2009 Global Exchange

global

exchange

Magazine of Atlanta International School

Spring/Summer 2009

Thinking Outside the Box Interdisciplinary learning thrives at AIS

A Post to Make Your Heart Sing

Kevin Glass, future headmaster, is enthusiastic about joining AIS

Also In This Issue

• Charlie Carstens ’01 reflects on his experience of Cyclone Nargis • Chris Lowell ’03 and friends unleash their creativity • Elliot Flautt ’08 and mother discuss his gap year in Rwanda 1

2008-09 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Alan Colberg, Chair Deb Sudbury, Vice-Chair Larry Mock, Treasurer

Our Mission Our new century needs and will be shaped by extraordinary individuals.

Meeting the challenges and opportunities of an interdependent world will require versatile intellectual competence and uncompromising commitment.

Those who thrive in and contribute to this world will have a solid sense of who they are and respect for who others are, as individuals, as members of a group, as citizens of their nation, and as members of a global community.

They will have a rigorous academic preparation and a passion to become the best they can be and to help others achieve their best.The mission of Atlanta International School is to develop such individuals.

MEMBERS Nancy Bauer

Marlys Brothers ‘92 Marc Fleury

Woody Hall

Gerry Hull

Steven Huyghe Neil Johnson

Crissy Klaus

Chris Lowe

John Porter Eleanor Ratchford Christine P. Ries R. Roosevelt Thomas John Valeri Andrew Whitney Emily Willingham Adair Laura Winchester

EX OFFICIO Robert Brindley, Headmaster Roy Plaut, Jr., Chairman Emeritus Olga Gomez Plaut, Trustee Emerita Monique Seefried, Ph.D., Trustee Emerita

letter from the editor Much has happened at AIS since the last issue of the Global Exchange in the spring of 2008. AIS received authorization for the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBMYP), becoming the first school in Georgia to offer the full range of IB programs. Our future headmaster was announced, and the capital campaign for our new state-of-the-art facility, the Art, Science and Design Center (ASD), was launched.

This issue of the Global Exchange will enlighten you about these happenings and give an in-depth view of interdisciplinary learning, which is so central to the way students experience knowledge at AIS. As always, we bring you engaging stories from our alumni, and you will also hear perspectives from parents.

Whether you are a parent, a former AIS student or a friend of our unique community, you will find something of interest in this issue.

Please feel free to share your thoughts on the magazine with us and let us know about topics you would like to read about, in future issues of the Global Exchange.

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION Robert Brindley, Headmaster Patrick Hurworth, Head of Upper School Marsha Huitt, Head of Middle School Alain Poiraud, Head of Upper Primary School Dusty Fretwell, Head of Lower Primary School Dal Sohi, Head of Curriculum & Professional Development Stewart Lathan, Director of Development Reid Mizell, Director of Admission & Financial Aid Scott McDonald, Director of Finance

DEVELOPMENT OFFICE Stewart Lathan, Director of Development Ashley Howze, Associate Director of Development, Advancement Services Cori Hymowitz Read, Associate Director of Development, Major Giving Jay Denslow, Special Events Manager Gordana Goudie, Communications Manager Yolanda Davis, Development Office Coordinator Cassie Morgenstern, Development Office Assistant

EDITOR Gordana Goudie ASSISTANT EDITOR Cassie Morgenstern STAFF WRITERS Gordana Goudie & Cassie Morgenstern

CONTRIBUTORS

Gordana Goudie, Editor globalexchange@aischool.org All material, except where specified, copyright Atlanta International School, 2009. All rights reserved.

Robert Brindley Charlie Carstens ‘01 Deede DeLorme Sandy Ferko

Elliot Flautt ‘08 Chris Lowell ‘03 Vanessa Washburn ‘03

COVER PHOTO by Christopher Lowell. To see more of Chris’s work, visit www.chrislowellphotography.com Cover photo is of Elizabeth Case, ‘03

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exchange Table of Contents FEATURES Thinking Outside the Box

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Interdisciplinary learning thrives at AIS.

A Parent’s Lesson in Giving

10

Unsung Heroes of Myanmar

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AIS parent, Shefali Patel, shares her family’s views on giving.

Charlie Carstens ‘01 reflects on his experience of Cyclone Nargis.

Dreamers

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Gap Year in Rwanda

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Chris Lowell ’03 and friends unleash their creativity.

Elliot Flautt ’08 and mother, Deede de Lorme, go on a journey of discovery.

DEPARTMENTS Message from the Headmaster

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In the News

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Dr. Robert Brindley welcomes you to the Spring/ Summer ’09 issue of the Global Exchange.

A First for Georgia A Post to Make Your Heart Sing

Staying Connected

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Alumni Class Notes

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News and events for alumni.

Alumni from the classes of ’92 to ’08 share their news.

Alumni Gallery

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Final Word

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AIS senior class’s accomplishments extend beyond the classroom.

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Message From Headmaster Robert Brindley

Once again, I marvel at the rate at which this academic year has flown by and contemplate the achievements of our students since last year’s Global Exchange message; this will my final one as we welcome Kevin Glass as the incoming headmaster.

As members of our graduating class of 2009 begin their transition to college and life after school, I too consider the future in the context of the present not the past. As I, like the class of 2009, count down the days left at AIS, with each passing day, I am less inclined to think about the next move until it actually happens. The excitement of the next adventure gets lost in the memories of the past. The future seems to disappear. As Charles Schultz so pithily remarks, as he contemplates the future when worrying about the present, “it’s already tomorrow in Australia.”

As I read the articles from the students in this edition and the lives they find for themselves in near or far-flung places, I am delighted that they seek a pathmless trodden, that the comfort of present routines does not lull or dull them. Of all the traits in the IB Learner Profile, the one that always provokes and haunts is the one that demands that we be “risk-takers” and have “the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies.” Over the years, I have marveled at the experiences of our alumni when they take on the world in so many different ways.

So as I leave and journey east along the Silk Road towards Tashkent and as Kevin travels west towards Atlanta, we travel the same road, just in opposite directions. We are really just going in the same direction—forward, a similar direction that allows our students to experience so many different ways of living, so many different ways of thinking, and so many different ideas.

And that is just as it should be.

Dr. Robert Brindley

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In the News A First for Georgia

By Gordana Goudie

Following its recent authorization by the International Baccalaureate (IB) to offer the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), Atlanta International School (AIS) has become the first school in Georgia authorized to deliver all three IB programs and offer a coherent sequence of international education to students aged 3 to 19.

In North America, AIS is currently one of only 10 schools to offer an IB continuum from K-12 and internationally, the school is one of 124 authorized to deliver all three IB programs. The implementation of the MYP at AIS began three years ago and has been an intensive process that included site visits by an IB team.

An IB World School since 1992 when it was authorized to deliver the IB Diploma Programme (DP) in grades 11 and 12, AIS later received approval to offer the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) from 4K to grade 5. With the 2009 authorization of the MYP, delivered to students in grades 6 to 10, AIS now offers a full range of international education programs that focus on developing the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills students need to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world.

Although the IB is growing extensively with many public and private schools adopting its programs, AIS is one of few schools in the world to offer the prestigious programs to all students from kindergarten to grade 12.

Headmaster Robert Brindley pointed out the significance of this achievement, “By offering all three IB programs, we provide our students with an educational continuum from early childhood to high school graduation.

Students are able to progress through their school careers and build upon solid foundations established from an early age. By offering the IB continuum, a world-class language program and a diverse, multicultural community, AIS provides its students with a unique environment in which learning thrives.” ge

Many schools offer the IB, so what makes AIS unique?

Although a growing number of schools now offer their students the benefits of an IB education, AIS’s approach to the delivery of the IB, its distinctive community, and expertise of its faculty place it at the forefront of international education.

• Unlike many U.S. schools that offer the IB Diploma Programme only to gifted students, AIS offers the IB to all students from 4K through grade 12.

• Its focus on a single program of education school wide enables AIS to fully implement all aspects of the IB programs.

• By offering the IB continuum from 4K through grade 12, AIS enables its

students to transition smoothly from one program to the next.

• AIS’s dynamic community of teachers, parents, students and staff representing more than 70 countries in which more than 50 languages are spoken, provides an ideal environment for international- mindedness to flourish.

• Language is central to the IB philosophy, and AIS offers a world-class language program that plays an important role in nurturing international-mindedness.

• Many AIS faculty members hold leadership positions in the IB and play an important role in shaping IB education—they train IB teachers throughout North America, grade IB exams, and accredit IB World schools.

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In the News A Post to Make Your Heart Sing Kevin Glass, future headmaster, is enthusiastic about joining AIS.

By Gordana Goudie

Passionate, charismatic, dynamic—these are the words used most often to describe Kevin Glass, AIS’s future headmaster. Ever since Mr. Glass shared his enthusiasm for excellence in international education with the AIS community, there has been an air of anticipation about his arrival to Atlanta in July this year. Our AIS Board chairman, Alan Colberg, commented that “Kevin’s proven track record, energy and leadership skills are what AIS needs to help lead our community forward for the next stage of our collective journey to be both a benchmark for excellence in international education and a great Atlanta school that distinguishes itself from other top tier local schools through our commitment to the IB, bilingual education and our diverse community.”

Since excitement seems to be the order of the day whenever Kevin Glass is mentioned, we asked the soon-to-be fourth AIS headmaster what excites him about our school, “Joining a truly exemplary international learning community—one that embraces international-mindedness through the IB and is a world leader in bilingual education,” he replied.

“For me, international education is my life; it is my vocation. It is who I am…”

Having served as the director of Tashkent International School (TIS) in Uzbekistan since 2004, where he developed a school described

by TIS parents as the “very heart and soul of the international community,” Kevin Glass is no stranger to the pursuit of excellence. When he joined TIS, the K-12 school was housed in a grim, Soviet-style office block and had fewer than 150 students. Under his leadership, enrollment increased by 15 percent per year, the school was moved 6 Global Exchange

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to a state-of-the-art, 13-acre campus, a new gymnasium was built, construction for a new elementary school building has begun and student achievement has improved so much that TIS now significantly exceeds international school averages for test results and college placement outcomes. In addition to revising curriculum and assessment practices and attracting experienced, international faculty, Mr. Glass launched the IB Diploma Programme, has steered the school through authorization for the IB Primary Years Programme, and has initiated the adoption of the IB Middle Years Programme. Through his leadership and flair for collaboration, he has transformed an unknown school into a thriving international learning community and strategic asset for Tashkent—families now choose to be posted in the city so that their children can attend TIS.

Mr. Glass’s career in international education spans 17 years and has taken him to South and West Africa, Central America and Central Asia. He and his wife, Stefani, a German diplomat who speaks seven languages, share a love of exploring new places and working in culturally diverse environments. After five eventful years in Uzbekistan, Mr. Glass and his family look forward to living in Atlanta and joining the AIS community.

Describing AIS as a post that makes his “heart sing,” Mr. Glass shared his feelings about the school, “I absolutely believe that if every student in the world had a chance to go to a school like AIS, we would not have the conflicts that we see today in places like Darfur, Afghanistan, the Middle East…”

Advancing international education has been a guiding force throughout Mr. Glass’s career and when asked to explain its impact on him, his answer is simple yet powerful, “For me, international education is my life; it is my vocation. It is who I am…” ge ABOVE Kevin Glass poses in front of the Main Building during a recent visit to AIS.

Thinking Outside the Box Interdisciplinary learning thrives at AIS.

By Gordana Goudie At AIS, preparing students for the future involves more than giving them a traditional education. To succeed in a complex, interdependent and ever-changing world, students need to develop innovative thinking skills. Headmaster Robert Brindley explained, “It is not just about what we learn today but about learning how to think in order to be able to acquire new knowledge tomorrow while making far-reaching connections across disciplines. Our curriculum breaks down the barriers between traditional academic subjects and encourages students to transfer knowledge from one discipline to another. This way of teaching and thinking makes students lifelong learners and enables them to reach beyond students taught in traditional learning environments.�

Through its delivery of the International Baccalaureate (IB), AIS challenges all students from 4K to grade 12 to make meaningful connections across subject areas and to explore concepts, subjects and ideas from a variety of perspectives.

For example, if secondary school students were to study the action of a pendulum, their science class might focus on the concepts of mass, inertia and acceleration under gravity, their design technology class might focus on designing and planning the experiment, and their art class might focus on the creation of the pendulum bob. By seeing the same subject presented from different vantage points, students are able to more fully understand the underlying concepts involved.

All three IB programs are designed to lead students to make interdisciplinary connections, ask questions that have no clear cut answers, and construct meaning based on their own observations. Students are introduced to this approach through the Units of Inquiry in the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), taught in the Primary School.

In the Secondary School, the Areas of Interaction in the Middle Years Programme (MYP) function as five interdisciplinary lenses through which the central ideas of courses and subject areas are connected. By the time students reach the Diploma Programme (DP), they are effective independent learners who are able to apply their higher thinking skills not only to meet the demands of the program but also to succeed in college and beyond.

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While most AIS community members have heard the term, “interdisciplinary learning,” few are aware how students experience it. The following examples provided by several AIS faculty members about their students’ recent projects will shed some light on how they teach interdisciplinary units in the MYP. HISTORY ROCKS

In this history and design technology project, eighth grade students created a music video to a song of their choice to describe the significance of a historical figure. In addition to researching a prominent person in history, selecting lyrics that accurately convey the person’s importance, and performing the song, students also learned how to use video software, upload images, edit video, add text and special effects, and transition from scene to scene. The project involved working with the performing arts department to select costumes for their performances, visiting the library to conduct their research and working in the design technology laboratory to produce their videos. Students were given guidelines and parameters but otherwise took full responsibility of their projects. Linda Winch, middle school faculty member, explained, “Because the project was all about their choice—they chose their own character, their own song—students were able to be creative and have fun, they took ownership of the project themselves.”

OUT OF AFRICA

In this seventh grade interdisciplinary unit, Africa was the common theme that combined physical education (PE), theatre and art. Students explored different cultural aspects of the African continent and expressed them through dance, storytelling and painting. They were asked to incorporate a unit on African

dance, learned in PE, into their storytelling performance in theatre. Creating the performance included writing the script for a special audience such as 5K or grade 5 students, and working on stage directions, choreography and costumes. Guest artist, Mama YeYe, conducted a workshop to give students an authentic perspective on African language and culture, which they then incorporated into their performances. Through guiding questions such as “What makes a good storyteller? How can individuals shape a story? What are the elements that convert a story into a performance?” students learned about storytelling as an art form.

The African theme continued in the art classes where students painted masks on three-dimensional objects. The project involved studying a European artist of their choice and incorporating the artist’s use of color in their own mask paintings. For example, one student chose Picasso and used the colors of his “blue period” in her mask. To inform their artwork, students explored the diversity of the African continent and how it is reflected in the art of the different African cultures. In addition, students studied environmental, health and social issues in Africa and incorporated their understanding in their artwork. Guiding questions such as “How can we create awareness of social and cultural issues through art?” led students to express their insights into Africa through their work. “Everything they learned in the theatre and PE classes informed their art projects and vice versa,” explained Sherry Weeks, theatre teacher.

HI-TECH GEOGRAPHY EN FRANÇAIS

In this interdisciplinary unit, seventh grade students who take their social studies courses in French, combined their language and technical skills with their knowledge of geography to create websites, in French, focusing on the impact of climates in the world on fauna, flora and people. Alan Preis, instructional technology coordinator explained the process, “Students were assigned a climate to research and followed a design process, the MYP design cycle, which required them to investigate the problem, develop design specifications, develop a design, plan the steps to create the design, and then create the design.” The groups used working web pages

“…Our curriculum breaks down the barriers between traditional academic subjects and encourages students to transfer knowledge from one discipline to another…”

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throughout the project to develop and organize their ideas and published their final products online, which included text, charts, multimedia elements and links to other project pages and external websites.

Thierry Darlis, who taught the geography component of this project remarked, “In addition to learning how to create a website, this project gave students the opportunity to show their grasp of all the concepts they learned and to apply geography concepts in a concrete situation.” To view these projects, please visit http://aisclimat7.wikispaces.com CREATIVE BIOLOGY

“The problem with biology is that you can’t see a cell’s metabolic processes occurring,” noted IBDP Coordinator, Rachel Hovington, and she found a way to solve it. To teach tenth grade students the difference between the two processes associated with protein synthesis, transcription and translation, she assigned an interdisciplinary project that required them to use the MYP design cycle to model these processes. ”After initially manipulating and critiquing the poorly designed and biologically flawed models on the market right now, students were tasked with designing a product that clearly modeled the One Gene Polypeptide Theory,” she explained. By producing the hands-on models of proteins, students used the design cycle and their creative skills to gain a deeper understanding of the processes involved in protein synthesis.

The Art, Science and Design Center will provide the much needed space and resources to support interdisciplinary learning at AIS: • Physics and chemistry classes will be taught in two 1,100 ft2 laboratories.

• Biology classes will take place in three 1,200 ft2 biology laboratories.

• A large 1,500 ft2 area will be allocated to con- structing machines to support robotics at AIS. • A senior project laboratory will give DP students a dedicated space for conducting experiments for extended periods of time.

• An entire floor will be dedicated to art and design and fostering curricular connections.

• Art classes will be held in an airy, open loft with ample space to showcase student work and with large windows providing abundant natural light.

• All studios and laboratories will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

Examples of interdisciplinary projects at AIS abound, but limited facilities prevent students from fully benefiting from the learning opportunities. For example, the lack of space in our art rooms, science labs and classrooms means that showcasing projects is not possible. Collaboration is also limited as Rachel Hovington discovered when her students built their protein models, “Collaborative building of models in the class wasn’t possible. Students had to build them at home rather than in a teacher-supported environment due to lack of bench space.”

Apart from insufficient light, the space issue is also prevalent in the art classrooms, “We currently have two teachers and five classes sharing one art room, which means that students have to put their work away after each class. We lose valuable time setting up work and putting it away, and students don’t have the opportunity to bounce off ideas by viewing each other’s work,” explained art teacher, Umi Sethuraman.

The technology department faces a similar challenge when it comes to space. “MYP Technology is taught by two teachers sharing a single classroom,” remarked Alan Preis. “We teach

design technology to every middle school student and as an elective in ninth grade, which leaves limited time and space for interdisciplinary work with other subject areas. Multiple classes are often working together in the same room, and students do much of their work during lunch or after school, in order to make the best use of our limited space and resources.”

By building the Art, Science and Design Center (ASD), for which fundraising is still under way, AIS will address these challenges and fully embrace the opportunities that interdisciplinary teaching and learning offers. ge To make a donation for the Art, Science and Design Center, please call 404-841-3869, email ahowze@aischool.org or click on the Donate Now button on our website at www.aischool.org.

Thank you to the following faculty and staff members for providing information for this article: Robert Brindley,Tobin Bechtel, Rachel Hovington, LindaWinch, Thierry Darlis, Alan Preis, Urmilla Sethuraman, SherryWeeks, and Cori Read.

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A Parent’s Lesson in Giving Shefali Patel, AIS parent, donor, and volunteer shares her views on contributing to AIS.

By Gordana Goudie Shefali Patel’s enthusiasm for AIS is unmistakable as she discusses her involvement in the school. Having contributed to AIS as a room parent, a committee member as well as a generous donor, she is no stranger to rolling up her sleeves and doing what needs to be done to support the community she considers a part of her extended family.

The mother of two attributes her strong sense of community to her Indian upbringing, “The Indian culture is very open and communal.

Caring for others is ingrained in us. As a culture, we have a very strong sense of family. It’s always about the group.” The Patels have instilled this attitude to giving in their children, Pablo (grade 2) and Sativa (5K) who, from a young age, have been accustomed to donating a quarter of their allowance to charities of their choice as well as taking part in volunteer activities. Whether their children donate their money or their time, Shefali and her husband, Manish, believe that Pablo and Sativa are learning valuable lessons about the importance of giving something of themselves to others.

The Patel family extends its approach to philanthropy to AIS. In addition to providing financial support to the school, Shefali is currently extensively involved in the See Beyond capital campaign as a committee member. Since she has a full-time job, she looks for volunteer opportunities that work with her schedule and enable her to use her business skills. Her passion for the work she is doing to help AIS raise the needed funds for the Art, Science and Design Center (ASD) is palpable as she discusses the new building, “It gives the school what it doesn’t have. If we want AIS to continue to compete internationally, we need to enhance our science program. The ASD will do that and help us to retain kids in the Upper School. It’s personal too because it will benefit my kids. All kids will benefit from the biology labs, the science labs, the art rooms. … We have so much capability; we just need to grow it, and the ASD will help us do that.”

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“We have so much capability; we just need to grow it, and the ASD will help us do that.”

Shefali and Manish see donating to the school not only as an investment in their children’s future but also as a way to fulfill the school’s potential. This constant awareness of the larger context is evident as Shefali explains why she sees her family’s donation as having a ripple effect extending far beyond the AIS campus, “Apart from directly benefiting our children, our donation builds the school community, which in turn benefits our local Atlanta community as well as the global community.”

Although Shefali believes that giving is a personal choice, she commends the school community on its efforts to provide the best resources for the school, “It reinforces what parents are willing to do to put AIS on the map.” ge

ABOVE Parent, donor and volunteer, Shefali Patel, is a regular at the AIS Development Office.

The Unsung Heroes of Myanmar In the midst of a devastating natural disaster, Charlie Carstens ’01 bears witness to the greatness of the human spirit.

By Charlie Carstens ‘01

“…I wish to honor the many Burmese who overcame their anguish and helplessness and demonstrated the greatness of the human spirit.Their great compassion gave me the courage and patience to accept the darker side of the world knowing that there are always those who will struggle to help others.”

A Burmese mother attempts to prepare a meal for her children amidst the devastation left by Cyclone Nargis.

In the late hours of one hot Burmese summer night, light winds wrapped around my top-story Rangoon apartment. What would become of them? I wondered. Two days previous, the American Embassy informed its citizens to stock up on provisions for an impending natural disaster. Simultaneously, the Burmese government announced the advancement of mild rains from the Bay of Bengal, with a forty percent chance of hitting Rangoon. I lay in bed, considering what to make of these conflicting announcements.

My answer arrived in dramatic fashion later that night when I was awakened by the crashing of my windows and the squealing of corrugated-iron sheets peeling off rooftops. I clumsily sandwiched myself between mattress and floor, hoping to avoid soaring daggers of glass and other unfriendly airborne projectiles. There I remained disoriented and in darkness until sunrise, search11

ing my memory for disaster safety precautions that were presumably inculcated into my young mind. As the sun lit my path to escape, I abandoned my apartment and braved my way through streets of fresh, overflowing sewage and dancing electrical wires. A friend from the neighborhood provided shelter until the winds broke. Eventually, our curious heads poked out of the broken windows to find a city stripped of its once prominent flora. Incredibly, its crumbling manmade structures still decorated the skyline.

On May 2, 2008, a cyclone named Nargis tore through and inundated Rangoon and Burma’s densely populated Irrawaddy Delta. Wiping towns and villages off the map with walls of water 12 feet high, Nargis is Burma’s worst natural disaster in recorded history. Official public records state 146,000 deaths and millions left homeless. However, reports from some of my contacts estimate deaths nearing 1,000,000 with more to come as the disaster’s relief efforts continue to be inadequate.

Hours after the storm, I was among residents of Rangoon who explored the city’s ruins with horror and disbelief.

One could hear the constant buzz of such grandiose statements as “even my grandparents have never seen a storm like this” or “the gods must be punishing the government for its misdeeds.” Seeing the deaths of loved ones and such devastation invoked a deep sense of shock, loss, and a terror for an uncertain future. Over the next two or three days, government presence on the streets of Rangoon was scarce. Only local residents could be found removing de-

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bris with their hands or rusty cutting equipment. But what of the islands, the coast, the delta? Where was the government? Where was the world?

Preparations for a new national constitutional referendum provided the government with sufficient work to keep itself occupied and led to fear of accepting any international emergency relief teams. Just after the storm, the government would allow nothing more than foreign powers gifting donations directly into their hands. The international community was shocked by this response. According to relief workers with whom I spoke, never in the history of disaster relief has a government been so unwilling to accept unconditional aid. Taken aback by this odd demand and refusing to comply with the government’s conditions, international organizations scrambled to smuggle in relief money, water purification tablets, and medicine. Despite valiant efforts, these initial responses were, needless to say, insufficient.

The perceived stagnation of national and international responses drove many to understandable desperation.

Most were either disarmed by grief or driven to protect their families tooth and nail, no matter what the legal or ethical consequences. The chaos that ensued was nearly as terrifying as the storm itself. Fortunately, some did rise to the occasion. Within days after the cyclone hit, those who still had functioning telephones or vehicles rallied their ABOVE (from left to right): Volunteers from the music school, Gitameit, distribute supplies to their community in the aftermath of the cyclone.

Survivors at the outskirts if Yangon assess the damage caused by the cyclone.

friends and family from other regions of the country to collect rice, water, shelter, and medicines. Five days after the storm, normal everyday citizens worked tirelessly to assemble make-shift emergency relief organizations.

I worked together with a music school called Gitameit to distribute supplies to communities with which the school had established relations. I also organized children of unaffected areas to send letters of encouragement to victims.

As groups began to travel outside the inner city boundaries, the first evidence of civil authority appeared in the form of checkpoints, which were in place to coerce those who were so motivated by generosity. Charity was interpreted as a malicious political statement: “I will feed my fellow countrymen because my government can’t.”

Though some groups had their supplies confiscated and others were arrested, caravans of private donors could not be intimidated and continued from village to village delivering what supplies they could. Despite lacking funding, experience, and even the freedom to distribute supplies, these men and women never considered being unqualified in the face of such dire need. They took action. Mistakes were certainly made. But they learned, and many storm victims were able to hang on. I proudly applaud the gallant efforts of these unsung heroes.

Since that harrowing first month, international aid workers have been admitted into Burma, but news of other natural disasters has stolen our attention. These days Burma has been mostly absent from the media. Although the Burmese government has accepted most groups, international organizations have been paralyzed by government restrictions, a lack of experience working in the country, and bureaucratic standards of which they must uphold to appease their West-

ern donors. In effect, the majority of in-country resources are still in the hands of those who don’t know how to use them. Recognizing the ineffectiveness of the international community’s relief, one member of a prominent NGO complained, “Though we call ourselves a relief organization, our priority isn’t relief, but not being expelled from the country. The aid groups are able to reach only forty percent of the population. We can only hope for the others.”

It is not my intention to criticize the response to the disaster or inspire another sigh of frustrated hopelessness. It can be quite easy to either deny the full seriousness of a tragic situation or fall into despair when viewing the absolute worst. Instead, I wish to honor the many Burmese who overcame their anguish and helplessness and demonstrated the greatness of the human spirit. Their great compassion gave me the courage and patience to accept the darker side of the world knowing that there are always those who will struggle to help others. It also reminded me that anyone can contribute, irrespective of age, nationality, socioeconomic status, or skills. In the forgotten corners of the world, every donation counts. So I say let us not turn away from the ugliness of the world, but face it head on. For if one looks, one can always find triumph and opportunities to give. ge Charlie Carstens is an AIS graduate of the class of 2001. After receiving his BA from Carleton College, he moved to Myanmar (Burma) where he worked as an educator and researcher. From May to August 2008, Charlie worked inYangon as a disaster relief worker in the aftermath of the Cyclone Nargis. He is currently studying Economics and Religion at Harvard University.

ABOVE Victims of the cyclone huddle together in a makeshift shelter outside Yangon.

Photos printed with permission from Charles Carstens.

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The Dreamers

By Chris Lowell, ‘03

A group of close-knit alumni devise a plan to reclaim their creativity.

The Dreamers Project was born in the early months of 2008. It was designed for all of us young folks, caught in the limbo between graduating college, and everything else. Among several of my closest friends, a slump seemed to occur in the immediate weeks following the completion of school. Instead of becoming astronauts, we were working as paralegals – instead of artists, interns. Many of us weren’t feeling stimulated. There was an immense decline, where all of our previous philosophies and aspirations began taking a backseat to our immediate, day-to-day necessities. A new philosophy was born, one that advocated direct and tangible proof of progress. And at the end of each day, we would all fall asleep, exhausted.

ABOVE: A group of AIS Dreamers ring in the New Year with style.

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I remember sulking in my workspace one afternoon, looking at the bothersome familiarities around me, and muttering to myself, “This is exactly where you were one year ago. And nothing has changed.You haven’t gotten any smarter, wiser… just older and more indifferent.” It felt like the creativity which I so coveted was draining from the holes in my shoelaces.

“Each of us has more significance in a single fingernail than we could ever imagine.”

In a violent objection to this emotional despondency, I co-wrote a letter with several friends, and mailed it out to everyone I had recently spoken with, who was going through a similar struggle – students, actors, interns, assistants, musicians, paralegals, teachers, waiters, waitresses and staff.

I wanted to remind them that there was still space in their new schedules for dreaming. And I wanted us to remind each other.

And so, we opened a post office box in Southern California, and instructed our friends to mail in any single moment, in any single day, that made them smile or giggle or want to give thanks. It didn’t make any difference how grandiose or trivial the moment, as long as it happened, that’s what mattered more than anything else. We received hundreds of letters: “My first business card,” “A trek to Mt. Everest,” “A long hug from my mother,” “My first art show,” “My acceptance to grad school,” “The road trip I took with my dad,” “Crossing the finish line in my first triathlon,” “My application for the Peace Corps,” “My first apartment,” “My first bills,” “A joke that made me laugh,” “A song that made me cry.” There was no pattern to the letters, except that they were sent with a serenity that had been dormant for some time, and was only now beginning to reawaken.

At the end of 2008, those of us who participated in this social experiment came together for New Year’s Eve, to celebrate a victory. When I stood up to toast an endless spree of large and small accomplishments over the year, I became speechless.

I could only look into the eyes of the many brilliant young people around me, and see the potential beaming inside of them. Inside of you. Inside of all of us. And I raised my glass, having been poignantly reminded, that each of us is capable of such momentous change. Each of us has more significance in a single fingernail than we could ever imagine. And I fell asleep that night, knowing that like me, so many others were falling asleep in exactly the same way: exhausted, but full–infinitely full–of dreams. ge

ABOVE (from top to bottom): Fairy Princess, Neena Bhole, ’03 defies gravity. Brian McElhaney,‘04 is a just a little teacup. Chris Lowell, ’03 hangs out.

Photos printed with permission from Christopher Lowell.

Christopher Lowell is an AIS graduate of the class of 2003. He currently works as an actor and a photographer in Los Angeles and New York. Most recently, Christopher served as a photojournalist for Project Medishare’s clinical efforts in rural Haiti. He is currently living in NewYork, continuing his studies at Parson’s–The New School for Design, and acting on the ABC television show,“Private Practice.”

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Gap Year in

Rwanda

A discovery quest for parent and child Elliot Flautt’s decision to postpone college and take a gap year led to a journey of discovery for mother and son alike.

By Deede De Lorme and Elliot Flautt, ‘08 A PARENT’S PERSPECTIVE

Graduation for the Class of 2008 has come and gone, and friends’ children have left for new horizons. The current academic year has progressed in new directions for so many families and continues to move ahead at an ever increasing speed for the Class of 2009. The parents of the Class of 2009 help their children make decisions about colleges, wanting the best for them.

We made it through the college application process and now we’re on the flip side. After a lot of discussion, preplanning, and reflection, my son, Elliot, decided to take a gap year. It wasn’t an easy choice given the unknowns. He had to decide why, when, and where it would all take place, and it all had to be approved by the college of which he was requesting a one-year deferment. He had accepted placement at the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, which also awarded him a four-year financial academic award–an advantage we didn’t want to lose. Luckily, the college representatives were very supportive of Elliot’s desire to take a gap year. They had found in the past that students who took gap years entered college with a renewed focus, greater maturity, and a significant ability to engage and contribute to discussions with a more worldly view.

After considerable research for my own peace of mind and to educate myself about gap years and Africa, I contacted a friend at USAID1.

He initially assisted us in locating organizations in three African countries, Kenya, Rwanda, and Senegal, which might suit Elliot’s needs.

The beauty of inquiring into an area of interest is the connections you make along the way that help to dispel, confirm and evaluate information authentically. And I truly believe that my friend was correct when he told Elliot that Africa will have more impact on him than he will ever have on it at this moment in his life. Elliot wanted a NGO2 and a non-religious organization but most of all, he wanted to be in Africa. He also wanted to use his French-language skills acquired at AIS and in France and to give back to a system that has nurtured and provided for him. The organization, Fair Children/Youth Foundation (FC/YF), fit the guidelines that Elliot had established for himself with their mission statement and ethos.

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OPPOSITE: View of Rwandan countryside from Virunga Lodge ABOVE: Participants prepare to begin a bicycle race in Kibuye

October 28 was the final okay for “all systems go,” and we said our goodbyes to a young man headed on an awesome adventure through four countries, three continents and more time spent in an airplane than I care to imagine. As I write this article, he is living in Ruhengeri, Rwanda and working for Fair Children/ Youth Foundation (http://fairchildren.org/) where he is teaching English to children and adults and helping to establish a permanent school for the children. Here is an excerpt from a late November ‘08 email: “I’m really liking the work that I’m doing here.

Since it is technically the summer holidays here, my schedule is pretty open. I teach English right now from Monday to Thursday. From 10 to 12, I teach the equivalent of summer school English to about 25 primary school kids. It’s not bad but they can be a little tiring at times. I teach again from 3:30 to 5:30 to beginners both kids and adults. Then from 5:30 to 7:30, I teach advanced (conversational) English to adults and high school kids. It is a little weird trying to teach people that are significantly older than me but I got over it. On Fridays, I teach for about an hour to street kids who show up at the center.

Saturdays and Sundays are free so I can travel.”

Five ’08 Alumni Take Gap Years

By Sandy Ferko

Some seniors are eager to attend college immediately, but some decide to take a gap year.

These students apply to college in grade 12, but they request that their acceptances at specific schools be held while they take their gap years. Most colleges grant the requests if the students have feasible plans. These plans could include working to learn about the world and earning money, like 2008 alumna Olivia Jones in France, or doing something a bit more exotic, like teaching in Rwanda or Ghana and Ecuador as 2008 alumni Elliot Flautt and Caroline Geiger are doing. Whatever the plan, the experiences are exciting and educational; students return to school a year later more open-minded and focused. Two additional 2008 alums opted for a gap year experience after graduation: Jenna Sanborn lived and worked at Bethania Orphanage in India and, this second semester, is studying at Sorbonne University, and Ethan Lyle went to work for the Obama campaign where he was stationed in Savannah and then in South Florida. All five alumni from 2008 applied to universities last year and will begin college with experiences behind them that they couldn’t get in school.

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I am thankful to Shanta Kalyanasundaram and Gwen Blase, ESOL teachers at AIS, who took the time to give Elliot tips and suggestions for working with non-native speakers of a language. Elliot and I have also added lesson plan discussions to our emails and Skype times. He lives with the director of the organization and his family and takes his meals at their home. The vegetables and fruits are very similar to Atlanta’s but meat is scarce, so many food combinations are needed to achieve a balance of protein intake. Elliot is eighteen years old and almost 6’3” tall, so food is essential to fuel a still growing body. Being a teenager however, he was able to locate “the best” pizza restaurant through contacts in the capital city of Kigali, a long two-hour trek away on a bumpy and at times treacherous bus ride.

It is never easy to completely let go and allow our children to embrace life on their terms but when we do, they embrace greater opportunities to learn and experience life with fresh eyes and youthful energy–something we all need to remind ourselves to do through our own lives.

He has so many questions that he is exploring that he hopes to come a bit closer to a refined understanding of where he will be best suited when he returns: law, medicine, world health, languages, or government policies. It is because of AIS’s IB educational environment, the teaching staff, his parents, and the constant urging to think “outside the box” that an AIS education is money well invested in our future leaders. It is never easy to completely let go and allow our children to embrace life on their terms but when we do, they embrace greater

opportunities to learn and experience life with fresh eyes and youthful energy–something we all need to remind ourselves to do through our own lives. I truly hope that my son will be able to take full advantage of his time in Rwanda, given the unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and will have a multitude of experiences that will give him a better sense of who he is and what he can become. And when he returns, he will be able to speak from personal experience–good and bad–and how it helped and enabled him to answer questions in his own search.

A GRADUATE’S PERSPECTIVE

I was not ready to go to college. Not just yet. The last two years of high school, especially at AIS with the IB and all, were incredibly draining physically, intellectually, and emotionally. I had to take a step back, re-evaluate my priorities and decide in which direction I want to take my life. It did not seem wise from where I was standing to go through the motions and enter college life “undecided” like so many others.

How I ended up in Rwanda? I knew that I wanted to go to a Francophone country to make use of my 14 years of French but where exactly, I wasn’t sure. I originally thought about going to Senegal but after an interesting conversation with a French taxi driver (who could have sworn that I was French mind you–a huge Thank You goes out to all of the French teachers I have ever had at AIS) in Nice, France at 4 a.m., I decided against it. I was told that it was a little too touristy and already marred by the elegance and needless luxuries of the West. I wanted to go a place a little more “out there,” a place not many have ventured before me. The next best option seemed to be Rwanda. At first, I will admit that I was a little concerned about my personal security but after having conversations with people who knew about the present situation in the country, I started earnestly looking for opportunities in the country. When I told people where I was going, they feigned support for my sake I suppose, but their faces betrayed them. I could see the multitude of questions flying around in their heads: Is it safe? Isn’t that where they had that horrible genocide? Aren’t you afraid? Why would you want to go to Rwanda?!

Children from Wisdom Nursery and Primary School, a branch of the Fair Children/Youth Foundation.

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View of the volcano, Muhabra, from Ruhengeri.

When I arrived, I found a huge need for volunteers who could contribute to the redevelopment of a once broken country.

Nearly a decade after the genocide, Rwanda is in the process of rapidly rebuilding itself and trying to rebuild communities torn apart by savage barbarity where neighbors turned on each other, and the machete became law. Even walking through the streets here can be an experience in itself if you don’t dwell too much on what happened here and try to understand why. If you come to Rwanda living in the past, you will miss out on the true beauty of this country; you will miss out on what Rwanda has become and all it has to offer to the world.

“Even walking through the streets here can be an experience in itself if you don’t dwell too much on what happened here and try to understand why.”

I live in a town called Ruhengeri surrounded by five volcanoes that drew their last fiery breaths many a century ago, and these mountains provide some of the most spectacular views I have ever seen. The thick morning fog clears each and every day to reveal its precious catch. I don’t walk around with my head in the clouds though; If I did, I would miss Rwanda’s true beauty. I realized

that I was coming to a place like no other when I met a Rwandan man named Paulin who sat next to me on my flight to Nairobi.

He had seen his country dominated by the iron fist of colonialism and seen her take his wife and children because of deep-rooted, senseless hatred. Despite these experiences, he had hope for the country and was incredibly proud to be called Rwandan. After talking with him, I knew that Rwanda had a lot to live up to.

And it did. The people here are some of the kindest, friendliest, most earnest and giving … and my list could go on for days.

Despite all the hardships they have endured, Rwandans are the embodiment of all the goodness that exists on this crazy, chaotic planet we call home. I guess when you truly learn to forgive, you truly learn to love. We could all learn a little something from them. ge Deede De Lorme is an AIS parent and faculty member.

Elliott Flautt graduated from AIS in 2008 19

Staying Connected AIS Alumni Reunion 2008

Perfect weather, good friends and a barbecue lunch were the highlights of the day. photo 3 Marta Polo, ’98 is all smiles. photo 4 The obligatory group shot. photo 5 After lunch, a video from Tini Bennett’s (’98) school in Tanzania and last year’s THIMUN trip video were played for the alumni. photo 6 Headmaster Robert Brindley gave the group a tour of the school including the future site of the new construction. photo 7 Mathieu Van Asten, ’06 shares with Claire what he’s been up to since graduation. photo 8 Lycee Thompson, ’03 showed up in style. photo 9 Josh Gunnemann, ’98 and his wife Cindy enjoy the barbecue lunch. photo 10 Melanie Weniger and Afrooz Family, both from the class of 2006, share a hug. photo 11 ge

Last year’s alumni reunion on May 24, 2008 was a perfect way to kick off the first official weekend of summer. Alumni traveled from as far away as New York and Germany to AIS, and a group from the close-knit Class of 1998 showed up to celebrate their big 10-year reunion.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for this year’s 2009 World Class Alumni Reunion on May 30, 2009. All of the AIS alumni classes are invited and we will be featuring the big 5, 10 and 15- year reunion classes! We hope you’ll be able to join us!

Email cmorgenstern@aischool.org to RSVP. ALUMNI REUNION 2008

The Class of 1998 celebrated their big 10 year reunion with some of their favorite faculty and staff. photo 1 Claire Duggan, ‘06 and Kathryn Turman have so much to talk about. photo 2

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Class Reunion

gifts

Dear AIS Alumni,

Can you believe it’s been 5, 10, 15 years or more since your days at AIS? This year, your class has the opportunity to give back to the school and have a meaningful impact on future generations of AIS students. A gift to the school as a class will show your support of AIS while bringing you all back together for one cause. Please join the rest of your graduating class in giving a donation to AIS.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you over this past year building upon the alumni community. Between organizing reunions, chatting with you on the alumni website and assembling class notes, I have learned so much about you and gained a new appreciation for the relationships you have formed with each other and the school.

During this year, I began to recognize ties between the past and the present.

The Class of 1992 and the Class of 2009, although clearly distinct, both formed lifelong connections to each other through their everyday encounters at AIS. When reading about Elliot Flautt’s (‘08) journey to Rwanda and listening to Tini Bennett ’98 speak about her school in Tanzania, I witness in both the passion for philanthropy and global awareness that was first nurtured during their years at AIS. And as a happy observer to this year’s UN Day and Santa Lucia Day, I couldn’t help but think of the hundreds of past classes who have taken part in these festivities to celebrate our unique culture at AIS. As we move into another year and gain another alumni class, I hope you will make more connections in the community. Whether you serve on the board, attend reunions, volunteer at the school, mentor a student or simply stay in touch on the alumni website, you will strengthen the ties and foster the vibrant and diverse community for which AIS is celebrated.

Thank you for supporting your alma mater, and I hope you will continue to stay connected.

Cassie Morgenstern cmorgenstern@aischool.org

The class reunion gift is a source of pride for many reunion classes. In the spirit of friendly competition, we will track how classes compare to one another in their fundraising efforts based on class participation rates.

It’s once again time to pull together and show them your graduating class really is the best alumni class of AIS! Help ensure future students have the same meaningful experience you did at AIS by supporting your school today.

You can make your contribution in the following ways: • CALL the Development Office at 404.841.3869. We accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.

• EMAIL your pledge amount to cmorgenstern@aischool.org. Please indicate the Annual Fund or Capital Campaign for gift designations.

• LOG ON to the AIS Alumni Community, http://alumni.aischool.org, and make your donation by clicking the Donate Online Button on the left toolbar.

• BRING your donation to the Development Office at the school.

While you are here, stop and say hello to all those favorite faculty and staff!

• MAIL your gift or pledge to AIS, Attn.

Development Office, 2890 North Fulton Drive, Atlanta, GA 30305 21

Alumni Class Notes CLASS OF 1994

Tamar Frysh completed her MA degree as a Marriage and Family therapist in 2004. She currently lives in Santa Barbara,CA, where she works as a counselor at Pacifica University.

CLASS OF 1995

Ianna Reid Briggs and her husband, Jack, welcomed a new addition this summer. Oxley Campbell Dragonslayer Briggs was born July 2, weighing in at 7 lbs, 7oz. Since then they have been enjoying time with their “love monkey.” Ianna just returned to work part-time, and her parents are babysitting. They are delighted, as you can imagine! photo 1 Laleh Khadivi is one of 10 writers to receive the 2008 Whiting Foundation Writers’ Award, which targets writers in the early years of their careers. Laleh is one of three recipients who have not yet published a first book. Her book, “The Age of Orphans,” the story of a Kurdish boy forced to betray his people in service of the new Iranian nation will be published by Bloomsbury this year.

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CLASS OF 1997

Shireen Barday graduated from Stanford Law School this year. She will be back in New York next year, though, working for a giant firm (apparently because she has something against ever seeing daylight or having friends or anything like that). She would be delighted to participate in networking/mentoring with AIS students if there’s anyone going to Barnard or Columbia and would be especially excited to stay in touch with anyone who’s considering law school and/or Stanford Law School, since that’s probably the area where she could be of the most help.

Kirsten Wing Gromatzky is still happily living in Dunwoody and is enjoying life staying home with her children. She had a baby girl, Sarah Catherine, in January of 2008 who joined her big brother Adam, now three. They are planning trips to Frankfurt for Christmas to visit her parents who have recently moved there, and one to Australia in Februaryto show off the kids and introduce Sarah to her family. photo 2 Stephanie Fitje du Preez and her husband, Oliver, announce the birth of their baby girl, Matilda. She arrived on Wednesday, September 17 at 9:52 p.m. in a very big rush!! She was so quick to come out that the doctor arrived just in time to catch her head! She weighed 7lbs and 2oz and was 19.2 inches long and very sweet with a head of black hair. The entire family is well and enjoying the latest addition. photo 3 Elizabeth Rickert Dowdy and her husband, Lee, are proud new parents of daughter, Rozelia Elizabeth Dowdy, born on May 8. Her husband continues to serve as the Chief Park Ranger at Bear Creek Lake State Park where they now live, and was voted in as their district’s first elected representative to the Cumberland County School Board last fall. Elizabeth is a pastor at Tar Wallet Baptist Church in Cumberland, Virginia. “I love being a pastor because I get to use many of my personal strengths – textual interpretation, teaching, public speaking, worship leadership, informal counseling, leadership and administration, creative writing – and I am always being challenged to become better at each.” photo 4 & 5 22 Global Exchange

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CLASS OF 1998

Tyler Hume received his MBA from the University of Louisville on May 10, 2008.

Christine Seefried De Wendel is currently part of the Business Development team of Starwood Preferred Guest, the loyalty program of Starwood Hotels and Resorts. She chose this profession after three exciting years of management consulting at Bain and Company in Paris and New York and wanted to continue doing strategy work for a large company. The opportunity to travel and work for an industry that she is passionate about also appealed to her.

CLASS OF 1999

JongWon Kim left Lehman in July and joined a private equity shop in Hong Kong. The work hours are a little better, but he still has so much to learn. The private equity sector is quite different from what he was used to at Lehman.

In terms of leaving Lehman, his timing was impeccable. He announced his resignation in mid-July and moved to Hong Kong in early August. After about a month, Lehman went bankrupt…

Contact JongWon at john.kim@alpinvest.com. He wants his AIS classmates to let him know how you are doing. “Hope you are staying healthy and happy,” he says.

Clémentine Malta-Bey is still hard at work on her Masters degree in Counseling at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology (Argosy University) in Chicago. In September she started her internship in a public elementary school whose vastly multicultural student body is for the most part living at or below the poverty level. Currently her caseload includes Latino, African-American, Nigerian, and Haitian children between the ages of 6 and 14. She practices play therapy, talk therapy, and group therapy in English, French, and Spanish. The work is undoubtedly challenging, but she loves every second of it! Clémentine continues to enjoy married life with her husband, Jason Harlan, their dog, B.B., and cat, Snarf.

Eric Shashoua started a company called Axon Labs with fellow students from Brown University. They had an idea for developing a consumer technology for monitoring brainwaves and sleep, and Eric ran the company for three years as CEO before bringing on a seasoned executive to help them launch. He is now the VP, Business Development, for the company and sits on the Board. They are based in Newton, MA, have had the fortune to attract world-class executives on their board of directors and in the company, and are having a lot of fun. He is now looking forward to growing this company and possibly attending business school in the future.

Leonie Hunn is still living in Villars, Switzerland where she teaches art part time in a small, private boarding school. She also does art consulting part time, which she truly loves. It allows her to travel to art fairs and also to get commissions for five-star hotels. She is currently working on a painting for a hotel in Moscow. She has also done some paintings for Hotel Europe, in Killarney-Ireland.

She had an art show in February, which got her a commission to do 10 illustrations for a book on management, which will be published this year by Macmillan.

She will have some paintings in a small art show this winter in Verbier, Switzerland that she is hoping to sell! Also Leonie will have a bit more time to start painting again for her own series. Although, there has been a HUGE amount of snow so far, which makes it tempting to go snowboarding whenever she has free time (a few hours here and there between teaching). It is quite convenient that she lives in a ski resort! photo 6 On holidays last year, Leonie went to Wales, to Scotland for the Edinburgh Festival, France, to England for a wedding and on rock climbing trips to Turkey, Corsica and Italy.

Leonie recently saw Nadia Widmer, ’99 who has moved back to Switzerland where she is currently assisting a lawyer in an international firm, as well as working a couple of days a week at a nice pub. She is happy to be back in Switzerland and is doing great. photo 7

CLASS OF 2000

Katie Deedy Robinson just noticed she was posted on the MIA list… but assures us, however, she is alive and well! She has been living in Brooklyn for the last four years, and got married to a wonderful Texan named William Robison on March 3, 2007. They met in New York on the street, and it was love at first sight. She has also started her own hand-printed wallpaper company 8 called, Grow House Grow!, which was created from her illustrations and inspired by many of the stories she grew up with. She hopes all is well on your end! She sees Marushka Bland ‘00 and Valerie Rokhlin ‘01 quite a lot in NYC, and is going to be a bridesmaid in Annukka Sakko’s ‘00 wedding this summer, in Finland.

They’re lovely as always. photo 8 Megan Lentz turned her master’s thesis, titled “Stemware in Colonial Boston: an Archaeological Exploration” and started a new job as an editorial assistant for Pearson Education. She is working in their social studies department, specifically with the Communication, Film, and Theater books. So far, she likes it and is hoping, despite the MA in archaeology, that she will be able to make a career out of publishing. Archaeology just wasn’t the right field for her and at least with publishing, she can still work in an academic setting and have access to books from many disciplines. Also, they have offices all over the world, so the possibility of relocating exists, which is extremely exciting because she is getting tired of the cold, drawn out Boston winters.

Glenda Pavon is in Atlanta and doing well. She’s working as a docent at the Michael C. Carlos Museum as well as on a ranch in Alpharetta. She took up riding with Vanderbilt’s equestrian team during her senior year, so she loves working on this ranch and taking riding lessons. She’s also taking LSAT classes and plans on taking the exam soon.

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CLASS OF 2001

than the short-term work, however, is the technical and financial support they were able to provide to Project Medishare so that it can carry out its daily activities. photo 10

Gina Bredy is currently living and working in Decatur. She began her graduate program at The University of Georgia in May to earn her Masters in Early Childhood Education.

CLASS OF 2003

Christina Hayes graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and then the U.S. Marines Officer Candidate School. photo 9

Juliette Monchau worked as a junior relationship manager on the Middle Eastern Desk at Credit Suisse Private Banking in Geneva and in January ‘09, she relocated to Abu Dhabi as representative of Credit Suisse.

Kerstin Gentsch is in her first semester of a Ph.D. program in Sociology and Demography at Princeton. She loves being a student again and feels inspired by incredible professors and classmates.

Tess Panzer is living in the heart of crazy Hollywood. Earlier this year, she was lucky to be cast in a micro-series for TNT and Dodge, and recently starred in an independent film in Los Angeles. See page 28 for details.

CLASS OF 2002

Sarah Rivard is still in DC working for a small nongovernmental organization called the Democracy Coalition Project. At the moment, her focus is on research and advocacy surrounding the UN Human Rights Council – looks like all that THIMUN work paid off!

They work on creating cross-regional advocacy with NGOs from all over the world but specifically from the Global South or developing countries. She has also followed in Rian Perry’s (‘02) footsteps and has just started law school at Georgetown. She is hoping to study either international law or comparative constitutional law (so she can specifically assist and analyze the constitutional processes in Latin America). She is planning on working her full time job and studying at the same time. Rian was great when she was looking at law schools and showed her around Georgetown. Now Rian has been a great help giving her advice on professors and classes.

She LOVED DC during the election season and thoroughly enjoyed learning about the foreign policy strategies of the various candidates!

Thomas Singer is currently working for Blu Skye, a corporate sustainability consulting firm. Prior to joining Blu Skye, Thomas worked in strategy consulting, advising Fortune 500 clients on corporate strategy, growth opportunities, and best-practices.

He was also co-founder of the Community Language Bank, a non-profit dedicated to eliminating language barriers in multicultural communities. Thomas graduated from Tufts University with a BA in International Relations and a focus on Entrepreneurial Leadership. He received First Place in the Tufts Social Entrepreneurship Business Plan Competition, and is also a fellow of the StartingBloc Institute for Responsible Leadership. See the company website at www.bluskye.com.

Nayla Khoury, a medical school student at Emory, returned to Haiti for the second year and thanks all of you who supported Project Medishare last year. With your help, the group was able to purchase medicine for the trip and bring doctors, translators and medical equipment to serve 500 Haitians. More important 24 Global Exchange

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Alex Avendano is living and working in Philadelphia. He has two businesses and is a guest lecturer and teaching assistant in Entrepreneurship at Wharton.

Over the last year, Anna Hertel has continued working towards her bachelor’s degree while studying abroad in both Graz and Vienna, Austria. The main focus of her time away from the U.S. was to figure out the meaning of “home,” which she is certain most AIS students struggle defining. She spent a total of five months traveling to India, Thailand and Indonesia, which put much of her western values and lifestyle into perspective. Being purposefully displaced over the last year, Anna has reached many conclusions and resulted in moving her entire life back to Seattle, where she is contently going to school and enjoying life. She also became a proud aunt of a beautiful girl, Helene, in June!

Allegra Clark lives in Boston and is starting work on a new pilot program that will try to prevent eviction in a housing development in Roxbury. She hopes to attend graduate school in the fall of 2009 for a Master’s Degree in Social Work.

Cecilia Barella has been working at Definition 6 for the past year as an Account Coordinator. Definition 6 is a software development and technology consulting company. She has been enjoying it and has settled back in Atlanta. Apart work, she is just hanging out with friends and traveling.

Marvin Muller is still flying high in Germany and will likely be moving to his airline headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, at the end of March with his girlfriend, Stephanie. Around mid summer he will go through another type rating, this time for the Fokker 100 jet aircraft, which he can’t wait to take up in the air.

Andrea Moore is living in New York working for Yeshiva University as the Sustainability Coordinator (aka greening the school).

Christopher Lowell ran away to London in the Spring before finally returning to Los Angeles when it was time to get a job.

He whisked Cameron Connerty, ’05 off to Alaska to go ice climbing. Cameron still hasn’t said thank you, even after Chris also let him live on his couch for a month in September. He then kidnapped Arvand Khosravi ’04 and Brian McElhaney ’04 for an unbelievably impulsive weekend bender in Barcelona, where no one brought anything but their passports and their good ol’ fashion cool kid hats! photo 11 Most recently, Christopher returned to Georgetown University for the Alumnae Ball, under the alias of Claude Jackal, where he supposedly graduated in the Spring of 2007 alongside Jonathan De Olano (to date, there is NO ONE who believes this to be true). He still takes lots of pictures of Greta Modessitt while she’s sleeping and never misses a tap-dancing lesson with fellow tapper, Stephanie Blount, ’02 (she’s spec-tapular!). Also, in May, Chris found Alexi Piasecki asleep in a cardboard box in Little Gregory Braunfeld found a great new job with the 34th Street

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Italy! She’s so silly! Camille Stabler cooked a super awesome crepe soufflé in Sonoma one night and then Chris got to watch Elizabeth Case show off her fiddle playin’ skills in Tennessee before she delivered a baby at her midwifery clinic. Neena Bhole performed emergency dentistry on Christopher’s dog, Chaney, at his lake house. Finally, did anyone else know that Andrea Moore talks to animals? Weird.

Emily Quanbeck finished a BA in Anthropology from University of Virginia and is currently applying for graduate programs in anthropology. This summer, she finished a course of introductory fieldwork in Guyana working with the Macusi, who are Amerindians in south-central Guyana. She is currently living in Richmond, VA with her boyfriend, who is a European wine distributor. Her sister and mother live nearby in Charlottesville, VA. In April of this year, Dorothea Carter moved to Waycross, GA. She took a position at another church where she is the children’s pastor and a secretary. She runs around trying to keep up with 30 kids in her children’s church. Dorothea also works with the youth, on the worship team and making video announcements and the church website. She said, “I never imagined all this, but it’s great.

I really love living here, even though my country accent is getting stronger! I have my own place, with plenty of room for people to come over, which is really nice. God has really blessed me with this new job, this house and the people He’s placed in my life. So all in all, life is great!”

Carla Bloomberg quit her corporate job in June and spent the summer surfing the coasts of New York, Costa Rica, and California.

While in northern California, she stumbled across a Zen monastery and stayed there for a while to wake up at 4:30 a.m. and meditate for two hours before breakfast. Carla is pursuing an MA at NYU and is owner of Sybaritik Productions, a lifestyle company that produces alcohol-free, conscience-raising, art and music parties for young people.

Daphne Demetre just started her PhD in Sociology at Northwestern and is braving the cold and wind. Other than the weather, she is fully enjoying Chicago and all it has to offer. She said, “I haven’t had much traveling recently, but I hope to find funding to let me do ‘research’ in a much warmer climate.”

13 Business Improvement District, after an extensive employment search in New York City. He is working with the tourism services division and supporting a stand in Penn Station on the Amtrak level and a secondary stand in the Empire State Building. It is a fun and creative job, where he helps around 500 tourists a day to plan and navigate their way through the city. He recently moved to Roosevelt Island, which is a small island in between the upper east side of Manhattan and Queens. He enjoys a daily commute to work on an alpine cable car to Manhattan. He is also enjoying the frequent company of AIS alums, like Arvand, Alexi, Whitney, Andrea and Greta and recently had a nice visit from Anna, when she vacationed in New York from Seattle. He always looks forward to hearing from any AIS alumni, and if you are visiting New York, please stop by Penn Station for directions!

Alex Hirsch graduated from Wake Forest University in May. As glad as she is to be done with school, she highly recommends a “super senior” year to everyone! Alex spent the summer in Atlanta with her family and then moved to Charlotte, NC in October to start her new job with the Department of Justice. Unfortunately, she isn’t playing tennis anymore, but she loves her work and new city and is excited to start this next phase of her life.photo 12 & 13 Whitney Wilson is in her second year as a corporate legal assistant at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and is enjoying working with nice and interesting people as she applies to graduate school.

She plans on pursing a PhD in Art History with a focus on French gothic architecture. Otherwise, Whitney enjoys spending time with her boyfriend, Igor, and meeting up with friends and going out to dinner, museums and movies. She enjoyed traveling to France for Laura’s wedding.

Anja Shoeke just graduated with her MA from the Georgia School of Professional Psychology. Now it’s only three more years until she gets her doctorate! Anna Hertel and Arvand Khosravi came to visit her briefly in Atlanta this summer. In December, she went to Cancun, Mexico with her parents and her boyfriend.

Next summer she finally gets to return to Germany for a month to be the maid of honor in her friend’s wedding in Munich.

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Vanessa Washburn is taking the year off of teaching to get her foot in the door, as a substitute, in the public school system.

She has taken a job as a waitress at My Father’s Pizza to subsidize her income, and has also started classes through Montreat College to earn her Masters of Education. Vanessa and Alyce Thompson (who recently got a job working with state senator, NanGrogan Orrock) spent a night discussing politics with Melita when Vanessa was on her way to Sarasota, FL for her husband’s National Frisbee Tournament. She also had the pleasure of visiting the Grand Canyon this Thanksgiving with Zach and his family. Zach and Vanessa are happy to announce that they are expecting their first child this August. photo 14 & 15

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Laura Trouve had a beautiful wedding celebration in Bordeaux, France on December 20. She was joined in Bordeaux by classmates Whitney Wilson, Alyce Thompson, Kirstin Verriest, and Arvand Khosravi. photo 16 & 17 Aaron Brindley finished his last unit at university and has now completed two degrees. He spent his Christmas break in Thailand and while he missed his family, he enjoyed the lovely people he met there. Aaron has signed a contract with an IBM partner in Brisbane and will probably continue to work there for a couple of months.

Chase Berenson spent last summer living with Alex Posegate in Talkeetna, a small town in Alaska near the base of Denali. He worked for an airline, flying mountain climber and expedition support on Denali and throughout the Alaska Range. Chase spent time in Lexington with his family before heading to Arizona in February to work the front desk at a Grand Canyon resort. photo 18 Michelle O’Brien is a third grade teacher in New Orleans. She plans to continue teaching there for another year. Last summer, she went to Thailand on an AIS trip, and this summer she plans on going to Africa with her roommate.

Hilton Garrett has moved to Shreveport, LA (aka Hollywood of the South) since graduating from UGA last December. He has had a busy year, working on four feature films and two TV shows. His credits include W., True Blood, and Sordid Lives. He says, “I just want to thank the entire AIS family, especially my French teachers, for a worldly awareness as well as the ability and confidence to communicate in another language. It has been such an advantage in my line of work.”

CLASS OF 2004

Sinan Sutcu graduated with a BS in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech. This past summer he worked for Texas Instruments in Dallas before returning to Tech to start his master’s degree in electrical engineering.

Stacey Lathem graduated Cum Laude from the College of Charleston in May 2008, with a degree in Arts Management.

In June, she started working for WSI b2b Marketing, an internet marketing company based in Charleston, SC where she is the Assistant Director of Web Development and works from home.

In September, Stacey became a homeowner! She now lives in downtown Charleston in her new house. Even though she is 26 Global Exchange

Spring/Summer 2009

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feeling like she’s face-planting into adulthood, she is still having a great time in Charleston, playing ultimate Frisbee, and is happy to have a place to call home.

William Hayward is going to med school at Georgetown this year, and did research last year before med school – “My research is in the Biochemistry department of UM and I am working on telomeres, the structures at the end of chromosomes which are, broadly speaking, relevant to aging and cancer. We are just starting on a new project with the previous one resulting in a paper (not bad for two months work!). Specifically, we are going to test whether our protein of interest is involved in repairing the damage to cardiovascular injury in a mouse model.” He recently met up with Simon Kolbert, ‘08 on a soccer field at University of Miami.

CLASS OF 2005

Eden Smith was crowned Ms. Georgia Tech at the Homecoming game on October 25. She is a junior majoring in industrial and systems engineering and a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. Eden has been vice president of Panhellenic, a member of the GT equestrian team, and is active in the Executive Round Table.

Brittany Pavon is a senior at Barnard. She enjoyed a trip to Vermont with Anna Collura, ‘05 and Eden Smith,‘05 during which they visited Kelly Carstens,’05. It was lots of fun and a nice break from NYC. School is going well, but she is super busy working on her thesis. She’s applying for Teach for America and will hopefully stay in NYC before going to grad school.

CLASS OF 2006

Joaquin Carbonell is in his third year at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, but is scheduled to graduate (along with his sister, Brianna Carbonell, ‘05, who is also at UNC) this year with a double major in History and International Relations. In the tradition of past generations of AIS humanitarians, which include his Class of 2006 classmates, Alicia de Olano and Whitney Lykins, he has just been accepted into a volunteer program in Peru where he will be assisting and teaching at an orphanage starting next August. As “washed up athletes”, Brianna and Joaquin have transitioned smoothly to supportive roles in the realm of athletics. Brianna is working as the head manager of the UNC women’s basketball team, and he is working on the academic support staff for the men’s football team.

Caroline Geiger is living at the orphanage where she works in Ghana. It is called Good Shepherd Orphanage and is about an hour outside Accra if you’re really lucky with traffic. Because she is living at the orphanage, the conditions are not exactly ideal. She uses a hole in the ground as a toilet and a small cubicle to take bucket showers. The room in which she sleeps is actually surprisingly spacious; the only drawback is the lack of fan or air conditioning.

Every weekday she is awakened by the roosters at about 5 a.m. and then she helps bathe the younger children and wash clothes.

She eats a breakfast of bread and water, which is later followed by a lunch of bread and water and a dinner of rice or noodles.

She is definitely getting all of the food groups!

At around 9 a.m., school starts. Although she is primarily caring for preschool aged kids, she was asked to act as a teacher’s aide in a fourth grade class. She also plays with the kids during and after school as well as cleans their dormitories and helps with cooking and other tasks.

Every day that she teaches class, at least one-third of the kids say they can’t do the exercise because they don’t have pens.

Every exercise they learn has to be written on the chalk board because there aren’t enough text books to go around. photo 19 & 20

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Andrea Freuer volunteered at this year’s Olympic Games in Beijing as a translator. She is a junior at Yale University and finished her sophomore year at Beijing University. “I made the conscious decision to come before the Olympics because I wanted to see Beijing transform.” (Atlanta Journal Constitution, 08/2008) CLASS OF 2007

Alice Hayward is excelling at McGill in Montreal and is still in touch with her old cronies from AIS. She is studying primary education and plans pursue an advanced degree CLASS OF 2008

Jenna Sanborn will be in India at Bethania Orphanage for half the year and in France at the Sorbonne for the other half.

Martijn ten Lohuis is attending University of Groningen, The Netherlands. He moved in with his older brother, Joost ten Lohuis, ’06, who is also studying in Groningen. Joost studied a semester abroad in Lima, Peru.

Benjamin Schuttler is a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania, double majoring in International Studies and International Relations with a double concentration in Business & Public Policy and Legal Studies, and a double minor in French and Mathematics. Whew! He is staying busy to say the least!

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Alumni Gallery AIS alumni, Manuel Grunenfelder, Paige Enfinger, Ethan Lyle, Caroline Geiger, and Benji Schuttler and David Hawley, former AIS headmaster, at the home of Barbara Grunenfelder-Elliker in Quito, Ecuador where Mr. Hawley happened to be on an accreditation visit. photo 1 & 2

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Tess Panzer, ‘01 star of independent film “Blood River” arrives at the Premiere at the Egyptian Theatre on 24 March, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The movie was one of the featured shows at the Atlanta Film Festival recently. Tess made her acting debut at AIS when she was in eighth grade and played one of the ‘Hot Box girls’ in the production of “Guys and Dolls.” photo 3 & 4 Thomas Mulliez, ‘99 and his wife recently welcomed baby Olivia to the family. photo 5 & 6 Class of 2006 alumni Joost ten Lohuis, Eva Imbsweiler and Afrooz Family are big fans of AIS basketball. photo 7 In the week between Christmas and New Years, a group of AIS alumnae and faculty gathered at the home of Barbara Grunenfelder-Elliker in Quito, Ecuador. Anna Collura ’05, Eden Smith ‘05, Kate Mischaikow ‘06, and Mirjam Grunenfelder ‘05 take a moment to pose for the camera during the reunion. photo 8 Ethan Lyle, Mikaela Gordon, Benji Schuttler, Lucy Pettitt-Schieber and Richie Lopez of the class of 2008 cheer on the AIS basketball team on Jan. 6. photo 9

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From the Class of 2003, Anja Schoeke, Anna Hertel & Arvand Khosravi enjoying dinner together. photo 10 Fasil Muche, ‘93 & Sandy Ferko during his recent visit to AIS. photo 11 Ethan Lyle, ‘08 & Sandy Ferko during his visit to AIS. photo 12 AIS teachers Barbara Grunenfelder-Elliker, Francoise Monier & Jill Sare enjoy a mini AIS reunion with alumnae in Quito, Ecuador. photo 13 Akiko Noda, ‘97 visited AIS from Japan to see Sandy Ferko and fellow classmate, Veronica Plaut McDaniel, ‘97. photo 14 Upper School Counselor, Sandy Ferko, joined Friends of Class Nima Safabakhsh and Paulo Evangelista, Fran Smith, ’97 and Veronica Plaut McDaniel, ‘97 with their spouses to celebrate the wedding of Maria Rivera. photo 15 The new Mr. and Mrs.! Congratulations Maria and Noam! photo 16

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28 Global Exchange

Spring/Summer 2009

Final Word Beyond the Classroom Our 2009 seniors excel not only in the classroom but in their extracurricular activities too!

RESIDENT ARTISTS

Adrien Pellerin composed an original piece, “Moonlight Tango”, for AIS jazz band that was performed at morning meeting and an IB Performance Showcase. One of his films, “The Curiously Strong Addiction,” was screened at the Interlochen Future of Cinema Film Festival in April 2008. photo 1 Naman Kanakiya has traveled all over the Southeast participating in dance competitions and shows with Kruti Dance Academy. He specializes in an Indian folkdance/hip hop fusion style of dance and is the class leader. photo 2

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Fernanda Pinheiro de Oliveira salsa dances in her hometown of Rio de Janeiro. photo 3 Ana Buling recorded two songs “Go Crazy” and “Addiction” and a music video for “Go Crazy,” which aired on the Serbian music channel. Also, she has received nine first place awards in the Atlanta Dance Competition for ballroom dancing in the Latin division. photo 4 Myles Moody played with the Marine Corp Band in the percussion section and also plays a range of instruments from guitar to drums to bones. photo 5 Cio Brandau plays violin with the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra and won the National Symphony Orchestra award last year. photo 6 Ben Murphy is a member of three bands in the Atlanta area and plays upright bass, piano and saxophone. One of his bands won the “2007 Blues Challenge People’s Choice Award for Best Blues Band.” photo 7

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ALL HEART

Keely Bilthouse works as a medical translator and aide for English speaking doctors in villages of Nicaragua every year. photo 8 Anusha Sthanunathan traveled to Bethania Orphanage in India this summer to help build a library and taught English, math, science and dance at the local village’s primary school. photo 9 Naphun Nimmanonda traveled to rural Thailand for service projects. photo 10

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Amelia Zuver volunteers at hospitals during the summer and has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award. photo 11

Louis De Potesta is the student leader of the Food Bank CAS Group and has recruited many AIS students and faculty to join him volunteering at the Atlanta Community Food Bank. photo 12 Annie Farrell reorganized the Youth Service Advisory Board of Hands on Atlanta. She was also recognized in Atlanta Intown Paper’s inaugural 20 Under 20 for her community service. photo 13 Hannah Shore, Shiva Rouhani, Selina Keipert, Rohan Thompson, Mariette Marano and other AIS students traveled with their CAS group ProNiño to Honduras this summer to teach agricultural skills to street children at a rehabilitation center.

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FUTURE LEADERS AMONG US

Colin Hill went to Rome for the Mondialogo Symposium in grade 10 to represent AIS. Colin is also a strong candidate for the renowned Emerson Prize, which is awarded annually to students who were published in The Concord Review and have shown outstanding academic promise in history at the high school level. photo 14 Grayson Gibbs won first place in an Atlanta Magazine essay contest and second place in the JFK Profiles essay contest. He also chairs a committee for the Model Atlanta Regional Commission and interned at the mayor’s office for six weeks. photo 15

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Ciara O’Halloran represented her church at a Leadership Conference at the Notre Dame. photo 16 Lucia Stacey worked as the Georgia McCain Precinct Captain in this election year. photo 17

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FUTURE LEADERS AMONG US continued

Katherine Allegra Porter won the Vanderbilt Book award for her creativity, academic excellence and leadership. photo 18 Asurupi Gurung was nominated to attend a student conference at the UN International School. photo 19 Aude Broos participated in the Global Young Leaders Conference in Vienna, Budapest and Prague. photo 20

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Many of our seniors listed their participation in Model UN as one of their greatest and most rewarding achievements while at AIS.

ALL-STAR ATHLETES

Emily Robey-Phillips is a member of at Fencing Star Academy where she fences saber, the fastest of the three fencing weapons. She has also qualified for the Junior Olympics for the past two years and ranks fourth in the Georgia Division this season. photo 21 David Collura won the top prize in the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour’s tournament held in February this year. David shot 75-72 to win his age division and the overall event at Daniel Island S.C., which will host the PGA Nationwide Tour Championship later this year.

David hopes to play golf in college. photo 22 Kelsey Sanborn has been scuba diving in Turkey and Florida. She has received her Advanced Open Water Diving and Nitrox Diver certificates and enjoys cave diving, drift diving, deep diving and wreck diving. photo 23

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Daniel Levine competes in club gymnastics.

He made the USA Gymnastics All-American Team and competed at AAU National Championships in Orlando. photo 24 Alia Reid is a black belt in Tae Kwan Do. She came in first and second place in both sparring and forms at three state championships. photo 25

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Adam Davis went with his soccer team to the United Kingdom to play in two tournaments. photo 26 ge

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Unsung Heroes of Myanmar (page 11)

The Dreamers (page 14)

In an effort to preserve our environment, AIS asks that you please recycle this magazine after enjoying it.

Gap Year in Rwanda (page 16)