the students’ performance.

“Our students represented themselves, and ISA, in an outstanding manner. At the conclusion of the confer-ence, the students felt inspired and motivated to con-tinue the search for solutions to these pressing global issues and were proud to share the successes from ISA and our Green Team.”

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Duke of Edinburgh Award

In 1956, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh established The Duke of Edinburgh Award for Boys with the aim of developing activities to enrich their minds, bodies and souls. The original programme was designed by Brit-ish mountaineering expert John Hunt, who led the first successful expedition to climb Mount Everest, and included rescue and public service, expeditions, pursuits and projects, and fitness.

In the first year, over 7000 boys signed up, and 1000 achieved their first awards. In 1958, the programme was extended to girls and had over 42,000 participants. By 1966, it had expanded to 22 countries worldwide. Currently, the programme has reached 140 countries around the globe. ISA has been involved with the programme for over 17 years. In that time, hundreds of students have gained valuable life skills and increased confidence in their own abilities. Interest in the programme grows steadily each year, and support from faculty, staff and the parent community keeps the programme running smoothly, even in a transient school like ISA.

The programme is open to ISA students between the ages of 14 and 18. Participants can achieve three levels of awards – bronze, silver and gold.

To achieve the bronze award, participants “must do a minimum of 3 months activity for each of the Volunteering, Physical, and Skills sections, and plan,

train for and do a two-day (one-night) Expedition. Stu-dents must also spend an extra three months on one of the Volunteering, Physical or Skills sections.”

For a silver award, students “need to do at least 6 months of Volunteering and a minimum of 6 months for either the Physical or Skills sections and 3 months on the other.” The choice is up to the student. They must do a three-day (two-night) expedition.

To achieve the gold award, students spend 12 months on either the Physical or Skills sections and six months on the other. The gold Expedition lasts for four days and three nights (plus an acclimatisation day) and takes place in ‘wild country’. Lastly, gold includes a Residen-tial section where students stay away from home for five days doing a shared activity. ISA students travelled as far as France, Belgium and Germany to fulfil their requirements.

Damian Gielty, ISA’s physical and health education teacher, took over the programme at the start of the 2014-15 school year and is amazed by the resiliance and dedication of the students involved.

“The students challenge themselves but also encourage their classmates through the levels,” says Gielty. “They learn new skills and are able to see each other in a dif-ferent light, especially on the expeditions. They learn to trust each other and work in a team to achieve their goals. It’s an invaluable life experience for them all.”

ISA Duke of Edinburgh Award students meet with His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh.

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ISMTIn late March, six ISA students, along with two mathematics teachers, attended the two-day International Schools Mathematics Teachers Foundation (ISMTF) Middle School Mathematics competition at the International School of Toulouse. Students were placed into teams of three, joining 37 additional teams from other international schools to compete through ten rounds of multiple choice, short and long questions.

Patrick Olsen, grade 7, participated for the first time this year. Preparing for the competition was a way for him to extend his knowledge of the subject in a more challenging setting.

“It was a great experience,” says Olsen. “I was able to meet different people from around the world with the same interests as me and see how different skill levels handle different math problems.”

The competition also allowed students to get to know other students outside of their own school by placing them into mixed teams. Each team had to answer mathematics questions to win tokens to “buy” equipment needed to construct a miniature catapult that would be used to launch a small cannonball. Teams had to quickly decide what to buy and in which order, who would build, who would answer questions and, finally, who would operate the catapult. The event culminated with the launching of the cannon-balls through different sized windows, testing the range, accuracy and overall ability of each team’s design.

Anna Economon, grade 7, was also new to the competition this year.

“Our teachers prepared us well with the same types of tests, so the math was easier than I thought it would be,” explains Economon. “The second day was great, because it allowed for a social element and involved working with new students and learning about our different math strengths. I really enjoyed it all.”

Brian Wiesner, Upper School Math Club coach, agrees. “It was a fantastic opportunity for our students – they were able to work as a team both within ISA and outside the ISA community. The entire weekend was spent learning and applying mathematics, design and even economics in a fun, collaborative and nurturing environment.”

Tricia Apel, Upper School mathematics teacher, was equally enthusiastic. “Going to Toulouse for the math competition was an incredible experience for me as a math teacher,” she said. “To be surrounded by students and teachers [from 39 schools around the world] who love mathematics was rejuvenating. The competition was aca-demically stimulated, but it was also a lot of fun. I think all the students learned at least something new regarding the application of mathematics by the end of the weekend. I know that I got great teaching ideas to use in my own classroom from the many math teachers at the competition.”

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Where’s My Super Suit?Recently, several members of the ISA Early Child-hood team came dressed as superheroes to inspire ISA’s youngest learners in the Nursery and Pre-school programmes to gain a love of reading and develop a sense of adventure during ISA Book Week 2015.

For ISA Nursery School assistant Jennifer Buckley, her choice of character for the day wasn’t too difficult. Dressed as speedy superhero Frozone from The In-credibles, Buckley used the character to introduce the children to her own real-life “alter ego”: the new British national record holder for 5000m long track speed skating. Since the age of four, Buckley has been an avid fan of skating. Initially starting out as a figure skater (her big sister did it, so of course she had to as well), Buckley took to the ice like a natural. By age eight, she and some other childhood skating friends decided to try their luck at speed skating, after realising that they were becom-ing too fast for the figure skating rink.

“I always skated for fun and enjoyed the speed,” says Buckley. “Moving to speed skating allowed me to skate fast and to get “into the mix” of the race. For me, that’s what kept it interesting. The speed came along the way, and over time the fastest skaters in our group stayed. I was lucky to be one of them.”

In the UK, short track skating is the only option speed skaters have for competing and training nationally. While Buckley originally started out as a short track skater, she always had an interest in long track. There are no 400m long track training or competing facilities in the country, and many skaters who want to pursue long track must go abroad to train. After meeting her Dutch husband through speed skating and re-locating to the Nether-lands, Buckley decided to give long track a shot. She has been an avid long track skater ever since, skating with the Jaap Eden Baan team in Amsterdam Diemen. However, competing for Britain always remained a dream.

Currently, there is a movement in the United Kingdom, spearheaded by skating aficionados as well as British

Olympic rowing legend Steve Redgrave, to build a long-track speed skating venue. This ever-growing level of support encouraged the British National Ice Skating Association (NISA) to work with Dutch speed skating groups to bring the recent UK Long Track Ice Speed Skating Division competition to the Hague in March 2015.

Competing in The Hague was Buckley’s first real return to skating after taking a break from competitive skating to focus on her new child. It was not a light decision.

“I waited until the last minute to send in my application. But my colleague Elizabeth Arenas encouraged me to do it. In the end, I had three weeks to train.”

Did she expect to win? “No. But I really hoped to, and knew who my strongest competition was, and kept her and her times in mind. I’m lucky to be able to train local-ly, and I really wanted to show that I could come back and do this. In the end, I won by 3/100ths of a second.”

Buckley is a modest winner – almost reluctant to discuss her title and athletic abilities. Yet, once she starts telling you her story, you can’t help but be drawn in by her passion for the sport and her commitment to giving it all. And it is these qualities that allow her to inspire not only the children of ISA but also those who work with her. Good luck next season!

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Class Notes

In Memoriam

1960s – 1970s

Deborah Lawrence is working as the Performing Arts Coordinator and Band Director at the American School Foundation in Mexico City, Mexico.

Yuko Yamaji Kikuyama worked for Japan Air Lines from 1981 until she got married to a colleague in 1987. She lived in Los Angeles from 2006-2008 after her husband was transferred there and now resides in Tokyo. She has long wished to visit Amsterdam again. Her brother, Shige Yamaji, has been in San Francisco, California for 25 years and last visited Amstelveen in 2003 with his parents.

Former ISA Upper School Counsellor, Connie van den Top, recently passed away in Naples, Florida.

Connie served as an in-ternational counsellor in Rome and Amsterdam. For those who knew her at ISA, she was warm and devoted to all she met.

Nurse Anita Leiftinck remembers Connie fondly. “Connie brought love and moral support to those in her care, even after she had left ISA. She was always think-ing of everybody except herself. We will miss her deeply and send our warmest thoughts to her children, other family members and friends.”

1980s

Erin Barrett graduated from ISA in 1986 and moved to the United States, where she received her BA in History from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and her MEd from Cambridge College.

Erin resides in Lexington, Massachusetts with her husband and two children and is currently teaching World History and Media Studies at Lexington High School in historic Lexington, Massachusetts. Her husband grew up in Europe (Greece). “Our son, Orion, is ten and loves soccer, and our daughter, Maya, is in 9th grade at LHS. Her grade is huge, with over 650 stu-dents! A far cry from my graduating class at ISA of 52 seniors.”

Michelle Lawlor, beloved Nursery and Pre-school teacher at ISA from 2010 to 2012, passed away in December 2014 in her home country of Ireland.

Sabine Luck, ISA Nursery Assistant, worked with Michelle and remembers her fondly. “Michelle loved her students. She really wanted to teach them. It wasn’t just about academics, but also how to be a good person.”

Staff and parents creat-ed a condolence book was to share their memories with Michelle’s family and donations were made in her name to an Autism charity.

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Donald Gaber is a firefighter/EMT in Columbus, Ohio. He is a proud father of three and is engaged to be married to a wonderful woman next year.

Aviv Pinto lives in Netanya, Israel and holds a master’s degree in education and social science, and is retired from military service as an organisational behaviour officer. He is now teaching at a high school and is married with two beautiful kids. “Attending ISA, for me, has been a milestone period in my life. I have great memories of the staff and students attending ISA and hope that everyone will keep in touch!” Cheers - Aviv

1990s

Ann-Christine Lindholm just completed an MSc in Busi-ness Administration specialising in International Man-agement at the University of Amsterdam.

Wendy Oldfield graduated from Chapman University in 2004, having co-authored and designed two books on creativity. She now runs her own graphic design busi-ness.

Karen Worley and her husband and are both teachers in the international school system. After a few years in Ber-lin, and a few more in Moscow, they now live in Bangkok and teach at NIST International School Thailand. Karen works as a Gifted and Talented Support Teacher in the elementary school. Their son, Addison, is 16 and daugh-ter, Isabelle, is 15. As a Third Culture parent, she is now raising Third Culture kids. “We love the experiences we have living internationally. Wouldn’t want it any other way.” See photos on the right

2000s

Annabel Beattie is working as a veterinary surgeon in York, UK.

Arohan Dutt is currently a Senior Social Media Profile Manager at Main Street Hub in Austin, Texas.

Lisa Goodman is teaching Pre-kindergarten at a private international preschool in New York City.

Owen Gray attended the University of Georgia in the United States from 2003-2007. He later opened his own booking agency in Athens, Georgia with a focus

on representing touring musicians and booking their live shows with promoters of clubs. In 2012, he relocated to Boulder, Colorado to work at a larger company, Madison House.

Dominik Lenk lives in Hamburg, Germany and will be competing in the 2015 Mini Transat, a solo transatlantic sailing race on 6.5 meter high-performance yachts.

2010s

Sarah-Mae Lieverse studies European Legal Studies at the University of Kent. She is currently on an Erasmus year in Norway until June. She worked on the infamous Gurlitt case in Berlin, which involved the discovery of over 1000 artworks potentially looted by the Nazis in World War II.

Top Photo:

Alumna Karen Worley and her husband

Bottom Photo:

Children of Karen Worley, son Addison and daughter, Isabelle

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Megan Anderson Gabriel BaijingsMorgan Balster Michael Borst Salomé Cap Maxime de JongÖykü Demirel Romain DumonLouis Eskell Matthew Freeman Paul FrentropMaxwell Geurts Sébastien Goddijn Julie Guichard

Daniel Ham Cassandra Isherwood Samir Iyer Daito KaseMarika Kase Adi KeltshIdo Kenigsztein Matthieu Lair Jonathan Lindgren George Lysaght Goedele Mangelaars Margot Mathot Nodoka Mitake Yoko Mitsuhashi

The Class of 2015Pursue your dreams, follow your heart and remember you will always have a home here at ISA.

Congratulations Class of 2015! We will miss you...

Rukmini Mukherjee Camila Nakashima Thom Neta Daniel Newman Jeremy Newman Justin Nierop Alexander Oosterwijk Miki Osanai Dmitry Pankratov Andrew Paterson Noa Perets Megan Raats Puck Raven Sebastian Rolls

Pearce Ropion Samuel Rosen Jacobson Moeko Sasae Derck Schot Kuhu Sinha Brian Smith Yannick van Dam Laurensz van Oorschot Yves Vanenburg Justus von Brockhusen Kevin Waller Kirstin WhiteIdris Woodroffe Ran Zmigrod

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