Compass Fall/Winter 2012

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Compass © MARJOLEIN MARTINOT

m a g a z i n e

American Sec tion Lycée International St Germain-en-Laye

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Joël Bianco and Kelly Herrity, October 2012

Welcome to the 2012-2013 academic year!

For the past several years we have been working on our Strategic Plan. Developed in 2010 and implemented in the fall of 2011, it is a vital road map for the Section in terms of priorities and initiatives over the next five years. The plan’s four themes aim at offering our students - whether in their early days of Primary School or in their final years of Lycée - concrete preparation for the complex and global world we now live in. There have been many exciting initiatives implemented and there are many more to come. But it is surely difficult to fathom everything that has been going on when your vision is limited to just part of the Section’s vast maternelle to alumni scope!

This issue of Compass presents concrete examples of our Strategic Plan projects. From the Global Awareness endeavors to better equipping our classrooms in terms of technology and tools for our teachers; from a robust and growing advisory system in the Upper School to a Character Education and Life Skills program in our Primary; from inviting experts and guest speakers to meet directly with our students to our school trips to Amsterdam, Auvergne, and Caen; from more frequent Alumni events to more effective ways to keep our community connected - all of these initiatives are evolving thanks to our dedicated faculty and staff, as well as to the very generous contributions made to our Annual Fund and Gala. Donation income has funded a large part of these valuable Strategic Plan programs. Thank you for your support – and as you read this issue, be proud of the difference that you are making.

A new school year is always one filled with excitement and anticipation. A new school year means new students, new families, new faculty and staff, and occasionally, even new leadership.

On behalf of the entire American Section community, we are excited to have two innovative and thoughtful educators join our ranks - Mr. Joël Bianco, the new Proviseur of the Lycée International St. Germain-en-Laye (profiled in this issue) and Mr. Alain Monnier, the new Principal of Collège Marcel Roby. A big welcome to both.

Thank you all for your continued support, and enjoy this third issue of Compass.

Kelly Herrity Director

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Compass

COMPASS ASALI - American Section of the Lycée International

4 Primary School The 21st Century Library

Rue du Fer à Cheval - BP 70107 78100 St. Germain en Laye, France Phone + 33 1 34 51 74 85 Fax + 33 1 30 87 00 49

5 Middle School The Brevet: New Réforms

www.americansection.org

6 Upper School Student Activities: MUN

The magazine is distributed without charge to current parents, alumni, former faculty and staff, parents of alumni, and other friends of the Section.

Director: Kelly Herrity kelly.herrity@americansection.org Editor: Margaret Jenkins margaret.jenkins@americansection.org Graphic design: Judy Loda, Newwalk Design Printer: Imprimerie Jasson-Taboureau Editorial Committee: Alison James, Sonia Lee, Tiffany Snel-Wark Contributors: Grace Abuhamad, Michael Behrent, Catherine Boalch, Adrienne Covington, Lucinda Covington, Amy Crist, Jeremy Da, Rex Elardo, Chloe Erny, Naomi Fenwick, Mary Friel, Tom Gianasso, Michelle Green, Matthieu Hafemeister, Kelly Herrity, Terry Hershey, Beth Heudebourg, Michèle Ledgerwood, Andrew McGovern, Kimberly Mock, Alessandro Recchia, Catherine Reed, Paul Rival, Hanna Schenck, Tiffany Snel-Wark, Laure Vancauwenberghe, Flora Weil, and Mike Whitacre Photography: Louis Austin, Judith Hamery, Celia Heudebourg, Margaret Jenkins, Marjolein Martinot (cover photo), Denis Royer, Kids with Cameras, and other Section yearbook photographers and community members.

Vol. 2, Number 1 Copyright 2012 by ASALI. All rights reserved.

We have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this magazine. If you have any questions, corrections or comments please contact the editor.

Founded in 1952, the American Section provides an American educational and cultural experience of exceptional quality within the unique context of the Lycée International, where 13 national sections are represented.

The American Section prepares students to become lifelong learners and global citizens by fostering intellectual curiosity and self-confidence that help students realize their full potential and developing students’ leadership abilities and sense of responsibility towards others. The American Section pursues this mission through a rigorous and rewarding American curriculum which culminates in the French Baccalaureate with International Option, as well as through a broad and enriching co-curricular program including such activities as drama, community service, sports and student publications.

Please address admissions inquiries to Director of Admissions, Mary Friel, at admissions@americansection.org.

The Strategic Plan’s four themes aim

8 Upper School Student Activities: Human Rights Team

Strategic Plan Update

at offering our students

10 Growing the Student Support Program

- whether in their early

12 The Global Awareness Program

days of Primary School

14 Student Voice : Global Citizen Scholarships

or in their final years of

18 Alumni Outreach

Lycée - concrete preparation for the

19 Profile of the Class of 2012

Development Report

complex and global

20 Building Blocks for their Future

world we now live in.

24 Friends of the Library and Friends of the Arts

There have been many exciting initiatives implemented and

26 Gala 2012: Together for Their Future 28 Faculty Voice: Professional Development and the Do Lectures

there are many more

29 Board: AGM and EGM

to come.

30 Window on the Lycée: Interview with Joël Bianco

P S Focus on: The 21st Century Library

“A library outranks

any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people.

It is a never failing spring in the desert.”

Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) Industrialist, Businessman, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist The Primary library program in the American Section plays an integral part in the education of our students. Library lessons are an extension of the classroom experience, and are linked closely to the English, science and history curriculum.

Consisting of over 1500 books and numerous children’s educational magazines, the library collection is well-equipped to provide the support for every project that students tackle.

The goals of the American Section library program are multi-faceted. In addition to supporting students in their research and book projects, we also aspire to instill in them a love of reading. This is a gift they can carry with them during the rest of their education and throughout their lives. Creating a library which inspires all our students is a challenge. After all, we are competing with video games and television for their precious free time!

We stay abreast of trends in children’s literature and pride ourselves on having not only award-winning classics but also the best new books being published today. We strive to give students access to the same books their American counterparts encounter in their school libraries and bookstores.

All primary students have library periods when they can browse and choose books to read for pleasure. Our library teachers get to know the students’ likes and dislikes and work with them to find the perfect book. Nothing makes us happier than having a student come back asking for another book “just like that last one.”

MORE THAN JUST B O OKS

The wide variety of activities in our Primary Libraries

While a principle focus of our library program will always be to maintain an outstanding book collection, the 21st century library extends far beyond the classroom walls. Today’s students are growing up in era where there has always been Internet, touch screens, and tablets. Google is simply part of their lives.

As access to information has changed, we have adapted our library program to teach students to become better and smarter researchers and critical thinkers. We have incorporated information literacy lessons into both our classroom and library programs.

The American Library Association defines information literacy as a set of abilities requiring individuals to “recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.”

We guide students in their research processes and teach them how to use the Internet in an effective, age-appropriate manner. Google is not the best tool for a second grade planet report where “saturn” returns 204,000,000 “hits” and many of which deal with SUVs! Instead, we provide research pathfinders for each of our projects which direct students to accurate websites adapted to their age group.

The American Section also subscribes to online databases to facilitate student research. The Grolier online subscription contains access to 3 databases, including an encyclopedia. Students are directed to Grolier so they can complete research for their reports in a safe, ad-free environment. WebPath Express is another useful, safe tool at students’ disposal. We like to refer to it as “Google for kids.” It operates like a search engine, but returns only websites which have been approved by educators.

Webpath Express only suggests 330 websites for the search “Saturn” and even fewer when filtered for grade level.

The Primary library in the American Section is truly a 21st century library adapted to the students’ research needs, both electronic and paper. We are currently conducting pilot programs, with teachers testing iPads and Chrome Books, to figure out how to best incorporate new 21st century tools into our libraries and classrooms to enhance the learning experience.

Amy Crist Director of Libraries and Technology

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It

is a commonly held-yet wildly inaccurate-assumption that life in France resembles a tranquil, peaceful stream, one rarely perturbed by the slightest shift in direction. We Americans often quip that we chose to move to France for the quality of life offered here. However, after more than twenty years in this country, I can personally attest to the fact that the reality is quite the opposite-and that life in France, particularly if you work in a school-is anything but tranquil!

There are several reasons why I feel emboldened to make such a claim. One is based on experience-and recent initiatives to reform the French national curriculum.

The second factor comes with working in the American Section. In order to uphold the American Section’s mission statement of providing the latest in American pedagogy, my colleagues and I are professionally bound to effect change in and out of the classroom as often as needed. Such is not change for change’s sake-but rather comes out of our obligation to provide the best, most up-to-date in education to our students-the leaders of tomorrow.

As I write, there is one area which particularly merits our attention. It concerns the recent réformes at the Ministry of Education for all students in France. Just when we thought the beleaguered Brevet exam had taken all the hits it could, along comes this latest innovation, formally announced after school had begun in September: to raise

the exam to “national” status, meaning that Troisième students throughout France will take the same Brevet tests at the end of June. This ruling has meant that all Sections--ours included--are obliged to teach our Troisième students the same curricula as our French colleagues.

This decision impacts the Section in two concrete ways: one, it means that our history curriculum, which was the Renaissance and Reformation, now gallops ahead to World Wars I, II and everything in between (and after, too!).

The ministerial decision has also meant the end of the Section’s literature Brevet as we know it. Rather than comment on a short story in American English, our students will now be tested à l’orale only and will need to prepare a dossier of texts read during the year to present to the examiner.

Blood pressures rise and jaws set whenever last-minute changes are announced at the beginning of a school year. However, in all honesty, no matter how stressful the changes, one thing remains unshakeable: the Section’s collective faith in its students and their innate ability to excel in everything they do--no matter how radical and tumultuous the change.

Call it American “can-do”ism, this steadfastness is concrete proof of our student’s exceptionalism, and living proof that a bilingual education embodies a bicultural one as well!

Adrienne Covington Middle School Principal

M S Focus on: The Brevet New Réforme

Above and below: Troisième students at the Lycée and Roby work hard in the classroom Left: Adrienne Covington in Amsterdam with Keenan Penner and Alexis Le Caillec

“Just when we thought the beleaguered Brevet exam had taken all the hits it could, along comes this

latest innovation...”

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U S Focus on: Model United Nations For close to four decades the American Section’s Model United Nations program has attracted exceptional students and formed charismatic diplomats who shine at annual European MUN congresses. Compass contacted several MUN alumni to discover how the program has changed since its inception, and to see if participation has had some carry-over in their “after-Lycée” lives.

Above right: Alessandro Recchia ’09 at Paris MUN in 2008, and at NATO headquarters with US Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta in 2012.

Above: Michèle Ledgerwood ’87 speaking at The Hague, and Michèle today.

Left: Jeremy Da ’99 (FoASALI Treasurer).

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For Alessandro Recchia ’09, MUN “ignited a passion in me for the complexities surrounding international relations that I did not know I had. Apart from being exposed to critical world issues and being taught how to properly address an audience, I also learned how to tactfully approach different subjects and argue in favor or against various points of view.” Michèle Ledgerwood ’87 recalls the pièce de résistance of the MUN program, our January pilgrimage to the vast Congresgebouw in The Hague […].

It was an incredible opportunity not only to hone our debating skills, but also to meet and socialize with an exciting and sophisticated group of peers. During my years there, Prince Willem-Alexander was not only a regular participant, but consistently one of the top debaters.

He also received quite a bit of attention from prospective future Princesses….”

While current MUNers don’t harbor Cinderella dreams about fellow delegates, the skills developed and opportunities afforded have not changed. The program is still open to all sections with significant British Section representation. What has changed over the years?

In the 1980s, “the preInternet and pre-digital age, finding sources was more of a challenge than now.

I often prepared speeches and resolutions by diligently sifting through articles in The Economist, Newsweek, and The International Herald Tribune. But this hardly sufficed. “[…] Groups of us would go to UNESCO in Paris to use the library there and to pick up free documents. We also often visited the embassies of the delegations we were assigned. I remember a very useful session with a spokesman at the Ivoirian embassy the year I was head of the Côte d’Ivoire delegation”, reminisces Michael Behrent ’86.

Delegates also churned out resolutions on typewriters - antiquated devices that most of our current participants have never seen!

Jeremy Da ’99 remembers that MUN “enabled me to leave the cocoon of the Lycée International and see what other international students were like - only to realize that, for the most part, they were not as international and multicultural as one would imagine. Indeed, it provided me with a firsthand account of how valuable the Lycée International really is in terms of getting a real dual education (knowing at least two languages perfectly) but also a real multicultural education (interacting with people of different cultures so closely that you actually learn what that culture is all about).”

When they reminisce about MUN, students systematically cite their dedicated advisors. Michael remembers “we had an excellent guide in a young history teacher, Carroll Dorgan. We all admired his intelligence, organizational skills, and dedication, as well as his excellent sense of humor. He often wore a Mao jacket and though he was always undogmatic in the way he dealt with us, we suspected that privately he was a bit of a radical. He played a critical role in making the program a regular American Section activity.” Alessandro evokes “Mike Whitacre’s dedication to the students and the program. His leadership and mentoring quickly earned unanimous respect and admiration from all those who joined MUN.” Alessandro has participated in MUN activities at Duke University and “this past academic year had the privilege of interning for the US Department of State; first at the US Embassy in Paris and then at the US Mission to NATO in Brussels. While I mostly worked on classified projects, not a day went by when I did not draw on the many skills I had acquired during my Lycée MUN years.”

“Was MUN valuable both as a learning experience and as a stepping stone to my future career?” Michèle answers “without question – […] it provided unique insights into how a huge, bureaucratic, and ideologically divided organization operates (and sometimes fails to operate); it underlined the importance of structure and civility in public discourse; it gave all of us profound insight into

MUN stands for Model United

Nations. The term model implies a copy, a replica, and that is precisely what MUN is: the United Nations for the youth of today, also known as the decisive adults of tomorrow.

Margaret Jenkins

MUN is a student-run organization. Participants are generally in between 3ème and Terminale, but younger students are also welcome to attend the Thursday afternoon sessions. Mr. Whitacre is the valuable teacher who supervises the debate. He is like a strong hand placed around us to catch us if we fall, or pull us back into the debate if we stray too far off subject. Surrounding us at a distance, he leaves considerable space for student initiative and independence. He is a crucial asset to MUN, granting us his discreet yet joyfully ambitious presence at every session.

In a typical MUN meeting, a unique subject is chosen and debated.

Each student represents a country and debates in a manner that reflects the chosen country’s viewpoint. The students take on the name of “delegate.” A delegate must refer to himself in the first person of the plural “we” or third person of the singular “he or she.”

During the session the delegate body works to draft a resolution, or a global solution. It comes in the form of diverse measures and concrete actions that aim to resolve the conflict at hand. These measures are voted upon. Therefore, they must suit the individual country’s policies as well as the majority opinion.

In addition to these weekly meetings, the MUN team of the Lycée International attends MUN conferences, notably in Paris and at The Hague. During these few days of debate outside the school environment, the students acquire an intense international experience. They encounter MUN debaters from all over the world and must demonstrate their debating skills in front of a large committee. The professional facilities and formal dress code during these assemblies give delegates very realistic experiences as UN representatives.

Being part of MUN allows students to acquire and develop skills that are essential for the Bac, useful in a future professional life, and handy in day-to-day life. As can be expected, a global culture is diffused during every session. Debaters rapidly accumulate distinct knowledge about current events and facts concerning countries involved in the matters focused upon. Equipped with this comprehension of how our world functions, students develop a critical mindset. Moreover, they keep an open mind with regard to current world conflicts. Every session offers enriching historical and current lessons about cultures, and forces students to develop and justify solid opinions vis-à-vis the topics discussed.

MUN hones oral skills, training us to become eloquent, constructive, and constantly sharp. There is also a strong sense of belonging in MUN. Students interact while debating and create bonds based on mutual respect and admiration. Finally, MUN bestows on us a feeling of concern about the world and what is occurring around us. In a certain mysterious way, debating and pondering over it gives us the impression that somehow we are improving it. One way or another, we hope our innovative ideas will change the future.

With contributions from Alessando Recchia ’09, Jeremy Da ’99, Michèle Ledgerwood ’87 and Michael Behrent ’86

Laure Vancauwenberghe Première

Bottom left: Raphael Laporte (Tle) speaks at MUN; above: Laure Vancauwenberghe, (Première) votes; and Michael Behrent today, and in 1986, typing up resolutions on the train to The Hague.

the most complex geopolitical issues of the day; and before the words “Internet” or “globalization” were commonplace, it taught us to respect the international context of even the most local of events. My career today includes researching and writing policy documents at the intersection of national security, medicine, and science; public speaking engagements focused on future global trends; and both building and facilitating networks of experts in multidisciplinary scientific domains. I also run a small fashion business.

I can attribute at least part of my success in all of these endeavors directly to lessons I learned within the Lycée’s MUN program. It provided me with a passion for international affairs, a grounding in the art of marketing ideas, and a treasure trove of substantive details in obscure areas of science and security. In concert with the French educational system, it put me in the habit of critically evaluating the coherence and flow of my written arguments. And on a personal level, it pushed me far outside of my comfort zone and taught me not only to enjoy public speaking, but also to infuse it with a distinctive persona.”

We sincerely hope the 70-odd students who participate weekly in MUN today glean as much from the debate club as Michèle, Jeremy, Alessandro, Michael, and the hundreds of other Lycée students whose lives it has inspired.

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U S Focus on: Human Rights Team Human Rights Team leaders 2012/13: Lucinda Covington Hanna Schenck Flora Weil

Now as one of the heads of HRT, it is my turn to watch our new members shyly

attend the meetings, quietly participating in discussions, hesitantly sharing their ideas. A great part of my responsibility is to make them feel confident, capable of realizing incredible deeds, without necessarily having to save the world.

I get a surge of excitement every time Misia spouts something profound, or every time Emma imparts her ideas, or even when JL volunteers to bring food.

I look at each of my younger classmates and can nearly see them standing in my shoes in a few years.

I believe that HRT is truly driven by effort and fueled by teamwork. And this has only been made possible by the amazing will of this “small group of thoughtful committed people,” as Margaret Mead once said.

Flora Weil Terminale

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The 2011 Human Rights Team with Amy Crist, Michelle Green, and Writer in Residence, Scot Carney.

Although the Declaration of Human Rights

was drafted and approved in 1948, human rights violations are committed every minute around the globe. The encouraging part though is that our students want to make a greater effort to build awareness among their peers and play an active role in global outreach as a first step in healing the world around them. This is evident in their dedicated involvement in our Human Rights Team, more popularly known as HRT. In 2006 when I first pioneered HRT, we had a membership of one 12th grade student, Weli Freedman, when we presented The Smallest Witnesses, a moving exhibit of Darfuri children’s drawings documenting the atrocities of the Darfur conflict, being one of the first venues in France.

Since then we have steadily grown to a team of thirty students from both the Lycée and Marcel Roby campuses. From its initial creation, HRT has presented a multitude of groundbreaking projects every year. Our memorable encounter in 2007 with Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier and author of A Long Way Gone, led the team to focus on child soldiers with the prize winner film at Robert Redford’s Sundance Festival, War Dance.

That same year we launched the Darfuri Refugee Women’s Basket Project that allowed these women to buy milk for their babies and other necessities in a safe environment. In 2008, we had the privilege of inviting the filmmakers of We’ll Never Meet Childhood Again highlighting children’s rights. In 2009, we featured another award-winning documentary Mardi Gras: Made in China on sweatshops and

labor violations. In 2010, HRT focus was on child soldiers and in 2011on human trafficking. Last year, for our fifth annual film festival, we tackled the delicate topic of human organ trafficking and presented a premiere screening in Europe of The Market with the permission of filmmaker Rama Rau. This year, HRT is up and running in the exciting brainstorming, research, and networking stages of our sixth annual festival which includes a morning event that has become a part of our 7th and 8th grade curricula impacting 120 students many of whom become active members of the team. We may also pilot a new high school morning program. Parents, colleagues, and high school students of all sections are all cordially invited to an evening event on Wednesday April 17, 2013 at 8pm, so mark your calendars now.

Students have worked closely with world-renowned NGOs, becoming an active part in civil society through Human Rights Watch, UNICEF, La Ligue des Droits de l’Homme, Ethique sur l’Etiquette, l’Amicale du Nid, among others receiving local press coverage. What has been incredibly inspiring for me as faculty advisor is to see our students experience personal empowerment through leadership roles and alumni who had been actively involved, excited to come back as guest speakers to our events demonstrating the tight chain of leadership firmly linked.

Gandhi’s famous words, “be the change you want to see in the world” printed on our HRT t-shirts reflect our students’ deep desire to be responsible world citizens. It is truly a privilege working with such a vibrant and dedicated team.

Michelle Green Middle School Teacher and HRT Faculty Advisor

When it comes to introducing the Human Rights Team to younger kids, I tell them that our main focus is to raise awareness. After all, taking part in this group means gathering information on the topic, and sharing it with others. Malcolm Gladwell, writer of the international best-seller The Tipping Point, mentions the necessity of mavens in our society: “those who accumulate knowledge.” These mavens happen to control the word-of-mouth epidemics, in other words, allow certain ideas to cross a borderline and spread. The Human Rights Team members initiate their classmates and parents to human rights violations and thus contribute to making these known to the public, who in turn, will then spread the information around until action is taken.

Hanna Schenck Terminale

I was head

of the Human Rights Team for the 2009/2010 school year. That year the team chose to focus on the issue of child soldiers, after having been inspired by a talk given by former child soldier Ishmael Beah. Tackling both Terminale and the organization of the student and evening events was at times challenging, but ultimately incredibly rewarding. Today, my experience with the Human Rights Team serves as the inspiration for my continued commitment to human rights advocacy work.

As a law student, I was part of the Lawyers Without Borders student team that travelled to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, to develop the country’s first ever Citizens Advice Bureau. I liaised with the Congolese Ministry of Gender to review the government’s policy on tackling rape and domestic abuse, trained Citizens Advice Bureau counselors on how to support victims in a country where violence towards women has been normalized by decades of war, and coordinated a network of Kinshasa-based NGOs to increase their visibility and encourage victims to seek help. Today the Citizens Advice Bureau serves as a dynamic hub for the local population to seek advice on a variety of issues, and has even recruited several Congolese lawyers to defend victims of rape and domestic abuse, previously often silenced by a corrupt judiciary.

The Human Rights Team is really a unique opportunity for globally aware students to familiarize themselves with human rights advocacy and I have no doubt it will continue to inspire, as I was, many students to pursue human rights related studies and careers.

Naomi Fenwick ’10 (British Section)

As a young Seconde,

I looked up to many older students in the section. One of these students was Weli Freedman ’07, a stunning activist and writer, who worked with Ms. Green on a Human Rights Watch collection of art made by refugee children of Darfur.

Later that year, when Ms. Green approached me and asked if I would like to help her continue raising human rights awareness on campus, I saw this as an opportunity to be part of an international cause on campus and to be like Weli, and of course I agreed. This small student-teacher pairing is now a high-energy team inclusive of both lycée and collège students, still directed by the tireless Ms. Green.

When I led the team in high school, our goal was to raise awareness about human rights violations that occur both close to home and internationally. We asked difficult questions and had heated debates about human rights issues from child soldiers to slavery. We were not primarily an action team because we believed that humanitarian action is difficult for students. Humanitarian action is much more complex than raising money and donating to a cause, or getting your hands dirty and going to solve the problem yourself. Humanitarianism is a whole process, and our focus was on Step 1: we concentrated on education and awareness and compelling students to think about human rights issues everyday.

Is Step 1 enough? For now, yes. I am a product of the Human Rights Team: educated, aware and compelled. My Human Rights Team schooling has given me the ability to see violations everyday, and to wrestle with their complexity.

Here’s an example: two summers ago, I worked for a bakery in Texas with a staff of undocumented workers whose labor rights were violated daily. When I approached my manager about reporting these violations to the corporate office, he warned that the only thing I would accomplish was the deportation of my co-workers. In turn, when I discussed this with the employees, they told me that they preferred to work illegally in Texas than to get sent home where they had no opportunities. I let the issue go for that summer. I am not saying that what I did was right, but I want to illustrate the complexity of human rights issues, especially the ones close to home. I see violations occur every day in the news or in person, and I honestly believe that my human rights education in the American Section forged that aptitude. Human Rights Team is not just a high school club; it’s a life-long commitment to thinking critically.

As for me, I am ready for Step 2 of the humanitarian journey. In early September, I was nominated to serve in the Peace Corps upon my graduation from Wellesley College in May. I do not know yet where I am headed, but I will be working on a health community development project for two years. I’ll keep you posted!

Grace Abuhamad ’09 Left: Naomi Fenwick ’10, Grace Abuhamad ’09 and Melanie Barr ’09 at the Human Rights Team presentation in 2009.

Right: The first Human Rights Team event in 2007, with Corey Haugen ’07, Kate Obr ’07, Weli Freedman ’07, Michelle Green, Eloise Eonnet ’07 and Nick Oudin ’07.

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Growing the Student Support Program

P

The Student Support Program includes a broad range of health education, student advising, and staff training with the goal of supporting optimal student mental, academic and physical health. The main focus is to inform and equip our students so that they perform well and feel good about themselves; it is not, as some may worry, about therapy or counseling. You may notice that the program described below does not extend to all grades. We are building it deliberately around the years we feel are critical emotionally and socially, and will evaluate how we can implement it in other years.

Student Support Program: Primary School: Character Education & Life-Skills

Beccy Haugen designed a new Character Education/Life-Skills Curriculum to be incorporated into the primary class tasks and lessons. It includes six targeted character traits: Respect/Citizenship, Responsibility, Self-Discipline/Perseverance, Trustworthiness, Fairness, and Caring/Empathy. The curriculum breaks down each trait into five behaviors.

Also included are questions and suggested activities that can be used to complement class discussions. These traits are being infused into the primary program rather than added on to the teaching day. This will ensure a common language among our students and teachers when discussing good character.

4ème: The Target Year

The 4ème year is a sensitive period in which social and emotional pressures are at a high point and children are particularly susceptible to peer and sub-culture influence.

For this reason we have targeted this year with two new programs: FCD and the 4ème Health Curriculum.

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- FCD (Freedom from Chemical Dependency): This November’s three-day FCD workshop will focus on 4ème, because it is the year when pupils are likely to be exposed to drugs, cigarettes, or alcohol for the first time. At this age, children have less information and fewer inhibitions about trying things on impulse or to “fit in” with their peer group.

Students need the critical facts and tools to say “no.”

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- Health Curriculum: This year there will be a taught health curriculum in addition to the “Your Body, Your Well-Being” sessions done in separate boy/girl groups.

The curriculum will be taught in four sessions, and will cover topics like self-esteem, peer pressure, cyber ethics, and bullying.

2nde: Supporting the transition to Upper School

In 2nde, students face new sources of stress: often a new campus, attending a conseil de classe, choosing a filière, and new levels of expectations in depth of analysis and workload.

- Advisory: The 2nde advisory cycle starts with an assembly in which students meet their advisor. 2nde advisory is mandatory, and students have at least three private appointments per year with their advisor, whose role is to support the student’s academic success. They are also available to discuss personal or behavioral issues and all information is confidential. Again, the role is not that of a psychologist or a counselor, but as a trusted teacher and adult. Students who need professional help are referred to mental health professionals.

- Auvergne Trip: A rigorous weekend of hiking, climbing and mountain-biking that takes place in the early fall; this is a bonding trip to get the 2nde class feeling like one group.

1ère: Maintaining the Connection

The year starts off with a class assembly about the upcoming 1ère year. We talk about university counseling, remind them that we are there to support them, and give them tips about what we think is the toughest year in their lycée career. Premières also have mandatory advisory sessions three times a year with the advisor they had in 2nde.

Tle: Terminale students can continue to seek out their advisors, but it is not required.

Building Competence in the Community of Adults: No student support program can be complete without a training component for advisors, informational opportunities for parents, and an ongoing effort to build a network of support.

Photos of the 2012 Seconde Trip to Auvergne by Louis Austin (2nde)

Please contact me directly (andrew.mcgovern@americansection.org) with questions about the Student Support program.

Andrew McGovern Student Support Coordinator

Advisor training: There is ongoing training for

advisors and teachers in subjects like listening skills, identifying risk factors, learning about stress (such as the recent staff and parent training by Jackie Cox).

Advisor networking: Under the guidance of health professionals, our support staff has banded together with other bilingual Yvelines schools. We meet for seminars and workshops several times a year. The synergies are clear: - pool financial and staffing resources; - share information about health policies and practices; - hire speakers and workshop leaders; and - share resources and contacts for health professionals.

Student Support Committee (SSC): The SSC, made up of division and department heads and the coordinator, meets regularly to discuss policy, students with concerns, and programs.

FA L L / W I N T E R

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The Global Awareness Program

PHOTO S BY CE LIA H E UDE B OURG - PRE M I È RE

Above: Victoria Belergeot communicates with her camera; Jessica Matheret, Victoria and Julia Costet learn yoga.

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As we enter the second year of the Section’s Global Citizen Awareness initiative to further prepare our students for the ever-evolving challenges of the 21st century, these pages provide a recap of our activities this past year.

In addition to the programs spotlighted on these pages, there were several other notable initiatives in 2011-2012. The Section’s Middle Schoolers, for example, threw themselves into a newly formed “Community Service Week”. Designed by colleague Adrienne Covington to coincide with Martin Luther King Day, students on both campuses were assigned class-based tasks to create instructional tools and gifts for the children in India. The 6èmes and 5èmes selected, clipped, and assembled hundreds of magazine photos, essential for daily, vocabulary-enrichment lessons. The 4èmes created “Who Am I?” worksheets to introduce the children to our students here in France.

Finally, the 3èmes turned their skills to assembling brightly colored pencil pouches which were filled with all the goodies collected at the 3ème Winter Dance.

Many of our 5èmes were also included in a pen pal exchange with student peers educated in Derhadun, India, under the aegis of the Pestalozzi Children’s Village, an NGO that recruits and educates deserving children from impoverished rural areas in India and Nepal.

On a final note, we have begun a database of worthwhile, dependable organizations that propose summer outreach projects to high school age students. If you’re interested, or feel that your child might be ready to spend a summer helping others, please contact the Section office for further information.

Namasté!

Terry Hershey Global Awareness Coordinator

The India Exchange

The 2011-12 India Exchange began in October, when the Section hosted twenty-two Indian students and three teachers. For two weeks we interacted through class visits where our students learned about Indian culture, culminating in an Indian soirée featuring traditional Indian garb, exotic music, dance and savories.

Then it was our turn. Over several months a team of fifteen students prepared various creative and educational activities. We were involved in four different educational centers in Ahmedabad: Mahatma Gandhi International School, a Saath NGO educational support center for labor children, Manav Sadhna NGO childcare and community centers, and the Street School for Kids evening classes, where the classes actually take place on the street! Each program required very different cultural, artistic, and instructive activities and we met as a team once a week to brainstorm ideas, organize into groups and put together the necessary supplies.

All our hard work paid off; we had a memorable experience bonding and sharing with each other, the MGIS community (which was an incredibly gracious host), and the many Indian students we met through our service learning activities.

Without the recent implementation of the Strategic Plan to give students the opportunity and the initial experiences in becoming global citizens, these kinds of initiatives would not have seen the light. We would like to thank everyone, parents, students, teachers and the many others for making this wonderful exchange possible!

Above left: The 2011-2012 India Exchange Team; Lucas Abelanet plays with a local child; below: Nicholas Gastellu is welcomed by a Hindu woman.

The Ahmedabad 2012 Team Led by Terry Hershey, Michelle Green, and Lucas Mennella FA L L / W I N T E R

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Bridge Building in Education

In 2010, I took a sabbatical and went to northern India to volunteer with The Pestalozzi Children’s Village in Dehradun. The village sponsors over one hundred and fifty students from grades 6 - 12, feeds and houses them, and oversees their education. The children come from rural India, remote parts of Nepal and Tibetan settlements where the possibility to attain higher education is not available.

The thirst for knowledge and the drive to succeed in these kids is so exceptional that I went to The Mahatma Gandhi International School in Ahmedabad, with whom the American Section has had a yearly cultural/service exchange program since 2009, and asked them if they would be interested in sponsoring a couple of high school students.

Pascal and Anjou, the heads of MGIS, were immediately enthusiastic and generously offered a full scholarship for two deserving Pestalozzi students to enter the diploma program and to prepare for the International Baccalaureate.

The American Section has also lent a helping hand in this endeavor. The Student Council, the participants of Ahmedebad 2012, an alumni family, and a friend of the Section, have all contributed through various forms of fundraising to cover the students’ living costs. Dekyi and Santosha are now on their way to a new life that will open up a myriad of opportunities that they could never have dreamed of in their early childhood.

I visited MGIS this summer and had the opportunity to spend some time with them.

Dekyi is from a Tibetan settlement in northern India and her father is a social worker. Like most Tibetans, her family fled their country during the 1959 Chinese invasion. After her studies, she plans on returning to her settlement to continue in her father’s footsteps. But first, she says, she will go into finance and try to make a living to stand on her own.

Only then, she feels, can she go back and be of real service to her community.

Santosha comes from the region outside Dehradun in northern India as well and her father is a farmer. She has not yet decided on her career. At the moment, there are many fields of study that interest her and so, she will make up her mind later on. Both of the girls want to vol14

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unteer for the Pestalozzi Children’s Village to complete, what they call, the cycle of education. “We received education from them and now we want to help others to have an opportunity to get a good education and have a brighter future.”

The two girls have both adjusted to their new school environment which is so different from the traditional schools of India. “Here, we feel comfortable talking to our teachers and we can express our views and opinions openly.

The teaching revolves around the students who are empowered with their own education. The teachers give us the tools and we learn the skills”, Dekyi commented, “Here, we learn with all our senses by creating activities in various forms such as drama, art, music, dance and video. We do reports and projects that deal with real-life situations.

Education comes to life and we are the main actors who create and imagine the world around us,” Santosha added with alacrity.

But there still remain many challenges they must face: they are far from their family and friends and they live on their own in a small room with no potable water. They get their drinking water from school which fortunately is close by. They must shop and cook for themselves, take charge of their daily requirements and share the daily chores.

Their day starts off very early and school lets out late in the afternoon. Then, they have to make their supper and settle back down to study. “The biggest challenge is finding enough time to get everything done!” they both said simultaneously and laughed.

The experience has been so rewarding for all parties involved and most likely two more students from Pestalozzi will join MGIS next year. With our support, we can continue to play an active role in this bridgebuilding project to promote educational opportunities to deserving students.

Terry Hershey Above: Dekyi and Santosha, the two students sponsored by the Section, in Ahmedabad.

Lunch ’n Learn Over the course of last year, I participated in a middle school activity that was called “Lunch ’n Learn”. I guess the title is self-explanatory so I’ll move on. The tables were set against the walls and the chairs arranged in a semi-circle in front of the interactive white board. The classroom seemed to disappear and we felt like we were transported to far off lands around the world. Suddenly we found ourselves in India, Ghana and South Africa! The ambiance in the room was cheerful. We shared our chips, tasted bits of each other’s sandwiches and chatted together.

For Lunch ’n Learn, high school students came to share different humanitarian projects they participated in over their summer holidays to help the under-privileged. A couple of them had even won the American Section Global Citizen Awards! You could tell that they were speaking from the heart with earnest emotion and deep concern about their eye-opening experiences.

The kids in the photos were very enthusiastic about learning and being educated. One photo was very impressive: a three year old doing multiplication tables!

And all along, the local kids bore wide smiles, as if they were the happiest kids in the world.

Lunch ’n Learn seemed to be passing a message: “They helped out, now it could be our turn!” It was heartening to know that we could do something to change the world, small as it may be, and that other people were aware and active, too! As the presentations went on, I realized there could be a secondary message: “Be happy to live in a rich country and to have the possibility to be well-educated.”

I learned a lot while eating my lunch at Lunch ’n Learn!

And I thank the American Section for offering this opportunity to raise awareness of the problems outside our community in hopes that we students will become honorable citizens of the world.

Chloé Erny 5ème

Naomi Sadoff ’11 presenting at a “Lunch ‘n Learn” Above right: Paul Rival (Tle), Alice Odolant (1ère) and Thina Brichet ’12 volunteering at Missionaries of Charity

Community Service Connecting with people in a meaningful way, playing a role in the community, helping oneself by helping others: these are the values of American Section Community Service. As an active member last year and co-president along with Nathan van der Wielen this year, I have seen firsthand how committing to humanitarian actions can truly be a memorable and enriching experience.

My first outing with the group was in late autumn 2011. Ms. Hershey, a group of four teammates and I helped the Missionaries of Charity prepare and distribute meals to the poor and homeless people of Paris. Every year throughout the cold winter months, the nuns of Mother Teresa’s movement, which make up the Missionaries of Charity, serve 50 meals, 3 times a day, to the needy. Charity associations in and around Paris provide the food, and the nuns handle the preparation and the serving with help from volunteers.

We entered the center at 8am and jumped right into cutting and rinsing vegetables and fruits, preparing hot drinks and soups, setting up tables, letting people in, serving the food, washing dishes and cleaning up. Although the people seemed sad, tired and lonely outside, once they entered the room they instantly brightened up. The nuns not only fed them well-balanced meals, they also offered them a warm, welcoming and friendly environment. This gave them hope, comfort and a sense of dignity. Taking part in this simple yet crucial action gave the entire team a feeling of purpose and usefulness. Giving up a Saturday morning for a good cause proved itself to be much more rewarding than sleeping in. A smile can go a long way, much further than one would think!

Come and join the American Section Community Service and help yourself by helping others.

Paul Rival Terminale

FA L L / W I N T E R

2012

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Sanitation work in

S Nepal

We woke up 7:30, 2069-05-04 (date on the Nepali calendar); had a light breakfast that consisted of potato, chapati (local flat bread) and whatever was left from the previous dinner, topped off with the typical Nepali milk tea. By 9 o’clock, we reached the school and played with the children until 10. The morning activities consisted of three major sports: soccer, volleyball and cricket, played in an open field where bricks and hay were scattered around. For the next two hours we taught English to a class of children aged 10 to16. They sat in the classroom, eyes wide open, blue uniforms and smiles on their faces. In the front row, energetic boys who always wanted to answer for the others, while in the back, silent and shy girls dared not raise their hands; they only listened with careful attention. What these Nepali children enjoyed most was learning about France and Western dances such as the Macarena. At noon, we walked back to our home; a house made of bamboo and mud, where there was no running water except from a water pump; power lasted only two hours a day.

Lunch was similar to breakfast where bhaat and daal (rice and lentil soup) were served, every day, with no exceptions.

After resting for some time, as the heat made it impossible for anyone in the village to work between 12 and 3pm, we went out to work on the latrines. Ten simultaneous latrines were being built and we went from one to the other helping mix the cement, bring the bricks, and lay them. After a tiring day, we went home, exhausted, only to fall asleep on a hard bamboo bed where a blue mosquito net provided a bit of protection against the swarms of mosquitoes.

Living in Belwa village, a remote village of Southern Nepal, in the middle of rice fields, was incredible. We were hosted by Bijay Chaudhary for two weeks, and he made us feel totally at home. He always cared about our well-being and paid close attention that our water bottles be always filled or that we liked the food he served. Even though we lived isolated from the modern and technological world, no one could have made our trip so comfortable and enriching. The experience we gained during this trip is comparable to no other; being immersed in a culture and an environment so different from ours, with people who lived with the bare minimum, was something completely new to us. Even teaching children who knew close to no English was a challenge that we particularly enjoyed. The ties we created there during those three weeks are ties that will last forever, and that we will cherish dearly.

Even someone who may have some competence in construction work would be amazed at how a latrine is built in this part of the world.

With only a shovel, a measuring tape, bricks and poorly made cement, in less than three days, these workers were able to build a sturdy foundation for the latrines as well as an ingenious evacuation system. Even though we had next to no construction skills when we arrived, after helping to 16

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Global Citizen Scholarships

Above: Matthieu and Rex saying good-bye to their pupils; learning to work in the rice fields and below: standing proudly in front of a completed latrine.

build ten latrines in the span of two weeks, we left knowing a lot.

The workers spoke no English except for the occasional ‘hello’ and ‘OK.’ It was therefore very hard to adapt and communicate, but we prevailed. Being part of building the latrines for the villagers was a rewarding experience. They were so thankful that we, two white foreigners, would put so much effort into building their latrines. We loved being able to help physically build the latrines, and participate in making the villagers’ life a little less hard. When we laid bricks, we were doing it for someone, we were improving someone’s living standards, we were directly involved in his life. We hope that we left more than just latrines in the village, we hope that our involvement, and our help will be remembered.

Through our trip to Nepal, we learned, experienced, and discovered so much. We now understand more about the culture of this country and the state so many people in the world live in. We are so grateful to everyone who has helped us accomplish such a trip. We thank the Lycée International and the American Section for helping us make this trip a possibility. We thank LEI (Living Earth Institute) for the amazing opportunity and, especially, Dibya Kansakar for his generous help. We also thank Belwa village from the bottom of our hearts. These people gave and taught us so much that we are so very grateful. This trip was really something we are proud of having done, and we would do it again, anytime!

Matthieu Hafemeister and Rex Elardo Terminale

Equine therapy in

No one who has grown up in France can travel without taking note of the local cuisine, and Ecuador was no exception. For breakfast, every weekday we had a different menu and Thursday was everyone’s favorite day of the week. The meal consisted of mild Ecuadorian cheese toasties, a bowl of Latin American fruit, honey tea and a tall, fresh banana smoothie, with a pinch of vanilla.

We also tried more peculiar foods like avocado ice cream, and cow intestines (which had a rubbery consistency).The greatest challenge, however, came the weekend we stayed with indigenous families, hours outside of Quito, deep in the forest. In honor of our visit, we were served Ecuador’s most celebrated delicacy: guinea pig.

Being vegetarian, what to do?

We knew then and there that we had to try the delicacy and could not turn down the friendly family who had spent hours roasting the animal to a perfect crispiness.

To our astonishment, we loved it.

It had a texture similar to chicken and the flavor was so delicious that we both just had to serve ourselves seconds.

Above: Lucie and Hanna with an indigenous family, right: Hanna doing a therapy with a child, and below: hiking in the mountains of Ecuador with other program participants Haugen.

Equador

I still remember our first day, at 7:45 in the morning, watching Hanna, (who hadn’t been on a horse for years,) take on the first therapy of the day. A desperate mother had just handed Hanna her baby, named Leny--toasty in his blue and yellow knitted cap, and no bigger than a small loaf of bread. As we started, Hanna juggled Leny in her left arm, while holding the reins of her horse, Piescito, in her right. I was given the responsibility of leading the horse to the ring, while preventing him from nibbling on the nearest weeds. At precisely 7:46, we both knew that our month-long adventure in Quito, Ecuador, had officially begun.

An individual equine therapy session lasts about half an hour, with one volunteer on the horse, holding the reins with one hand and the child with the other. The type of therapy we practiced requires a certain amount of horsemanship and a deep love of children. We did our best to practice our Spanish and make small talk with the children even though some of them were too young to converse. Some could not even speak. Dozens of local families depend on Ebe’s stables for the excellent caring equine therapy that has been offered there for the past several years.

A typical day for us went as follows: we would be up at six, get ready and then head off to the kitchen to be greeted by the housekeeper, Paola, who would serve us breakfast. After our delicious meal, we would then make an avocado, tuna or chicken and corn sandwich and head off to our project. A five-minute walk later, we paid our 25 cents and boarded an insanely crowded bus. Squeezed into the bus like oil-covered sardines yet smelling instead of horses, with pearls of sweat running down our faces, we quickly learned to accept the local passengers’ stares during the entire 15 minute bus ride. To top it all off, we had to adjust to the altitude: Quito is 2,850 meters above sea level and the thinner oxygen levels often leave newcomers gasping for breath.

After fighting to get off the bus, we set off on a 25-minute trek up one of the steepest and busiest hills in Quito. We would arrive at the project and be welcomed by ten dogs barking and enthusiastically wagging their tails, pleased to see the volunteers and the idea of starting a new day. The outspoken yet friendly Ebe would emerge from her simple home and give us each a friendly kiss on the cheek. We would then remove our walking shoes, put on our boots, and carefully put all our belongings out of the reach of those lovable dogs who would not have hesitated to chow down on our lunches! The daily routine that followed involved taking the nine horses up to the forest, tying each one to a tree, and letting them proceed with their morning ritual: basically being stubborn and eating the greenest grass. Back at the stables we would then muck out every single stall under the beating sun only to fill them up again with fresh hay. Back up at the forest we would greet the families and their children. Without delay, we would saddle up and begin the therapies.

The type of therapy we offered helps both children with physical and mental disabilities.

The child with physical disabilities can learn to sit, relax his or her body and learn proper posture--simple, innate skills that can be acquired naturally through horseback riding. In the case of children who live in their own world, equine therapy offers them the chance to reach out and connect with a living creature - the horse. At this point I think of the magic we experienced with Francisco, who looked to be all of six years old.

When we first met him at the beginning of our stay, Francisco was so shy that he would not even touch the horses. Imagine our joy when, three days before our departure, and in a gesture we once thought impossible, Francisco suddenly reached out and grabbed the horse’s mane!

It’s a cliché to say that our month in Ecuador flew by, but it is completely true. Hanna and I were affected by experiences that will remain with us for the rest of our lives, confirming for us a life-long desire to give something to the world’s disadvantaged.

Among the many things we experienced, perhaps one simple discovery remains with us above all others: our “patient” Leny--who looked and felt like a newborn--was actually one year old when Hanna held him that first day at Ebe’s.

We wish to thank everyone who made this Global Citizenship Award trip possible.

Lucinda Covington and Hanna Schenck Terminale FA L L / W I N T E R

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Graduation Ceremony “words of wisdom”

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“Keep trying. You are, as I said, exceedingly capable. You have excelled at one of the most academically rigorous high schools in the world. You have shown resilience and toughness.

When you get stuck in a crappy class or program or job or relationship, please- do. not. settle.

Do not resign yourself to mediocrity and unhappiness Make the best of the bad situation- but look to make a change. Whether that be changing majors or transferring or moving to a new country or whatever, you have all shown that you are capable of overcoming obstacles.”

Lucas Mennella Faculty Address

Co n g r a t u l a t i o n s t o t h e C l a s s o f 2 0 1 2 – o u r n e w e s t a l u m n i ! ! !

PHOTOS BY JUDITH HAMERY

Alumni Outreach Alumni efforts transitioned to high speed in 2011 with the implementation of our Strategic Plan. A key element of this plan centers on community-building between the Section and its vibrant alumni community, with the most visible part of this initiative being last year’s two highly successful reunions. In February, 75 alumni--representing five generations of American Section students--braved the Manhattan cold to give a Big Apple welcome to Director Kelly Herrity and Director of Development Margaret Jenkins. Later in June, a similar gathering was hosted by Linda Berzin ‘76 at the home of June Berzin, founder of the Section, to mark the Lycée’s 60th anniversary and toast the continued good health of the Section.

Plans are already underway for this coming year’s alumni gatherings--in Boston and Paris. What’s more, it looks like these alumni reunion initiatives are here to stay. We expect to host two reunions per year on different continents in years to come.

Our reunions, however, are only the tip of the iceberg! In conjunction with the overhaul and relaunch of the American Section’s website (stay tuned!), a complete 21st century alumni web portal is being designed. Among its many splashy features, it will also include an extensive searchable database, dedicated spaces for networking and mentoring, on-line yearbook archives and improved alumni services. As soon as the website is launched, we will kick off the next phase of our Strategic Plan outreach by inaugurating a major information-gathering campaign to both update and populate the database--essential steps in our quest for future growth!

Margaret Jenkins Director of Development 18

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“…the bac is not light at the end of the tunnel, it never was.

Its conclusion does not mark the end of our stress. It’s not necessarily going to secure our future in one field or another. It does not define us. No, and don’t tell this to next year’s Terminales, but the baccalaureate is simply the starting line, everything that came before it: just a warm up. The actual race is what comes next.”

Connor Steelberg Student Speaker, Class of 2012

“…who we are and what we love will be challenged wherever we go; what we know in our blood and bones and believe to be good and true will be questioned; our courage will be tried. Fight for it. Fight for what you know and what you love and who you are. Charge the Light Brigade if need be, but let no one make you believe that you are a bird if you are a fish, or a fish if you are a bird. “ Josephine Ramseyer Student Speaker, Class of 2012

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C Class of 2012 Baccalauréat Results

University destinations Class of 2012 US (14 students) Bard College Brown University Cornell University School of Hotel Management Duke University Northeastern University Northwestern University Pratt Institute of Art Skidmore College Stanford University Tufts University University of Chicago University of San Diego Wake Forest University Wesleyan University ENGLAND (4 students) University of Lancaster University of Southampton University College London (2) SCOTLAND (1 student) University of Edinburgh IRELAND (1 student) Trinity College Dublin CANADA (5 students) McGill University (3) Concordia University University of Montreal NETHERLANDS (3 students) Erasmus School of Management (2) Delft Institute of Technology

S

ES

L

TOTAL

%

Très bien

10

3

4

17

31%

Bien

13

16

1

30

56%

Assez bien

3

1

1

5

9%

no mention

0

2

0

2

4%

26

22

6

54

100%

This year, about half of our graduating class has decided to pursue their higher education abroad. Far fewer are going to England than in previous years, thanks in part to a steep increase in tuition fees, while the number going to the United States has fallen slightly, a reflection of the changing demographics within the Section but also the everincreasing costs and competition for the most selective universities, where admission rates have fallen as low as 5-6%. With interest in Canada and the Netherlands rising modestly, students are starting to look beyond McGill, which received a remarkable 82 applications from our school alone, among more than 3,000 from France. Students are often applying to 2 or 3 countries outside of France, ranging from Switzerland to Ireland. The students who remain in France follow similar trends to previous years, with stable cohorts attending university for medicine or law, post-bac business schools, Sciences Po, and economic or scientific prépas in the Versailles/Paris area.

It appears that the sharp rise in tuition fees in the UK, combined with the growing number of internationally-oriented options in French higher education, is prompting more students to continue their studies in France. It remains to be seen whether this trend will continue.

Catherine Boalch College Counselor

SWITZERLAND (1 student) Ecole Fédérale Polytechnique de Lausanne FRANCE (23 students) Ecole du Louvre ESSCA IESEG Lille (2) Institut Paul Bocuse Lycée Hoche, Versailles (prépa PC) Lycée Saint Louis (prépa PC)

Nanterre/University of Essex (joint law program) Notre Dame de Grandchamps (prépa ECS) Paris Business College (INSEEC) Saint Geneviève (prépa MP, ECS) (2) Sciences Po Paris Sciences Po Reims Sorbonne/King’s College (joint law program) Sorbonne/Sciences Po (joint program) Sorbonne/Florence (joint law program) University of Paris Descartes (medicine) (2) University of Paris Pantheon Assas (law) University of Paris Pierre et Marie Curie (medicine) University of Versailles/Paris (medicine) (2) GAP YEAR: 2 Bejing University

Evolution of University Destinations 2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

6 Year Total

France

23

10

17

17

17

17

101

USA

14

17

16

20

14

18

99

England

4

22

18

10

15

14

83

Canada

5

5

6

7

9

4

36

Netherlands

3

1

2

1

1

8

Gap Year

2

2

5

Ireland

1

Switzerland

1

1

1

3

1

Italy Scotland

1

2

1

2

1

1 1

Belgium 1

Australia New Zealand

1

1

1 1 1

FA L L / W I N T E R

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The purpose of the annual Development Report is two-fold.

First, to acknowledge the donors who have generously contributed to our fundraising campaign.

Whether parents, faculty and

BUILDING

BLOCKS FOR THEIR

FUTURE

staff, alumni or friends of the Section, 271 individuals made donations; this was the largest

R

number of donors in our history, and they made a recordbreaking total of 112,537€!

This brings us to this report’s

KE Y STAT IST ICS 2011-2012 Total Fundraising Income - 112,537€ Total Donors - 271

New Section Records!

second objective: to inform our generous donors exactly what is being done with the money they gave.

Money will be spent on concrete programs and initiatives that enhance the experiences of the children enrolled in the Section.

It will fund financial aid, Classroom Without Walls events, and our libraries. Two-thirds of the money will be channeled into the Strategic Plan to finance the programs and initiatives described in this magazine: student support programs, technology, professional

Evolution of Total Funds Raised

development, global awareness projects, and outreach endeavors.

Like building blocks, 271 individual donations work

D

wonders when assembled

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together.

Margaret Jenkins Director of Development

FA L L / W I N T E R

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Where Donations will be Spent Financial Aid - 27,000€ Providing assistance for families experiencing financial difficulties.

Classrooms Without Walls -10,000€ Removing walls by taking our students on relevant trips and by bringing speakers in to share their knowledge.

-Shakespeare Workshop -History Speaker Series -Writer in Residence

Strategic Plan Initiatives

Library - 3,000€ Stocking our shelves with current, pertinent publications and providing online resources and databases.

-Rand McNally, Web Path Express, Grolier Online and Brain Pop -American Library in Paris subscriptions

Financial Aid

Library Classrooms Without Walls Alumni Outreach Technology Community Outreach

Global Awareness

Professional Development

Student support

Strategic Plan Initiatives details Technology – 19,140€ Ensuring students and teachers have the skills and experience to succeed in an increasingly technological world.

-Section classroom, library and office rewiring -Chrome Books and iPad pilot testing programs Global Awareness – 3,000€ Preparing our students for the ever-evolving challenges of the 21st century through volunteer opportunities and increased global awareness.

-Global Citizen Scholarship -Community Service Award -India Exchange Student Support – 9,000€ Supporting optimal student academic, emotional and physical health.

-Stress workshop for faculty and parents -FCD program -Health Program -Advisory

Professional Development – 15,500€ Keeping faculty and staff aware of best practices and new trends in pedagogy.

-October 17th In-Service training day -Tailored technology workshops including PD for our technology integrators -Participation in Media/Library conferences and workshops Community Outreach – 16,400€ Offering programs and opportunities to strengthen bonds between sections, French adminstration and the wider community.

-Compass magazine -Community surveys -Website Alumni Outreach - 9,500€ Developing an active network to benefit current and former students.

-Alumni reunions -Alumni web-portal -Mentoring program

FA L L / W I N T E R

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Participation Rates 2011-2012

Development Report

92,31% 72,41% 55,68%

Family

50,00%

Faculty/Staff

Board

Senior Class

Program Supporters Up to 249€

Thanks to fundraising, programs illustrated on these pages: the Auvergne Trip, Alumni reunions, Chrome-Book pilot testing program, Stress Workshop, library acquisitions and faculty training, are made possible.

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Philippe & Fabienne BAUDRIER Eric & Sheila BAUMERT Christian BELLISSEN & Ying WANG Roch & Lindsey BLEYNIE Michel & Debbie BLOCH Azzedine & Sara BOUBGUIRA Jean-Michel BOUCHE Kelly BOURQUE RIGAL Nikolai & Rosa CHAPIRO BERNAL Josephine CRICHTON Philippe & Amy CRIST Alexis & Marisa DE BELLOY * Olivier & Caroline DE PERCIN Alain DE SERRES & Marie-Claude MICHAUD Christian & Anja DELANNES Lisa DEMANGEAT Eric & Nicky DOLADILLE Anne DONAGHY Alain & Janelle DUBOS René-Philippe & Vanessa DUBOSCQ Miguel & Sonia ENESCO William & Laurence FABRE Theodore FAUNCE * Alexandre & Amélie FEVRE Laurent & Laurence FISCHER Mary FRIEL Alain GINSBACH Etienne & Sylvie GRIMON Stu & Beccy HAUGEN Scot & Marie HICKS Etienne & Laurence JACQUES Olivier & Julia JAMART Javier & Charlotte JARQUIN Margaret JENKINS Bradley & Laurence JOSLOVE Yannick JOUANNY & Loretta LEE Patrick & Pauline LAMBERT Marc & Vera LAPORTE Randy & Wendy LEMMERMAN Olivier & Catherine LETEURTRE Brian & Ilona LOCKHART Christian & Myeong-Hee LOPEZ Christophe & Joanna MAINGUY René-Philippe & Claire MANTRAND Bruce & Marjolein MEE Patrick & Tracy MEMMI Lucas MENNELLA Manuel MILLOT & Qi LIU Xavier & Lisa MORVAN Marcio & Cristina NASCIMENTO John & Véronique O’BRIEN * Alumni and former

community members

Stéphane PAILLAUD & Kasumi PAILLAUD-IWABUCHI Guillaume VUILLARDOT & Anne-Claire PAILLE Eric & Carolyn PENOT Dan & Catherine REED Marc & Carine ROBERT-VASSY Fabrice & Valérie ROUSSEAU Mark & Sheila SADOFF Rafael & Caroline SANTANDER Jerry & Elizabeth SHEEHAN * Thomas & Bénédicte SILIER Michele SILVESTRI & Pierre-Emmanuel SASSONIA Nicolas & Chrystèle SIMON Laurent & Corinne SIRET Roger & Ruth SURRIDGE Jean-Félix & Hortense TEMATIO Antoine & Nathalie TIRARD Eric & Yana TOFFIN Yasmina HADERBACHE TOURNIER Nella VALORIS Mattieu & Denise VAN VEEN Benjamin & Kathrine VIDET Pascal & Claudine VINET Lili WEIL Mike & Janice WHITACRE Cedric & Susan WOINDRICH Lincoln & Mary Jean C. YOUNG * Yuk-Quan & Lei ZHONG 10 anonymous donors

Friends of ASALI Board 2012-13 President David Renard ‘91 Treasurer Jeremy Da ‘99 Secretary Lorna Neligan Colarusso Members at Large Grace Abuhamad ‘09 Robin Gillespie ‘73 Evelyne Pinard Alexi Remnek ‘87 Elizabeth Sheehan Anton Zietsman ‘08 We thank Friends of ASALI for their continued support of the following initiatives: Writer in Residence Global Citizen Scholarship Alumni Outreach Student Wellness Programs Model United Nations Human Rights Team College Counseling

Club International 4 449€

Fundraising Gala 50 697€

5-Year Consecutive Donors

Annual Fund 57 391€

Source of Funds

Philippe & Marie-Anne AYMERICH Brooks & Annette BEAULIEU Samuel BEHR & Veronique ELY Christian BELLISSEN & Ying WANG Dominique & Pascale BERNAL Section Partners Olivier & Patricia BLANC Michel & Debbie BLOCH 250€ - 499€ Azzedine & Sara BOUBGUIRA François ABELANET & Lisa BARLOW Nikolai & Rosa CHAPIRO BERNAL Samuel BEHR & Veronique ELY * Rodolphe & Lise CORONAS Dominique & Pascale BERNAL Karl & Avivah COX Xavier & Céline BOULAT Philippe & Amy CRIST Craig BRADLEY & Elizabeth WEBB Bertrand & Lise DE FOUCHIER Christophe & Fanny BRUGUIER Michael & Elizabeth DE VERTEUIL Ian & Laurence BURDON Jan & Ina DE WITTE Pascal & Louise CLEMENT Christian & Anja DELANNES Bertrand & Lise DE FOUCHIER Eric DESBLANCS & Tara PATEL Gilles & Jenny DU CREST Didier & Marilyn DOUAY Ron & Martine GEROW Gilles & Jenny DU CREST Andrew & Laurence HAFEMEISTER William & Laurence FABRE Jonathan & Natacha HALL Laurent & Laurence FISCHER Juan HARDOY & Ron & Martine GEROW Carmen GOMEZ-ALZAGA Margaret JENKINS Kelly HERRITY & Peter SHAPIRO Anthony & Anne-Laure GIUSTINI Olivier & Elizabeth HEUDEBOURG Olivier & Elizabeth HEUDEBOURG Christophe & Irène HEURTEVENT Pierre HEYDACKER & Bobbi LYNCH Pierre HEYDACKER & Bobbi LYNCH Pierre & Chrystèle JACQMARCQ Rajiv & Marie-Odile ISWARIAH Etienne & Laurence JACQUES Pierre & Chrystèle JACQMARCQ Bradley & Laurence JOSLOVE Michael KOROBITSYN & Marc & Vera LAPORTE Anya ASTAPOVA Olivier & Catherine LETEURTRE Marc & Vera LAPORTE Brian & Ilona LOCKHART Rolf & Sandra POLUHA Christian & Myeong-Hee LOPEZ Jean-Paul & Annelise RIVAL René-Philippe & Claire MANTRAND Philippe & Frédérique ROBERT-GORSSE Jonathan & Françoise MARSH François & Sara SALLEMBIEN Bruce & Marjolein MEE George & Reyneke SCHENCK Marcio & Cristina NASCIMENTO Stéphane & Nathalie SOUCHET Bertrand POINTEAU & Sonia LEE Tom & Emmanuelle VAN DEN BUSSCHE Xavier & Alicia ROBERT Richard & Christine WASHINGTON Marc & Carine ROBERT-VASSY 4 anonymous donors Philippe & Frédérique ROBERT-GORSSE François & Sara SALLEMBIEN Roger & Serene SAUMURE George & Reyneke SCHENCK Thomas & Bénédicte SILIER Nicolas & Chrystèle SIMON Derek & Maria STEELBERG Yasmina HADERBACHE TOURNIER Nella VALORIS François & Martine VAN DER WIELEN Patrice & Shippen VAUDREMER Pascal & Claudine VINET Robert YOUNGBLOOD & Ursula LIU

2011-2012

Community Builders 500€ - 999€ Christophe & Chantal BOURGES Frank & Lorna COLARUSSO * Mark & Catherine CORRIGAN Karl & Avivah COX Jennifer DALRYMPLE & Luis ROTH Eric DESBLANCS & Tara PATEL Jean-Benoît & Angélique DEVAUGES Didier & Marilyn DOUAY William & Catherine FAHBER Marc FOURNIER & Sabrina LOI * Laurent & Sophie GILHODES John & Adeline MATHIEU Jean-Christophe & Katie MIESZALA John & Alicia PRESTON Roger & Serene SAUMURE Olivier & Sophie TROJANI François & Martine VAN DER WIELEN Robert YOUNGBLOOD & Ursula LIU 2 anonymous donors

ASALI Benefactors 1000€ - 2499€ Philippe & Marie-Anne AYMERICH Philippe CLAR & Margaret DICKASON Denis & Marica THIERY * Marc & Madeleine FLEMING Anthony & Anne-Laure GIUSTINI * Nordine HACHEMI & Kimberly MOCK Marco & Barbara RECCHIA * Jonathan & Françoise MARSH Pierre LE ROUX Bertrand POINTEAU & Sonia LEE Xavier & Alicia ROBERT 1 anonymous donor

Director’s Circle over 2500€ Jan & Ina DE WITTE Gaetan & Lucy GIANASSO Derek & Maria STEELBERG FA L L / W I N T E R

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Development Report

Senior Class Gift The Classroom Without Walls initiatives are an essential part of the Section’s curriculum. Students leave their classrooms to explore destinations near and far such as Paris, Caen, Auvergne, Amsterdam, The Hague, and India. Speakers are invited into our classrooms to enrich their learning experience, such as Dr. Douglas Biow of the University of Texas, an expert on Dante’s Divine Comedy who spoke to the Premières last year, or Scott Carney, the 2011 Writer in Residence who presented his book The Red Market, investigative journalism which unveils the gruesome world markets in organ and bone trade.

Thanks to the generosity of our graduating Seniors and their parents, 1500€ was collected to fund a History Guest Speaker program.

Secondary students will begin benefitting from the gift this academic year.

Thank you to the Class of 2012!

Alice, Gilles & Corinne ARNOUX Noemie, Jacques & Fabienne ASCHENBROICH Samuel & Jacques BEHR, Véronique ELY Mick COHEN-CARROLL & Tama CARROLL Olivia, Bertrand & Lise DE FOUCHIER Kildine, Stéphane & Anne-Brigitte DE SAINT HILAIRE Louise, Michael & Elizabeth DE VERTEUIL Tinke-Marie, Jan & Ina DE WITTE Arthur, William & Laurence FABRE Adam, Marc & Blandine FISCHER Thomas, Kevin & Ariane HANNAFORD Henri, Scot & Marie HICKS Sebastien, Javier & Charlotte JARQUIN Virginie, Jacques-Max & Jeannie LASSEZ Nadège, François & Isabelle LEGROUX Sophie, Jonathan & Françoise MARSH David & Bertrand POINTEAU & Sonia LEE Hervé & Carole QUATRELIVRE, Diana QUINBY Josephine, Jeremy & Kathryn RAMSEYER-NOEL David, Bernard & Janet RUBINSTEIN Connor, Derek & Maria STEELBERG Romane, Bertrand & Agathe THIEBAUT Douwe, Véronique & Leonoor TIDEMAN Kaitlyn, Thierry & Mary TREMBLAY Inès, Olivier & Laurence VENENCIE Mathilde, Luc & Valérie WANGEN 1 anonymous donor

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C O M PA S S M A G A Z I N E

Friends of the Library Last year, I was in the Friends of Library Book Club.

It was great! We read a book called Whittington, which I loved. I liked the Book Club a lot because we discussed our opinions about the book. We asked each other if we liked the book or not, and told our favorite parts or even, sometimes, the part we didn’t like! Another reason I like Book Club is because you can give your opinion without someone else shouting out, “Hey, that is not true,” or “Hey, I was going to say that.” In fact, in our reading group we had a lot of fun and humor. If you were talking the other children listened to you and didn’t interrupt you. I really liked the Book Club and I recommend Book Club to anybody who likes reading.

Tom Gianasso - CM2

Friends of the Library Emmanuelle ALLART Catherine BABUT Sandrine BENYAHIA Carole CAMBEFORT Bridget CORBANI Jennifer DALRYMPLE Isabelle DEBRAY Isabelle DE BRUGIERE Marie-Claude DE SERRES Anne DONAGHY Marilyn & Didier DOUAY Vanessa DUBOSCQ Phuong EMMERS Bill FAHBER Catherine GATEHOUSE Lucy GIANASSO Muriel & Christophe GOUELO Beth & Olivier HEUDEBOURG Irène & Christophe HEURTEVENT Stephane JAQUEMET Meenu KOHLI Catherine LAVAUX Muriel LEBBAR François & Isabelle LEGROUX Yvonne LEMONNIER Elena MAC NAUGHTON Maryline MARILLY John MATHIEU An MERIGAY Katie MIESZALA Barbara MOROSS Christina NASCIMENTO Christine PAGET Fabiana PESTANA Annelise RIVAL Odile ROBIN Isabelle SANCHEZ-MORENO Serene SAUMURE Eliza SHAH Nathalie SOUCHET Cheryl TURPIN Denise VAN VEEN

Friends of the Arts Emmanuelle ALLART Catherine BABUT Anne BEN HAMIDA Sandrine BENYAHIA Naïma BOUCHIKHI Heidi BURGER Carole CAMBEFORT Lise CORONAS Charlotte DE SMET Mathilde DE TURKHEIM Kathleen DOMINIQUE Jenny & Gilles DU CREST Miguel & Sonia ENESCO Laurence FISCHER Catherine GATEHOUSE Sophie GILHODES Elizabeth GUERIN Corinne HIRACLIDES Chrystèle JACQMARCQ Carol JUST Keveren LE CORRE Myeong-Hee LOPEZ Alexandra LUBIN Yvonne LEMONNIER & Frédéric MANOUKIAN Françoise MARSH John MATHIEU An MERIGAY Katie MIESZALA Elizabeth NOLAN Siun O’SULLIVAN Phil PANAGROSSO Carolyn PENOT Alison JAMES & François PICARD Serena PIZIGO Kathryn RAMSEYER-NOEL Dan REED Vanina ROBIC Janet & Bernard RUBINSTEIN Eliza & Paresh SHAH Benedicte SILIER Nathalie SOUCHET Maria & Derek STEELBERG Ruth & Roger SURRIDGE Yana & Eric TOFFIN Tom VAN DEN BUSSCHE Denise VAN VEEN Anne VIENNOT Rachel WARREN Elizabeth WEBB & Craig BRADLEY

Writer in Residence

Writer in Residence Scott Carney with Claire Douay (Première)

The American Section welcomed Scott Carney as our 2011 Writer in Residence. Bestselling author of The Red Market: On the Trail of the World’s Organ Brokers, Bone Thieves, Blood Farmers and Child Traffickers, Carney regaled Upper School classes with tales of his wild adventures in investigative journalism in places most of us would fear to tread. He showed shocking, often awe-inspiring photographs and video clips of what it looks like when we stop thinking about people as people and start thinking of them as commodities, and urged our students to think about the ethics of the organ trade and to try to define for themselves what the relationship is between human minds and “souls” and the physical bodies that “house” these. Charming and eloquent, Carney capably ignited student interest in the field of journalism; this was proven by the many (excellent) questions our kids asked during each of his sessions.

Carney made the idea of writing for a living sound very glamorous, too, for which the English teachers were grateful. At times, Carney’s narrative revealed his willingness to take on whole systems, no matter how corrupt, and this was perhaps the part of his presentation that inspired our kids most.

Carney left our students with a very real blueprint for how to successfully combine writing for a living with a desire to change the world.

Catherine Reed Head of English and Scott Carney’s 10th grade advisor and English teacher

The arts

continue to flourish in the American Section, attracting thespians of all ages. Kathryn Ramseyer-Noël, assisted by Barbara Moross and the set design team led by Doug Penner-Lacompte, directed their final American Section Primary Players extravaganza, a rollicking original composition, Li’l Company of Magic. The Middle World Players presented Picnic at Hanging Rock under the co-direction of Judith Hamery and musician Frédéric Manoukian, and Kate McCarthy’s upper school actors gave a magnificent rendition of Death of a Salesman.

In our classrooms, primary students continue to benefit from bi-weekly art lessons taught by Alice Lamy and Lisa Demangeat.

We thank all the members of our community who volunteer as well as those who make monetary gifts to ensure the continuation of our vigorous Arts program.

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TOGETH E R for their future

G The theme of the 2012 Gala brought community fundraising to new heights: over 50,000€.

All the monies raised go directly back into the lives of our students, and their learning experience.

Together for Their Future

Commerical Sponsors

Close to 250 guests and many more community members contributed to the success of the “Together for Their Future” Gala by bidding in the silent and live auctions, and purchasing raffle tickets, mystery magnets, and champagne for their table. Fourteen families sponsored faculty tickets to the Gala, and parents of all classes rose to the occasion by generously donating to class baskets of every variety: gardening, cooking, reading, arts & crafts, and much more. The children of the Primary Community Service Team, led by Beccy Haugen, even crafted the beautiful table centerpieces!

The commercial and corporate Gala development teams reached out to potential American Section partners for their support of our Strategic Initiatives Fund, notably technology investment, global awareness endeavors, student well-being, and alumni outreach.

Donors were both local-Paris and St. Germain- and international, including Budapest and New York.

Corporate fundraising in 2012 grew by 50% through the generosity of Printemps Parly 2, Société Générale, Saint Gobain and Numericable.

The evening kicked off with a cocktail and magnificent aria from La Wally sung by Carole Chabry, followed by the American Section and Printemps raffle drawings whose grand prize winners were awarded a sparkling customized iPad by Cottin Paris and a David Yurman silver and diamond necklace. After dinner, there was furious last minute bidding at the silent auction tables for the coveted class baskets, restaurant and hotel vouchers, sleep-away camps, Pierre Hermé chocolates and macarons, artwork, jewelry, cosmetics, and even a Chanel handbag. The evening’s crowning event was the traditional live auction led by Middle School Principal, Adrienne Covington and Maître Frédéric Laurent of the St. Germain’s auction house, SGL Enchères.

Guests had a lot of fun waving the new auction paddles, and bidding reached mind spinning heights.

Paddles were raised for an amazing array of live auction items: a stunning painting created by the Kindergarten class and their teacher Josephine Crichton; a Deluxe Version of the American Section “School Days” board game created by Barbara Moross, Douglas Penner-Lacompte, Beccy Haugen and Margaret Jenkins; a family to trip to Amsterdam; a golf outing at Fourqueux; a Pierre Hermé gourmet basket; the “Mystery” Class Basket, a night at the Opera Garnier; a piano of nail varnish by Dior; an electric bicycle by La Boutique du Vélo, and the ever-popular Director for a Day. The “Together for Their Future” event shone under the leadership of Gala co-chairs Fabienne Aschenbroich, Fanny Bruguier, Gabrielle Grieb, Stéphane Jaquemet and Rachel Warren, as well as the members of the organizing committee, especially Katie Mieszala and Kimberly Mock. The boutique Mais il est où le Soleil outfitted 28 American Section student volunteers with elegant dresses, and the volunteer effort was led by Tinke-Marie De Witte, who efficiently orchestrated Gala evening logistics. External Relations Officer Margaret Jenkins and Board member Betsy Farhi steered the Gala committee and the community to an unprecedented achievement in Section fundraising.

Diamond Printemps Parly 2

Kimberly Mock 26

C O M PA S S M A G A Z I N E

Platinum Chanel Parfums Christian Dior Société Générale Gold Camp Chestnut Lake David Yurman Saint Gobain Silver Benedict Camp California Cottin Paris La Boutique du Vélo Marie de Chassey Benefactor AROP Atelier Claire Bernier Betsy Klein Jewelry Golf de Fourqueux Jocabox Self-Storage Life Coach Nathalie Tirard Mais il est ou le Soileil Marriott Hotels & Resorts Newwalk Design Numericable Pierre Hermé Paris Rembrandt Classic Hotel Partner Atelier Pièce Unique Barbecue & Co Bénédicte Plaige Bill Fahber Creative Consultant BPS Tax Services Coach Crème de la Mer Décathlon Esprit des Sens SPA Felice Panagrosso Ghislain Taschini Photography Horton Tax Services Hotel Amtshof Le Relais Plaza, Hôtel Plaza Athenée Jostens Léafine Les Astuces de Mariane mamaNANA Marjolein Martinot photographer Pépinierie Euve Poney Club de Fourqueux Raynald Baia Rémy Marquis Veronique Pion Jewelry Villa Mandarina Your Essence Coach

Evolution of Gala Profits

PHOTOS BY JUDITH HAMERY

TOTAL PROCEEDS - 50,697€

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Professional Development and the Do Lectures

Above: Mr. Whitacre with Will Rosenzweig, the author of The Republic of Tea (and co-founder of the company), with the green landscape of Wales in the background.

Right: The “get away from it all setting” where the annual Do Lectures take place.

As teachers, we are naturally attracted to the idea of lifelong learning, and we are encouraged to take advantage of this by the American Section. We have a line item in the budget allowing faculty and staff to expand their horizons through professional development opportunities.

We often attend association conferences where we learn about trends in education like curriculum mapping, technology in the classroom, digital storytelling, or adapting strategies to reach students with different learning styles. Over the years, I have attended events sponsored by educational organizations such as the International Baccalaureate, the European Council of International Schools, and the University of Colorado. Last year, I was looking for something different, and it found me.

In February of 2012, I heard about a three-day conference, known as the Do Lectures. Held in Wales, it conveniently coincided with our Spring Break, and it offered an opportunity to expand my horizons beyond the traditional teacher get-togethers. Before applying to attend, I surmised that it was “what TED used to be.” I say this from experience, having worked as the associate director of the TED2 Conference. The creators of that event brought together people from a wide array of disciplines to discuss the ways technology, education, and design will converge in the future. (It has and continues to do so.) The Do Lectures, looking like a grassroots TED, featured a line-up of 30 speakers with only 120 people invited to attend the event. The selection process ensured a diverse audience that varied from techies to foodies to entrepreneurs. In the application essay I mentioned my involvement with the reincarnation of TED, but I also stated that my vocare was to be in a classroom in front of a group of students five days a week. In our humble and important role as teachers, we are “doing” every day.

The Do Lecture speakers hailed from various backgrounds and all came to discuss not only the world of ideas, but also the ways they are being implemented. With “doing” as the theme, the speakers were recognized doers, people who are making a difference. The group’s eclectic nature was revealed immediately through my roommates, one a Zen priest and bread-baker and the other the founder of a venture capital firm specializing in wellbeing and health. The lectures were held in a large yurt under the patter of constant rain. (I discovered that Wales is green for a reason.) Throughout the three days, I listened to talks on subjects varying from practicing intrapreneurialism within large corporations to a philosophical treatise on the transformational power of the screens we sit behind everyday to the science behind maintaining a young mind to the art of practicing wu-wei in our daily lives. One speaker was the founder of England’s Eden Park, while another was the director of Kopernik, a NGO responsible for bringing appropriate technologies to the developing world. Another was a designer and artist who authored Let’s Make Some Great Art, and yet another was responsible for innovation at the Acumen Fund, whose talk on “nurturing generosity” continues to resonate with me. I guess that is the point, many of the talks stayed with me. I went to the event to explore some new ways of thinking for my own enrichment. I left having achieved that objective and as a by-product I brought some of the inspiration back to the American Section. My classes, MUN, and the Human Rights Team have heard me refer to some of the talks. (Incidentally, all of the presentations can be viewed online at Dolectures.com.) When students see a passion for learning that goes beyond the subject we are required to teach, they are encouraged to follow some of their own intellectual curiosities.

Seeing, in us, an enthusiasm that goes beyond the lycée walls is contagious. In the big picture, learning for the sake of learning is what it is all about, in and out of the classroom.

Mike Whitacre Upper School History Teacher and MUN Director

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B

AMERICAN SECTION BOARD of TRUSTEES

Back row: Jonathan Hall, Robert Youngblood, John Mathieu, Roman Bereza, Marc Fournier, Jonathan Marsh Front row: Sonia Lee, Craig Bradley, Beth Heudebourg, Ina de Witte, Marie-Anne Aymerich Missing: Jean-Michel Bouché, Deborah Bloch

AGM, EGM: Take part in your Section’s Governance As engaged parents, we naturally focus much attention on our children: how are they doing? How is school going?

How are their classes? etc. We don’t necessarily preoccupy ourselves with strategic questions about the American Section of the Lycée. But the Annual General Meeting on

November 19th at 8:00 p.m. brings us all together to hear about the state of the Section and the future of our children’s education.

There are many demands on your time for different needs concerning your children. However, once a year the Section’s Board of Trustees needs your participation to join in the governance of the American Section.

At the AGM each year, parents approve the current year’s budget as well as appoint new officers. In 2012 we have another important request for the Section members. This year we are holding an Extra-ordinary General Meeting, because the Board is proposing a number of changes to the Section’s bylaws to improve governance and operations.

For this meeting to be valid, one-third of all Section children must be represented.

I encourage you to join us on the 19th; if your schedule does not permit you to do so, please arrange to have another Section family present your proxy.

On behalf of the American Section Board of Trustees, Beth Heudebourg President

FACULTY and STAFF Back row: Michele Silvestri, Barbara Larran, Catherine Reed, Andrew McGovern, Ben Heckscher, Charlotte Jarquin, Alain Ginsbach, Alice Lamy, Matthew Jackson Third row: Hannah Blanning-Leloup, Barbara Moross, Doug Penner-Lacompte, Amy Crist, Lisa Morvan, Donna Lejoncour, Catherine Boalch, Mike Whitacre Second row: Adrienne Covington, Michelle Green, Terry Hershey, Kate McCarthy, Josephine Crichton, Lisa Demangeat, Mary Friel, Kelly Herrity Front row: Jenny Waters, Beccy Haugen, Margaret Jenkins, Judith Hamery

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Interview with Joël Bianco

S

ince September at the start of each school day a tall man stands quietly on the Lycée campus. His presence conveys a message to the surge of students moving towards waiting classrooms: “I am present; I am interested in your lives. I want you to see me and know who I am.” He’s also observing, and signalling without words that it’s time for class, time to work.

The man in question is the new Proviseur of the Lycée International, Joël Bianco. “You can’t do this job sitting in your office,” he says simply. Since the beginning of the school year, he’s visited all 75 classes on campus from Maternelle through to Terminale to introduce himself to the pupils, and he thinks it’s essential to walk the corridors and feel the atmosphere of a school.

He’s a man who believes that, while a school needs rules and respect, it doesn’t do to be too austere and rigid. And he believes strongly that children should be encouraged: “It’s fine to be demanding but not negative. Although children need to have a serious approach to their work, they also need to be supported and to have fun. I don’t believe in trying to trap them; the approach should rather be in trying to find out what they know so you can help them with any problems.”

M. Bianco describes himself as a classical product of the French educational system: after Prépa in Toulouse he studied at the prestigious École Normale Supérieure in Saint-Cloud (including a year in Munich as part of his degree) and began his career as a professeur agrégé of German. After teaching for more than eight years, including a two-year stint in Belgium, he wanted more responsibility, and passed the concours chef d’établissement to enable him to move into a leadership role.

By this point he had met and married his wife Sylvie who comes from Brittany, so he asked to be posted in the region and was based in Rennes, where he has worked with a wide range of schools, from a rural middle school to a technical high school specializing in the building trade. In the nine years before he joined the L.I. he ran the well-respected Lycée Chateaubriand, a school of 1750 pupils offering classes from Seconde through to Prépa. The school has a European Section in English, and a section called Abibac which enables pupils to take a double diploma in French and German. It’s a sizeable school: like the L.I., it has seven classes per level from Seconde onwards, and in the Prépa, 26 different classes, accommodating 1100 students, are offered in science, literature, and economics.

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V I TA L S TAT I S T I C S : J O Ë L B I A N CO Age: 53 Status: married to Sylvie, three sons: Antoine (19), Nicolas (17), Pierre (14) From: South-West of France Management style: professional but approachable, no excessive formalities, always seeks to maintain an equilibrium Keywords: teamwork, negotiation, optimistic and involved Music: ‘70s rock music Likes: singing in a choir, rugby (supports Toulouse), fine wine Regrets: not continuing with piano lessons Surprising facts: 1) cooks for his family, does his own ironing (“I’m not handicapped, and I’ve raised my kids to be independent too”) 2) has a magic wand – given to him by a teacher at Chateaubriand One thing not many people know about him: “I think I have the image of a technocrat but I’m not really like that. I think I appear cold to people who don’t know me.”

Despite the obvious challenges posed by an establishment of that nature and his enjoyment of his work there, M. Bianco says he needed to satisfy his curiosity and find a new challenge.

And although it’s early days, it seems the L.I. is meeting those needs. He likes the fact that the L.I. is a rather complicated institution: “I don’t do this job simply to manage day-to-day affairs, I like to be surprised. And so far, it appears that here the unexpected is an everyday occurrence, which I find very motivating. If there’s a problem, I’m not interested in apportioning blame or making mountains out of molehills, I like finding solutions.”

When asked what potential problems he sees at the L.I. and what projects he has in mind for the school, he doesn’t hesitate: “Firstly, there’s a definite lack of space here, not necessarily to take on more pupils, but rather to accommodate more comfortably the existing students and staff. There’s not really anywhere for them to rest or relax. And with the kind of pressure they’re under, that’s definitely something they need. Their well-being and happiness is very important. Plus, although the environment is very pleasant, it’s also very noisy, which together with the rapid pace exerts extra pressure on our children. I don’t have any definite solutions yet, but it’s something I’m thinking about. We have a lovely site here; it would be wonderful if we could make the most of it.”

He would also like to improve technology in the school, both in terms of the number of computers available, as well as by ensuring that L.I. families are better connected and can go on-line to check grades, information about homework, and so on. He thinks the school’s internet site, which is the L.I.’s window to the outside world, could also benefit from an update.

What he has no wish to change and indeed would like to encourage is the opportunity the L.I. offers pupils to broaden their cultural and linguistic horizons. He supports the many diverse faces of the L.I.: the theatrical productions, clubs and organizations, and the many parent initiatives.

He feels well-settled in his new apartment already, and although he’ll be on his own during his first year here having left his wife and two of his three sons in Rennes while his middle child completes his Bac, he says the positive side of that is he has a lot of time to dedicate to the L.I. And if there is one message that M. Bianco wishes to convey to parents and particularly to pupils, it’s this: “Remember how lucky you are to be here. Continue to work together and have pleasure doing it. There are too many occasions in life to be sad – be optimistic and take pleasure in coming here each day.”

Tiffany Snel-Wark

Lycée Renovations to begin Although the project has yet to be officially validated, both the Conseil Régional de l’Ile de France and the Conseil Général des Yvelines have both approved a very substantial budget for the renovation and expansion of the Lycée International. 60 million euros will be invested. The first phase of construction - a new gymnasium with sports fields and a track, as well as new faculty housing – will begin end 2013. This will be followed by phase two, the renovation of the current academic buildings and the construction of a new Maternelle building, which should begin in 2014. Phase three will include the renovation of the library and cafeteria.

PHOTOS BY MARJOLEIN MARTINOT

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K

C See the world through the eyes of our 2011/12 “Kids with Cameras,” a group of imaginative and artistic 4th and 5th graders led by Kate McCarthy

Left column: Jay March, CM2 - “Spring Melody” Kyra Chalon, 6ème -“Behind this door rests your freedom” Jules Penot, CM2 - “Runaway Bike “ Alix Stickland, 6ème - “The Bear Accessories” Tom Gianasso, CM2 - “Earth and Sea Meet” Right column: Roger Saumure, 6ème - “Cow Piercing” Harold Allart, 6ème - “I Spy Diamonds and Pearls” Antoine Charcellay, CM2 - “Autoportrait” Ariane Frady, 6ème - “Pick a Color”