ConnectionsThe International School of Amsterdam Magazine

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Connections

The International School

of Amsterdam Magazine

Winter 2016

Editor-in-chief

Erika Harriford-McLaren

Co-editor

Shelly Harrison

Design and layout

Wouter F. Goedkoop

Contributor

Lara Kok

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

ISA Alumnus John O’Brien

Photo Courtesy of Ajax

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ContentsNew Learning Spaces

A new suite of classrooms has been introduced for Middle

Years and Diploma Programme students.

Japanese Alumni Reunion

Director, Edward E. Greene and members of the faculty and

staff, recently visited Japan as part of an international trade

mission. While there, ISA hosted an alumni reunion in Tokyo.

John O’Brien

In 1995, 16-year old John O’Brien, an aspiring professional

soccer player from America, enrolled at ISA to complete his

senior year before launching into more than a decade of pro

soccer on two continents. Alumnae Lara Kok (‘14) caught up

with O’Brien twenty years later to discuss what life was like for

him while at ISA and to find out what he is up to now.

The Refugee Crisis

Many members of the ISA community have been active in pro-

viding knowledge and assistance during this current refugee

crisis, from the ISA Amnesty club’s symposium on how the

crisis affects the Netherlands to a CAS student working dur-

ing the summer at a refugee processing camp in Lampedusa,

Italy.

Global Village Day

ISA celebrated its 19th annual Global Village Day celebrations

with a record-breaking 52 countries participating in the pa-

rade of nations.

The Circular Economy

This year, the ISA Upper and Lower School Green Teams have

adopted a new theme - the circular economy - to motivate

members and the community to not be wasteful.

Grade 10 Personal Projects

For many grade 10 students the culmination of the MYP cur-

riculum is the completion of a year-long process researching,

drafting, designing and implementing their personal project

and presenting it at the annual Personal Project evening.

Music for the Masses

ISA recently launched a new Middle School Girls Choir, who

are ready to make their mark at the upcoming AMIS MIddle

School Honor Choir hosted at ISA in April.

Alumni Profiles

Catch up on the latest news from your former classmates with

our alumni profiles. This issue focuses on our alumni who at-

tended the reunion in Tokyo.

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Welcome

ing before school opens until the gates are locked each evening. From concerts and theater events to a flurry of NECIS athletic competitions, weekly assem-blies, Green Team, math, chess and debate clubs, Cub and Boy Scouts, Brownies, dance lessons, painting classes, community service and Music Academy lessons, our students are engaged in a wide varie-ty of interests, while strengthening their talents. The same can be said for our parents who organise coffee morning sessions, SHARE events, the PTA’s wonder-ful Wednesday morning gatherings, book sales, and tours throughout Holland. And of course, our faculty and staff who support our professional workshops in ISA’s Centre for Development, Learning & Technology, bring in guest speakers and authors, and hold numer-ous curriculum planning meetings for internal teams and visiting educators.

ISA is a virtual cornucopia of opportunities for all members of our community, but especially for our students. The challenge is to find the space and time (and energy) to make all of these events possible without tripping over one another—and to find calendar software that allows us to keep track of all that is going on (and where) without running complex coding algorithms!

As our school has grown over the past years, we have increased the number of activities we offer (and the number of people involved in activities), but we have tried to ensure that every activity is needed, valuable, and run by a highly dedicated coach, tutor or advisor.

The editors of this issue have had quite a challenge selecting a sampling of the many activities that will exemplify just what the phrase ISA in Action means. From our cover story on John O’Brien, alumnus and former world-class Ajax and U.S. national team soc-cer player to our recent grade 10 personal projects, this issue highlights how supporting student interests benefits our own community and beyond.

Now that we are well into a new calendar year, it is safe to say that these are busy times at ISA. Some 15 years ago, ISA was a moderately sized school of 825 students. Today, ISA is one of the largest internation-al schools on the European continent, with over 1350 students from over 50 countries. Add to this figure the 275 faculty and staff, our Music Academy, language tutors, coaches and the scores of parents who spend time with us each day, and you can get a sense of just what a beehive of activity ISA is. Make no mistake: it all makes for a dynamic and exciting school and community!

The activity and ‘busy-ness” is one of the reasons we agreed that the theme of this issue should be ISA in Action. Our school buzzes with activities in the morn-

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The activities that are shared in this issue will serve to highlight this key dimension of our school and community.

It should not go without saying that all of the activities offered at ISA would not and could not happen with-out the dedication of the scores of individuals who give so generously of their time—their late afternoons and evenings, their weekends and their vacations—to en-rich the lives and learning of our students by leading those activities. I salute our teachers and staff, our coaches and parent volunteers who do so much to keep the ISA ‘buzz’ alive and well.

In closing, let me wish each of you a year rich with happiness, opportunity and action!

Enjoy this issue of your ISA Connections.

Edward E. Greene, Ph.DDirector

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New Learning Spaces

found that, with new course offerings and the accept-ance of additional students in most grade levels, the need for more space was imminent.

ISA currently has over 1350 students attending the school. One of the great benefits of receiving an ed-ucation at ISA is that class sizes are kept at a level to allow for true student-teacher interaction throughout a lesson. To ensure that this continues, a decision was made to annex a section of the roof to create a new suite of classrooms for Upper School students.

As ISA student numbers continue to grow, so does the campus itself. At the start of the 2014-2015 school year, ISA opened a new 7800 m2 wing allowing it to not only accommodate an additional 250 students, but also providing key learning spaces for a new Early Childhood department, Upper School library, class-rooms, science labs and an additional “mini” Upper School cafeteria.

While the new wing brought much needed breathing space for teachers and students, the school soon

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The new area provides classrooms for lessons in mu-sic, drama, visual arts, design, film, French, Dutch, Theory of Knowledge, media and theatre as well as a new meeting room for general school events. Both the Middle Years and Diploma Programme students are able to benefit from the new learning spaces.

Visual arts and media teacher Adriel van Drimmelen loves the new area and, in particular, the flexibility that his classroom with its writable walls and desks pro-vides for student lessons.

“My class involves teaching media literacy and a warm up to film for students who want to take the Diploma film course later. The walls in this room allow us to visualise ideas in a different way. Having the scale to be able to write something big and create a hierarchy of information, on the board or on the tables, allows for a free flow of ideas. The students aren’t limited to the edge of a paper.”

The asthetics of the earlier extension are apparent in this area as well. The use of natural light, colour and the addition of a eco-friendly green plant wall contribute to a great environment for learning.

“When I walk into this new area - the colours, the space - it’s inspiring for students and teachers alike.”

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As one of the leading schools in Europe, ISA has served as a rich source of educational insipration for schools and teachers around the world.

Recently, a delegation of Spanish educators visited the school to gain insight on what makes ISA and the students it educates so successful.

The visitors went on a tour of the school, led by several of ISA’s Spanish-speaking students and were able to watch classes in both the Upper and Lower schools to see how ISA has integrated technology and the tenets of the IB programmes into its daily curriculum.

The delegation also met with administrators to discuss the insights gained from the group’s visit and to reiterate support for student language exchanges and continued sharing of best practices.

Spanish Delegation

Anne Frank ProjectISA has been invited by the Anne Frank Foundation to participate in the creation a new anti-discrimination curriculum and tool for educators and students. ISA, along with 7 other consultant institutions in Europe, will be assisting the foundation with grade 8 teacher Shan-non Hancock coordinating the ISA pilot.

The project focuses on tolerance and will include an online tool for educators, which will be translat-ed into multiple languages for local use in countries throughout Europe. The project involves five path-ways for learning including identity, discrimination, life stories, taking action and media literacy. Additionally, a focus will be added on migration and refugee issues in Europe. ISA students will also participate in the testing of the online tool before it launches.

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Blowing from the westFallen leaves gatherIn the east.- Yosa Buson

In November, a delegation of Dutch firms and institu-tions, including the mayors of Amsterdam and Am-stelveen and representatives from the International School of Amsterdam, travelled to Japan as part of an economic trade mission to strengthen existing ties be-tween the two cities and one of the Netherland’s largest Asian investors.

Members of the ISA delegation included Director Ed-ward E. Greene, Director of Admissions Julia True, Admissions Officer Brigitte Good-Mueller, Japanese Teacher and ISA Japanese Community Liaison Yae-ko Hashimoto and English as an Additional Language teacher Virginia Weeganaar.

A lasting relationshipAccording to statistics from the Netherlands Missions Japan, the bilateral trade balance between the Nether-lands and Japan was 11.5 billion Euro in 2014. Japa-nese investments in the Dutch economy employed more than 39,000 Dutch citizens, with investment in techno-logical innovation accountinig for more than 140 billion euro annually.

Japan Alumni Reunion

ISA’s relationship with Japan has been long-standing and the enrolment numbers of Japanese students (cur-rently representing the fourth largest student population by nationality) reflects the importance of Japan to the Netherlands and ISA. Alumni ReunionIn addition to its delegation duties, ISA also hosted a re-union for Japanese alumni at the Hotel Okura in Tokyo. The reception provided the opportunity for old friends to connect with other ISA community members living in and around Tokyo.

The reception was also attended by Amsterdam Mayor, Eberhard van der Laan, Amstelveen Mayor Mirjam van ‘t Veld, Ambassador Radinck van Vollenhoven as well as other delegation members. Over 180 alumni and friends of ISA were in attendance.

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What were your most memorable experiences?

Mio Subana - Alumni studentHanging out with friends, art class, biology class (Mr. R), IB essay.

Nagoya Takashi Tadashi - Alumni student All that I experienced while in ISA was different from Japan and made me change my outlook on life and way of life.

Mayu Mori-Uchino - Alumni student Making friends from all over the world.

Emiko Hari - Alumni student My most memorable experiences were challenge week, the ISA ski trip, volleyball and basketball tournaments and my graduation.

Ikuko Tomioka - Alumni parent The PTA international brunches.

Yurie Takai - Alumni student Global Village Day.

Wataru Kobayashi - Alumni student The ISA ski trip.

Reina Matsumoto - Alumni student It is difficult to mention the most memorable experiences because all my memories left such an impression. I enjoyed the field trips, the U12/U14 sports teams, the choir events, and the flower parade in the World Trade Center along with the Dutch prince.

Mayu Ichise (Tajiri) - Alumni student My Geography trip.

Ayako Ito-Bitani - Alumni student That I could volunteer to join Tanzania Girls and visit a MaaSae school. Also that there was an after-school soccer team for wom-en. The wide variety of things to do was very interesting.

Marie Nozaki - Alumni student Award Scheme, the Tanzania Girls trip, art classes, being on the swim team and the school trips.

Sho Tamaki - Alumni student My most memorable experiences at ISA were with the soccer team.

Yoko Goto Inohara - Alumni student ESL classes!

Is there anything you miss about living in the Netherlands?

Soga Kayoko - Alumni student The peaceful ambience.

Kazumi Hiruma - Alumni parentFriends, teachers, landscape, food, nature.

Akioka Eisaku - Alumni student The traditional canal buildings, frites and oliebollen. Yummy.

Nagisa Matsuura - Alumni parentSafe and well-organised bicycle paths and the Sinterklaas parade.

Yurie Takai - Alumni student Oliebollen, Kroket, friet with mayo, cheese, cheese, cheese!!! So many things…Morning markets, pancakes with orange brandy sauce, book stores and just the atmosphere of Am-sterdam. I miss that in winter there was a warm heater and that in summer it stayed bright outside until almost 11:00.

Ayumi Hiraki - Alumni student I miss everything! I hope I can visit The Netherlands again.

Ami Kobayashi - Alumni student I miss the atmosphere of Amsterdam where people are always welcoming and warm.

Yukiko Komuro - Alumni studentISA! How the school trusted the stu-dents and we got to think for ourselves.

Yuta Yajima - Alumni studentThe people, the scenery, the climate, the atmosphere ... basically everything. I truly wish that I could return to Amster-dam as a mature adult and work and live there.

Mariko Nishizawa - Alumni studentEverything. The people, the food, the canals, the trams ...

Naho Maiya - Alumni studentI miss how progressive it is in Holland. I also love the life style, maintaining a healthy balance between work / study and personal life. I miss the scenery too.

Karin Tsurita - Alumni student Bike riding and S P A C E !! Ice skating on the canal and on the pond back behind the Amstelveen city hall.

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Do you have any advice for Japanese students?

Kase Daito - Alumni student Commitment and dedication will pay off. Good luck!

Ikuko Tomioka - Alumni parent Please enjoy and do your best to participate actively in the various things.

Mayu Mori-Uchino - Alumni student Please enjoy life in Amsterdam! It is so much fun.

Mizuho Hashimoto - Alumni student You should actively participate in the things around you because there are a lot of opportunities and it will be good for you later in

your life.

Yurie Takai - Alumni student Since this is an experience you only get once,

please study and enjoy. Be sure to speak out more and make a lot of friends.

Wataru Kobayashi - Alumni student The experiences you have at ISA cannot be experienced anywhere else. Have fun and challenge yourself even when it’s tough.

Reina Matsumoto - Alumni student

Your time in the Netherlands is valuable, so please spend it

wisely while at ISA. And, please actively participate in various

activities.

Ami Kobayashi - Alumni student For the IB, I always give advice that students

should start assignments as soon as possible and learn about time management, because that is one of the most impor-

tant things in university and work.

Mayumi Teramoto - Alumni parent It is different than in the Japanese community, but this should be seen as fun and not something to make you anxious.

Marika Kase - Alumni student Experience the Netherlands, also in other aspects such as with the language. When you leave ISA remember how fun it was and that you got to spend time with children from a lot of countries. That is irreplaceable.

Ayako Ito-Bitani - Alumni student Know that your experience at ISA will always be treasured!

Marie Nozaki - Alumni student Get out of your comfort zone ... Do not just stay within the same ethnic group!

Mika Isohata - Alumni student Just enjoy it all!

Kiyoe Shimizu - Alumni student Learn about the Dutch culture and customs, and try to enjoy the food. Also participate in the various events.

Sayaka Watanabe - Alumni student In the International School, you will be able to meet with people of different nationalities. This experience has become my strength, even now that I am no longer there.

Yutaka Fukumori - Alumni parent Your parents must have or get a drivers license.

Shota Watanabe - Alumni student This time is beneficial for your future, so be sure to work hard and to enjoy your time there.

Ayano Kuwahara - Alumni student Work hard and study. At ISA there are students with diverse values and experiences, so if you are able to build a strong connection do so as much as possible.

Misuzu Tasaka - Alumni parentJust relax and have fun!

Taishi Kimura - Alumni student Gain as much knowledge as possible and give extra consideration to applications beforehand.

Naho Maiya - Alumni student Appreciate the experience and try not to always compare Holland with Japan. Be open minded and try to mingle with non-Japanese.

Yuta Yajima - Alumni studentI think it is a great opportunity, especially for students to interact with such a diverse range of nationalities at school and for getting an insight into the Dutch culture. European nations are connected by land, so I highly encourage students to travel to other nations during breaks and expand their horizons.

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Selecting a college or univeristy is often top of mind for Diploma Programme students and their parents at IB schools across the world. With over 23,000 insitutions of higher education around the world, trying to navigate the various opportunites, rankings and application pro-cesses can be, and is often, a daunting experience for the entire family.

University CounsellingThe ISA Upper School Counselling Department aims to make the journey to post-secondary life easier through its counselling sessions, testing and academic advisory services and univeristy visit and fairs programmes.

Currently, the ISA Upper School Counselling depart-ment has 3 counsellors who work directly with high school students in grades 9 - 12. Two counsellors are dedicated to assisting Diploma students in their explo-ration of post-secondary planning.

Counsellor Lauren Lundin explains, ‘We assist students with all aspects of their post-secondary planning, from research on gap year options to reviews of the best college or university choices for their particular interest.”

“We give group sessions and have individual meetings with both students and parents to prepare them for life after graduation from ISA. This includes providing infor-

University Visits

mation on university entrance requirements around the world and assistance in meeting application standards.”

University FairsWith a solid reputation for producing knowledgable and prepared graduates, ISA has been able to maintain a positive and transparent relationship with many univer-sities around the world.

Throughout the year, ISA remains in contact with uni-versity representatives from around the world. In addi-tion, the school partners with other schools in the region such as the American School of the Hague’s College and University Fair, to expand the opportunites ISA stu-dents have to meet with university representatives.

Additionally, ISA hosts dozens of universities on campus each year. All students are given the opportunity to ex-plore education options from schools in the Americas, Europe, and Asia during their lunch breaks and in after school and evening events.

For students exploring education in the United States, ISA partners with the Ivy Circle, a collaborative organ-isation between the Fulbright Centre USA , the United States Consulate and alumni representing Ivy League colleges and other esteemed institutions.

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CANADAHEC Montréal McGill UniversityQueen’s University University of British Columbia University of CalgaryUniversity of Guelph University of ManitobaUniversity of Toronto University of Waterloo Western University York University

JAPANHiroshima University Hitotsubashi University International Christian UniversityKeio University Kwansei Gakuin University Okayama UniversityOsaka UniversityRitsumeikan Asia PacificUniversitySophia UniversityUniversity of Tokyo University of Tsukuba Waseda University NETHERLANDSAmsterdam University College ArtEZ Institute of the Arts Delft University of TechnologyErasmus University Erasmus University CollegeThe Hague University of Applied Sciences Hotelschool The Hague Inholland University of Applied Sciences Leiden UniversityNyenrode New BusinessSchool University College Maastricht University College RooseveltUniversity College Utrecht University of Amsterdam University of GroningenUniversity of MaastrichtUniversity of Utrecht Utrecht University of Applied Sciences

Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamWebster University

OTHER INTERNATIONAL Escuela Superior de Adminisitración Dirección de Empresas (ESADE) The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology IE University Isituto Marangoni Milan Korean University Monash University Trinity College Dublin University College Cork University of Hong Kong Université Paris VI – Pierre et Marie Curie Yonsei University

UNITED KINGDOMThe Art Academy Aston University Bath Spa University Bournemouth UniversityBrunel University Buckinghamshire New UniversityCamberwell College of Arts Cardiff University Central Saint Martins College of Art & DesignCity University Coventry University Dundee and Angus CollegeDurham University Edinburgh Napier University Exeter CollegeGlasgow Caledonian University Greenwich School of ManagementHult International BusinessSchool London Imperial College LondonIsituto Marangoni, London Keele UniversityKing’s College London Kingston University Lancaster University Leeds College of Art & Design London College of Fashion London Metropolitan University

London School of Economics and PoliticalScience London South Bank University Loughborough University Middlesex University New College of the HumanitiesNewcastle University Nottingham Trent University Oxford Brookes University Regent’s University London The Robert Gordon University Roehampton University Royal Central School ofSpeech and Drama Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Southampton Solent University UCFB WembleyUniversity College LondonUniversity of Aberdeen University of Abertay DundeeUniversity of the Arts LondonUniversity of Bath University of Bedfordshire University of BirminghamUniversity of Brighton University of Bristol University of Cambridge University of Central Lancashire University of Dundee University of East Anglia University of Edinburgh University of Essex University of Exeter University of Glasgow University of Greenwich University of HertfordshireUniversity of Kent University of Leeds University of Leicester University of Lincoln University of Liverpool University of London - Goldsmiths College - Heythrop College - Queen Mary Royal Holloway University of ManchesterUniversity of Northumbria

University of NottinghamUniversity of Oxford University of Portsmouth University of Sheffield University of SouthamptonUniversity of St. Andrews University of Stirling University of Strathclyde University of Surrey University of Sussex University of WarwickUniversity of the West ofEnglandUniversity of Westminster University of WinchesterUniversity of York

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA American University Amherst College Bard College Boston CollegeBoston University Brigham Young University-HawaiiBrown University Bryant UniversityCalifornia Polytechnic StateUniversity, San Luis Obispo Calvin College Carnegie Mellon University College for Creative Studies Columbia College Chicago Columbus College of Art andDesign Dartmouth College Drexel University Embry-Riddle AeronauticalUniversity Florida State University Fordham University The George Washington UniversityHope College Johns Hopkins UniversityKent State University Marist College Messiah College Mills College Mount Holyoke CollegeThe New School – EugeneLange College New York Film Academy New York University Northeastern University

Northwestern University Pomona CollegePrinceton University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rice University Rollins College Sam Houston State University Santa Clara UniversitySarah Lawrence College Savannah College of Artand DesignSeattle UniversitySouth Dakota School ofMines and TechnologySt. Cloud State University Stanford UniversityUnited States Air ForceAcademy University of Arizona University of California - Berkeley - Irvine - Los Angeles - San Diego - Santa Barbara - Santa CruzUniversity of Colorado atBoulder University of Evansville University of Florida University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Miami University of Michigan The University of NorthCarolina at Chapel HillUniversity of Oregon University of Pennsylvania University of PittsburghUniversity of Rochester University of Vermont University of Washington Wake Forest University Western Washington UniversityWheaton College (Illinois)

Graduates from 2013 – 2015 have been offered admission to the following institutions (university names in bold indicate those to which ISA graduates matriculated).

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For over 15 years, ISA has partnered with Harvard’s Project Zero, a multi-disciplanary programme that in-cludes “investigations into the nature of intelligence, un-derstanding, thinking, creativity, cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural thinking, and ethics.”

With the opening of ISA’s Centre for Development, Learning and Technology, a professional development institute for educators from around the world, came the opportunity to partner with the Centre for the Advance-ment and Study of International Education (CASIE) to bring one of the largest Project Zero conferences, Ze-roing in on Learning, to Europe and ISA in October of 2015.

ISA Director Edward E. Greene is proud of the events success.

“What a fantastic event our school hosted (and, in many ways, led). Over 400 international educators joined us on campus, some from as far away as Australia and China, for an exciting, sometimes moving, and always inspiring conference.

Renowned Harvard Project Zero researchers David Per-kins, Ron Ritchhart, Daniel Wilson, Veronica Boix-Man-silla, Carrie James and Liz Dawes Duraisingh brought innovative ideas and educational philosophies to the attendees, offering re-imagined visions of schools, of learning, of teaching and of leadership.

Project ZeroFocusing on the future of education, the three-day event offered interactive courses on topics ranging from Mak-er-centered Learning and Using Thinking Routines in Lit-eracy Circles to Using Visible Thinking for the Purpose of Differentiation.

“This conference offered a great blend of research and hands-on demonstrations, punctuated by thoughtful conversations on the very best practices emerging from Project Zero classrooms “ noted Greene.

Professional development has always been a priority for ISA and having the conference onsite gave the school the chance to allow it’s entire teaching staff to showcase their own skills while getting access to some of the top educational training and networking offered in the world.

“It was especially rewarding to see the number of ISA teachers who offered courses and gave presentations over the three days. Several ISA teachers opened their classrooms and visitors were nothing less than exuber-ant in their reports about the teachers, the students and the classroom environments” said Greene.

“Suffice it to say that beyond being a world-class pro-fessional conference for all of us (and for the over 200 visitors), it was a great moment for ISA. Our school, our staff, our students, our facilities and programmes were all categorised as a ‘Wow!’

Jim Reese, Education Chair of Project Zero Perspectives, opens opens the 2015 Pro-ject Zero conference in Am-sterdam.

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The International School of Amsterdam’s Centre for Development, Learning and Technology offers first-class training and professional development opportunities for teachers, administrators, technology direc-tors and other members of the educational community who want to learn the latest developments and methodologies from leading educational experts.

upcoming events 2016

Follet Destiny – School Library Management System SoftwareApril 11 & 12 2016The Destiny Doctor will be back to join the European Team to share tips and tricks about Destiny, eBooks, eTextbooks, and much more!

Forest School Training CourseFall 2016To gain the skills and confidence in leading Forest School sessions for children, young people and adults in an outdoor environment.

For detailed information about these events, visit us online at cdlt.isa.nl

Assessing What Matters Most: Developing Authentic Performance Tasks

April 14 & 15, 2016

In this workshop, we’ll explore a set of practical and proven design tools for developing quality performance tasks based on Jay McTighe’s recent e-book, Core Learning: Assessing What Matters Most. Such tasks provide more than simply another method for measuring learning – they embody the most important goals of the Standards while engaging students in meaningful learning of them.

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In April of 2000, a book was published that changed the way that the world approached the education of boys. While focus is often put on leveling the playing field for girls, this book, Raising Cain - Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys, explored the unique ways that boys learn and interact with each other and how schools, and familes, could integrate alternative methods to ensure success and a healthy well-being for their sons as well as their daughters

The author, as one of the United States leading psychologist specialising in children and families, was no stranger to the subject. Today, with nine best-sell-ing books under his belt, Michael Thompson, Ph.D. has become a renowned global advocate for protecting the emotional well-being of children and a much sought-af-ter speaker in the education world.

Over the years, ISA has been fortunate enough to be able to invite Thompson to campus to meet with students, parents and faculty.

On Thompson’s latest visit he held three parent sessions - Raising Responsible Children, The Nature of Boys and College Admissions: a failed rite of passage. In the first session Thompson challenged parents to provide consistency and to not be afraid to give their child re-sponsibility. He tackled democratic, authoritative and authoritarian parenting styles - outlining how parents can get to a point where they can provide a strong moral base and framework in which their children can prosper.

In his talk, The Nature of Boys, Thompson took a few pages from his book and outlined several key points for parents of boys to pay attention to including:

- Give boys permission to have an internal life, approval for the full range of human emotions, and help them to develop an emotional vocabulary so that they may better understand themselves and communicate more effectivelywithothers. - Teach boys that emotional courage is courage, and that courage and empathy are the sources of real strength in life. - Use Discipline to build character and conscience, not enemies.

Michael ThompsonLastly, regarding college admissions, he explained to parents how they should be a support tool for their children in this process and should be open to ex-ploring the wide range of school options for their child versus limiting them to a small and select group of high- pressure schools. He also encouraged parents to re-main an active part of their college child’s life - because they are still developing as adults and parental guidance is still needed.

In addition to the parenting sessions, Thompson also met with ISA Upper and Lower School students, discussing subjects like Best Friends, Worst Enemies, The Pressured Child and University Admissions in Perspective. For faculty, he held sessions on Top Ten Suggestions for Teaching Boys, The Paradoxes of Anxious Parents and ISA students and the University Admissions Process.

ISA parent and staff member, Helen de Wolf, believes that Thompson’s messages are on point.

“Before Dr. Thompson came to ISA I knew his name from Raising Cain, but had never read any of his books. Now I’ve read almost all of them. As a Brit, I was not sure if I would feel such a strong connection with an American psychologist and writer, but I needn’t have worried; his experience and understanding really transcends cultural boundaries.”

“His talks are full of practical wisdom and new perspec-tives which I find hugely reassuring and helpful. Most of all he challenges and reminds me about what it feels like to be an adolescent and how tough it can be in a world full of distractions and new pressures.”

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Positive DisciplineParents of young children, no matter where they are from in the world, have all experienced times when their child’s will and need for independence tests the limits of parental patience. From sibling rivalry to power strug-gles and meltdowns, a misbehaving child can, and often does, cause stress that reverberates through the entire family.

While parenting styles may differ from culture to culture, there are some common approaches to help parents take on the challenge of discipline, in a positive and healthy way for all involved. One well-known method, “positive discipline”, is being largely embraced by ther-apists, psychologists, schools and parents alike and has recently been introduced at ISA in parenting sessions.

Positive Discipline 101The concept of positive discipline, or positive parenting, was originally created by Alfred Adler, an Austrian-born doctor and psychotherapist and the founder of the school of individual psychology. Adler’s former student and colleague, Rudolf Dreikurs, an American psychi-atrist and educator, further developed the concept by

simplifying it for parents and teachers, allowing it to be adopted around the world. Alder and Dreikurs believed that a child’s negative behaviour stems from a need to feel significant with a social group or setting and that positive encouragement versus negative reinforcement could lead to improvements in behaviour as well as the overall parent-child relationship.

Dreikurs further suggested that children have four un-conscious goals leading to misbehaviour – attention, power, revenge and avoidance of failure – and that by addressing each of these with a positive approach, any negative behaviour could be minimised or even elimi-nated.

“Anticipation influences outcome—the fear of making a mis-take leads to mistakes. Anyone who can alter the expectations of people can change their behavior.” Dr. Rudolf Dreikurs

ISA introduced the programme to help parents raise their children to become “responsible, respectful and resourceful” community members – both within and out-side of the school.The ISA programme is based on the

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work of Dr. Jane Nelson, a licensed marriage, family and child counsellor and renowned author of the best sell-ing positive discipline book series, and is led by Lower School Counsellor, Denise Granai. We spoke to Granai for her impressions of the programme and its impact.

Why do you feel that these positive parenting sessions are important for families?Positive parenting is important for any family looking for long-term solutions to address a child’s misbehavior. With the Positive Discipline programme, it acknowledg-es that punishment does work in the short-term, but the long-term results are the 4 “R”s (resentment, rebellion, revenge, or retreat). By using punishment we attempt to make a child feel bad in order to correct behavior. How-ever, this does not motivate change because children do better when they feel better. By practising positive parenting techniques, and taking time to try new ways of interacting with children, we then encourage children and adolescents to be respectful and reasonable with their decisions.

What are the types of valuable social and life skills that can be learned from positive discipline and does this only apply to children or for parents as well?A large part of the Positive Discipline programme is changing the way we perceive a child’s behaviour and how we react as adults. Modeling appropriate or expect-ed behaviours as adults is a big part of teaching new skills to children, such as problem solving. In our work-shops here at ISA we use something called the “Mis-taken Goal Chart” which guides parents to think about what the child’s motivation is behind the behaviour and how we, as adults, can try new ways of interacting in order to correct that behaviour in a positive way.

You have done sessions on sibling rivalry and power strug-gles. What are the key pieces of advice or takeaways that you would like parents to understand when dealing with these types of situations?These two topics are difficult as they can throw adults into a negative cycle of constant arguing with a child or between children. This is not fun for anyone. It is impor-tant to find times where we can have positive interac-tions with each other throughout the day and as adults we need “connection before correction”. When dis-cussing power struggles and sibling rivalry, we examine many topics such as empowerment, attentive listening, validation of feelings, and “letting go” (one of the most

difficult concepts for some adults). We also spend time discussing the importance of solving problems when we are rational and calm and how to self-correct when things get out of control.

Will ISA continue with these sessions and will they have them for older children as well?We will definitely continue to offer the Positive Disci-pline programme, including our Positive Discipline pro-grammes for preschoolers, children, and teenagers. Last year we were able to have workshops for all of these age levels and it is a possibility for this school year as well. However, if a parent is unable to make a workshop there are plenty of resources that we recommend including Positive Discipline books in our school libraries, as well as my favourite Positive Discipline blog and online class site – http://blog.positivediscipline.com.

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John O’BrienInterview by Lara Kok

In 1995, John O’Brien made his way from Playa del Rey, California to the Netherlands to attend ISA. Like many 16-year olds, O’Brien was an avid soccer player and dreamt of following his passion for the sport into the professional sphere. However, O’Brien was not the typi-cal high school sports star and his move to Amsterdam, without his family, was not the typical ISA student story.

It was, in fact, the beginning of something great… something historical and would, for many, mark the point where the international soccer world took players from America seriously for the first time.

At the age of 14, O’Brien had a trial with Ajax, Amster-dam’s professional soccer team from the Eredivisie. Having caught their attention, he was recruited to join

the team at age 16, prompting his move to Amsterdam and his enrollment at ISA to finish out his high school years.

ISA graduate Lara Kok (’13) interviewed O’Brien from his home in Berkeley, California to find out more about his time at ISA and his experience playing in Europe and for the United States national team.

When you left to come to Europe at 16, was that the first time you had lived outside of the U.S.?Yes, and I was a little different from some of the other people at ISA at that time, since most of my classmates had already moved a lot with their families. For me that was the first time. I had travelled a lot for soccer by then, but I had never lived anywhere else. And I moved over without my family and in with a Dutch host family.

John O’Brien (bottom row, second player from left) as a member of the Ajax 2003 team playing against AC Milan. Other notable players on the team included Zlatan Ibramovich, and Rafael van der Vaart.

All photos courtesy of Ajax.

Photo credit: Ajax/Louis van der Vuurst.

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It was great being at ISA and to connect with other Americans as well as an international community. It allowed me to build some friendships and really made me feel at home. So I had kind of the Dutch world – which was my soccer world – and this kind of interna-tional world where I went to prom and did these things that were very American. It made it easier to adjust.

Did you find a balance between your two lives – Dutch and international?The first year, and a couple of years after that, I stayed friends with people that I met at ISA and we would explore the city as expats, which was different from what the Dutch kids were doing.

Over the years, it shifted. I became more Dutch as I lived there, as you can imagine. As I got to speak the lan-guage better, I learned to enjoy hanging out in a Dutch social environment. It was really nice to kind of move back and forth between those worlds – going to places with the Dutch kids and doing what they liked to do and then out with the expats getting in touch with the inter-national community of the city.

How did your parents and friends back in California feel about you being abroad by yourself and doing this immersive cultural transition?People in the soccer community were really excited about it. At that time there wasn’t much of a pathway to professional soccer in the United States and so they were like “Wow, that’s awesome that you get to be there” and other people were like “Holland? I’ve never heard of it” and didn’t really know where it was.

My brother and sister were very excited about it and my parents missed me and tried to come over as much as they could. For my family, it was really a kind of exper-iment. “Try it out one year and see how it goes”. Then one year led to another year and then it just got too good to leave.

Ajax was a very serious soccer environment, especially at my age. It wasn’t something that you think of as “fun” or “light”. Before it had been about doing a tryout, trying to make the team and showing how good I was and then it got to the point where it was “real”. I remember on the plane ride over just starting to cry and realising that I was leaving the States and moving to another country. That really kind of took me by surprise. But when I ar-

rived there were a lot of really friendly people, both on my team and at ISA, and that helped a lot.

I definitely went through times where it was weird to be there. The culture is different and the weather was very different from Southern California, which took some getting used to. But then once I was there, I thought “let’s try to enjoy this as much as I can”. So I really tried to learn the language and that was a big part of me enjoying my time there. Being able to converse easily with people meant I didn’t feel like a foreigner all the time, which was nice.

You began your soccer career at 16 and then had quite an extensive career after that until you were injured. What was that like?I moved to Amsterdam when I was 16 turning 17 and went to ISA for one year to finish high school. I came to Amsterdam to play for the Ajax Youth Soccer Academy, which was pretty great. At that time, ISA was pretty flex-ible in terms of letting me go to training every afternoon, even when we started at 13:00 in the afternoon, so I would only have school in the morning.

But I would go to practice daily and eventually made my jump from the Youth Academy to the professional team and had a good professional career playing for Utrecht, for the Hague and for Ajax, which was mostly for the first team for about 6 years and it was great.

I also played for the US national team in a couple of World Cups and in the Olympics in 2000. So that was my first career – playing soccer professionally.

It all really started in Amsterdam. I really grew into a pro-fessional player there with the training I received and in that environment.

What do you think is the difference between U.S. soccer and Dutch soccer?It’s very different. Very different styles of play. With the Dutch it’s very organised with a lot of passing, really technical and a lot of ball possession. In the U.S. it’s technical as well, but more of a dribbling style of soccer with a lot of counter attacking, very organised defen-sively and very much about the team and team spirit.

While I was playing, that was something that became tricky – to code switch and be the American player at

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one time and then come back and be a Dutch player. I had to play these different types of soccer, even with very different types of soccer balls, because they aren’t the same and I had to adjust to that as well.

This might be an impossible question to answer but do you feel that you had a team that you liked playing with more – Ajax, Utrecht, the Hague or the US National Team?I think looking back on my career, I felt more like a Dutch player than an American player, mostly because I spent 12 years of my soccer-playing years in Holland. In the beginning I felt more American and thought can I do this here as an American? Then eventually I just started to feel more Dutch. I had amazing times with a lot of different teams there, playing in Utrecht my first year and playing in the Eredivisie for Ajax, where we won championships and I got to play with some of the best players in the world.

And then with the US team we did great at one World Cup and the Olympics as well. So being part of all those teams was amazing. All a little bit different. Now that I‘m back in the States, I still feel that I have a bit more of a Dutch perspective on soccer. It’s a little different than the American feel.

Was soccer your only focus or did you have time for other things?After ISA, I went to a Dutch high school for short time of about 3 months. I was about 18 and still on the youth

roster. I was bored just playing soccer and thought I should do something else, and had time for it. It really helped me to learn Dutch, and so then I went to the Hogeschool voor Economische Studies and studied international management for about a year and a half.

Right around that time I started getting paid but I was on the reserve team and I moved in with the family of a guy on my team. Later I moved to an apartment on my own, which was around the time I started playing Eredivisie for the first time and got loaned out to Utrecht.

So at that point I was living on my own and commuting to Utrecht and I was still trying to go to school. But it was really difficult to play on the weekends in front of big crowds and then on Sunday night after a big game get myself ready to go to school on Monday. So I decided to put school off at that point and come back to it later.

There are students at ISA who would love to do what you have done. Do you have any advice for them?It’s really on a case-per-case basis. It can be a lot of work and stressful at times when some kids are out and exploring other hobbies and you have to take care of yourself and your body, go to sleep early and make sure you are eating well. It’s things like that that might make you feel a little different or that you are missing out on something. But it’s still a great path to choose to try to do. I don’t have any regrets dedicating myself to soccer. I think I’ve learned a lot from it.

Moving on from soccer, what was it like when you decided to stop playing? It was a big transition to stop playing. At the time, I had a lot of injuries and was kind of bitter that I couldn’t play and at the same time I was happy that I could explore some other things. It took me a while to find my way and what I was interested in. Right now I’m in a psychology programme - doing a doctorate in sports psychology.

I wanted to stay connected with soccer in some way. I tried coaching but it wasn’t really for me. During my ca-reer I worked with sports psychologists and found them helpful and really like them, so that also influenced my decision. I was really curious about the mental things that make a difference when someone plays. How peo-ple talk about these things, think about them, how a player can improve and adjust his or her mindset over time. It feels like a helpful position – sports psychology

O’Brien celebrating Ajax win as Eredivisie champions with teammates, Tomas Galasek and Steven Pienaar.

Photo credit: Ajax/Louis van der Vuurst.

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– helping people manage themselves inside and outside the sports world.

Since I started studying I found it really fascinating how people work and how many factors go into things like motivation and what kinds of things get in our way and trip us up. It’s really interesting.

Are there any expectations in this area for the future? Maybe helping families who have kids who are really dedicated to a sport to manage that, for example help-ing them to manage when a child or a family starts to move to a different country to follow that sport. I think that would be nice. It’s an idea – I still have a few things to do and there are more things that I want to try out.

Do you still feel an attachment to Amsterdam?I’m in Berkeley now. I‘m from Los Angeles – so not liv-ing too far away. But definitely, you calling me and me seeing the +31 country code on my phone was really an “ahhh” moment. I love Holland. I love Amsterdam. I really feel like it is still a part of me.

I still keep in touch with Dutch friends I have other there. A few of them came out to my wedding last year. I look forward to getting back and hopefully too to teaching my newborn son a little bit of Dutch along the way.

Are you better able to take on different situations and cul-tures after this experience?I definitely have a more international outlook and I think I understand “cultures” in a deeper way. You have to get into a culture and feel it and from there you find a place for interacting. It’s a very deep experience.

It’s not just the surface things that people talk about. Like birthdays for example…in Holland the birthday per-son brings in the cakes and in America it’s the other way around. It’s a different world when you open up and let a culture inside of you. I feel like when I start speaking Dutch, the Dutch part of me comes out, especially the Dutch humour, which is a bit more dry and cynical.

Do you have any special memories from ISA? I remember we always used to go the snack bar for breaks. I think the school has moved since then, but those were amazing times. ISA was great.

Inspired by John O’Brien’s story and have a son or daughter who loves to play soccer? Ajax offers opportunities for ISA students to attend summer camps and clinics and to train at the very same facilities used by all the Ajax teams! Choose from Ajax Boys, Ajax Girls, goalkeeper and even international camps to learn how to improve one-on-one skills, to dribble, pass and receive better. The club also offers training clinic days in May and during the summer hol-idays. Registration for both the camps and clinics is now open. For more information visit: www.ajaxcampsenclinics.nl.

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Wakeboard KingISA has a legacy of students dedicated to achieving the best - in the classroom as well as in the realm of sports. Milo McCafferty, a grade 10 student, has been doing his part to keep the legacy going, and in doing so has made a name for himself in the world of wakeboarding.

For those unfamiliar with the sport, wakeboarding, once called “skurfing”, is a combination of surfing and water-skiing. While it’s origins are unknown, the first skurfer was built and launched in the mid-1980’s. The sport’s popularity took off after that, with international compe-titions being televised across the sports world and the World Skiboard Association launching in 1989.

McCafferty is what some refer to as a “lifer” here at ISA. He has attended the school for 12 years, since he was in pre-school. Growing up, he was an avid skate and snowboarder. His parents, had always encouraged him and his older brother, to be active in sports and after a quick search on the internet for cable parks in the Netherlands, he entered the world of wakeboarding.

“Because of my love for board sports, I decided to try wakeboarding. It is really similar to snowboarding but only on water. To be honest, at first I disliked it because I wasn’t able to stand up, but after trying it a few times and landing my first jump, I really loved it and was down at the cablepark every day of the week. The people at

the cable park are really helpful and extremely friend-ly and welcoming to everyone irrespective of their skill level. That helped.”

After two seasons of wakeboarding, McCafferty’s home wake park, Wet’n’Wild, decided to sponsor him for the following year. They gave him free membership, as well as a board and gear.

“I agreed to compete in competitions in the Nether-lands, the UK and Germany and now I’m also sponsored by Jobe, a global supplier of water sport equipment.

“In return for the companies helping me out, I ride with their gear and promote both companies by competing as often as I can, filming at least one video a year, and regularly updating Instagram, Facebook and anything else with pictures, videos, updates about how I’m pro-gressing in the sport.”

McCafferty has found that balancing his newfound ca-reer with school and a social life isn’t always easy.

“Balancing my school work and life with wakeboarding is really difficult, as my family and I live out in the country side and my friends live quite far away. I often need to make the decision between going to Amsterdam to see friends or going to the cable.”

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“Though my parents always make me finish my home-work first, on weekends it’s especially difficult to finish homework, go to the wake park and do something with friends. I don’t always fit all three in, so I try to go to the wake park as often as I can on school nights to get rid of all my energy built up during the school day.”

McCafferty chose to integrate his love of the sport into his Grade 10 IB Personal Project. He found that just be-cause he had a love for the sport, it didn’t make creating a worthy personal project any easier.

“My personal project was quite difficult. I’m trying to put a big wake park into a small box. Under the guidance of my uncle and grandfather, I built a wakeboard winch, which is a small version of a cable system. It’s a small 6.5 Honda engine that uses a centrifugal clutch system to power and rotate a sprocket attached onto an axle. Attached to that axle is a big spool of rope. Using the power of the engine, the spool of rope rolls in at the speed of a normal wakeboard cable. The interesting thing about what I’m building is that my winch is port-able, meaning that I can bring wake boarding to more urban spots such as the canals in Amsterdam.”

Obviously, McCafferty isn’t afraid of a challenge where wakeboarding is involved. So when the time came for him to compete in the Nationals competition, he didn’t hesitate. However, he found the road to first place to be far from smooth.

“Although it was very fun, I found it difficult to make a decision on the run I would put together. I qualified first overall after the first day with 90 points in the boy’s cat-egory. The next day, however, I arrived a little later and my heat for the semi-finals was over. The judges told me I was disqualified and couldn’t join the next heat as it would mean someone would miss out if I qualified fur-ther. Luckily, all the boys in that heat didn’t mind, and I was able to join. However, the judges said I was only allowed one run instead of two, and I had to make a de-cision if I was to throw a trick I was uncertain of landing.

To his surprise, McCafferty landed the trick and qualified for the finals in a first place position. For the finals, he competed in two rounds, and once again decided to go for the gold and perform tricks he had never landed be-fore. The gamble paid off and he found that after a final run, he secured a first-place finish.

“The Nationals is the biggest event in the Netherlands each year, and I felt really proud to have won it. I learned a lot from the competition, had a lot of help from my friends and my family, and in the end was very happy with my run and my placement. I’m especially grateful to Albert Klomp for being supportive as a mentor, always helping me get ready for competitions, to learn new tricks and for coaching me since I started.”

“I certainly intend to continue wakeboarding and next year hope to be training with the Dutch wakeboarding federation which will enable me to train with top athletes and compete in more global international competitions, and hopefully, the world championships in a few years.”

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When thinking of sports and the Netherlands, football (or soccer as North Americans like to call it), swimming, and speed skating typically come to mind. But there is another sport, albeit not as well known, that has cap-tured the hearts and sporting interest of the Dutch and others around the world for over 100 years - Korfball.

Those new to ISA or the Netherlands may have never heard of it, but for the Dutch, playing korfball is as com-mon as hockey, skating or soccer. Like with the other sports, korfball players grow into their game and if lucky, some even make it to the national level - just like ISA Dutch teacher Annette de Graaf did.

History of Dutch “Basket”ballIn 1902, Dutch teacher, Nico Broekhuysen, travelled to Sweden to study physical education and soon discov-ered the joys of ringboll, a popular Swedish game which consisted of mixed gender teams aiming to score points by throwing a ball through a ring on a pole. Intrigued by the sport, Broekhuysen brought the game home to the Netherlands, changing it slightly to accommodate younger students and adding a basket to replace the hoop. He named it korfball, after the Dutch word “korf” meaning “basket” and the first known game was played on the Jan Luykenstraat, close to what is now the popular Amsterdam shopping street, P.C. Hoofdstraat.

Over time, the popularity of the game grew, despite lingering controversy over it’s mixed gender teams. When Broekhuysen introduced the sport to the Netherlands, he purposefully kept the mixed gen-

Dutch ‘Basket’ballder component so that “boys and girls could play together on equal terms, encouraging team work and cooperation.” This insistence on allowing women to play on the same level as men caused many to deem the sport immoral.

Despite these objections, interest in the sport spread and korfball became known across borders throughout Europe. It was even selected to be the national demon-stration sport for the Netherlands at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, beating out archery (deemed too Greek), rugby (not Dutch enough), skittles (too small for a large audience) and kaatsen, a type of Frisian handball similar to tennis (a close second-runner up).

In time an international bureau was established in the Netherlands, later moving to Belgium to become the International Korfball Federation. The Dutch love of korfball had officially become an international past time. This allowed players like Annette de Graaf to take a home-grown passion and share it with the world.

How did you become interested in Korfball?As a child, my family and I spent our weekends on sports fields - mostly for football (soccer) since my dad was a semi-professional player and my mom used to play as well. My brother and I always joined him when he had to play or coach a team and I absolutely loved watching and playing the game. But in my hometown of Wormer (close to Zaandam and the Zaanse Schans), all the girls at school played korfball when they turned 6 and not soccer. Since my mother played korfball when

Top: One of two Korfball teams participating in the 1928 Olympics. Korball was selected as the demonstra-tion sport that best repre-sented The Netherlands.

Photo credit: The Nether-lands Olympic Committee. Public Domain.

Side: Annette de Graaf, TOP Sassenheim.

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she was younger, she thought that it would be a great choice for me.

How long have you been playing korfball and were you able to advance to competitive levels when playing? You are allowed to start playing korfball when you are 6 years old, so once I reached that age my mom signed me up for the Groen Geel korfball club in my hometown. It’s a very competitive club to this day, and currently has over 500 members in various age groups and levels.”

“The Under 12, Under 14, Under 16 and Under 19 teams compete at a national level and in the Hoofdklasse, the second highest league in the Netherlands.”

I have been a member of the club for 26 years, but have also played for two other clubs; TOP Sassenheim and BlauwWit Amsterdam. Both are members of the top league. While playing for those teams, I had the chance to work with experienced team players and train-ers, so now I am trying to bring back all the skills and knowledge I gained to Groen Geel where I am currently playing in their highest team again.

In addition to playing for those three teams, I have also played for regional and national teams from ages 14 to 21. This required a lot of extra training sessions and travel to tournaments in the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Belgium and England, but I loved it. They were really amazing times, and I look back at them with a huge smile and pride.

What was the most exciting competitive moment you had while playing the game?Without a doubt I have to say that playing for TOP Sassenheim in the Korfbal League was the highlight of my career. Playing at that level totally changed my perspective of the game, which in turn made me play much better. It felt amazing to be part of such a talented and successful team.

I also very much enjoyed wearing the orange jersey while playing for the national U19 and U21 teams. Singing along (quietly, I’m not a good singer!) with the national anthem before the match was really a dream come true!

And of course so many amazing matches for my home-town team Groen Geel. For over 10 years I have been a member of the first team and it still makes me feel very

proud to be a part of it.

What motivates you when playing?In korfball, teamwork is extremely important since you are not allowed to dribble or walk with the ball in your hands. It gives such a kick when the timing of movement and passing is perfect; when everything comes together and you manage to score a goal and eventually to win the game. Korfball is the only mixed sport in the world, which makes the dynamics in a team very interesting.

At the Groen Geel we are now practicing new tactics which require a lot of time to implement, but finally it is starting to pay off now: We won two matches and one ended with a draw. Our goal this year will be to stay in the second highest league and for sure not to relegate since Groen Geel has very talented youth who need to play at this high level next year.

Sadly, this year will be my last year playing at such a high level, since it very hard to combine training sessions and competitions alongside being a mother of two little girls. It feels really strange that it is going to be over soon and I am enjoying every single bit of the train-ings and matches as much as I can. It would be great if maybe my “mini-me’s” would follow in their mama’s footsteps one day!

Would you recommend this sport to others who are looking to take on a new challenge while in Holland?Korfball is an excellent way of meeting new friends and to learn the Dutch language. Besides the sporty activities, most clubs organise fun parties and summer camps for their youth members.There is a korfball club right next to ISA, called KVA and people who are in-terested in trying it out can always go for a free try-out training session.

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Fit for Life

The growing desire for adults to be healthy is evident in our everyday lives. From the rise in Zumba classes and personal trainers to the growing number of low-fat and organic items on our grocery store shelves, people around the world are striving to have a healthier existence. In today’s on-the-go society, having a healthy lifestyle often means instituting overall life changes, be it re-examining one’s diet or finding a mindful bal-ance between work and play. It is these shifts that of-ten make the transition to healthier options seem like a impossible dream. However, this may not be the case

There is one person, who has crossed paths with almost every ISA student over the years. What many don’t know is that before coming to ISA, he left his mark in the world of international water polo. His name is George van Rijn, but many know him as just “George”.

Before, opening “George’s Place”, George van Rijn had a different dream. When he was 8 years old, he followed in the footsteps of his older brothers into the arena of competive sports in his hometown of Wassenaar, a town next to The Hague. His first love was swimming, but at the age of 16, he decided to take advantage of his strong swimming ability and his size (good Dutch genes) and to join a water polo team.

Polo à la George

for future generations - or at least those studying at ISA.

At ISA providing children with the right tools to succeed in life goes far beyond books and technology. Starting at a very early age, the school begins to lay a foundation for strong bodies as well as minds.

Recently, ISA grade 2 teachers launched a unit called Fit for Life. This unit, as part of the IB curriculum, helps children to not only learn about healthy choices, but also how to integrate them into their daily routines.

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“Fit for Life is a fabulous unit because it is truly impactful. The students learn a great deal about their bodies in terms of nutrition and health, including food intake, how digestion works as well as the importance of balancing school, activities and rest. Throughout this unit the students realise that they can make choices and take action in a healthy and fun way that will directly impact their lives now and in the future” explains grade 2 teacher, Marta van der Meer.

This idea of fun also extended to physical exercise, with the introduction of FitNut, a health and exercise programme, into the Fit for Life curriculum. ISA has been active in the FitNut programme’s early stages, being one of the first schools to adopt the programme into its curriculum. The programme is set to launch soon in the UK and US.

“FitNut is a multi-sensory programme that engages children in fun exercise and hands-on practical nutrition education” says founder and former part-time ISA staff member, Lynne Bogan.

“We have created a set of unique cartoon characters, like Barry Banana, that peaks a child’s interest while teaching them the overall benefits of eating well. We also use circuit training classes to increase their self esteem, confidence, strength, flexibilty and balance. Finally, for each session, we provide juicing and smooth-ie making opportunities with specialist nutrition educa-tion for kids to take home and share with their parents.”

It takes commitment to excel in any sport and like many athletes who aim high, van Rijn trained seriously, practicing mornings and evenings and eventually mak-ing his way into the highest division in the sport in Leid-en. It was during this time that the Dutch national team invited him for a tryout.

“This was really a dream for me. I’d been playing for years, but to get the chance to compete at that level was amazing.” recalls van Rijn.

Invitation in hand, he competed in the Noord/Sud com-petition, where the top players in each province are se-lected to join and compete on a national level. The years of practice and dedication paid off and he was selected

to be a member of the U18 team, allowing him to defend the Dutch honour at home and abroad.

“It was a great time and really challenged me. But I also wanted to go to school. I started attending a ho-tel school in the Hague and soon my school nightshifts began to conflict with my evening trainings. I had to make a choice, so I decided to focus on my work career so I could take care of myself and a family in the future.”

Does he regret his decision to leave the sport. Not really. “It was difficult, especially when I saw my teammates continue to play and even compete in the Olympics in Barcelona. But it was a wise decision. My ambitions still continued and I found success, just in a different way.”

“The best part is that the children become enthusiastic about healthy, everyday foods and their parents are amazed at the new foods, like kale and spin-ach, that their children are not only eating, but asking for. It really empowers students to bring their newfound knowledge home to inspire the whole family to good health.”

The culminating events for the unit include mindful-ness sessions, the creation of a grade 2 Fresh-Mex pop up lunch restaurant and the selling of homemade smoothies (learned from FitNut) to raise funds for ISA’s Tanzania girls programme.

Van der Meer notes, “Learning to live an all-round healthy lifestyle should start early in a child’s life. The Fit for Life unit allows the children to embrace new habits that will benefit them and their families for a lifetime.”

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Mother Tongue Storytelling

When moving to another country, parents often seek to find a balance between helping their child learn a new language at school (English or local) and finding ways to maintain a connection to their own “mother tongue” (spoken in the home) language. With the average stay for an ISA student being 3.5 years, for many families, maintaining their child’s proficiency in their moth-er tongue language is imperative to ensure a smooth transition when they return to life in their home country.

It Takes a Village“Supporting a child’s mother tongue is truly important in an international school environment such as ISA,” notes Sabrina Rossi, Lower School Librarian. “Our classes are taught in English, so it’s our mother tongue activities that allow students to understand that their own lan-guage is as important as English and that the school, and the various communities within it, values their language as well.”

For years ISA has organised a successful programme of after-school mother tongue tutoring sessions for students in the Lower and Upper Schools. Recently, Rossi, in collaboration with several parents, has intro-duced another less formal way to bring mother tongue languages to life for ISA Lower School students – through mother tongue storytelling afternoons.

Once a month, parent volunteers will choose a book or activities such as songs, hand puppets or storytelling and present them to Early Childhood and Lower School students. Community participation varies, with Italian, Japanese, German and Korean communities having participated so far.

“This is a wonderful experience for the children because it exposes them to their mother tongue through different means and contexts and allows them to explore aspects of their own culture.” explains Rossi. “For example, last year the Italian community had sessions on Christmas, Carnival and Easter.”

Lasting Connections to HomeIn the end, Rossi believes it’s about helping the children maintain a deeper connection to home, while building their confidence in their abilities.

She notes, “Some children don’t speak very much English or even any when they join ISA. Taking part in this kind of event, after a whole day in English, gives them exposure to something they can understand and makes them feel more comfortable and confident around their friends and classmates.

“They get to share an integral part of themselves – in a language they feel comfortable in.”

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For a Good Cause

SHARE, ISA’s parent-run fundraising organisation, contributes to the support of student-led initiatives within the school through monetary donations and promotional assistance.

For the 2015-2016 school year, SHARE has been extremely active in providing the ISA community with a wide-range of events to participate in to support student causes.

SHARE Your National CuisineThis event invites national communities from within the school to serve as volunteer cooks to provide home-made delicacies from their cultures to sell as take-home dinners. The Indian and Japanese communities partic-ipated, selling a variety of meal options including rice balls, samosas and sushi in the Fall event raising over 2000 Euros in just one afternoon. A Spring version will be held early March featuring food from the American, British, Hispanic, Indian and Korean communities.

SHARE Halloween Bake SaleHaving put out a call to all bakers in the community, the after-school Halloween bake sale was a huge success for SHARE raising over 1500 Euros.

SHARE Quiz NightSHARE Quiz Night tested the wide range of knowledge (both useful and inane) of the parents and faculty in a fun-filled pub-quiz environment. With over 70 attendees, the event, which included dinner and drinks, raised over 2000 Euros.

SHARE Second-Hand SaleA staple of the ISA Winter Fair, the second-hand sale encouraged families to do an early-spring clean and to donate their gently-used items for resale. This year’s event raised over 4600 Euros.

Dance for SHARE - Scottish Celiidh EveningIn Scotland, a Ceilidh represents a traditional gather-ing of friends and involves folk music and dancing. For this event, SHARE brought in an official “caller” to lead participants through a serious of popular Ceilidh line dances. It was a roaring success, and combined with a raffle featuring great Scottish-themed prizes and art donations, the event raised over 5000 Euros.

Be sure to book your calendar

for SHARE’s upcoming events:

SHARE Your National Cuisine (10 March)

SHARE Easter Bake Sale (22 March)

Dance for Those Who Can’t (1 April)

Run to SHARE Fun Run (1 May)

SHARE Second-Hand Sale (22 May)

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Amnesty InternationalFor years, ISA students have supported the international human rights organisation, Amnesty International,through a variety of student-led initiatives.

For the 2015-2016 schoool year, the student club planned numerous events, the first being Amnes-Tea, where students were invited for free tea and cookies during their morning break and given information on Amnesty’s latest campaigns and petitions. The annual event serves as a means to educate students on human rights violations occuring around the world.

In October, the student club in collaboration with Amnesty International Netherlands, Stichting Vluchtelin-genwerk Amstelland (SVA) and Stichting Ondersteuning Vluchtelingen Amstelland (SOVA), hosted an evening symposium, Beyond the Borders: The Refugee Crisis. It was an informative evening, with representatives from the three organisations highlighting how the current refugee crisis is affecting the Netherlands and the local community in particular. A newly arrived refugee, and former academic, also attended and addressed the audience providing a personalised view into the daily life of those fleeing war and violence. The event raised 600 Euros which Amnesty International Netherlands requested to be donated to SVA and SOVA.

Every year on December 10, International Human Rights Day, Amnesty members around the world partic-ipate in a global writing marathon to raise awareness of Amnesty “Prisoners of Conscience”.

This year, the ISA Amnesty club decided to host a mini- version of the event at the school to encourage community action. Fifty students, parents, faculty and staff participated in writing over 130 letters to request the release of political prisoners around the world. There was one prisoner in particular, American Albert Wood-fox, who struck a chord with many of those writing let-ters. He had, at that point, been held in solitary confin-ment for 43 years in a prison in Louisiana in the U.S., even after his conviction had been overturned three times. In late February of this year, after years of effort and international outcry though campaigns such as the Amnesty’s Write for Rights, Woodfox was freed.

Following Write for Rights, Amnesty students have also arranged in late March to hold a Price of Silence Day - an event where they pledge to remain silent for 24 hours to support a particular Amnesty cause or issue. Sup-ported by the Upper School administration, this event further allows the community to support and learn about the various Amnesty causes. Last year, students raised over 700 Euros from pledge donations from friends and families in support of their efforts.

Natasha Vohra, Amnesty Club President is happy with the club’s efforts. “As a club, we are doing really mean-ingful things and by increasing awareness of these viola-tions from around the world we are enabling students to become activists in causes that personally mean some-thing to them. We are proud to be a part of that and of a community that is taking action.”

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who seemed to have chronic pain in her lower back due to an injury (she had arrived two days prior). Not expect-ing much, I asked for her number and medical history. However once she revealed the vast periphery of her burned wound I was stunned. She had been burned by the hot oil that came out of the boat during the voyage yet had suffered in silence, afraid that the captain would not bring her under the suspicion of infection.”

“I’m fluent in 3 languages and have an intuitive recogni-tion of other languages, which helped immensely when trying to understand the problems of each refugee. I quickly became a listener to a copious amount of of-ten heartbreaking stories and ultimately, had to translate these to the doctors.”

Broger was pleasantly surprised at the efficiency of the doctors and volunteers, but was disheartened by the frustration and at times seemingly ungratefulness from some of the refugees, especially since many of the lo-cals who volunteered didn’t have access to three meals a day like those in the camps.

“I soon realised however (and I ashamedly admit) that I came in with this subconscious expectation that all the refugees would show gratitude. After the experience I quickly realised that humanitarian aid wasn’t about ‘looking like a good person’, but rather doing a duty to humanity.”

“I would absolutely do this again. And if anyone is inter-ested in doing something similiar, just be ready to show that you are going to contribute positively. Don’t be scared to try something outside of your comfort zone, you’d be surprised how many things are feasible if you really want them to be.”

The Italian island of Lampedusa rests in an idyllic set-ting, with crystal blue waters, beautiful beaches and a blissfully warm Mediterranean climate. As Italy’s south-ern most point, Lampedusa is actually closer to Africa than it is to its motherland.

While in the past it was renowned as a top tourist desti-nation, in recent years it has become an attraction for an entirely different reason. In October of 2013, Lampedusa made world headlines when a boat carrying hundreds of migrants capsized off of its coast - killing more than 365 women, men and children. In April of 2015 another boat sank in Libyan waters off the coast of Lampedusa, this time claiming 800 lives.

ISA student, Leah Broger, decided that she wanted to do more than just learn about the migrant crisis from the news. She decided that she would go to Lampedusa herself to see how she could help and soon found her-self spending her summer holiday at a refugee process-ing centre on the island.

“As part of my CAS project I decided to take the oppor-tunity during the summer to confront the harsh reality of the immense refugee immigration in Italy. I managed to get in contact with a doctor, who as a former refu-gee worked in the Centro d’Accoglienza in Lampedusa and I was stationed with her in the ambulatory wing, which consisted of two very simplistic rooms. Not being allowed to manually perform any clinical treatments, I was in charge of the medical diary. Each refugee, once arrived, is assigned a number with which they have ac-cess to meals and medical care. Lacking passports, these numbers become a form of identification.”

“The first patient who came in was a Nigerian woman

Journey to Lampedusa

ISA student, Leah Broger

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Global Village DayOnce again, ISA celebrated a magnificent Global

Village Day, an annual event that for the past 19 years has served as a means for ISA students, of all ages, to celebrate the unique aspects of their heritage and culture with the school community.

The event is organised by the Upper and Lower student council members with assistance from members of fac-ulty, administration and the parent community.

On this day the halls of ISA are full of students wearing traditional costumes such as the Choka from Georgia, the Hanbok from Korea, the Sayan from Bulgaria and the Pollera from Colombia. For many students, this is the first time that they have been able to showcase the beauty of their country’s national dress with their friends and teachers. This display of pride becomes most evident in the student-led country dance performances and, of course, in the highly-anticipated Global Village Day Parade of Nations.

This year, the parade truly represented how the ISA student body has grown, both in size and in the number of countries represented. with 52 countries marching in the parade this year versus 38 in the year prior. While some countries had large student numbers represented, it was often the smaller processions - the three from Georgia, the two from Nepal and Puerto Rico and the solo marchers from Switzerland and Bangladesh, that received roaring applause of admiration.

In addtion to the parade, the students were able to vis-it classroom villages that parents and teachers created to help them experience the sights, sounds, and tastes of the cultures of their classmates. With their specially made Global Village Day passports in hand, students were able to travel the world - stringing beaded neck-lces and eating biltong in “South Africa”, learning the hakka in “New Zealand, and playing a game of cornhole in the “USA”.

For the ISA community, Global Village Day is the ulit-mate expression of the school’s mission “to educate for international understanding” and will no doubt continue to be in the future.

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CircularEconomy101 Each year the ISA Green Team comes up with a theme

to motivate the students and community to be active participants in supporting eco-initiatives that make positive and sustainable change for ISA and the world around them.

This year, the students, working with new Lower and Upper School supervisors, Lisa Verkerk and Julius Kleipool, and two new lead parent volunteers, Manjula Prasad and Emma Langbridge, decided to focus on a topic of growing importance for businesses and con-sumers: the Circular Economy.

What is the Circular Economy?Imagine a world with little-to-no waste. Where everything that was created, be it techinical or biological, had com-ponents and by-products that would be recyclable, restorative and reusable, limiting the mass amounts of waste produced by humans each year. That is how the circular economy works - and the numbers behind adopting this approach underscore the important role that this cycle can play in not ony saving our planet’s ever-diminishing resources, but also as a benefit to our economies as well.

A recent article in the Guardian UK, highlighted a study by McKinisey which estimated that “shifting towards circularity could add $1 trillion to the global economy by 2025 and create 100,000 new jobs within a year, and not just in the STEM sector.” New technologies require new mindsets and designers, lawyers and supply chain professionals would all benefit from this new economy.

At a side event on the circular economy at the recent United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Paris, Karmenu Vello, European Commissioner for the Envi-ronment noted the necessity of a world that embraces the concepts supporting circular economy.

“In practice, it will mean designing products that are more sustainable, last longer, can be re-used, are repair-able, and are easy to recycle. It also means encouraging consumers to buy greener, resource-efficient products indicated through eco-labels.”

Keeping ISA Aware - Reduce, Re-use & RecycleTo bring greater awareness of the concepts surround-ing the circular economy to the school community, the Lower and Upper School Green Teams will be creating displays in the lobby during Earth Month (April) to high-light how the circular economy works and how average citizens can contribute to it.

“We wanted to choose a theme that was ahead of the curve in terms of environmental thinking and that the students could begin to understand. I’ve been seriously impressed with how all the Green Team students - even the youngest 7-year-olds - have grasped what a circu-lar economy means and why it makes far more sense than a linear one.” notes Langbridge, the Lower School Green Team Advisor.

The Green Team has invited speakers from organisa-tions employing circular economy methods to provide overviews of their company’s commitment to the con-cept during a dedicated parent session and for students during Green Team-led student assemblies in March.

To round everything out, the Geen Team has also put

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together a world-class fashion show featuring clothing designs from companies that employ circular econo-my methods into their production. Proceeds from the fashion show will be given to the Green Team’s chosen charity for 2015-2016, the Plastic Soup Foundation, a organisation aiming to rid oceans and waterways of plastic waste.

Models from the Upper and Lower school Green Teams, as well as other interested student volunteers will walk the catwalk to showcase recycled and reprocessed ma-terials, made into fashionable eco-conscious clothing. Global and local designers and retailers have contribut-ed clothing and accessories for the students to model.

“We wanted to find a fun and exciting way to tell people a bit more about sustainable fashion, whilst also rais-ing funds for the student chosen charity - Plastic Soup Foundation. Both Vicki Davison (another parent who I’m organising the show with) and I have learnt so much about how polluting the fashion industry is and have already begun to change the way we buy clothes.” ex-plains Langbridge.

“The show’s motto is Reduce, Re-use and Recycle. We hope to inspire more people to see the power they have as a consumer to make the right choices and find out a bit more about where their clothes have come from.”

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Grade 10 PersonalProjectsFinishing the Middle Years Programme is a true

accomplishment for ISA’s grade 10 students. However, before getting to that point, the IB requires that MYP students produce a personal project that demonstrates their ability to “participate in self-directed inquiry [and] to develop deeper understandings through in-depth investigation.”

Paul Griffiths, ISA’s new MYP Coordinator, sees the pro-ject as a culmination of a student’s MYP experience.

“The personal project is a challenging and creative com-ponent of the MYP framework. It requires our grade 10 students to draw upon the learning and thinking that have been embedded throughout their courses as MYP learners and is a unique opportunity for our students to really take ownership of their learning.”

The number of projects produced this year was greater than any before with an exhibition featuring almost 100

individual creations ranging from a working Tesla coil and a hand-carved bow and arrow to a book featuring 40 self-designed life hacks and a history of make up and its uses on various ethnicities. The range of projects - paintings, cook books, prepared food from around the world, documentaries, research on refugees and a handmade “modernised” Morrocan wedding gown - showcased the immense creativity and talent of the students.

“This was my first year as MYP Coordinator and facilitat-ing the personal projects has been a major highlight for me. I really enjoyed watching how the students slowly took control of their learning through an exploration of a topic that they truly cared about. It’s rather awe-in-spiring.”

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My Personal ProjectHonor for the EmperorTo write a film script depic-itng the loves of Japanese soldiers. - Shoh

My Personal ProjectMyCracowTo make a documentary film that shows the beauty and life of the Polish city Cracow. - Dominik

My Personal ProjectThe Global Issue of Child Soldiers To raise awareness of child soldiers. - Emma

My Personal ProjectBringing My Music to Life To write and sing original songs and covers and to start a Youtube channel with accompanying videos. - Evie

My Personal ProjectGender-based Discrimination in SportsTo educate people, including myself, on gender-based dis-crimination in sports and to clear up misconceptions on what true discrimination in sports is. - Noa

My Personal ProjectUntold Stories of RefugeesTo raise awareness about the refugee crisis and to share their untold stories. - Frederika

My Personal ProjectCricket World CupTo create a website about the Cricket World Cup - Alec

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My Personal ProjectSensationalism in the Media depictedthroughgrafittiTo raise awareness regarding sesnsationalism in the media and its effects upon modern society. - Pietro

My Personal ProjectCultural Fusion Oil PaintingTo show a cultural fusion of my own experiences of Dutch and Japanese culture in an oil painting. - Yuki

My Personal ProjectRecycling an old bikeTo create a fixed gear bicy-cle out of recycled materials that have been thrown away. - Sergi

My Personal ProjectThe Walled City of LahoreTo enlightten people about the culture and food of Lahore Pakistan. - Omer

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Bear NecessitiesThe PTA runs several initiatives that benefit the ISA com-munity, but one of its most popular is the school store —The Bear Neccesities.

For well over a decade, the shop has been providing a a wide variety of school-related items for families to pur-chase so that students always have access to the tools they need for learning.

An all-volunteer staff of parents keeps the store running smoothly — both before classes start and at the end of the school day. From the standard notebooks and pencils to a tablet stylus or an eco-friendly water bottle, the Bear Necessities provides most of the items a child needs from their grade-level class lists and a few nice ISA-branded extras.

“We all live pretty busy lives, so having the school store on-site really provides a way for famiies to be more efficient with their time versus travelling all over town to buy school supplies and helps to relieve stress when a student forgets something” explains volunteer Gail Anderson. The shop has extended hours during the first days of school in August/September, and in January.

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Last Fall, the high school drama department staged an adapted version of the Shakespearean classic, Othello, drafted over the summer holidays by ISA Drama teacher, Kelly Webber and her husband, Brad Masoni.

Techniques from the UK theatre group, Frantic Assembly, known for their dramatic use of physicality and restrained motion, were used to transfer the play into a more contemporary look and feel.

The staging was unique, with audience members seated along the periphery, providing the frame in which the play was set and a new perspective of the characters and their interactions throughout the various scenes.

In this production, the city of Venice was transformed into an intimate bar setting, drawing out a richer sense of familiarity between the characters and the audience. In this bar, love, jealousy, and rage all centred around the focal point of the pool table in the middle, which also served as the bed on which Desdemona would perish.

By employing the methods from Frantic Assembly, the actors were able to create a truly realistic illusion of the struggles, passion and grief from the play. As the Independent noted, when using the Frantic Assembly methods “the tragedy gains an electrifying new vigour and relevance.”

The sold out audiences at ISA would certainly agree.

Othello “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;

It is the green-ey’d monster, which doth mock

The meat it feeds on.”

― William Shakespeare, Othello

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The TrebletonesStarting a new club isn’t always easy at a school like ISA. With an abundance of extra-curriclar choices to choose from, it can be difficult to attract the attention of students and to have them commit their time and energy to a new project.

After working on last year’s Musical Theatre review with the Upper and Lower School choirs, it became apparent to the Upper School Choir teacher, Kelly Webber, that there was a gap in the singing presence of middle school students.

“I saw a need for middle school students to feel more at home with regard to singing in public. I know that singing in the Upper School choir can be somewhat intimidating for the younger grades, as the Upper School Choir is truly a highschool choir.”

“Knowing that the AMIS Mixed Honor Choir Festival would be at ISA in the spring, I thought this would be the perfect time to develop a real middle school presence.”

And thus, the first ISA Middle School Girls Choir was born. But why for girls only?

“I know far more about the pedagogy of changing girls’ voices, and I thought it would be a great to let them have a chance to shine just as girls singing.”

The choir, although still in its infancy, already has 13 members and has performed at the ISA Winter Concert, the Project Zero conference and is currently practicing for performances at the upcoming AMIS Festival in April at ISA.

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AMIS Mixed Honor Choir Festival

ISA, a long-standing member of the Association for Mu-sic in International Schools (AMIS) has been selected to host the upcoming 21st Annual AMIS Mixed Middle School Honor Choir in April. ISA music teachers Douglas Beam and Kelly Webber will serve as the faculty hosts.

“As a school, we have been striving to develop our var-ious choral programmes by participating in important international events from organisations such as AMIS and the The American International School of Muscat (TAISM) Festival of Choirs in Muscat, Oman.” explains Webber.

“Currently, we have an Upper School choir for students in grades 6-12 that meets twice a week during lunch. This year we have also added our new Middle School Girls Choir, and will have several of the students from that choir participating in this festival. It’s a real hon-or to be able to both host this event and to share our students’ talents.”

The 4 day-event will allow ISA to host students from 11 schools from around the world, including Hong Kong International School, Singapore American School, theInternational Community School of Addis Ababa, Saudi Aramco Expatriate School, Dubai American Academy,Bonn International School, International School of Ba-sel, the American School of the Hague, ACS Egham In-ternational School, the American International School of Vienna and the International School of Düsseldorf. The participants will be led by guest conductor Paige Short and accompanist Luke Zaccaro through voice workshops and a diverse repertoire, ranging from Han-del to pop-icon Amy Winehouse.

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NECIS

U14 Volleyball - Cup 2nd

Varsity Volleyball - Cup 2nd

Varsity Soccer - Cup 2nd

ISA’s Cross Country Team

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ISA’s Cross Country Team

JV Soccer - Cup 1st

U14 Soccer - Plate 2nd

JV Volleyball - Plate 1st Varsity Volleyball MVP Noa Pijl

Varsity Soccer MVP Matt Anderson

U12 Soccer

U12 Volleyball

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Japanese Reunion UpdatesMio SubanaSince leaving ISA, Mio has been a book editor, book rights coordinator and a flower producer.

Mayu Mori-UchinoMayu graduated from the University of Tokyo and is now working as a medical doctor.

Mizuho HashimotoMizuho entered Okayama University and has complet-ed a short-term study abroad in Myanmar.

Emiko HariEmiko worked as a Japanese teacher in Korea after gradu-ating university. She returned to Japan with her family, and is now working for a real es-tate consulting company.

Tanaka HiroyukiTanaka graduated from uni-versity and graduate school and is now a lawyer.

Yokoyama SchiffYokoyama graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London and now works at Concent, Inc.

Naoko IwanagaNaoko attended and grad-uated high school in Aichi Prefecture. She attended the University of Tokyo, and now works at a logistics company in Chiba Prefecture.

Yurie TakaiYurie lived in Kyoto and studied children’s psychol-ogy. She also joined the orchestra club and played the cello. After graduating, she lived in Nagoya and has been working for a bank. She has also joined an amateur orchestra, where she per-formed four times last year.

Wataru KobayashiWataru enrolled at Waseda University Faculty of Educa-tion.

Reina MatsumotoReina attended junior and senior high school and uni-versity in Japan. She then joined the airline industry in 2009, where she continues to work today.

Mayu Ichise (Tajiri) Since leaving ISA, Mayu has worked at language school for English.

Ayako Ito-BitaniAyako attended Waseda Uni-versity School of Commerce and has been working at the Fujitsu Limited Financial Ac-counting Department since graduating, including a three year period in Seoul, South Korea.

Mika IsohataMika attended university in Yokohama and studied English literarture. Mika now works at Korean Air.

Sho TamakiSho entered the Science and Technology department of Keio University and is continuing in a graduate pro-gramme at the school.

Naoko AkiyamaNaoko has been a designer, photographer and editor.

Nori TakeiNori went to the UK for his undergraduate and graduate degrees. He has been work-ing in Japan for the last 15 years.

Kiyoe ShimizuKiyoe went to university in Japan and after graduation, served as a cabin crew mem-ber for 10 years for Japan Airlines. She now is a house-wife and mother of one.

Yoko Goto InoharaYoko returned to Japan for university and worked in the airline business for 7 years. After leaving that industry, she worked in advertising and promotions for three years, and is now self em-ployed. She is a mother of a year and half old son and baby number two joined the family in December.

Ayano KuwaharaAfter ISA, Ayano attended the University of Japan.

Morioka MiyazakiMorioka works as a Japa-nese teacher for students from abroad.

Sayaka WatanabeSayaka returned to Japan, then moved to the United States. She returned to Ja-pan after graduating high school, and is now a senior at the University of Tokyo.

Karin TsuritaKarin is now in junior high school and is a member of the junior orchestra in Tokyo as a cello player. She plans to play at the Prague Music Festival this year.

Maiya EikoAlumni parentMaiya moved to the UK with her family and later re-turned to Japan. Her son and daughter work for Japanese companies.

Taishi KimuraTaishi is studying at Sophia University.

Naho Maiya Naho attended Ohio Unver-ity, and taught in Ohio after graduation. She moved back to Amsterdam, worked as a learning centre tutor at ISA and then moved to New York to obtain a master’s degree. She taught for 7 years before

returning to Tokyo, where she is teaching at an interna-tional school.

Mariko NishizawaAfter graduating in Paris, Mariko moved back to Ja-pan with her family and en-tered Keio University where she graduated in 2008. Af-ter graduation, she started working at the Imperial Ho-tel, Tokyo, and has worked there since. She married in 2012 and became a mother in 2013.

Yuta YajimaYuta earned a bachelor’s degree at the department of Economics at Keio Univer-sity, Tokyo and later contin-ued his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Ant-werp, majoring in fashion design. Upon returning to Japan in 2012, he launched his own fashion label.

Kaori IshiiKaori attended Keio Univer-sty and after graduating in 2002, began working in an advertising agency.

Yusuke YoshidaYusuke obtained a bache-lor’s and master’s degree in civil engineering at Tokyo in-stitute of Technology in 2010 and has since started work-ing at Tokyo Gas Co. Ltd.

Eriko Ide Alumni parent Eriko moved to Singapore for three years, returning home to Japan three and a half years ago. Her son is currently at Keio University and her daughter is enrolled in Metropolitan International School

Ami KobayashiAmi has entered Waseda University in Japan and has been studying liberal arts.

Ayumi HirakiAyumi graduated high school and university in Japan and is now working for a foreign IT company.

Class NotesAtsushi HishikawaAtsushi studied at Tsukuba University and after grad-uation began working at Bridgestone Corporation.

Soga KayokoSoga moved to Japan, grad-uated from Keio University and worked at L’oreal. She now works for Van Cleef and Arpels.

Yuka MasukoYuka went back to Japan, and gained a B.A. in Psy-chology at Hosei University in Tokyo. She worked at a trading company as a sales assistant and secretary and has also worked at art galler-ies in London and Tokyo.

Akioka Eisaku Akioka is studying Sociology.

Tsurumi (Yoshida) Sachiko Tsurumi returned to Japan where she graduated univer-sity and works in property and casualty insurance.

Yoko YoshidaAlumni parent Yoko and her family moved to New York, where she helped at her daughter’s school as a class mother. Her daughter, Akari attends Boston Univer-sity and Yoko is a caregiver for her mother-in-law.

Shuko Murakami After two years of vocational study, Shuko joined a bank.He left the company a few years ago and is married.

Yohei TakeshitaYohei spent high school in Shanghai and university in New York. He now works in Japan.

Wakana MitsuhashiAlumni parent guardianWakana and her family have moved back to Japan and Yoko has started university.

Rumiko Simpkins Rumiko worked for a trading company. Is married and a mother of three.

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