Alumni Magazine #10

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AAS

A L U M N

M A G A Z I N E

#10 30 years at AAS: Elka Tishanska / Alumni update: Nathan Godding / Teachers in the spotlight: Cathi Wiebusch and Mark Altmann / Class 2020 in the spotlight: Mimoza Aranitasi / Class 2020 Valedictorians:Elena Dimova & Atanas Kondakov / Teachers share: Kalina Belivanova / David Stephenson / Mark Little

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ALUMNI M AGA ZINE CONTE NT S

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FIFTH LONDON ALUMNI REUNION

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30 YEARS AT AAS: MISS ELKA SHARES

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NATHAN GODDING: CLASS OF 2018

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MIMOZA ARANITASI: CLASS OF 2020

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CATHI WIEBUSCH & MARK ALTMANN

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CLASS OF 2020 VALEDICTORIANS

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AAS EDUCATORS ON LIFE AND EDUCATION DURING THE PANDEMIC

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Fifth LONDON ALUMNI REUNION

We were so fortunate that our 5th Alumni Reunion in London took place before any travel or social restrictions became a reality in Europe.

26 former students from AAS gathered in a hotel in Ealing, North London to enjoy food, renewed friendship and fun, hosted

by Lynne Godding representing the school. For some this was their fifth reunion, for some their first.

This year there was a new element in the form of a quiz provided by a professional team. This had everyone

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rushing about the hotel filming themselves reenacting scenes from iconic movies or reciting their favourite jokes, as well as answering rounds of questions on iPads.

Each guest was given a gift of handmade chocolate specially made for the occasion from Stanimira Chocolate House which is owned and run by one of our Board members.

There were so many hugs and smiles as the alumni arrived it really was a joy to see and everyone agreed that AAS remains a very special place.

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Miss. Elka I miss our “family times”, when the school used to be in small Finish type wooden houses ELKA TISHANSKA- TZENOVA HAS WORKED AT AAS FOR 31 YEARS, WHICH PUTS HER AMONG THE LONGEST WORKING EMPLOYEES AT THE SCHOOL. SHE STARTED AS A TEACHING ASSISTANT IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. THEN MOVED TO THE LIBRARY, WHERE SHE HAS BEEN HELPING STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND PARENTS WITH A SMILE FOR THE LAST 9 YEARS. WE ASKED HER A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT HER TIMES AT AAS.

How and when did you come to work at AAS? I came to AAS during the difficult times of changes from Communism to Democracy, substituting at the beginning in ES classes.

After 2 years I was assigned as a full time job in the Preschool and Kindergarten classes and have gone all the way up to Grade 4 CTA during the years.

What was the school like back then? What do you miss from those days?

The school buildings were much smaller classrooms. AAS used to be in some Finnish type wooden one floored houses.

We were a group of teachers all ES, MS and HS altogether. I miss our “family times” – every lunch break in one tiny kitchen place.

What is different now?

Now we are a large community of staff and teachers and we are spread out more around the buildings, not able to see each other so often. The campus is huge and we are facing the mountain with a fantastic view!

3 0 Y E A R S AT A A S 0 7 What is the biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge is changing the colleagues, as they come and go and ‘fitting’ with the different types of characters.

The process of adjusting is not always easy. “We are so many different faces from different places”, as the school song says….

Please share a favourite memory of your time at AAS? My favorite memories are the teachers and parents I have met here…our experiences altogether, the travels and school trips with the classes. Also the community service events we have done with Grades 4 and 5.

It is not only one event and it is hard to define it. In general, I am grateful to have met so many wonderful humans in my time at AAS. You work with children of different ages and nationalities across the school. What is the secret of sparking their interest in books and reading?

Children LOVE coming and reading in the library. Maybe their interest grows with us gently guiding them and testing what kind of books they like. We use every opportunity to show them our rich collection.

What would you like to wish to our alumni?

Our alumni are very intelligent and talented young people and I wish them many successful years ahead. I personally love seeing all the students graduate from AAS each year.

What do you like most about your job?

The first thing I like about my job are all the people and faces from all over the world.

It is amazing to have that connection and to be able to communicate with so many cultures throughout the years.

And the most priceless thing is working with the students and seeing their growth.

CLASS OF 2018

NATHAN GODDING

DO SOMETHING YOU REALLY ENJOY, DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T BE AFRAID TO SUGGEST SOMETHING A BIT DIFFERENT TO THE NORM

NATHAN GODDING GRADUATED FROM AAS IN THE SUMMER OF 2018. HE TOOK A SLIGHTLY LESS CONVENTIONAL ROUTE WITH HIS JOURNEY TO UNIVERSITY AND HERE HE TELLS US ABOUT HIS TIME AT AAS, HIS UNUSUAL DEGREE COURSE AND LIFE AFTER SCHOOL AND DURING THE PANDEMIC.

A L U M N I U P D AT E S 0 9 Essay, what I did instead was create my own project. I designed and made a cat puppet that I wrote a report about.

I documented how I created it, the problems I faced, the solutions I came up with, the materials I used and why. In the end it was around 4000 words, so as long as the extended essay! But for me it was a lot easier and a lot more fun to do and also became the basis of my portfolio to get into university.”

Choosing what to study after graduating is challenging enough, but one should not get discouraged, Nathan thinks. There is Having spent 8 years at AAS, Nathan a variety of opportunities for people who are remembers the best about his time at school: not “the academic type” too: “The best part of AAS were the teachers.

“For a long time I didn’t imagine myself They were all so lovely and friendly and going to university. I always thought of they made it so much easier for me. uni as a very academic thing and I didn’t Outside of actual classes, my favourite really start thinking about life after school part of school was being part of the until 11th and 12th grade. Even then I robotics team. In fact, by the time I got thought that uni was for people who enjoy to high school I was the team captain! writing essays and taking tests and that We did well in our competitions (we came definitely isn’t who I am! I started looking 2nd one year and I maintain that if the at apprenticeships in something practical robot hadn’t caught fire a tiny bit, we like carpentry or machining. But then a would have won!) and it was a very good man named Adam Savage that I follow creative outlet. It definitely helped me on YouTube inspired me to have a look develop a lot of my practical skills, building, to see if there were any university courses problem solving, coding, programming and around the film industry, specifically the electronics, which are things that I use at creation of props, models, set building, uni now, but mostly it was just a lot of fun.” and costumes. And I was surprised to find quite a few! Sometimes you have to dig Although he loved AAS, it has not always a little to find what you want, but they do been easy for Nathan to manage the exist. So I applied for several courses and academic workload. got two offers, one of them unconditional He shares: “School didn’t come easy to me.

I am not a particularly academically inclined person, I am dyslexic, and although the school provided me with excellent help with that, I still found the physical work of school really difficult. I found it particularly hard to motivate myself to do homework, but it was all worth it in the end! I did pretty well in the exams and it got me to where I am now.

I did take IB courses but didn’t take the full diploma. I did 5 subjects at standard level and also Theory of Knowledge.

I didn’t take any higher level courses and I didn’t have to write an Extended

1 0 A L U M N I U P D AT E S at Bolton University in the UK, which is where I ended up going. I’m now finishing up my second year of a Bachelor of Design there studying Special Effects Model Making for Film and TV.” Nathan shares.

which is where I spend most of my time.

Everyone is very helpful and supportive.

There is still a bit of academic writing to be done for the course, but more than 70% of the course modules are practical. So I am making things, learning and improving new skills, creating wonderful, interesting objects either from my own imagination or from reference and it’s exactly where I want to be and what I want to be doing.”

And continues enthusiastically about his university: “Bolton’s School of Creative Technology has other special effects courses that are closely linked and there is some crossover to all the courses, which is very similar Nathan is happy to have worked on many to how it is actually in the industry. For inspiring projects and tells us about his example, I might build a model spaceship favourite one: that the CGI Visual Effects course then “My favourite project so far has been to takes and they can make it look as though recreate King Peter’s sword from The it’s realistically zooming through the farthest Chronicles of Narnia films. As part of my corners of the galaxy! It’s a really useful research I got in touch with Peter Lyon of thing to be reminded of how all of us are Weta Workshop (of The Lord of the Rings linked and connected within the industry.” and The Hobbit fame in New Zealand), who created the original sword. He was It is always inspiring to witness someone really helpful, gave me lots of details, who is doing what they are passionate including the dimensions and what he made about. And Nathan definitely loves what it from and problems he had encountered, he is studying: and made me promise to send him pictures “I absolutely love my course, especially the of the finished product. It took hours of work, great family atmosphere in the workshop shaping, moulding and sanding, and was particularly complicated to build because of the etching on the blade and the ornate handle but I was very pleased with the end result and so were my course tutors. Peter even told me I’d done a “great job” when I sent him the promised pictures!”

Another aspect of the course that Nathan appreciates is the opportunity to meet with some experts and leading artists in his field of study. He excitedly shares about one of these meetings: “We are really lucky to sometimes get expert guests come and lecture and share their experience with us. Recently Brian Muir, a sculptor from Pinewood Studios met with us and he was so inspiring and affirming.

He was the guy that designed and made Darth Vader’s and the Stormtroopers helmets on Star Wars. But he has also worked on James Bond, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and some of the new live action Disney films. Being able to chat with people like him is such a privilege and really invaluable,

as after I graduate I hope I will be able to get into the film and prop making industry, making props and models for major films.

But there are lots of things I can do with the skill set that I will have including TV and theatre work, building models for museums, and prototyping of toys.”

It seems that Nathan has also found a good hobby outside of his studies: “Outside of university I’ve become involved in a medieval reenactment society called Historia Normannis. So on the weekends I dress up as a knight and run around a field hitting my friends with swords, reenacting history from the 11th and 12th centuries!” he shares and adds: “We have to train hard and there are strict rules to follow to make sure it is all done safely.

We also get to learn about and practice the crafts and trades that were around at the time such as smithing [iron work] leather working and fletching [arrow making]. During the summer we go to castles to give shows of mock battles to the public. We make a large part of the costumes ourselves using as authentic methods as we can and have wonderful fun doing it. I’ve made some lifelong friends in the society and I’m really missing being able to be part of that at the moment (not to mention that my aunt is feeding me very well and my body is missing the exercise of running around wearing 10kg of mail shirt [chainmail] every week!).”

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The global pandemic has naturally impacted Nathan’s life at university and he hopes that things will soon go back to normal: “I really enjoy the independence of being at university, although being an adult can be very challenging at times and I’m glad that I decided to come and stay with my aunt and uncle and cousins during this pandemic.

It wouldn’t have been any fun being largely by myself. Unfortunately, just as everywhere else, all face to face contact has been stopped and the university closed. That is a particular blow on courses like mine that are so practical as the only way we can complete the year is to turn all the projects into written reports and essays instead – not what I signed up for – but we’re all in the same boat so we just have to get on with it.

Hopefully it’ll all go back to ‘normal’ for my third year.”

As a final thought, Nathan encourages the students who are yet undecided what they want to study, to explore their passions: “My advice to any high school students at AAS is that even if academics aren’t your thing, there are things out there for you.

Look hard for courses, as I was amazed at what I found was available, but be open to the idea that university might not be the best route for you; an apprenticeship or internship might be better. Do something you really enjoy, don’t be afraid to suggest something a bit different to the norm and use the support of the teachers at the school to help you get to where you want to be.”

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Cathi Wiebusch & Mark Altmann We both went into education because we think it makes a difference THE POPULAR TEACHER DUO SHARE ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES AROUND THE WORLD AND WHAT THEY LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING A PART OF THE AAS COMMUNITY Tell us more about yourselves – where are you from?

We’re from Australia, although Ms WIebusch is really a third culture kid as she grew up in New Zealand. Mr Altmann was born and raised in Adelaide and Ms Wiebusch was born in Perth. Clearly she didn’t

like it as she fled the place when she was just 1 year old. She’s been a nomad her whole life and when she met Mr Altmann, she enticed him to join her in her adventures.

Together we’ve travelled Australia, Asia, Europe, and the Americas and hoping to do so for many more years.

How did you meet?

We met through Mr Altmann’s brother who took Mr Altmann on a double date with

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Ms Wiebusch and one of her friends. Note to self: never ask someone out by telling them that you have a really funny brother.

Ms Wiebusch decided Mr Altmann the younger was the one for her!

tropical downpours, 11 months of summer.

This was followed by seven years in Hong Kong (one of our favourite cities in the world – you can go from hiking a mountain trail without seeing any human architecture and end up downtown amidst skyscrapers and glitzy brand name stores; it’s a city that never sleeps and is full of vibrant energy).

Our next destination was Seoul – a huge city of 20 million people with fantastic mountains to hike right in the middle of the city (you can see hiking is a theme!)

And now Bulgaria with its amazing history, incredible food and wine, and breathtaking mountains.

Where have you lived and taught?

We began our life together in Adelaide, South Australia, one of the best wine growing regions in Australia, where Ms Wiebusch began her teaching career while Mr Altmann embarked on his first three degrees while working in a cinema centre – a great job as he received free movie tickets from the company which made a great date night. We then travelled to Mackay, North Queensland where we lived in a cottage on a cane farm with vivid memories of green tree frogs, cyclones, taipan snakes (known to be the most deadly and aggressive in the world), mould that grows by the minute (seemingly). The next stop was Noosa, a beach resort town on the east coast of Australia – think white sand, palm trees,

What is the most challenging thing about being an international teacher?

One of the most challenging aspects is being away from our family and friends in Australia as our continent is so far away from Europe – the quickest way home takes us about 25 hours door to door. We have also struggled to learn the languages in the cities we have lived – Cantonese, Korean and Bulgarian – as we live in a “bubble” where everyone speaks incredible English. This means it is challenging to really become part of the culture and integrate into our new communities as we cannot speak the language.

Photo by Jason H on Unsplash

1 4 TEAC HER S IN THE SPOTLIGHT And what is the most rewarding aspect?

Exploring new places and making new friends from all over the world. We have colleagues, friends and ex-students across the globe. We have experienced a rich diversity of views and experiences from all the people we’ve met along the way.

Living in a country for years rather than simply being a tourist for a few days means you have the chance to explore the places known only to the locals and really get to understand more about the history and culture.

How did you end up coming to Bulgaria?

We had a friend working at AAS with whom we worked in Seoul (Mr Jeff Marquis).

He spoke so highly of the school and of Bulgaria and encouraged us to apply.

How long have you been at AAS? What are your roles at AAS? We have been at AAS for 5 years.

Mr Altmann teaches Grade 9 Social Studies, IB History, IB Psychology and TOK; Ms Wiebusch teaches Grade 10 English, Creative Writing and IB English. She is also the Extended Essay Coordinator and one of the CAS Coordinators.

this was during the SARS 1 epidemic when we were living in Hong Kong. We miss the physical human contact, the energy and dynamics of being in the company of other human beings. Google Hangouts are not the same as being physically in the same space.

What do you miss most from being on campus?

We miss the energy of our students – their humour, passion, contributions, and we miss the fabulous food of the cafeteria, the AAS chooks (look this up, it’s an Australian word) and at this time of year the beautiful spring blossoms.

What do you like doing in your free time?

We love being out in the bush, up a mountain, at the beach, in the fresh air, in the great outdoors hiking and walking.

At the moment, we have been enjoying beach walks and walking among some 200 kangaroos that inhabit the National Park where we are staying. We also love going out to live theatre and dining out with friends – something that we hope to be able to do again soon.

Recommend a good read Ms WIebusch: I love the novel All the Light You Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.

It is a beautifully written, lyrical novel set in WW2 written from the perspective of two different narrators, a blind French girl and a young German soldier. You’ll need to read it to find out what happens!

Mr Altmann: The Intelligence Trap. A great read in the age of information overload.

Students obviously love you. What is the secret of love and respect of the students?

We pay them! OK, seriously, we hope what students see is a passion for the subjects we teach; how things that we learn excite us. We also learn so much and get energy from being with young people who will be the future innovators, philanthropists, artists, musicians, writers, historians, scientists and political leaders of the world. We both went into education because we think it makes Any words of wisdom you would like a difference. As Nelson Mandela said: to share with our alumni :) “Education is the most powerful weapon “If you think you are too small to be which you can use to change the world.” effective, you have never been lying in bed with a mosquito in the room.”

How is the current situation of distance (Bette Reese) learning different from normal school days?

Only once before have we had to teach our classes from a different country –

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Mimoza Aranitasi Class of 2020

“There are so many bright futures hidden in my Class of 2020, and it will be a pleasure to watch them come to fruition”

Tell us more about yourself – where are you from, how long have you been at AAS? I am half-Bulgarian, half-Albanian and I’ve lived in quite a few places around the world, so I suppose there is no single place that I would call home. I’ve been at AAS for a bit over 3 years now, I came to the school in January 2017.

Which other schools did you go to?

What makes AAS different from them?

I’ve been to international schools in Havana, London and Istanbul. AAS is relatively smaller than the other schools I’ve been at and this becomes evident with an increased amount of opportunity for students to get involved in the school and develop clubs that pertain to their interests.

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What is a favourite thing from AAS that you will miss?

I will most definitely miss the campus. The quiet stillness and the fact that in a city that is so busy we are able to learn in a place that is surrounded by nature is amazing. The most beautiful time to be on campus is on a Saturday morning, whether you are coming in for practice or to set up for a tournament.

It truly is a place where you feel safe.

You are very much involved with the school – student council, TEDx, LUX. What do these activities give you? What were the challenges of being part of these?

The rewards and lessons I have gained from participating in these activities are endless. Most of all they allow me to do something I enjoy, whether that is to bring the school together with a small team, get to know students that I haven’t met before and help them share their ideas with the rest of the school. LUX for me is especially special since I have wanted to be part of a school magazine for a long time, so when I came to AAS and found out about LUX, I was immediately hooked. The main challenge with these activities is that they are very time consuming, if you want to do everything the right way, which I do. As the years progressed and my academic workload increased, my sleeping hours were significantly decreasing as well :) But at the end of the day it is a very gratifying feeling to know that you have helped out someone from your community, regardless of what it might have cost you.

Was there any school initiative that you wanted to be a part of and you could not?

Yes, I was never able to get as involved with Angelia as I would have liked. My involvement with so many other school activities, as well as some scheduling conflicts meant that I could never fully get involved in the club. I think it is a wonderful initiative and it is amazing that so many years later the school continues to support the children at ISUL hospital. That is why, even though I never became an “official” member of the club, I would do anything in my power to help out -- as STUCO president, I helped finance some of the snacks that Angelia sell during their activities, I volunteered at the PTO Summerfest the year when the charity proceeds were given to Angelia, and whenever I could spare a few hours I would go with other club members to the hospital to visit the children, because at the end of the day, they deserve the most help of all.

You are graduating this year in the midst of a pandemic and a world that is not the same as it used to be. How do you feel about it?

It has been quite tough, definitely not how I imagined my senior year. Despite the relief of not having to do the IB exams, I would have preferred to go through the stress of the month of May as long as it meant that I could have gone through it with my classmates and have had a proper graduation and prom. But, like they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, so hopefully this period will push us forward onto better times.

Where and what do you hope to study?

Where is always an interesting question, and definitely the one that took a longer time for me to answer. As of right now, I will probably be studying in Brussels or in The Hague. Wherever I go, I will be studying Political Science and International Relations. It has been an interest of mine for a long time, and I believe it is a great way to make a change for the better in the world, especially considering the current circumstances.

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How do you think the world would look a year from now?

I think that’s the million dollar question.

It’s very hard for anyone, even experts, to predict what will happen to the world in a few months, let alone a year from now.

This is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, tragedy that has befallen humanity since World War II. I don’t think that the world will return to the normal we once knew quickly – we will be carrying the immediate consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for the next couple of years for sure.

That being said, I am hoping that a year from now, a cure/vaccine will have been discovered, and we will be able to ease measures for social distancing. Nonetheless, I think we will be on guard when it comes to health for a long time.

Share the last article/book that you read and that made a great impression on you.

The last book that I read that made a lasting impression on me is 1984 by George Orwell. I had wanted to read the book for a long time, but had never had the time to get around to it, until it became assigned reading for my English class. I was astounded by how relevant the book still is today. Orwell wrote about universal truths about human behaviour and politics in the shadow of WWII, and it is chilling to see examples of what he described arising in politics today, over 70 years later. It truly proves that some pieces of literature are eternal, and hold the answers to many questions.

Who is a person that you admire and why?

That’s always a tough question to answer, as there are many people who have inspired me and pushed me, through their actions, to do better. The most recent example that comes to mind is Michael Jordan. As cliche as it may sound, there is some reason behind it. I have recently been watching the documentary series “The Last Dance” which is about the period during which Michael Jordan was part of the Chicago Bulls (and they won their 6 NBA titles). What I love the most about the series so far is the passion and determination with

which Jordan speaks about winning the titles, even this many years later. The amount of work that he put into preparing himself, but also his teammates, is unmatched in my opinion, and I admire him for putting so much into something that he loves. To me, that is real self-realization.

What do you wish to say to your fellow graduates of the AAS Class of 2020?

Class of 2020, we did it. Some of us have spent their entire lives at AAS while others merely 7 months. I would like to thank you for being a part of my life for the past 3 years, and for letting me be a part of yours. There is a quiet satisfaction in the fact that, one way or another, we were able to finish this year, together. There are so many bright futures hidden among so many of our classmates, and it will be a pleasure to watch them come to fruition, because I am sure that we will all achieve our fullest potential. Strive to reach the stars, but surround yourself with people you care about, for even if you achieve everything you dream of, it will mean nothing if you have no one to share it with.

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CLASS OF 2020 ELENA DIMOVA ELENA DIMOVA IS A VALEDICTORIAN AND ONE OF THE STUDENTS, SELECTED TO SPEAK AT THE CLASS OF 2020 GRADUATION. SHE HAS BEEN AT AAS FOR 5 YEARS. AFTER GRADUATING, ELENA IS PLANNING TO ATTEND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON WITH THE MAJOR BASC ARTS & SCIENCES. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While hurriedly slamming our lockers on the morning of March 10th, 2020, who would have thought that this was going to be our last regular school day? While writing our mock exams at home, who would have expected that they were going to be our last exams in high school? While making plans about our transport to Greece for our senior trip, who would have guessed that we were never going to go? Yet, no matter how much our plans changed, the AAS community and the class of 2020, in particular, stuck together. Despite feeling lost in the unprecedented situation that was unfolding and despite being thousands of kilometers away from each other, we never lost our motivation to make the most of our last months at AAS. We immediately set our eyes on the future and began preparing ourselves for the various scenarios that 2020 could bring us. Several months ago, the idea of an online graduation had been

a trendy joke until it became our reality.

From a joke, the online graduation turned into a big scale project of the graduation committee, in which every member of our class actively participated to make it the best event possible.

Our class and the AAS community as a whole proved that our bond is strong enough to withstand the physical separation, the uncertainty, and the fear that this year brought us. I trust that while facing and overcoming those challenges together, each of us learned valuable lessons about themselves and had a chance to reflect on their own life. May we never forget the lessons that 2020 taught us, such as to cherish everything that we have up until now taken for granted, to stay flexible and optimistic in unprecedented situations, and to wash our hands properly. This year shook us all to the core but it also gave us an opportunity to consider our lives from a different angle. After the months of isolation, I trust that everyone will walk out the door changed for the better. I hope to see the world changed as well where we all work to achieve better wellbeing for us and the planet.â&#x20AC;?

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Valedictorians ATANAS KONDAKOV ATANAS KONDAKOV IS A VALEDICTORIAN AND ONE OF THE STUDENTS SELECTED TO SPEAK AT THE CLASS OF 2020 GRADUATION. HE IS A SCHOLARSHIP STUDENT AND HAS BEEN AT AAS FOR 5 YEARS. AFTER GRADUATING HE PLANS TO STUDY ARCHITECTURE IN THE UK. “Well, what can I say, it is what it is. I’ve been in AAS for the last 5 years, but this year – truly a year that will go down in the history books. Maybe future students can write academic papers and extended essays on the events of 2020. We started off on the brink of World War III, then the novel coronavirus hit us on a global level, and when the Pentagon released videos of UFOs no one even cared that much!

There’s only so much we can handle at once, and at the end of the day -- it is what it is. During my final year, I think all classes of 2020 realised that there is so much out of their control that concerns them directly, and that’s incredibly frustrating. From the cancellation of IB exams, to the numerous unknowns around our graduation and our university applications, my classmates and I went on a very wild ride this year.

However, now that I can look back on what we went through and reflect on how

that affected me, not only do I put those CAS skills to some use, but I also find out that nothing bad really happened. What I mean is that, yes, our final year in school went anything but according to plan, yet we are now more prepared than ever to face such adversity in the future. We came out truly victorious. We mastered independent work, we explored the notso-new lands of distance learning, and we remained calm in times of great worry.

As I go into the UK with the hopes of getting a BSc in Architecture this fall, I am sure that all of this chaos which we had to go through has only taught us how to be better learners. Because as Hellen Keller once said: “Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.”

All I can do now is wait for the next one, ready to dive deep and learn more.”

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AAS Educators

lifeeducation during the pandemic and

positive sides to the lockdown

i certainly appreciate the slower pace of life “If we all stop reading and watching the news and worrying ourselves with this virus which has changed everyone’s lives so much, I can certainly appreciate the slower pace of life. No rush to work early in order to beat the traffic.

And if I am truly honest, I am enjoying the online teaching. The students take on a lot of independence but we are still able to give them so much guidance. Many students in my classes have really taken well to this way of learning and I have been so impressed with the efforts and often with the work produced as well. There are so many motivated students who show a real thirst for education online.

Our family has got into a routine now and it’s lovely to see so much of them and to eat together with them. They ask for support and I have sometimes been able help – even with Mathilda’s Maths!

Now the lockdown has relaxed, we are enjoying so many family walks on the lower slopes of Vitosha. The weather has been beautiful and we even eat lunch outside on the patio between online meets. To stay sane and fit we are enjoying running, cycling and exploring the mountain paths above Dragalevtsi. We seemed to have gained family time from all of this and for that I am thankful.

I miss school life and the contact with the whole school community but we now have much time to reflect, and as a result, I feel grateful for everything we do have.

I wish everyone well and look forward to seeing the hustle and bustle of school life again soon.

Let’s hope everyone is well and is making the most of this time.”

Mr Mark Little MS and HS World Languages Teacher

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positive sides to the lockdown

I’m sleeping more, so I’m better looking!

Mr David Stephenson HS Counselor

Some of the positive aspects during the distant learning format have been students stepping up and becoming self- driven, organized and more mature in the way they approach daily work. The quality of projects and homework has improved as a means to communicate the learning and challenges they face.”

Ms Kalina Belivanova IB Coordinator

positive sides to the lockdown

students stepping up and becoming self- driven

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“One silver lining to the Covid lockdown is that I’m able to turn off my alarm and sleep a bit later each morning. It’s not much later, as our two-year-old son wakes us up about 15 minutes after my alarm would normally go off. But this extra 15 minutes is enough to nudge my sleep pattern into the “Beauty Sleep” category. Now when people ask, “Hey, David, did you get your beauty sleep?”

I know that the question is rhetorical; they can see that I have gotten my beauty sleep: I’m better looking!

Under normal circumstances, if we were not under quarantine, I would be frequenting my typical haunts of bars, clubs and Zumba studios, and it doesn’t take a genius to see how the results of my getting beauty sleep would play out: cocktail napkins scrawled with a first name and telephone number pressed into my hand, or a scented handkerchief “accidentally” dropped in my path…you know, the effects of the Newtonian Laws of Physical Attraction at work.

Thankfully, we are under quarantine and isolated from others, so these Newtonian Laws don’t play out in a way that will see me getting into trouble. #Grateful.

So, to recap, here are the positive sides to this Covid lockdown: I’m sleeping more, I’m better looking, and my marriage is rock solid!”

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