Waves Magazine Summer 2012

Bonn International School Magazine | Summer 2012 | magazine@bonn-is.de

Herzlichen Dank, mucho gracias, merci beaucoup, thank you so much!

After many years of service to Waves, Meg Ramirez and Rosemary Hewitt will be stepping down from the magazine after publication of this issue.

Meg has been a tireless editor, writer, cheerleader and organizer for the magazine while Rosemary has been in charge of advertising, ensuring that the magazine covers its costs, as well as being a treasured translator and story chaser. Both women have put countless hours, energy and enthusiasm into Waves and are due great appreciation from the BIS community.

Best of luck in all your new endeavors, Meg and Rosemary!

Cover artwork contributors: Ben, Beatrix, JP, Caroline, Thomas, Davien, Helene, Mevine, Hannah, Kevin, Jordan, Alli, Nancy, Mark S, Max Grade 10 Visual Art students were given one section each of a mystery picture, and 45 minutes to create a small piece of art. They were not allowed to try and put the pieces together to figure it out and had no idea what they were drawing as a whole. Pencil, paint, charcoal, coloured paper and all sorts of materials were used. Once all students had completed their mystery part of the puzzle, we selected pieces that fit together well and assembled this final piece. The students were then shown how their pieces fit together, and the mystery person was revealed! There were many great pieces, and we had a hard time choosing ones that fit together as there was such great creativity and variety.

Jo Tilton and Leilani Dela Cruz

contents 2

BIS Security

3

REFLECTIONS by Stephen Middlebrook

4

After School Activities – Non Sport

5

Rugby 7's

6

Sports Results

7

Bonn Marathon

8

Spotlight on local clubs and Summer Camps

Agnieszka Boud,

10

Day trips and fun family outings close to home

Terri Dhu,

14

Introducing our new Director

16

TEDxYouth@BIS

Mariana Näslund,

18

What is the Grade 5 exhibition?

Robyn Thomas,

20

Grade 2 in Space

Meg Ramirez

21

Wax Museum – Grade 3

Advertising Coordinator:

22

The American Embassy Club

Rosemary Hewitt

24

Learning German – Grades 1 and 2

26

The Crystal Ball and the Agora Building

28

Variety Show

29

Muck-up Day – Grade 12

30

Joining the club – A “guide” to being an expat parent

32

Grade 12 visual art exhibition

Imprint:

Bonn International School e.V., Martin-Luther-King-Strasse 14, 53175 Bonn

Magazine Staff:

Janet Hannah, Rosemary Hewitt,

Layout and Design Coordinator: Janet Hannah Proof-reading Coordinator: Chris Wake

Orthodontist Dr. MED. Dent. ASTRID WELLER-BERGMANN

1

BIS SECURITY

rd a d n a t S ” J “ e th

What is the “personality” of a community or school? Is it possible to have a personality?

Does Bonn International School have one? Could it be that one person could portray our best features to ourselves and the outside world? let us give the new staff a chance to get to know us. You may have already met Carmen who is the first of our new security team. Be polite and respectful as the team members get to know us and we get to know them.

The easiest way for this to work is to WEAR YOUR BADGE. And we mean YOUR badge, not your sister's or your mum's.

If you lose your badge, go immediately to reception for a temporary one or a replacement.

When I think of BIS's personality, the

With the opening of the Agora Building

first thing that jumps to mind is the first

in August, there will be many changes in

person I see when entering and the last

the BIS community. School security is

person I see when leaving – “J”. J is

one area that will have changes and we

more than the first line of defence and

all have to make a conscious effort to

protection of our children when they

do our part to ensure that our security

are at school. He is the face of the BIS

is maintained.

Community, a friendly face who is loved by all kids, adults and dogs.

At the moment we are not clear on what will be expected from the traffic arriving and leaving by car, bike and foot. Nor do we know exactly how the parking will look but all will be revealed in time for the start of the new school year.

Please make yourselves aware of what is expected and follow the rules. They

I recently had the opportunity to speak

are for ALL community members and

with J about security at BIS in general

ultimately for everyone's convenience

In a community where members come

and what we can expect next year. Here

and safety.

from over 60 different countries, it is

are some points he would like us to be

almost impossible to find a topic we

aware of.

all see the same way – but there is one thing we can agree on – we all love J!

sense and have your own sense of

To start with, we will have two buildings

security and respect the people who

and therefore two entry points.

are working hard to keep you and your

Security staff will double from

children safe. Naturally we will continue

what it is currently.

our

That means that there will be new faces watching to see who

informal

cooperation

with

the

police who regularly patrol around our buildings and playing fields.

enters and exits the buildings.

If you have any concerns, please do not

I do not imagine that many

hesitate to address them to J in person

people have the memory for

or by e-mail. The next time you see him,

faces, favourite colours and

say hi and...

football teams that J has but,

2

Most importantly, use your common

THANK YOU!

REFLECTIONS My homework for the last few weeks has been to write some reflections about my time here at BIS. Not an easy job, I am afraid. What I am really doing, as I look back on the last two years, is looking back even farther.

In September, it will have been 40 years since I arrived in Turin, Italy, to take up the teaching of six sixth graders at the international school there. From there, my life took me to seven other international schools. What one remembers most is not the place, so much as the people. I do think one of the most surprising things about Bonn is about how beautiful it is here when the sun is out and the cold winds are no longer blowing. I would also say that all the places where we have lived have been beautiful places—Jumairah Beach in Dubai; the mapled-hills of Minoh, outside Osaka, where every autumn millions of people trudge up the mountain to take part in what New Englanders call “leaf peeping”; Athens, where despite the smog and the grime of a huge city, there is the breath-taking moment when the illuminated Parthenon hoves into sight or descending a hair-pin road in the Peleponnesus, suddenly you see the cobalt sea below with a tiny fishing village attached; and living so close to one of the world’s great rivers with its history, mythology, extraordinary rhythm of life and work, and the dazzling little villages linings its banks and those of its tributaries. Still, when we remember all the previous beautiful places, we remember the people more than the sunsets.

I won’t attempt to enumerate all the people memories from here, but all of you should know that we’ll be thinking about you for a long time to come.

“What one remembers most is not the place so much, as the people.”

The school will be in very good hands next year and beyond. The school has a great future ahead of it, and it will be fun to hear snippets of news from time to time.

3

AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES - NON SPORTS BIS offers a wide range of after-school non-sporting activities for all ages from Early Learning through to Grade 12. Participation in activities is a great way to foster creativity and discover new challenges. We encourage an inclusive atmosphere where there is something for everyone to enjoy and have fun.

Many activities are offered by BIS staff or volunteers and carry

Language Clubs BIS also organises after-school language clubs and lessons for students. Lessons currently offered are: French, Spanish, Mandarin, Italian, Swedish, Arabic and Dutch.

Other activities and clubs including:

no fee. Other activities are provided by outside groups or

Origami, Robotics, Art Group, Dance, Scouting, Maths Club,

individuals and do include a small fee. Please refer to the EC

Martial Arts, Model United Nations, Fitness Club, Drama for

Activity section of the parent website for specific information

Primary, Yearbook, Reading Lab-Italian.

on activities.

BIS is happy to announce that we are now partnering with

The EC activities offered at BIS this year are principally (but not

HalloMa, an organization that organises after-school activities

limited to) the following areas:

for many local Schools here in Bonn. HalloMa is a service provider of Art and Culture projects specialising in disciplines

Instrumental and Vocal Lessons BIS is happy to offer a range of lessons given by experienced BIS teachers and visiting music teachers. On offer are lessons

such as visual arts, dance and theatre. With their help, we can increase the number of activities offered, especially for Early Learning and Primary students.

in guitar, drums, violin, piano, woodwind and brass instruments,

Please see the website to learn more about the activities

and strings as well as vocal training. There are choir groups for

available and our new partner for after-school activities,

different ages including adults and the Blues Band.

HalloMa.

4

Gil Grant

The Bonn Rugby Sevens club has begun training and is rapidly growing. We have attracted a range of players from the age of 9 to 16 and we can now field 3 teams in the U12, U14 and U16 age groups.

Rugby Sevens is now recognised as an Olympic sport and will make its debut at the 2016 Summer Olympics, so its importance and profile on the international sports stage is ever-increasing. Greater numbers of international and local schools are building teams, so we will be looking forward to participating in a local Rugby Sevens league.

Previously in the school we have played non contact versions of this game, but the increasing demand for the contact version, and our entry into the NECIS tournament, has resulted in a thriving club. Many of our players come from different nationalities with no traditional rugby pedigree, but with the open nature of the seven-a-side version of the game, American football and basketball players are finding it easier to make an excellent transition.

Ed Smith

Check our wiki for schedules: www.collaboration.bonn-is. de/wiki/projects/bisrugbyclub/BIS_Rugby_Club.html

Call for more participation, community wide and

THANK YOU! We are always looking for new, sustainable activities to offer. We cannot always guarantee the appropriate space or time for an activity but our goal is to accommodate as many different activities as possible. If you are interested in running an activity or helping with an activity, contact Gil Grant at gilbert.grant@bonn-is.de Thanks to all of the many parents, teachers, volunteers and others who help to provide such an enriching after-school activities program for our students.

5

RESULTS SWIMMING - NECIS in Stavanger 3rd

U12 Girls 50m Breast Stroke

5th

U12 Girls 50m Freestyle

3rd

U16 Boys 100m Freestyle

4th

U16 Boys 50m Butterfly

2nd

U16 Boys 100m Backstroke

4th

U16 Boys 50m Freestyle

1st

U16 Boys 50m Backstroke

2nd

U12 Girls 50m Freestyle

2nd

U12 Girls 50m Backstroke

1st

U12 Girls 50m Butterfly

6th

U14 Girls 50m Butterfly

5th

U14 Girls 100m Butterfly

2nd

U14 Girls 100m Breast Stroke

6th

U14 Boys 100m Backstroke

2nd

U14 Girls 50m Breast Stroke

5th

U14 Girls 100m Breast Stroke

4th

U14 Girls 50m Breast Stroke

5th

U14 Girls 50m Freestyle

4th

U14 Girls Backstroke

Bente Koelink

4th

U12 Girls 25m Breast Stroke

Relay Team

3rd

U14 Girls 50m Freestyle

Relay Team

3rd

U14 Girls 50m Medley

Relay Team

4th

U12 Girls 25m Medley

Tess Lawson

Kevin Kopsieker

Hannah Wiedemann

Miriam Jimenez Lluva

Dhillon Welsh Chiara Schwarz

Claire Murphy

WINTER SPORTS - BASKETBALL Varsity Boys

12th ISST

Varsity Girls

8th

ISST

U14 Boys

8th

NECIS

U14 Girls

8th

NECIS

U12 Boys

9th

NECIS

U12 Girls

9th

NECIS

6

U12 Boys and Girls basketball teams both won the Sportsmanship Award

BIS entered two relay teams in the Annual Bonn Marathon on 22nd April. In the weeks leading up the Marathon, the students trained twice a week with coach Charlotte Box. Juliettes team (Juliette Deletain, Curtis Meyer, Jill Fox, Robert Pintar, James Wong, Thomas Matthews, and Lorenzo Pasanisi) finished in a time of 3:48:26.

Nisha's team (Nisha Dwivedi, Jack Lawson, Victor Castillo, Peter Bejin, Helle Huisman, Jourdan May) finished in a time of 3:24:24.

Other Notable results: Jack Lawson ran 10k in 41 minutes!

Congratulations to all the runners for all the effort put into training and for such fantastic results.

Well done!

7

Spotlight on

Joining a local club in your area is one of the best ways to feel

The next best option is to search on the internet. With a few

part of your community. This is particularly true for newcomers

exceptions, most sport names are the same in german. You

to Germany, but even if you have been here for some years,

will need to be aware of some useful german words first:

it’s never too late to join in. Do not let the fact that you do not speak German fluent stop you from getting involved. Most clubs will have members and/or coaches who speak some English and, it’s a fantastic way to improve your German language skills. It’s also surprisingly affordable.

We hope the information in this article can help you find out about your local clubs. We have concentrated on the main areas that BIS families live in, i.e. Bonn (which includes Bad Godesberg and Beuel) and Wachtberg (which includes Pech and Villip).

SV (short for Sport Verein)

Sports Club

SSV

Swimming and Sport Club (where swimming is the main sport)

Gemeinde

Community

Freizeit

Recreation

Jugend

Youth

Erwachsener

Adult

Einzel

Individual

Unterricht

Instruction

Abteilung

Department

Turnen

Gymnastics

Local clubs usually charge about €70 to €80 per annum for a

Lauftreff

Running group

family membership. They typically have a main sport such as

Tanz

Dance

football or swimming, but almost all offer other recreational

Reitsport

Horseriding

activities like gymnastics, yoga, pilates, zumba, running groups,

Anfahrt

Directions

table tennis, dancing and badminton, just to name a few. Many of these activities are offered free of charge. However, if you

Websites to start your search:

have individual coaching or instruction, for example tennis

www.bonn.de and www.wachtberg.de

coaching, there will be an additional fee for this. The usual

Click on Tourism/Freitzeit, then Vereine or Sport Vereine. Enter

payment method is via annual direct debit, which the club will

the type of sport you’re interested in to see a list of clubs

give you the paperwork for.

offering that sport.

So how do you go about finding the right club? Word of mouth

www.familienzentrum-wachtberg.de

is undoubtedly a good place to start. Ask around, particularly

FamilienZentrum

other families at school with children in the same grade. It

Kindergartens. Wachtberg’s pre-school in Villip also offers

could be as easy as turning up to a training session and just

things like childrens gymnastics, yoga and pilates, art classes

joining in!

and relaxation/meditation classes for a small fee.

8

is

the

website

for

pre-schools

and

Clubs recommended by BIS families Swimming

www.pgl.co.uk This organisation has a huge variety of camps and adventure

www.ssf-bonn.de

holidays including beach watersports in France, surfing in

Schwimm und Sportfreunde Bonn (SSF)

Devon, pony trekking in Wales, motorsports, Disneyland Paris

(BIS swim team trains here.)

and even learner driver camps for teenagers.

www.ISV-badgodesberg.de Internationale Schwimm Verein (ISV) Football

If you prefer a little closer to home why not try: www.capitals.de

www.fcpech.de

The Bonn Capitals have two summer baseball camps this year

www.djk-bw-friesdorf.de

for boys and girls aged 6-14 years and will be held on 9-13th

www.sv-wachtberg.de

July and 6-10th August 2012.

Rugby

www.bthv.de

www.rcbrs.de Baseball www.capitals.de Basketball www.telekom-baskets-bonn.de Ballet and Dance

Bonner Tennis and Hockey e.V offer a variety of tennis and hockey camps over the Summer for children from 5 to 16 years. The organiser is Kay Milner and she grew up in the US. Check out the website or contact Kay at info@bthv.de

www.ballettakademie-bonn.de

Bonn Sommerferienaktion

Ballet Akademie Desiderio-von BĂźhler

(Summer Holiday Activities) This link will take you to a pdf

www.bzvb.de Ballet Zentrum Vadim Bondar

download which is full of information on clubs in the area.

www.academie-de-danse-godesberg.de

www.bonn.de/familie_gesellschaft_bildung_soziales/kind_

Academie de Danse, Bad Godesberg

jugend_familie/freizeit/02288/index.html

www.lepehne-herbst.de Herbst-Lepehne Dance School

Special thanks to Arnulf Marquardt-Kuron and

Ice Hockey

Claudia Niessing for their help with this article.

www.ehc-troisdorf.de For all ages. Also offers skate lessons.

Wrestling (Ringen in German) www.tksv-duisdorf.de As a final word of advice, if you have trouble making contact via telephone or email the best thing is to turn up to a training session. Most club websites will show training times for

ing "It could be as easy as turn d up to a training session an just joining in!"

specific teams/age groups.

Summer Camps Summer camps, whether residential or non-residential, are a great holiday alternative for children and teenagers. Many of the local sports clubs mentioned above also offer holiday sports camps. Most are held Monday to Friday and are nonresidential but some clubs do offer residential week long training camps for sports like swimming. There are also several large organisations offering summer camps throughout Europe. www.outwardbound.org.uk Outward Bound run camps in Wales, England and Scotland for children aged 11 and up. They will help with transport arrangements to the UK. www.campadventure.de Camp Adventure run camps in Germany, Spain, Austria, Canada and Ireland. The beach camp at GrĂśmitz on the Baltic Sea is a great one and features water sports like windsurfing, kayaking and sailing.

9

Nearby ‘Must See’ Cities

On your doorstep

Köln (Cologne) - our closest neighbor,

Limburg an der Lahn

a hub of activity with great shopping

On the Lahn River, off the A3 on the

districts and restaurants. The main

way

attraction is the Dom, the largest gothic

Cathedral lords over the village on a

to

Frankfurt. Saint

George’s

cathedral in Northern Europe.

hill. The old town is packed full of half-

Düsseldorf

timber houses. Some of them lean

-

shopping

or

sightseeing and only an hour away.

Aachen

over so much that they almost touch the neighboring buildings. Don’t miss

- was the capital of Europe

walking down below the cathedral next

in A.D. 800. See the Pfalzkapelle in

to the Lahn River and checking out the

Oelberg in the Siebengebirge and view

the old town center and the Shrine of

Alte Lahnbrücke (old Lahn bridge) built

the Rhine down below.

Charlemagne.

in 1306.

Walk up to

Berggasthof

on the

Trier Ruins,

has some impressive Roman including

the

Porto

Nigra

(Black Gate).

The Imperial Baths in Trier

Burg Drachenfels

Drachenfels and

Schloss

- Burg Drachenfels

(Castle)

Drachenburg;

53639 Königswinter Walk up or take the

Drachenfelsbahn (train) to Burg Drachenfels (the

up ruin

at the top) and walk down to Castle Drachenburg. Opened in 1883 it is Germany’s oldest rack railway. www.drachenfelsbahn-koenigswinter.de www.schloss-drachenburg.de Guided tours start on the hour.

10

Trier

Limburg

Maria Laach Situated in the Volcanic Region of the

Andernach Geyser Andernach Geyser

Eifel, created by a volcanic crater over

Discovered by the Romans in 12BC and

hosts

(max.

10,000 years ago. The 11th century

the

64m)

world’s

cold

water

highest geyser.

Visit www.geysir-andernach.de

Maria Laach Cloisters are home to about 60 Benedictine Monks. The concerts in the church are commendable. www. marialaach.de The website is in German,

Walled Cities

but you can use an internet translator for help.

Bad Münstereifel

Augustusburg Palace - Brühl

Another

beautiful

town

in

the

spectacular Eifel landscape. Boasts

This Rococo masterpiece built from

an ironmonger, an old bakery and

1700-1768 and initially a residence

glass-blower’s hut. Also has great

for the Archbishop of Köln, Clemens

antique

August of Wittelsbach and has been

and

bric-a-brac

shops.

Visit www.eifelfuehrer.de (German).

on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1984. Visit: www.schlossbruehl.de

Zons

(German only)

Famous for its medieval fortifications – some of the most complete and impressive remaining in Germany. The walls,

Limburg

or

Stadtbefestigung,

almost

completely ring the city still. Around the town views can be had of the walls, and the various towers. The Mühlenturm is perhaps most notable, now a windmill.

The former entrance to the town is at the Rheinturm. The Juddeturm used to be a prison.

Monschau With its castle, half-timbered houses, mustard mill and glass-blowing centre, Monschau is well worth a visit. The old town, often known as the “Pearl of the Rhine” is just as it was 300 years ago.

Visit www.monschau.de (English available)

Aachen

Wineries There are plenty of wineries to enjoy

Dagernova

in the area. Here are some websites to

53474 Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler

start your search:

www.dagernova.de

The

Ahr Valley website has a list of

Winzer

wineries and it is in English too!

53508 Mayschoss/Ahr,

www.ahrtal.de/en/weingueter

www.winzergenossenschaft-mayschoss.de

11

Maasmechelen Village Outlet

Shopping

3630 Maasmechelen, Belgium www.maasmechelenvillage.com A lovely outdoor mall with 113 shops providing 30-60% savings all year

Antique Shopping

round. You may want to also consider

Tongeren, Belgium

driving

to

Maastricht,

Netherlands

(birthplace of the European Union and the euro) and exploring the historic downtown. The old Dominican Church there was built in 1294 and now has the Selexyz Dominicanen bookstore in it. It takes sustainable buildings up a notch.

The oldest city in Belgium, founded in 15 BC as a supply station and base for the Roman troops in the Rhine region guarding the road to Cologne.

The Sunday antique market, from 5am (8:30 am is early

CentrO Mall

enough!!) until 13:00, follows

46047 Oberhausen www.centro.de

the streets around the old

An indoor mall with over 250 stores.

town wall, fills squares and two huge halls with more

Designer Outlet Roermond

than

6041 TD Roermond, Netherlands

There is also a concentration of some

The market is located along Leopoldwal

www.designer-outlet-roermond.com

40 antiques stores around the area. The

and Veemarkt Streets, with the remains

Outdoor mall with “more than 200

quality is very good — no junk but an

of the Roman city wall from the 2nd

350

dealers’

stalls.

designer brands at 30-70% reduction”.

incredible wealth of antiques, art deco

century in the background and the

Consider also a 10 minute walk to the

objects, old books, fine crystals or just

Moerenpoort (Moeren Gate), built 1379,

old downtown of Roermond.

plain interesting stuff.

standing by.

Other activities Waldabenteuer Boat Cruise on the Rhine

like you are in a forest; you’ll be getting

die Wald-Kletterparks

Taking a cruise down the Rhine is a

exercise too. Wear comfortable shoes,

www.wald-abenteuer.de

great way to discover the many towns

you’ll be walking up and down hills.

A huge forest area of 5 hectares, more

Düsseldorf Ship Company offers many

Köln Zoo

5 giant zip lines

great options. You can choose your

50735 Köln (about a ½ hour drive)

starting and finishing port, e.g. a walk

www.koelnerzoo.de

Sommer-Rodelbahn

through the cobbled streets of Linz will

This zoo also has a wonderful aquarium.

53505 Altenahr

transport you to the days gone by, or

The terrain is flatter than the Wuppertal

www.sommerrodelbahn-altenahr.de

visit its torture museum or glass blowing

zoo so walking around is easier.

(Open Apr – October)

such as Unkel and Linz also offer wine

Phantasialand

A Go Go Valkenburg

tasting. For more information visit

50321 Brühl www.phantasialand.de

6301 CJ Valkenburg Netherlands

Bronx Rock Kletterhalle

and rodelbahn (toboggan) outside

Indoor rock climbing

www.agogovalkenburg.nl/UK/home

than 60 climbing challenges for all ages,

and castles along the river. The Köln-

demonstrations. A lot of the little towns

Laser tag & paint ball in a cave, chairlift

www.k-d.com or www.b-p-s.de (German and English)

Wuppertal Zoo

50389 Wesseling

42117 Wuppertal (about a 1 hour drive)

www.bronxrock.de (There is also a ropes

Monte Mare

www.zoo-wuppertal.de

assult course nearby organised by the

53359 Rheinbach

Not only will you see animals and feel

same company)

www.monte-mare.de

12

indoor pool complex

Marksburg

Castles on the Rhine The

Rhine

River

begins

Roman at

the

Rheinwaldhorn Glacier in the Swiss Alps and flows to the North Sea for approximately 1,320 km (820 miles) and is right next to BIS. The section of the Rhine Valley between Koblenz and Rüdesheim / Bingen is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. This part of the Rhine is considered to be the most beautiful with its narrow valley and steep hillsides. It is also the most romantic. On average, a castle can be seen every two kilometers (1.2 miles).

Drive up the Rhine to look at all the castles. The B9 will take you down the westside and the B42 the eastside.

On the B9 you will see Stolzenfels, Rheinfels,

Schönburg,

Stahleck,

Sooneck,

Reichenstein,

Rheinstein

and Mäuseturm castles. It will take you through the cities of Remagen, Koblenz, Boppard, St. Goar, Bacharach and on and on. Remagen has the historical remains of the Remagen Bridge (WWII).

Koblenz has the historic Deutsche Eck (German corner) and has a gondola ride that takes you from it to Ehrenbreitstein Castle on the other side of the River.

Boppard has a fourth-century wall and

Goar

towers. has

St.

Rheinfels

Castle. It is a fantastic ruin. It was once the biggest

castle

on

the Rhine. Built in 1245. Take flashlights because

you

can

walk through tunnels!!

And

then

there

Bacharach

with

vineyards,

six

is its city

towers and Werner Kapelle.

The B42 is on the other

side

of

the

Rhine. To get to it, take

the

Adenauer

KonradBridge

(A562 — The one near BIS) and follow the exit signs for the B42 or Königswinter and keep on going.

On the B42 you will see Ehrenbreitstein,

and drive along the Mosel River to

Lahneck,

Sterrenberg,

Koblenz and take the B9 home. The B9

Liebenstein, Maus, Katz, Gutenfels and

takes you back to Bonn along the Rhine

Marksburg,

Pfalz castles. It will take you through

River. And of course there are more

the cities of St. Goarshausen, Kaub and

castles to see on the banks of the Mosel

Lorch. You can also drive up to the top

and Rhine!! By the way, you and the kids

of the Loreley for a great view of the

can swim in the Mosel River.

Rhine valley.

Sommer-Rodelbahn

Burg Eltz 56294 Münstermaifeld Tours daily from 9:30-17:30 www.burg-eltz.de This castle is nestled in the Mosel valley. Burg Eltz remains the private property of the Eltz family. A guided tour through the interior takes you through

Reichsburg Castle Schloßstraße 36 56812 Cochem Guided tours daily from 9:00-7:00 www.reichsburg-cochem.de Reichsburg Castle is right on the Mosel River and has a fantastic view of the area. Cochem is a great German town to visit.

Kim Meyer

the weapons room with its grand collection. The castle’s Rodendorf kitchen is still intact from the Middle Ages. Get there early in the day to avoid the tourist buses. It’s a beautiful area with great hiking trails.

When you’re done with Burg Eltz, head down to Moselkern

13

Introducing our New Director

We are all sorry to have to say goodbye to Stephen Middlebrook, we have come to know him as a kind and thoughtful man who seeks fairness in all things. We wish him all the best and look forward to hearing from him with tales of his new adventures.

On his recent trip to Bonn, we had the opportunity to sit down with our new school director,

What were your first impressions of BIS?

Which was your favorite place to live and why?

I arrived for the interviews with a great sense of anticipation.

I have lived in eight countries, and each one has had a unique

BIS has a strong reputation in international school circles, and

appeal. I cannot compare Dar es Salaam to New York, but I

it is located in an attractive setting. Everything I saw lived up to my expectations. I had the luxury of viewing all aspects with a critical eye, and as much as I appreciated what I saw, I also saw areas needing change and innovation. It is not wise, however, to jump to conclusions after a quick first impression,

loved living in both. One offered the best safaris and sailing, the other was a cultural feast. I tend to discover and make the most of the place where I live, so the enjoyment factor remains high.

and I look forward to discovering the place intimately before making judgments.

What do you see as your biggest challenge at BIS?

Tell us about your family; what languages do you speak and where have you lived?

One of the most difficult challenges in changing schools and

I am the youngest of three brothers and we grew up in Windhoek, Namibia. We spoke German to my father and English to my mother, so I grew up bilingually. In addition I am

jobs is rebuilding a knowledge base. After 5 years in Lusaka I am able to advise, guide, help direct and inform people on any aspect of school, city and Zambian life. I need to get familiar with the practices and quirks of BIS. I don’t know Bonn yet,

fluent in Afrikaans, and speak basic French. When I was 14,

but local knowledge is an essential element of understanding

we left Namibia and moved to Cape Town, South Africa, where

a school. So the biggest challenge to me is building an

I still have a home.

institutional knowledge base.

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What elements of your personal and professional life will be positively affected most by being at BIS? I am passionate about my profession and long to share my expertise. Changing to a new school brings a whole new set of challenges, and I thrive on blending good existing practices with my vision of a good education.

On a personal level, I have always had a desire to live in Germany. It will give me an opportunity to get to know my large family base in Germany, and to visit old European hunting grounds and discover new places throughout Europe.

The last few years, all pastimes were overshadowed by the need to write my dissertation. Now that I have completed my degree, I fully intend to follow old passions such as painting and cooking.

Have you ever come face-to-face with a wild animal?

Yes, I was heading for my cabin in a safari lodge once - it was pitch dark - and didn’t notice an elephant crossing the path ahead of me, until I walked into his leg. I’m not sure who was more afraid and who ran away faster, the elephant or me.

Last weekend I joined some students to visit an elephant

What will you miss most about Lusaka?

orphanage close to Lusaka. Lilayi camp looks after baby

I will miss the space. The school is set on 23 acres of land, and

elephants that have been orphaned, and mostly horribly

I live on a lush one-acre property. Every evening I go to my

injured, by poachers. It was an amazingly endearing and

vegetable patch and pick my dinner. Right now I am flooded

powerful experience spending time and getting so close to

with all the avocados, papayas and mangoes growing on trees

these animals. The aim is to release them back into the wild when they are ready.

in the garden.

I will miss the very cohesive and supportive

community

Do you have/like pets?

that

I am the temporary owner of a wonderful tabby

makes up this school.

cat called Alice. He (yes, Alice is a boy) came

Zambia is a friendly, safe and

with my contract. He lived with three previous

peaceful place to live, and I will

Directors of AISL before me. The board insisted

miss the kindness I have been

he be passed on to my successor, and he is

shown.

listed on the Director’s contract as a part of the job

I will miss the safaris, the animals

description. Alice is missing one front leg, but that

and the wild natural beauty of this

doesn’t hold him back from living life to the full. He

place.

follows me to school every morning (I live next door to school), sits on the reception desk all day (where he

I will miss the African bush

is cuddled by students throughout the day) and then

across the road, where I can do some extreme mountain biking.

And I’ll miss Alice, my three-legged cat.

Where do you go for holidays?

“I didn’t notice an elephant crossing the path ahead of me, until I walked into his leg”

follows me home after work. He is the school’s mascot.

What is your favorite book?

My reading fluctuates between serious non-fiction or professional reading, and light fiction. Recently I

enjoyed reading The Help and Stieg Larsson’s trilogy. For total

Living in Lusaka gave me plenty opportunity to spend time

escape I will pick up a John Grisham or Joanne Harris book, or

in my Cape Town home and to spend time with my ageing

a book from the Ladies No.1 Detective series. While doing my

parents. Cape Town will always be my favorite holiday

recent research however, I also got addicted to reading and

destination, but I look forward to spending time in the great

contributing to professional literature.

selection of European destinations.

Community cohesiveness:

What are your favorite hobbies – do you play any sports?

International schools have a unique base from which to work

Sports have always been my favorite pastime. I used to be a

are generally unsettled from their familiar national and cultural

for a community. People come from diverse background and

serious gymnast (hard to believe, I know) and a swimmer, but

background. The school provides a good point of reference

now I just work at keeping myself fit. I swim, go to the gym, do

for them, and it is the school’s responsibility to provide a base

lots of cycling, and play tennis.

that promotes cohesiveness.

15

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How did it start?

Tosca worked many extra

Social media is the great networker of the 21st century. In March 2011, inspired by an Adora Svitak’s TED talk www.ted. com/talks/lang/en/adora_svitak.html, Tosca Killoran sent out a short message on Facebook: “Who wants to help me set up an event for kids?”. The results were surprising. People from all over the globe responded, but it was BIS teachers Tosca Killoran and Brenna McNeil who worked collaboratively to make the first TEDxYouth@BIS event happen in June 2011. With the support of a handful of teachers, and under a hundred euros out of pocket, they scraped by to make the event a reality. It was worth it, as the speakers were powerful and the ideas they shared were inspiring.

hours to not only educate the BIS community about TEDx, but to involve more of the parents, teachers and

administration

in

the event process. And it worked! The community rallied and TEDxYouth@ BIS started to receive in-kind donations of time, skill and goods from all over the BIS community. The Parent Volunteer Committee, the Development Office, the Extracurricular Activities Coordinator all donated funds. Individual parents designed posters and worked on sets; and teachers took on mentoring speakers, volunteering their time for voice coaching workshops and editing speeches.

All told the TEDxYouth@BIS 2012 event community grew to 36 volunteers, 17 mentor teachers and 17 speakers! Without their generous support the event would never have been the great success it was.

In addition, special guest blogger, Tudor Tarlev, who travels the world attending TEDx events, contacted the organizers and asked to join this year’s BIS event. This highlights the

TEDxYouth@BIS 2011

reach of TEDx and the global community that TEDxYouth@ BIS is now part of.

In November 2011, Tosca attended the TEDx European Organizers’ Summit and was given the feedback by Lara Stein, the director of TEDx, that the BIS students’ ideas were indeed amazing, but BIS needed to make the next event of higher production value. Tosca reflected on Lara’s suggestions and for a short while considered letting the event license expire and the dream end.

Perhaps most essential to the event success was the decision that the TEDxYouth@BIS theme this year mirror the grade 5 PYP exhibition. Jeff and Jillian Priestly were then able to teach the students the skills to develop their ideas and turn them into action. This enabled the students to use their TEDxYouth talk as merely another vehicle to spread their ideas and inspire action in others. What an amazing result! Not only the grade

Luckily, this year Tosca was joined by grade 5 teacher Jeff

5 students, but other students in the MYP and DP years were

Hoffart as an organizer for TEDxYouth@BIS. This was the

able to confidently share the actions they had taken with the

boost the event needed. With renewed enthusiasm Jeff and

ENTIRE world.

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TEDxYouth@BIS 2012 What is TEDx

But, how does TEDxYouth relate to

and why should the BIS community be invested in it?

BIS as an IB school?

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local,

The learner profile is the tie that binds all the programs of

self-organized events that bring people together to share a

the IB. Early in the PYP, children are invited to be risk-takers,

TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live

aspire to be inquirers and strive to be communicators. At the

speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. These events provide a professional platform for speakers to share ideas with the globe. There are many success stories of youth speakers on TEDx who have gone on to sign book and movie deals, to be sponsored by multimillion dollar corporations and to be invited to speak at a TED conference.

end of their explorations, the IB expects that children will be inspired to take authentic action. Action, as defined by the IB, is not a one-off, tick box event; it is a sustained state of mind.

It is a desire children develop to be change agents in their world. Jeff and Tosca believe that TEDxYouth@BIS provides students the skills and opportunities to take action and sustain it throughout their educative careers.

What’s next for TEDxYouth@BIS? It is Jeff and Tosca’s goal to mentor youth organizers and a

So, what is TED?

youth team to take over the event and have it run 100% by

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world's leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18

BIS students. On the 18th of November 2012 a global sync of TEDxYouth events happens and TEDxYouth@BIS would like to be part of it. The aim is to have live streamed events from all over the world simulcast from and to BIS so that youth around the globe can be inspired by one another.

minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED

TEDxYouth@BIS is about young people who are passionate

speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth

about changing the world and people who attend the event to

Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe

share their ideas, engage in conversations that matter, and be

Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK

inspired to take action themselves. With that in mind, have you

Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

been inspired and how can you help?

-UCATE YOURSELF

To help the community understand more about TED, TEDx and all the TED initiatives, Jeff, Tosca and volunteer parent, Janet Hannah wrote an ebook entitled, TED-ucate Yourself.

Available for free download on itunes: itunes.apple.com/ us/book/teducate-yourself/ id526065224?ls =1&fb_source =message

Tosca Killoran

or PDF download: by visiting Jeff and Tosca’s Ed-ucation Publishing website: www.ed-ucation. ca/ted

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Grade 5 Students and Teachers We worked in groups researching our themes and planning our action. This was really challenging because we had to stay on task and not get distracted.

We were responsible for planning how to use our class time, and we all learned very quickly that if you don’t use your time effectively, life could become very stressful!

The Exhibition is the culmination, the summing up, of all the years of the Primary Years Program education.

The idea is that the Exhibition draws on all the things we have learned, and all the skills we have developed over our entire schooling experience.

This isn’t just a major project for Grade 5. We had to make a personal connection with our topic and plan what we wanted to do. The Exhibition was a great opportunity for us to show the community who we are and what we can contribute through taking action.

This year’s theme was “Sharing our Humanity” and we explored Global of sub-themes the Poverty, Digital Divide, Diversity and Inclusion, Education for All and Peace and Conflict. We completed some research at the beginning to get an idea of what the themes were about and what we might want to do. As a whole grade we came up with the central idea “Children have the right to access resources, empowering them to overcome challenges and become valued members of a global community.”

18

The biggest challenge of the Exh ibition was doing our action. It had to be sustainable and really make cha nge in people’s lives. The thing we enjo yed the most about Exhibition was sha ring our learning and action through our presentations. We found that we had to adjust our style and vocabu lary depending on who we were pres enting to - EL5 was a very different aud ience to parents! We were very nerv ous to begin with, but as we talked with more and more people we got better and better at explaining our Exh ibition journey.

We found out that teachers were very supportive in helping us achieve our goals, especially allowing us time to speak with their classes for which we give them a huge THANK YOU. We would also like to thank our mentors, teachers, support staff and parents for supporting us along our journey it was tough, but really worth it!

We would lik e your con tinued sup in helping u port s create su stainable a ction by visiting our Action Hub www.actio nhub.weeb ly.com

You should be so proud of yourselves as your parents are of you. You have come up with some great actions.

Great job grade fives on risk-taking, researching, and putting together an amazing exhibition.

We as adults are encouraged to see that when you are older, you will grow up to be caring, thoughtful world citizens.

These kids have matured beyond their age during the last 2 months.

Truly amazing!

It’s easy to forget how creative, powerful, and inspiring kids are. This exhibition reminds you, in such a way, that it’s just overwhelming!

I am so impressed by the way in which the exhibitors planned their information and presented their messages. In particular, I found the confidence displayed by every single child to be amazing and I felt proud to be a part of this.

The richness of knowledge, and to see such confidence and passion by 10 year olds is truly inspiring!

I am amazed at the quality, depth, knowledge and understanding they have.

Everyone was super well prepared and it was a joy to listen to such enthusiastic students that are so connected to what they researched and to the actions they created!

Teachers Parents

EL5 Students

GRADE 5 Exhibition Feedback

My Wow moment was seeing so many grade five students presenting their hard work so confidently!

Very knowledgeable students.

The action ideas were very powerful!

Everyone was really enthusiastic to go see the grade 5 exhibition.

When they came back, they had a super smile!

I appreciated that you taught me that we need to help other people

Grade 5 Students I learned that the Exhibition is not just a project, not just about marks, but is about taking action and making a change.

I appreciate how you inspired me with your work and you taught me new words

When we started, I thought the Exhibition was going to be really hard. But, I look back on it and it was really fun!

Our group realized that we have a common goal and we pulled together to make a change - because it matters to others.

19

In March, Grade 2 went on a BIS field trip to the European Space Agency. We visited this place because our unit was about space. Our central idea was, “Our understanding of how the universe changes over time.” The ESA trains astronauts to work in the International Space Station. It was very special because not a lot of people get to go there. This is what we explored during the trip...

First, we went to the model of the ISS. Then, we met Dr. Bosca and he told us about his work. Dr. Bosca is a man who works at the space station. The replica of the station was huge! It was so interesting to see the model.

Next, we went to see the communication center. There were a lot of computers to practice talking to the ISS folks. Not many people could talk to the astronauts. The man and woman can talk to the ISS workers for a few minutes. Sometimes people could see the astronauts.

The communication center was very exciting!

Soon after that, we went to a special pool where the astronauts practice floating. We saw a man jump into the water. They practiced repairing the space center in water because floating in water is like floating in space without gravity. The pool is ten meters deep. It was exciting to see the man in the pool because he had a special swimming suit.

20

Later, we saw a part of the space capsule and we got to enter inside!!! We went to the lab where the astronauts do chemical and biological experiments. Then, we went into another part of the capsule. The floor was made of glass and it felt like we were in space. After that, we saw how the astronauts sleep. We saw that they had velcro on the walls to hold things in place. Last, we saw they had computers attached to the walls of the space capsule. The space capsules were phenomenal.

Finally, we went to a room where we watched a 3D movie. When we wanted to watch the film we needed to wear 3D glasses. It was fantastic because one time the ISS became 3D and it came closer to us. In the movie some very terrific things happened like they zoomed in the pictures of the Earth very close and sometimes very far away. In the movie someone talked about interesting facts. That is what happened in the video!

A couple of days later Dr. Bosca sent us a bag of gifts.

We got a sticker, a patch, a key chain, a pin and a space pen. When we received the gifts all of us were thankful and very happy.

Thank you, Dr. Bosca, for the wonderful presents and for telling us about the International Space Station!

Written by, 2JW and edited by, 2CR

Grade 3's “Where we are in space and time� unit of inquiry saw the students research the experiences and achievements of a chosen explorer. They then shared their findings with their parents and other students in a fun and informative way. They created a wax museum and became their explorer, dressing in costume and

answering questions in the first person. As well as studying about what these explorers contributed to the world in the past, Grade 3 also examined the impact that they have had on our life today, and made predictions about what exploration would look like in the future.

Grade 3 Teachers: Colleen Butler and Pippa Gautrey

21

from the

American Embassy Club to the future

International Club Turning history into the present

The American (Embassy) Club Research Group Once upon a time, in the 1950s, there was a gem right

swim or a delicious hot dog down at the bowling alley,

beside the River Rhine, just around the corner from our

prepared with love by the cook called Elvira. Who does

school, called the American Embassy Club. A small

not remember Fritz the lifeguard, who used to watch the

flat-roofed building with a terrace leading to a big park:

pool through one corner of his eye, and RTL television

The Club was part of the British and American High

through the other!? Who does not remember Eddie the

Commission as it was developed within the context of

waiter down at the ranch cellar, or Nora at the reception;

the diplomatic missions after World War II. It was also

the Bonn Crusaders, and the Blue Marlins!? Even after

part of the American settlement, also known as the

10 years the closing down of the American Embassy Club

HICOG-settlement, which had been established for the

still saddens me. I miss the people and friends there,

same reason. There was an American supermarket where

but especially I miss what was often referred to as "the

residents could buy American goods tax free, and they

best basketball court in Bonn". You would always find

could go to the church service of the American Protestant

someone for a game of Tip-In or just practise by yourself,

Church if they wanted to. Moreover, as most of you know, our school is built on the grounds of the former American High School.

In 1999, the American Embassy Club was closed, several years after the

22

Wouldn’t you like to get some impressions of what it used to be like being a member at the American Embassy Club, during the 1950s and the 1960s?

someone would always join. Honestly, without

the

club,

weekends

just

became increasingly boring. And all I can say is that I really miss the time spent there.”

Chancellor

Konrad

Adenauer

and

American Embassy had moved to Berlin in the mid 1990s.

President John F. Kennedy met in the Club in June 1963

Ever since, the Club building has not been used again

for an evening dinner and toasted German-American

(what for?). Today, in 2012, it is in ruins. It is dangerous,

friendship just before Kennedy left for his trip to Berlin

even forbidden, to walk inside and there is a security

where he held his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech.

fence around the building. At the same time, it is under

Obviously, there were countless occasions for the former

historic preservation orders due to its historic importance:

American and international community to celebrate at the

as such, it will never be torn down.

American Embassy Club.

But wait! This is only half of the fairy tale. Wouldn’t you

The American Embassy Club is now under lease to BIS for

like to get some impressions of what it used to be like

the next 99 years. Therefore, some parents have recently

being a member at the American Embassy Club, during

established an American Embassy Club research group to

the 1950s and the 1960s?

dig deeper into the impressive history of this building. The

Here is a memory from someone who spent a lot of time

group focuses on the gathering of accounts from witnesses

at the American Embassy Club during the 80’s and 90’s

and collecting information on the history and the activities

and remembers it with much fondness: “Who does not

of the Club. The group really wants to make clear to our

remember the hours, weekdays and weekends spent in

community and all of Bonn how important the Club actually

the gym!? Competitive basketball games, a refreshing

was for American-German post-war history in Bonn.

The group meets regularly during school hours at BIS and is also open to new members. One of its plans for the near future is to go to the archives of the City of Bonn and to the Haus der Geschichte in Bonn to do some research. We would like to create an exhibition, perhaps with the help of history students, out of the information which we find.

Take a look at some of the pictures on this page – they can tell more about this building’s history and why it is important to spread the news about this significance in the past – and hopefully the BIS future.

Julia Fehl

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23

Learning German with the

Frog Prince & Pippi Longstocking Children enjoy drama, not only because they can take on

At the primary whole school assembly on 25 April, Grade 1

different roles but also learn and speak a foreign language in a

students on the German proficient and intermediate levels with

creative way. They memorize their lines by understanding the

Grade 2 students of the German intermediate class performed

context and using body language. They work on the meaning

the Frog Prince and Pippi Longstocking. Before practising

of the language by adding different facial expressions and

their lines in class, they wrote their own scripts and decided

body movements. Even if they are not able to speak the foreign

how to express their parts. Saying your lines aloud and not

language fluently, they can express themselves via non-verbal

turning your back to the audience while you are performing

communication.

were some of their decisions.

Die Prinzessin fürchtet sich vor dem Frosch. „Was du versprochen hast, das musst du auch halten“, sagt der König.

Aus welcher Richtung kommt der Feind – links oder rechts?

The Grade 1 German proficient class decided to write their own script of the original version of the fairy tale The Frog Prince and embed two more characters, so that all of the students had a part to play. Those students who did not choose to perform on stage were either the stage director or the prompter. This is the script they wrote in German: Der Froschkönig Prinzessin: Das Wetter ist so schön. Die Sonne scheint, und ich möchte mit meiner goldenen Kugel spielen.

(Die Prinzessin spielt mit dem Ball. Sie wirft ihn so hoch, dass er in den Brunnen fällt.)

Prinzessin: Oh je. Mein Ball ist in den Brunnen gefallen. (Sie weint.)

Frosch: Wer weint denn da? ... Was ist Prinzessin, warum weinst du?

Prinzessin: Mein Ball ist in den Brunnen gefallen.

Frosch: Mach dir keine Sorgen. Ich kann dir helfen. Was gibst du mir, wenn ich deine Kugel heraufhole?

Prinzessin: Alles, was du haben willst. Meine Kleider, meine Perlen, meine goldene Krone.

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Frosch: Deine Kleider, deine Perlen und deine goldene Krone brauche ich nicht. Ich möchte mit dir im Schloss wohnen, an deinem Tischlein neben dir sitzen und von deinem goldenen Teller essen. Wenn du mir das versprichst, dann will ich hinuntertauchen und dir die goldene Kugel wieder heraufholen.

Prinzessin: Ja, ich verspreche dir alles, was du willst.

(Der Frosch taucht unter.)

Prinzessin: Der Frosch braucht Wasser. Er kann sowieso nicht mit mir im Schloss ohne Wasser leben.

Frosch: Prinzessin, hier ist deine goldene Kugel.

Prinzessin: Danke Frosch. (Sie rennt schnell weg.)

Frosch: Warte, warte! Ich kann nicht so schnell laufen wie du. ............ edited for printing purposes............

(Sie wirft den Frosch gegen die Wand.)

Prinz: Prinzessin, du hast mich gerettet. Eine böse Hexe hat mich in einen Frosch verwandelt. Ich möchte dich fragen, ob du meine Frau werden willst.

Prinzessin: Ja, mein Prinz, das möchte ich.

The Grade 1 students on the German intermediate level wrote a reader’s theatre on how the fairy tale could continue after the prince and princess’s wedding. This is their play:

Die Hochzeit von Prinzessin und Frosch Prinz: Ich will dich heiraten.

Prinzessin: Ich will dich auch heiraten.

König: Warum willst du den Prinzen heiraten?

Prinzessin: Er ist kein Frosch mehr, und wir lieben uns.

König: Du bist eine gute Prinzessin. Ja! Ja! Am nächsten Tag heiraten Prinz und Prinzessin. Da sind viele Leute. Dann machen sie eine große Party.

Da kommt ein kleiner Frosch zur Party.

Frosch: Und mit wem soll ich jetzt tanzen? Quak! Quak!

Prinzessin, kannst Du mit mir tanzen?

Prinzessin: Ja, ich tanze auch mit dir. Einen Moment bitte!

Ich Die Party ist zu Ende. Die Leute gehen nach Hause.

Der Frosch geht zu seinem Teich und erzählt.

Frosch: Ich war auf der Hochzeit von Prinz und Prinzessin. Ich war auch auf der Party. Ich habe mit der Prinzessin getanzt und Kuchen gegessen. Warum warst du nicht da, Papa?

Papa Frosch: Ich weiß nichts von einer Party. War es schön?

Frosch: Ja, sehr schön.

Prinz und Prinzessin gehen nach Hause. Ein Jahr später haben sie ein Baby.

Prinzessin: Komm, wir kaufen ein Bett für das Baby!

Prinz: Gute Idee! Das Baby hat noch kein Bett. Aber wir können das selber bauen.

Prinzessin: Wir müssen auch ein Kinderzimmer und ein Spielzimmer haben.

Pippi, ich muss jetzt gehen.

Meine Matrosen warten.

2x3 macht 4 widdewiddewitt und Drei macht Neune!! Ich mach mir die Welt widdewidde wie sie mir gefällt ...

Tschüss, bis zur nächsten Aufführung.

Wehe, du sprichst nicht Deutsch mit mir!

bin Pippis beste Freundin.

Prinz: Prinzessin: König: Schloss.

Prz+Przn:

Das kann ja im Schloss sein.

Natürlich, das wissen wir schon.

Natürlich, das Kinderzimmer ist unten im Danke, Papa! ............

Der Junge ist jetzt sechs Jahre alt.

Junge: Mama, Papa! Kommt, wir spielen jetzt im Park mit dem goldenen Ball!

Der Junge wirft den Ball......... Oh, oh, da fällt der Ball in den Teich.

Prinzessin: Oh nein! Der Ball ist ins Wasser gefallen.

Prinz: Nicht noch einmal!!!! ............

Performing a text is very motivating. Students feel responsible for their parts and gain more and more confidence in expressing their role in the foreign language. One student, for example, said that she felt somehow nervous and excited before the assembly but as soon as she saw the audience she forgot about everything and concentrated on her lines. The Grade 2 students enjoyed learning and singing Pippi’s song: Hey - Pippi Langstrumpf trallari trallahey tralla hoppsassa Hey - Pippi Langstrumpf, die macht, was ihr gefällt. (2x) Written by Zoe Grigoriadou, Jürgen Isken and Grade 1 and 2 students

25

If we could look into a crystal ball and find out what the

some of our Student Council representatives had to say.

future holds, life would not be full of many surprises – or

School staff were equally pragmatic, but also have some

any surprises at all. We would know what gifts we are

whimsical ideas as well.

getting for our birthdays and that homework is given not just to torture students. We would already know what the story of our lives (or our school) is.

We are now graduating to becoming a school with a true campus, with 2 buildings and more to come. We will have to get used to no longer being a small school with

In the spirit of anticipating the future but not knowing

a small school culture. The Agora is part of the evolution

how it will actually be, the Waves team asked students

of this school. Who would have thought in January 2006

and staff for their predictions of what life will be like or

with the opening of our current building that we would be

how it will change next school year when the Agora

where we are today?

building is open.

We are all curious about how the opening of the new

Students had a surprisingly pragmatic approach to

building will affect school life as we know it. In two short

what they see will be changes in their daily lives, mostly

months, we will no longer need a crystal ball to predict

celebrating more room in the hallways and larger lockers

the future. We will know for sure how life has changed and

which can accommodate the great number of bags,

then can start to wonder about how it will change again

instruments, uniforms and other items they carry with

when the American Club building is redone and becomes

them everyday. Check the quotes opposite for what

a part of our school campus.

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Natalie Niklas

What do Student Council representatives have to say?

I think that next year the school will be less crowded but that getting to certain classes might be hard.

I’m so happy that my locker will be bigger and that we’ll have a large sports hall.

Next year, I’ll have a study lounge with a view!

Hopefully lunch won’t be at 11:00!!!! Grade 11 and 12 will have a common room.

There will be a huge new gym with hopefully better hoops.

I think parking and entering the school will be easier.

There will be less rush in the morning and shorter ways to class.

I won’t miss the shoving to get to your locker.

I will miss the overcrowded cafeteria (ironically intended).

School staff have some whimsical ideas as well.

I look forward to being able to watch the snow fall on the glass roof! Having (nearly) 2 separate schools will be great as well for more hall space.

I hope the Grade 12 IB exams will be held in the Agora building.

Looking forward to having space to teach, i.e. new Sports Hall and the opportunities that can now be offered by having more space. I imagine the outcome will be much greater activity and involvement by the whole community.

I am excited because the kids will have more areas to hang out in !!

It will be so much lovelier to have a hallway of English classrooms, rather than temporary mobiles.

It will be quieter and easier for students to concentrate when they won't be disrupted by students who are taking their break by the lockers.

Things are moving quickly in the Agora building now, the floors have been poured, the wiring and network is being installed and the windows have been on for a few weeks. Every day we see the reality of the architects rendering coming to life.

27

March 17 saw the talents of the BIS students come together for a celebration of music, dance and performance. The show opened with the parents and staff singing Blame It On The Boogie, but after that it was very much a student affair.

A succession of great singers, musicians and dancers took to the stage to showcase their abilities. There was a huge range of musical styles including Adele, Mozart and some of the student’s own compositions.

Jo Szalay proved the show must go on, by brilliantly singing both his own and his wife’s part for ‘A Song Like This’. The evening finished with a collaboration between the Blues Band, solo artists, the adults’ and students’ choirs performing an arrangement of the Green Day song, 21 Guns.

Many thanks to all those involved and particularly to Molly Spitta and the PV.

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y a d p u k Muc

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Joining A “Guide” Being The To An Expat Club Parent

The unusual shape and size of pillows. You see, I never even knew that pillows weren’t a standard shape, until I bought a pillow cover, then found it didn’t fit and had to buy the pillow to go with it. Even now, just thinking about it brings a tear to my eye and a tug of love towards the bedding section in John Lewis.

Gifts from in-laws. You’d be amazed at how easy it is to turn a conversation round to this. e.g. “Terrible weather we’re having.” “Ah yes, but fortunately, I’m carrying the balaclava my mother-in-law gave me last Christmas.” “She gave you a

Bonn is my first experience of being an Expat and I’m loving

balaclava?” “Yes, it was one of her better presents” etc. etc.

it. I’m not overburdened by working nor stuck in endless

But my favourite topic is, undoubtedly...

traffic jams, and our parents live far enough away for us

Match The Club To The Person. “Ah, you’re a sword-wielding

still to enjoy their company. But most of all, I love mixing

psychomaniac, have you thought about taking up ORIGAMI?”

with an amazing array of sociable, motivated women with

Obviously, anything vaguely musical, such as “I once blew

similar amounts of free time whose sole purpose in life is to

into a recorder when I was 6” immediately means CHOIR.

fill up their days with interesting and self-improving activities.

Similarly if you’ve ever shown any aptitude for any sport, or

Followed by lunch.

even if you were always the last to be picked for every team,

Of course, it wasn’t always like this. When I first arrived, I was faced with knowing no one in a land where I understood nothing. ‘Making New Friends’ was something I last attempted in the lunch queue aged 12. I remember my first dismal experience of a coffee morning, where I realised that

then it’s BADMINTON for you. Trying to tone up (who isn’t?) then it’s Heike’s for PILATES, ZUMBA in the APC or how about a HOT FLUSH in the park? It’s hard not to feel a special bond to people you’ve lain next to on the floor while trying to extend a rubber band between your outstretched legs.

“

Ah, you’re a sword-wielding psychomaniac, have you thought about taking up ORIGAMI?

reminiscing about old times (my favourite, and possibly only topic of conversation) was not interesting or engaging for the present company. But then someone asked what I did, and my reply instantly led to a suggestion of a club. I didn’t know it then, but it was this club that opened up a whole new world to me.

What I’ve since learned is that being in a club is a substitute

”

Inclusivity is really the key to any successful club. Adverts

for years of friendship. It gives you something to talk about.

for the BIS choir once stated: The Only Requirement

It creates bonds to people that come from opposite ends

Is a Pulse (And I Don’t Mean A Musical One). Similarly,

of the earth. It fills up your time. And, most importantly, you

at a Meet-And-Greet-And-Identify-The-Matching-Club

don’t appear to be desperate to make new friends when you

coffee morning this year, a member of this magazine was

have none. Kundera wrote that the thing women find least

encouraging newcomers to join with... “We need people

attractive in a man is the absence of a girlfriend (he may

who can write. Or, even if you can’t, it’s a great opportunity

have phrased it better, but that was the gist). Similarly, being

to try. We also need people who are good at…” then she

'Norman No Mates' is a curse that is hard to break. But...

named another skill which quite clearly everyone in the world

join a club, and you can waltz through the BIS atrium waving

possessed (it might have been “breathing”, but I’m not sure),

and giving high 5’s to people you may have only vaguely

and everyone in the cafeteria all nodded and thought “yes,

seen across a badminton court. You can reminisce over the

I can breathe, maybe I should join too”. It was only after I

sagginess of your sushi roll. Complain about the Pilates-

volunteered my sophisticated services I realised the not-

induced ache in your thighs. Fret over the trickiness of the

so-exclusive requirements were can or cannot write ... and

alto line. And then, when you’ve discussed all these things at

breathe.

length, say “shall we go for a glass of wine?”

One of my favourite misnomers is ‘BOOK CLUB’ which

I have also become a master of small talk. I hope you won’t

should really be renamed as ‘Lovely Breakfast, Great Chat

think I’m bragging if I share with you some of my more

And Ooo Look, There’s A Box Of Books At The Door When

impressive topics of conversations.

We’re Leaving’. However this catchy title breaks the main

The best place to find fresh fish. A surprisingly diverse and

rule of any club, which is ‘Never Look Desperate To Make

contentious subject in a land-locked country.

Friends’.

30

The Queen Of Clubs, so to speak, is of course The PV. It’s

mocked. I’ve suddenly embraced drinking tea, cooking roast

so important, it has it’s own acronym. Here is where you

lunches, admiring the Royals and feeling under dressed in a

can really make friends and influence people. These are the

Burkini. I view my national flag as an ironic soft-furnishing and

people who can construct an Emerald City in a fraction of

I have even bought a (correctly sized) Union Jack cushion for

the time that the Great Wizard of Oz himself took, perform

my sofa. I love the company of the Brits, their lack-of accents,

triple somersaults whilst baking soufflés and raise thousands

humour and references to those great institutions: John

without anyone realising they’ve spent money. Mention

Lewis and Marks and Spencer. Of course, our countries are

casually to this group that your son is having a pirate party

the club that we can all join while we’re here, just to remind

and they’ll have constructed Black Beard’s Ship in the time

ourselves about the good things we’re missing. And if you’re

it takes you to pick up the kids. These are very useful people

stuck for something to say to your new-found compatriots,

to know.

Of course, mistakes, I’ve made a few. I don’t think I’ll be joining any Wellness Centres again after finding myself

you can always discuss the best clubs to join. To paraphrase Aesop (and murder two sayings with one article) One Good Club Leads To Another….

Tanya Talbot

in the mixed naked section (all routes lead to this section, so it’s unavoidable). Another mistake is to imagine that the swimming pool can offer cover. Nein! Water is translucent and goggles are widespread.

And I can confirm that you do not want to be doing naked lane swimming behind someone doing breaststroke. But it did open my eyes to the thoroughness with which some people seem to enjoy drying all their crevices.

Maybe I’m just too British! Something I’ve newly discovered about myself since becoming an expat. I’m strangely drawn towards the very traditions I’d previously

31

This years Grade 12 Visual Art class explored a variety of themes in order to create their ideas. Urban environments, cars, family, fashion, storybooks and everyday things formed some of the topics that the students explored. Car bonnets, billboards, banners and plaster were all used to create a body of work that was displayed for a short time at the end of March. One of our students even wrote her own book and illustrated it.

During the 2 year IB course, students are encouraged to explore themes that they find personally interesting and create artworks based on this investigation. For their examination at the end of the course, students are required to mount their works in an exhibition setting. The students put together a great show with many people appreciating their creativity and celebrating their courage in displaying their work publicly.

The opening function in March was a special time where members of the BIS community came and celebrated the hard work of the class. Grateful thanks to the Parent Volunteers who provided the refreshments for the evening function, and our IB coordinator Mrs Lorraine Heinrichs who provided support throughout the year. Special mention needs to be made to Mrs Devon Putnam, who helped organise the show and helped all the students hang their work. We look forward to celebrating the creativity of our next wave of senior BIS Â Visual Art students next year.

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Jo Tilton

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There are 9 differences in the lower picture. Can you spot them all?

The Happy Printer | Bonn