AIS Fall 2012 Globetrotter

Winter 2012-2013

Globetrotter

IN THIS ISSUE

AIS Opens Doors to NEW EARLY LEARNING CENTER for 3K and 4K

UN Day Parade

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Come With Nothing, Go Home Rich

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Eagle Sports Boosters Interview Olympic Legend, Edwin Moses

By Courtney Fowler, Globetrotter Editor

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US Presents Avenue Q

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The start of this school year marked an important milestone in the life of Atlanta International School: the grand opening of new Early Learning Center (ELC) in the new Alex Horsley Building.

GA Private School Tax Credit Program

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German Christmas Market

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Eagle Athletics Report

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SAVE the DATE

April 20, 2013!

For more information, please visit: www.aischool.org/springbenefit

The ELC’s full-immersion preschool program in French, German and Spanish caters to our 37 students in 3K and 58 students in 4K and is overseen by Lower Primary Head, Dusty Fretwell. “Studies have repeatedly shown that second-language learning increases critical thinking skills, creativity and mental flexibility in young children,” says Headmaster Kevin Glass. “A full-immersion program for three- and four-year-olds will produce ‘graduates’ who are better language modelers for non-native speakers in our dual-immersion Primary program. The ELC will, thereby, eventually result in raising all levels of language acquisition, literacy and learning outcomes at AIS.” “The ELC follows the IB-PYP curriculum, which is delivered through a play-based inquiry program,” explains Maria Voutos, ELC Coordinator. Voutos, a trilingual, veteran educator, came to Atlanta this summer from St. Andrews International School in Bangkok, Thailand. “The ELC is a truly happy place to be, where all children are celebrated and their successes honored. In this very short period of time since our opening, we have cultivated a warm and caring environment in which our children are fluorishing. Most of the children in the ELC have come to believe that learning a second (or third or fourth!) language is a normal part of 3K and 4K.” Two of our youngest learners share their thoughts on the new ELC program: “I like playing and doing activities in the ELC. In my class, you change activities each day. Making work (hard work!) makes me very happy.” – Sophia, 4K “I like the new toys best in the ELC. I like the teachers, too, because they are my favorite teachers. I like feeling good when I am at school.” – Nathaniel, 4K “The key to a successful educational start in early childhood is feeling secure and confident and learning how to be a part of a group, yet be an individual,” says Voutos. “We see the magic of this in the ELC.”

UN Day Parade Brightens Up a Cold October Morning

By Mary McCarney, Globetrotter Associate Editor for Primary The weather may have been cold, but the bright smiles and colorful costumes of the primary school children made this year’s UN Day a warm and sunny celebration.

The morning began with more than 220 grandparents and special friends arriving on campus for the much-loved event, a true AIS tradition. The spectators braved the chilly temperatures on the field to cheer on the students dressed in national costumes for the UN Day Parade of Nations.

As Assistant Athletics Director John Amosa introduced each nation, led by the UN flag and the official flag of Atlanta International School, the students proudly carried flags and banners representing 69 countries from Andorra to Vietnam, and waved to the delighted crowd as they processed around the field. Finally, students from 3K, 4K and 5K joined the parade to represent our global kindergarten community.

Next, everyone gathered inside the new gym for a special presentation. The highlights of this included an address by Headmaster Kevin Glass, a recital of “The Declaration of the Rights of the Child” by Grade 2 students, and fifth graders sharing in their native languages what UN Day means to them. There were songs in Spanish, French, German and English, and special thanks go to Karen Peters and her group of talented musicians for leading the singing.

As the students returned to their classrooms, they were joined by their grandparents and special friends for cookies and drinks, and of course, wonderful photo opportunities.

UN Day is always one of AIS’s most colorful and festive events, and this year was no exception.

Once again, it was a marvelous celebration of our diverse and culturally rich community, highlighting what a truly international school we are.

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Faculty Members Show Their Artistic Talents at Annual Show

By Urmilla Sethuraman, Secondary School Faculty On Friday, October 18, the Secondary School Visual Arts Department hosted another Faculty Art Show. The event started off with a light breakfast and coffee. The artists (most of whom teach other subjects at AIS) presented works of excellence. It was exciting to know that our faculty has such varied talents. We would like to take this opportunity to encourage a greater turnout for next year!

Exhibits were presented by: Sharon Belton, Afrah Hamed, Frederique McGirt, Dennis Panzer, Gioconda Secchi, Devin Allen, Eliesha Huitt, Erika Hibbert, Urmilla Sethuraman, Catalina Ghercioiu, Sherry Weeks, and Yanaelle Cornez. Thanks to all who made this occasion such a success.

Come With Nothing, Go Home Rich

By Catherine Wooster, Grade 12 During the past two summers, while working at a Thai restaurant for 11 hours a day, 6 days a week as a waitress, I was surrounded by Thai co-workers and Thai culture. In fact, I was the only non-Thai speaking employee. I served as an intermediary between my Thai bosses and American culture by helping with their taxes and communicating with health inspectors, while my coworkers introduced me to Thai movies, food, and humor. I became good friends with a young immigrant girl from southern Thailand, and on our breaks she shared stories of growing up somewhere so different from Atlanta. Ever since, I’ve been fascinated with the culture, food, language and people of Thailand.

What intrigued me about the summer program called “Come with Nothing, Go Home Rich” is that you are challenged to pretty much leave ALL of your baggage behind, emotional and physical, on a 25-day service project to three remote, rural Thai villages. While most people would be horrified at the thought of being limited to taking along just five objects and having only two changes of clothing purchased in a local market for a month’s stay in Thailand, I felt confident I would thrive under such challenging conditions and would much rather travel with friends, not things. Moreover, I enjoy camping and roughing it and felt confident the physical hardships would excite me, not wear me down. After all, I am a soccer player and running enthusiast (up to six miles a day) and, not surprisingly, “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer is one of my favorite books.

As part of the program, we lived with host families, worked alongside villagers in the rice paddies, and ran various service projects in collaboration with village elders such as building a dam, laying the foundation for a water tower, constructing an irrigation canal bridge, and preparing a community center site. Like our hosts, we did this with only a thin mat to sleep on, cold bucket showers, and limited shelter from the tropical rain. I believe my experiences growing up overseas (in Peru, Egypt, and Indonesia) as well as being an AIS student and MUN participant assisted me with understanding the issues involved and with working collaboratively with villagers. In addition to living and working in rural areas, we also had the opportunity to visit the towns of Mae Hong Son, Pai, and Chiang Mai. This trip of a lifetime was made possible by the AIS 2012 Legacy Award, which allows one rising senior at our school to enhance their studies through global travel, and this experience brought me closer to a culture I have come to love as well as provided an opportunity to learn about needs in developing countries. I don’t usually use the word “spiritual”, but that is what it meant to be part of “Come with Nothing, Go Home Rich”.

2012-2013 Annual Giving Campaign

By Betsy Irby, Development Staff and Kathryn Banks, Annual Fund Manager When you see these parents on campus, give them a pat on the back for being dedicated volunteers for the Annual Fund this year: Annual Fund Chairs: Wendi McAfee, Teri Proctor, Constance and George Heery, Alex Curtis Grade Chairs Trace Hawkins, Richard Mackelfresh, Brad Baer, Deslie Quinby, Lucy Soto, Juliane Beiten, Theone Rutledge, Carolin Binder, Kim Nottingham, Mary Beth Drummond, Stephanie Strong-Wren, Lisa Mohr, Roxanne Varzi, Therese Birkbeck.

1984 Club Volunteers Stephanie Brun de Pontet, Linda Bruner, Susie Cogan, Heidi Deringer, Anita Elchahal, Marlo Elchahal, Mary Johnson, Dawn Michel, Susannah Parker, Shefali Patel, Teri Proctor, Eleanor Ratchford, Christina Smedley, Deb Sudbury, Stefan Terwindt, Leslie Thomas.

Our goal is $800,000 to support the operating budget and supplement tuition revenue. It is so important for every family to make a donation so we can solicit gifts from other constituencies to support your child’s education. 100% parent participation is the key to approaching other prospects.

Make a gift today online at www.aischool.org/donate or contact Kathryn Banks at kbanks@aischool.org for more information.Every gift counts!

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Shanghai High School Students Get a Taste of Southern Hospitality at AIS

By Jie Wu, Secondary Faculty

In October, students from Shanghai High School came to AIS for an exchange program, during which they had quite a good time!

Here are some of their comments: In October, I had the great pleasure to be an exchange student to Atlanta International School for six days. On that weekend, my buddy took me to Six Flags with my friend. I was amazed by the big roller coaster park. I have never seen one as big as it. It was really cool!

Then, from Monday to Thursday, we took several classes in AIS.The atmosphere of classes is happy and open. Students are active in the class. I can see the delight from their faces when they acquire knowledge. Everyone seems to be absorbed in teachers’ talk and discussion.The dancing class we had about African dance taught me a lot of things. Here, various cultures were gathered.

Students in AIS will have a wider horizon of the world by learning other countries’ culture.The art classes and music classes were different from ours in China. Instead of providing information, AIS put more attention on enhancing the creativity of students. Every piece of work they were working on was interesting and creative.

The city, Atlanta, is very beautiful.We visited many scenic spots in Atlanta, including the Georgia Aquarium, CNN Center, Coca-Cola headquarters, Atlanta History Center and so on. I reckon the charm of Atlanta is originated both from the urban culture and the great history.

Among all the things I saw in AIS, the most impressive one is the generosity of my host family and students in AIS. Whenever I need help, people here are very glad to help me and greet us with smiles. Just like what I felt in my own school, I felt comfortable and excited in this place.

-Angela Hu (Ziyao Hu) The course that interested me most was science, which, obviously, was not the same as what we have in China.The content of the course was the application of all kinds of natural science rather than pure theory-learning. Students carry out researches and finish their reports on their own, receiving only necessary help from their teacher. As far as I’m concerned, the course could surely markedly develop students’ curiosity about natural science as well as creativity in daily life, which we don’t do quite well in.

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The next thing that I was amazed by was the classroom discipline. Expected to be quiet in class in China, I was not quite used to the open atmosphere in class at first. A bit noisy though it was, it never ran out of control.Whenever the teacher asked the students whether they had had any questions, they would not hesitate to do so in class, which, I think, could help everyone in the classroom to understand it better so that they could spend less time after class trying to make up for it.

-Jerry Shen (Yiheng Shen) At AIS, what impressed me the most is that the students have placed a lot of emphasis on learning foreign languages. I heard that almost every student there could speak two kinds of foreign languages besides their mother tongue.We went to join in a Spanish class during our stay. Although I couldn’t understand even a word the teacher said, I didn’t feel bored and I was quite interested in the way they learned.They were using the computer and playing a kind of scenario game. Everyone participated in giving their own answers to see what kind of effect their choices would cause to the character in the game.They laughed and talked with each other, but the teacher didn’t criticize them. As a spectator, I was also infected by their enthusiasm for Spanish, and I plan to learn it if possible in the future.

-Marender Jing (Kang’er Jin) If some memories can indeed never fade away, I’d say it would be our first traditional Halloween experience.The pumpkin carving was something that would only appear in the cartoons to us.Therefore, it was not surprising that we were as excited as the juniors when leaving the assembly. Heading towards the canteen outside which we had the carving, we were all talking and imaging about how our carved pumpkin would be like. Eccentric? Horrible? Or simply naughty and funny?We were overwhelmed with our imagination, as if we were small kids.

-Bill Zhang (Ziyi Zhang) The students’ visit was quite fruitful, and they want to express their sincere gratitude to everyone they met in Atlanta and AIS.

Bollywood Comes to WorldFest

By James Weichert, Grade 6 WorldFest is held yearly at Atlanta International School in late October and is a celebration of cultures from around the world. It offers great food, games, and performances. I had a blast there, and it is fun for families who want to get a taste of the different cultures around the world. There was a variety of nations represented, ranging from Australia to Yemen. There was also a range of performances, which spanned from Irish tap dancing to Indian Bollywood dancing My article focuses on the unique and talented Bollywood fusion dance group called “Moksha” who performed at WorldFest. Moksha means “to let go” or “to rid of all suffering.” It is an Indian word which the dance is derived from and where it gets its style. The dance certainly was very free and spiritual combining traditional Indian dancing with modern fusion dancing; hence the name Bollywood fusion dancing. It was the perfect way to join the old culture with the new one.

I interviewed two adult performers after the performance, Claudio Campos and Alenka Gavric. Claudio had been practicing this style of dance for two years, while Alenka had only been practicing for two months prior the performance. They both chose Bollywood dancing because it is “a different and less mainstream style of dance, which is better,” according to Claudio. Most of the group has only been practicing for two months every Saturday, and AIS students Kira Israelite, Olivia Mariano and Manasa Reddy had practices for two weeks every lunch break at school.

The group had been working on the dance since February. Everyone was very excited to be performing to such a large crowd, and Alenka said, “I felt very loved on stage. It was a nice experience.” Claudio said, “I felt like I could fly while dancing.” Overall, it was a fantastic dance and an excellent way to end WorldFest. Alenka said, “It was good food, good music, and great to explore.”

Ms. Proma Ray is the original choreographer. She is from India and teaches dance regularly with her group, Moksha, which does performances around the Atlanta area.

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Sports, Success and Life with Olympic Legend and AIS Parent, Edwin Moses

By Gordana Goudie, AIS Eagle Sports Boosters

Edwin Moses, the Olympic champion who won two gold medals for 400-meter hurdles, broke the world record four times, and remained undefeated for nine years, nine months and nine days, has a simple explanation for his success: he worked harder than his competitors.

Son of a Tuskegee Airman, Moses credits his upbringing and his father’s lifelong examples of discipline, persistence and hard work for his meteoric rise on the world sports stage and his enduring reign as a track icon. “Those guys were the top of the line and very disciplined, “ he said about his father and the other Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American military aviators in the U.S. Armed Forces who fought in World War II. “They learned about not giving up when the odds were against them.”

Taking his father’s teachings to heart, Moses approached every goal of his own with the same determination and tenacity. After obtaining an academic scholarship, he studied physics at Morehouse College. Having discovered his love for track during high school, the budding athlete joined the college track team even though the school didn’t have a track. Not one to be discouraged by such obstacles, Moses practiced at local community facilities. Since he had no access to professional coaching, he designed his own training program using his knowledge of scientific methodology, which enabled him to analyze his performance and maximize his efforts at each workout. Having no coach to motivate him, he persisted with his grueling regimen when most athletes would have given up. “When you get to the end of the workout, that’s when it really gets tough because you’re tired.Your body doesn’t want to run after the last two times. By the third one, your body’s screaming. And when you get half way through that last step, you want to stop…

And that was the difference between myself and many other athletes. I didn’t stop,” he explained.

That determination to do what it takes to be the last man standing led him to the unprecedented 122 consecutive wins in his more than 14-year career as a track athlete. Despite his consistent victories, Moses never took his success for granted. “It’s easy to relax when you’re on top, and that’s one of the things I didn’t do in my whole career,” he revealed. Instead, he continued to focus on working harder than his competitors. “Every day when I went to sleep, I would say to myself, ‘I outworked everybody today, and I’ll do the same thing tomorrow.’”

And yet, this undisputed champion of track believes that winning is not all there is when it comes to sports. In fact, losing is as much a part of being an athlete as winning he maintained, “Most people are going to lose. In track and field, we have eight lanes. Seven people will lose every time, but they don’t give up. And that’s what it’s about.”

Determination, discipline and persistence are some of the many skills that he believes sports teach children, and it is such skills, values and qualities developed through sports that will serve them throughout life whether or not they choose sports as a career path.

Even in an academically focused school community, it’s important for students to have opportunities to learn through sports. Referring to sports at AIS, Moses mentioned last year’s notable performances by our basketball and soccer teams and said, “I think they’re doing quite well… That’s how you start.

You have to develop a sporting culture, and I don’t think you have to worry about whether the academics is going to go away because I just don’t think that’s true.”

Holding a master’s degree as well as a doctorate, the Olympic legend views sports as having an important place in students’ lives alongside academics, and disagrees with the notion that students need to choose one or the other, citing his own example, “I proved it myself. I was a physics major at Morehouse, and I did sports and academics. I had to work just as hard at academics as I did at sports, but I did them both.”

Following an illustrious career as a track athlete, Moses retired from the sport in 1989 but has continued to make his mark worldwide as a sports administrator, diplomat, businessman and inspirational speaker. When asked what being an athlete has taught him, his response was unequivocal: “Hard work pays off. It truly pays off.”

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AIS Upper School Stages Tony®Award-Winning Comedy, Avenue Q

By Sherry Weeks, Secondary School Faculty For nine weeks this fall, students in grades 9-12 worked together to produce Avenue Q, a modern musical resembling the children’s show Sesame Street, that follows a group of friends in New York City trying to make their ways and find their purposes in life. What sets this particular show apart, however, is that the friends that are followed are, as on Sesame Street, not all human. Monsters and puppets live alongside a has-been TV star, a Japanese therapist, and a would-be comedian. This added element of puppetry makes what was achieved in the span of nine weeks even more incredible.

For many of the students, this production provided them with their first experience in puppetry, which forced them to really push each other into unknown territory – all attempting to master this new art. This is part of what made this particular show so difficult, yet so satisfying, to work on.

The songs and harmonies; the high (and low) notes reached; the dances; accents; and character voices that were (more or less) mastered, all required the cast to put in a remarkable amount of time and effort. Senior Tristan Litré writes, “Avenue Q was really an enriching experience that allowed me to work with an unforgettable ensemble. Learning puppetry was a truly challenging skill to master, and the vocals of the show pushed us all very hard.” These elements made the rehearsal process even more challenging and rewarding. Senior Ivanna Martinez says, “I have always wanted people to know what goes on in the rehearsal process. The end product is outstanding, but knowing what goes into the process makes it admirable.”

Towards the beginning of the rehearsal process, the cast was afforded the unique opportunity of participating in a workshop led by Reay Kaplan of the Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts. Following this workshop, the students began to apply the knowledge that they had gained, coming in for rehearsals that they weren’t asked to attend, simply to practice puppeteering with a mirror. Julia Henry says, “Learning to operate the puppets definitely came as a challenge, but the effort we put into the show, along with the help we were afforded by our incredible theatre department, made this show a success.” This incredible dedication to making the show a success led the cast to grow close to one another, and to their puppets. These inanimate objects that started out as pieces of felt, foam, fur, and funny faces became extensions of their operators.

This show was a wonderful, enlightening, enjoyable experience for all involved. Tears were shed, boundaries were pushed, and new talents were discovered. The most impressive thing about the cast and crew of this show, however, is the fact that there was so little competition.

Everyone came together and recognized the formidable task we had signed up to help tackle, and they worked as much on improving themselves as helping others to improve. There was no division between a main character and the left arm puppeteer of a different character, or between the cast and the backstage crew, because everyone had a huge role to play in pulling this show off, and nobody wanted to see a team member falter. Senior Lorenzo Gonzalez-Lamasonne speaks for all of us who were given the opportunity to be a part of this journey when he says, “There will always be a place in my heart for this show.”

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A Summer Helping Others in India

By Serge Petitpre, PS Faculty and French Coordinator Editor’s Note: PS Teacher and French Coordinator Serge Petitpre was awarded an AIS Travel Study and Research grant to visit the Dayavu Boys’ Home in India during the summer of 2012.

me. The letter of appeal that I received one day in January 2012 from our dear friend Shanta Kalyanasundaram about SABHA and the Dayavu Boys’ Home in India provided a perfect opportunity for me to do exactly this.

Before coming to the U.S., I taught at elementary schools in Niger, Central African Republic, Senegal, and Morocco. For 20 years, I travelled extensively throughout West Africa. I crossed the Sahara, ate exotic foods, and learned and spoke a variety of unfamiliar languages. Through encountering many diverse cultures, histories, civilizations, and religions, I learned about myself. My experiences taught me humility, respect, gratitude and love. Throughout my journeys, I was fortunate to be accompanied by my adventurous wife and three amazing daughters.

Thanks to the TSRG committee, I spent three weeks this past July in residence at Dayavu Home with 23 boys ranging in age from 3 to 17.

I helped them with their English skills and their household and farm chores. I mentored them through discussions of self-care, hygiene, and goal setting, and together we played sports, and shared meals and stories.

They also love cakes!

Now living in this country, I see a completely unique world unfold before me: different values and distinct cultures, all contained within an expansive country. I am constantly reminded of the stark contrast between this materially wealthy civilization and third world continents which are so economically disadvantaged.

I have lived a very exciting life and my desire has always been to help others, as an expression of gratitude for all of the good that has been done for 8 AIS / Globetrotter

This experience has been life-altering for me. I have gained a richer perspective that I am now able to share with students, colleagues, and the community at large. I have a deeper knowledge of who I am and of what I can contribute, both professionally and personally.

Until now, no alumni have gone to volunteer at Dayavu. I am grateful and proud to be one of the first AIS faculty members, on behalf of the school, to have been given this extraordinary opportunity to give back to the international community.

The Cat in the Hat Visits 5K

During Book Week in November, the students of 5K celebrated reading and explored their favorite stories. Out of the many mystery readers who visited the classrooms, one of the most popular was The Cat in the Hat, brought to life by LPS Head Mrs. Dusty Fretwell. Dressed in her big red bow and special striped hat, Mrs. Fretwell entertained the students by reading the famous Dr. Seuss story, complete with miniature props. The students were very excited!

“Making Good Decisions” Program Teaches Lessons on Bullying

By Logan Paradies, Andrew Reiling, Emil Zakarian and Presley Brafford, Grade 7 and Annalee Higginbottom, Secondary Faculty In the Middle School, Counselors Lanie Cox and Lisa Calderon led students in carefully structured programs to explore a variety of themes. The first theme was bullying. Students were encouraged to reflect on what bullying behaviors could be, what it meant to be a bystander, what the consequences of bullying are both on the victim and the bully and how students should respond when confronted with bullying behavior.

Here’s what Grade 7 had to say: Ms. Cox and Ms. Calderon challenged us to create our own Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) to share across the Secondary School. In the space of three hours, we planned, filmed and edited short video clips to demonstrate what we learned.

Different techniques were used to produce movies with one general message: stop bullying in schools. Some approaches were comical, some created moods of melancholy, and all were very impressive. The video clips bought home the message that this really does happen, and it opened our eyes to the causes and consequences of bullying.

Too many kids are dropping out of school and attempting suicide because of abuse from bullies. We don’t want people to watch these videos thinking they are sad... we need everyone to take action. We need to stop bulling.

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German Students Learn About Courage During Visit to Anne Frank Exhibit

By Christiane Box, Secondary School Faculty On Saturday, September 22, members of the 9th grade German class visited the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust’s Anne Frank Exhibit in Sandy Springs. This visit was planned in conjunction with the first unit in their German class, which asked questions like: “How do humans act/react in the face of adversity?” or: “What is civil courage?” These questions were connected to the reading of The Diary of Anne Frank.

In addition, the students did projects exploring the fate of the Frank family, research into the resistance movement in Germany, and a historic overview of the activities of the Nazi regime in Germany. We would like to thank our very knowledgeable guide, John, for his time and patience.

Georgia Private School Tax Credit Program

By Betsy Irby, Development Staff 2013 will be super successful with our new parent volunteer chairs: Jeff Clark and Trace Hawkins ’96.

The State of Georgia has $50 million to give to private schools, so let’s claim our share for Atlanta International School. While we raised $437,000 through this program for scholarships last year, other Atlanta schools raised close to a million. Georgia School Choice Scholarship Fund predicts all these funds will be expended by June or July.

Here’s the deal: All Georgia taxpayers have the option of redirecting their Georgia tax liability ($2,500 filing jointly, $1,000 filing single) to the independent school of their choice. For C-corporations, up to 75% of their income tax liability is allowed or the actual amount donated, whichever is less. Share this information with grandparents and other members of your family or friends so AIS can fund our own financial aid program with these state funds. The funds are awarded through need-based aid for those AIS students who qualify under the school’s guidelines.

Eligible students include any child entering AIS from a public school; any child entering 4K, 5K or 1st Grade; any age student whose family is a new Georgia resident.

The AIS Development Office is prepared to answer any questions for you and to facilitate your participation. Retrieve the appropriate forms at www.aischool.org/taxcredit or contact Betsy Irby at 404.841.3847 or at birby@aischool.org.

This is our chance to let the state of Georgia support Atlanta International School!

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Tasty Treats from Around the World at Grade 4’s International Lunch

By Iqra Ali and Florian Mayr, Grade 4 “Yum! Delicious! Mmm!” These were some of the comments made by the fourth graders at our annual International Lunch. This special event was part of our Unit of Inquiry, “Where we are in place and time,” as we had been learning all about different cultures around the world. As food is a major part of any culture, the fourth grade parents kindly prepared tasty treats from all around the globe - from Norway to Brazil, India to Japan and Australia, all in just one room! We sat together at mixed tables of Spanish, French and German track students so that we could make new friends.

Afterward, several students made a thank-you speech: We really appreciate all the time and effort the parents put into this for us.

We all had big smiles on our faces as we ate the fantastic food.

And thank you, SeñorManuel, for taking great pictures!

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Weihnachtsmarkt 2012 a Festive Start to Holiday Season

By Stefani Glass, 2012 German Christmas Market Chair On December 1, Plaut Plaza and the lawns behind the Secondary School building were once again transformed into a festive German Christmas market setting for one of the school’s most beloved annual traditions. Weihnachtsmarkt offered something for all the senses:

• A feast of traditional culinary delights, like bratwurst, Berliner potato soup and delicious home-baked cookies • The aroma of freshly caramelized almonds, candied apples and the popular Christmas cider • Craft opportunities for children • Lovely gift items from over 40 vendors, just in time for holiday shopping • And, festive live entertainment that created a unique cultural experience for the more than 2,000 visitors that day!

A huge “thank you” to the chairs who made the event possible: Gabi Albers, DeLille Anthony, Juliane Beiten, Vinay Chandra, Esther Djokpe-Hinrichs, Philip Doelep, Anke Fischer, Maria Goodall, Michaela Gregor, Iris Hahn, Silke Heinrici, Anja Koslowski, Esther Lacombe, Ethan Lacombe, Sabine Mayr, Nandini Naidu, Werner Richter, Kristin Rink, Theone Rutledge, Constanze Schroeder, Giso Schroeder, Alessandra Tellmann, Margaret Morgan Weichert,Yvonne Wilhelmi and Navid Yavari. AND to all the many wonderful volunteers who helped in the weeks leading up to the event, baking, crafting, and setting up on the day itself!

Last but not least, a very special “thank you” goes to the AIS maintenance team for their incredible support!

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Eagle AthleticS Report

By Gregg Albright, Athletics Director Fall was a busy time as usual for our Eagle athletes. The Varsity Volleyball team had a sensational season, going 27-8 overall; 8-0 in Region 5A regular season; and ending up ranked #8 in State. Leading the way was the team’s senior setter and captain, Helen Recaborde, who took home “Region 5A Player of the Year” honors. Senior Alexander Zdonczyk and junior Ana Benkeser were voted to the All-Area team, and Coach Gregg Albright received “Coach of the Year” honors. In the state tournament, the Lady Eagles defeated Prince Avenue Christian at home and then lost to eventual state champion, Landmark Christian, in the final 12.

The Varsity Cross Country team narrowly missed state qualification, with an underclassmandominated team. Next year could see both the boys and the girls in State!

Middle School Cross Country consistently finished in the top five in all their meets. Leading the way was 8th grader Helen Audrey Williams, whose times indicated that she will be amongst the top ten in the State rankings in high school.

The girls’ volleyball teams qualified for the playoffs at all levels (A, B and C). The boys’ soccer teams had challenging seasons this year, playing at a level up for both teams. The top team opposed some of the best teams in Atlanta, recording some significant victories.

Senior Spotlight: Eleven senior girls took to the XC course and volleyball courts this fall. Every single athlete in this group is a multi-sport competitor who demonstrates their skills all year long.

Swimming, basketball, track, soccer, golf, tennis and Ultimate all have benefitted from these multi-talented student athletes. They will be sorely missed next year: XC: Leila Varzi, Catherine Wooster, Naomi Holzapfel, Clementine Andre JV Volleyball: Shea Johnson, Bridget Schilling, Shreya Shah Varsity Volleyball: Ali Birkbeck, Helen Recaborde, Alexander Zdonczyk, Emily Cohen

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Grade Seven Students Enjoy a Learning Experience “In the Field”

By Annalee Higginbottom, Secondary Faculty Students in grade 7 spent four days at Camp High Harbor in Clayton, Georgia during Field Trip Week in September. Despite many of the students having been there in sixth grade, we viewed it as an ideal time to welcome new students into the grade and to provide the group as a whole with new challenges.

Highlights this year included a full day on the ropes course… giving everyone more opportunities for success, particularly when it came to reaching the top of the Pamper Pole, jumping off and swinging on the trapeze. We spent a full day off camp, beginning with a short hike up to Anna-Ruby Falls, a nature talk at Unicoi State Park and a hike from there into Helen, where camp director Andrew treated everyone to a “Can and a Candy Bar.” Here are some of the students’ highlights: “Nicolas T. let a frog loose in our cabin!”– Gil Madrid “I thought that it was a good field trip; we really had to work together.” – Colette Procter “The most fun in my opinion was the tube, and when I tried to hold on even though it pulled.” – Josh Beadles “I really enjoyed the whole trip but one thing I enjoyed most was the lake. Overall it was a really fun thing to do with our grade, and I got to know people better.”

– Denver Roberts “I think what I enjoyed most at High Harbor was the experience of being with my friends and having fun doing a lot of activities.”– Noortje Winkeler “I liked watching the people try to get the cookie in their mouth on the game night.” – Aonghus McGuinness Editor’s Note: A big part of the Secondary School experience occurs in September during our annual and much-anticipated Field Trip Week. This year, experiential field trips took students to: Lake Burton (grades 6, 7), Savannah (grade 8), Nantahala Outdoor Center in North Carolina (grade 9) Washington, D.C. (grade 10), the Chestatee River (grade 11) and New Orleans (grade 12).

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Annual German Bake Sale Benefits Bethania

Fall College Counseling Update

By Sandy Ferko, Head of Counseling It’s been a busy season for the college counselors as well as the students in grades 11 and 12. Almost 100 colleges and universities – 99 to be exact – have come to AIS to meet with our students. About 20 other colleges requested a visit appointment, but we were unable to schedule them!

After attending the Lovett College Fair on September 10 and meeting our students, the reps asked to meet with them at school. When they visit AIS, they are immediately impressed by the absence of locks on lockers. But, the best part happens when they meet with our students, whose behavior in the meetings is exemplary, whose questions are probing, whose backgrounds and vision are exciting. As the reps leave, they tell us how much they have enjoyed meeting with our kids. When we begin to say, “You probably say that to everyone,” they insist they don’t – and we believe it because our students are exciting and their questions and concerns are right on target.

Seniors have a working list of colleges to which they will apply, and they sign up to attend the meetings of interest to them; grade 11 students are somewhat quiet in the beginning, but they learn from the seniors in the meeting what questions to ask – and eventually even a meeting of all juniors takes on an air of competence.

Among the 99 reps coming to AIS were 12 from the UK and one each from Spain, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, and France.

By Urmilla Sethuraman, Secondary Faculty Mrs. Christiane Box of the German Department has, over the past nine years, been a tireless supporter of disadvantaged children in India. Her annual German Bake Sale for Bethania at AIS is an event that brings the whole school community together. When the call for “bakers” went out, the parents of students in the German track responded with great enthusiasm!

On the day of the bake sale, it was clear to see the strength of commitment from the AIS community.

Every year, Christiane Box is eagerly supported by volunteers from among the teachers, students, and parents, all of whom baked amazing cakes. This year, special thanks go out to Tynke ten Lohuis and Sabine Mayr, mothers who “manned” the table in the SAC all day; Emma Zigan, Secretary in PS, a very active supporter who sent out all e-mails and was Christiane Box’s liaison with the PS; Claudia Brand, so very helpful with reservations and all the logistics for the Bake Sale; Marina Brand and Lizzy Sandlin – German 11th grade students– super helpers on the day; Marianne Robbiani for organizing the ELC and helping to sell the cakes, and Jutta Martinez- Schlicker who taught Mrs. Box’s class on that day. Huge thanks to all who bought the cakes and helped raise an unprecedented $2,391!

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Class of 2012 Recap and Highlights The Class of 2012 did themselves and the school proud when their final college statistics were tallied.

Just look at these highlights: • The 74 members of the class matriculated at 49 universities in the US and abroad. This is interesting because high school students in the South tend to move on to big state universities in Georgia and throughout the Southeast, but our “risk-takers” often find and select the universities that are right for them outside of this area and “go it alone.” They are re-crafting their lives without their AIS friends to lean on, but their high school friendships are solid. Long after graduation, our alumni are still close friends with their high school friends, pulling their college friends into the AIS circle.

• The students earned $4.8 million dollars in merit scholarships; some of these were in competition and others were granted to the student to entice them to enroll. Colleges want our students!

• 17 of the class members are going to HOPE Scholarship schools throughout Georgia; HOPE monies are not included in the merit scholarships above.

• UGA admitted 54% of their applicant pool, but they admitted 87% of the applicants from AIS. • Georgia Tech admitted 54.5% of their applicant pool, but 79% of the AIS applicants.

• Students were accepted at both the US Military Academy at West Point and the US Naval Academy at Annapolis; the recent graduate who attends Annapolis is our third cadet and third woman.

• One recruited athlete is playing Division I baseball and another is playing Division I golf; other class members are playing soccer, basketball, and tennis at the college level.

• 38% (28) stayed in the Southeast. Of those 28, 17 are at public universities in Georgia (benefitting from HOPE scholarships) and another five have enrolled at Emory.

• Of the remaining graduates, 47% (35) enrolled in US universities outside the Southeast and 11% enrolled in schools in Canada (2), UK (2), The Netherlands (3), and France (1).

• Five students chose to take a gap year.

• Ivies accepting 2012 graduates include Yale, Columbia, UPenn, and Cornell; two were accepted at Stanford and another at UCLA, both of which are considered West coast Ivies. Ivies abroad which accepted our student include Imperial in London, Trinity in Dublin, Sciences Po in France, and McGill in Canada.

• Other notable acceptances from a long list of notables came from Barnard, Bowdoin, Northwestern, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Swarthmore, George Washington, UCLA, University of Chicago, Washington and Lee University, Boston College, University of Toronto in Canada and University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

• 64% of the seniors were accepted at three or all of their top four choices; 84% of the seniors were accepted at two or more of their top four choices.

Faculty, counselors, and administrators work very hard to ready AIS students for the challenges ahead.

Obviously, colleges and universities worldwide know that our students reflect the best, and they encourage their matriculation on fine campuses worldwide!

Students Review the Debut of Project 3C

By Max Semrau, Evie Mitchell, Aishah Ahmad, Zoe Reardon and Gil Madrid, Grade 7

Project 3C exploded into Grade 7 in August this year. Introducing the Macs was a big leap for the Atlanta International School; however, 1:1 laptop programs are not new to the private schools of Atlanta. The Atlanta Girls School has run a laptop program for many years, and some schools use iPads, such as The Paideia School and The Children’s School.

There have been many challenges we’ve had to get used to. Macs lack the ability to use many popular programs. Some teachers don’t want you to use them to take notes, so they can’t be used in some classes.

They can be very fragile, so you have to be careful with them. If you have a lot of programs open, it can be slow or even freeze. Pop-up windows in Skype and Apple messenger can be a distraction too, and if our computer stops working, we run the risk of falling behind in our work.

However, we have found many advantages, too. We can do computerbased research in the classroom, so we don’t waste time getting to a lab only to find someone else is using them or run the risk of equipment not working. Having our own computers has also expanded our options on projects. In ICT recently, we had to collaborate on a project.

Lots of groups used Google Docs to plan what they were going to say; everyone could put their ideas down on the same document in real time, so everyone got to contribute and no-one felt left out. If someone was out sick, they could still contribute. If we set up Skype appointments with each other, we could continue to work on the projects from home; it didn’t all fall on one person, and we didn’t have to get our parents to drive us everywhere. We are finding alternatives to some of the programs we liked on Windows and can do more things as a result.

We’re also using different apps to try and stay organized. Lots of people in our grade like iProcrastinate. We program in our assignments and our deadlines, and it sends us reminders of what we need to do and when.

There are some things we need to get better about doing. We need to log out of Skype when we’re in school, and we need to make sure we aren’t using the computer all night at home. We’ve already learned that it’s important to talk to each other in class to resolve differences of opinion over our work, rather than trying to do it online. We like the freedom of choice our computers give us and can’t wait to use them in more different ways!

The Team No One Wanted

By Lanie Cox, Middle School Counselor It was a hard, long road, but congratulations are in order for ninth grade students Jackie Jacobs and Nieja Crawford, who both play volleyball and basketball for AIS. They also both play for a club AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball team, Lady Pistols, NBA, which had struggled in 2011 after being abandoned by their coach during Nationals. They barely squeaked by with eligibility for Division 2. Parents started to call them “the team no one wanted.” The girls felt lucky to have Coach Steve, Jackie’s dad, step up and help them close the season in sixth place.

After their rough season, the girls were elevated to Division I, unsure of what the future would hold. With Coach Steve (and assistant coach, Jada Jordan) signing up for a second season, they battled through stiff competition and made their way to Nationals this past July in Orlando. A week later, they returned to Atlanta as national champions! They topped off their win with a second one: Team Academic Award with an average team GPA of 3.6! Congratulations, ladies, on your hard work, focus and efforts!

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Mission

To meet the challenges and

opportunities of our interdependent, fast-changing world as responsible citizens, young people require flexible intellectual competence, self-discipline, and a global outlook. To achieve these goals, they need rigorous academic preparation and a passion to become the best they can be. To thrive in and contribute to this world, they must have a solid sense of self and respect for others—as individuals, as members of a group, as citizens of their nations, and as members of the global community. Extraordinary individuals will be called upon to shape the 21st century. The mission of Atlanta International School (AIS) is to develop such individuals.

To fulfill this mission, AIS commits itself to the following goals: • to sustain and grow the exemplary level of teaching and learning that has earned it a worldwide reputation for excellent standards in international and multilingual education within the framework of the International Baccalaureate; • to develop each child fully by helping each one to live our core values: the joy of learning and purposeful effort as well as mutual respect and understanding in a diverse setting; • to maintain an optimal size and composition of faculty and students to maximize the opportunities for learning and shared understanding that are necessary for a healthy community; • to help shape and improve local and global communities through the committed participation of its multilingual students, alumni, parents, faculty, and staff.

AIS Non-Discrimination Policy Atlanta International School practices a full non-discriminatory policy in all school-administered programs and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation or gender preference in all of its admissions, educational and employment policies, programs, and practices.

Globetrotter Globetrotter is the newsletter of Atlanta International School and is published biannually for the AIS community. Editorial ideas and requests for copies should be sent to: Courtney Fowler Globetrotter Editor Atlanta International School 2890 North Fulton Drive • Atlanta, GA 30305 404.841.3840 • globetrotter@aischool.org Submissions may be edited for length or content prior to publishing.

Visit us on the web at www.aischool.org

WorldFest 2012