Annual Report 2023-24
ISBDirector’sWelcome
olleagues,andFriendsofISB,
o introduce our new Annual Report, heschoolyear2023-24.
we reached arguably our biggest hasing our land, 13 years before our aking our 162,000 m2 (40 acres) me for good. This achievement does our location, but also enables us to and develop our facilities and provide even more opportunities for
her with our Leadership Team and s, we developed a strategy for the personalisedlearningattheheartof lopments and supported by three focus – providing an Exceptional ering a Connected International beingFutureFocused
ments of 2023-24 reflect these unchedaconsistentSTEMcurriculum, ngful STEM learning from Early hSchool,andweextendedourHome amme in the Lower School to the en languages at ISB. Class of 2024’s s were some of the highest in our uably the best compared to other March 2024 we were awarded the ums of Inclusion Practitioners Global proving yet again that we can be a and high-achieving school at the ne,wewelcomedalumnifromacross d from around the globe back to largest reunion in ISB’s history. Our the rise and our ISB Community is on year, which is the strongest rfutureambitions
e years to come, I am confident that ade in 2023-24 will pave the way for future for ISB, continuing to extend e ways in which, at ISB, everyone is ged,andsuccessful
ISBBoardChairReport
DearISBCommunity,
Itisagreatpleasuretobelookingbacktothe2023-24 school year, a year full of great achievements for the entire ISB Community Looking to the future from the privileged position of having purchased our campus has enabled us to to move forward with many projects and long-term investments for the further developmentofourschool.
Every school year we witness the hard work and dedication of the ISB team, each contributing to the success of our students and of our school as an institution Class of 2024’s IB Diploma scores were again some of the best results in the school’s history, and the diverse and impressive post-ISB ambitions of our graduates really make you proud of what we accomplish for our students at this beautiful school Our healthy enrolment and diverse student demographicsshowthatISBistheschoolofchoicefor families looking to offer their children an education where everyone is included, challenged, and successful.
As we look to the future, the Board and Leadership Team gathered input from the whole school community to create a strategy for the future of ISB Our Strategic Playbook outlines where we want to go and how to sustain and further develop our programmes,withoutbeingshyaboutourambitionto be the best international school in Europe, if not the world
Weknowpersonalisationworks,andweknowthatour students benefit from learning that is centred on their ambitions and talents. The next step is to become leaders in personalised learning, and this report highlightsthemanywaysinwhichweworkedtowards thisaim
We hope you enjoy reading this annual report, and thank you again to the whole community for your supportinmakingISBsuchanexceptionalschool!
Kindregards,
GeorgeNazi ISBBoardChair
OurMission
Todevelopindependentlearnersandinternationalcitizensinanenvironmentwhereallstudentsare
“Webelievethathighinclusionandhighacademicperformanceare complementary,andweshapeourcurriculaandteachingmethods toensureeachofourstudents'success.”
OurStrategyfortheFuture
Exceptional Education
Leadersin Personalised Learning Future Focused Connected International Community
At ISB, we are fuelled by a strong heritage and are driven to adapt to changing and demanding futures. We see technological advancements as opportunities to be seized and utilised for our community’s progress. With our international learning environment, amazing resources, and world class expertise we canpursueevengreaterambitionsforourstudents
Weenvisionafuturewhereeverystudent’slearningjourneyistailoredtotheiruniquestrengths,interests, andneeds,therebyfosteringadeep,personalengagementwiththeireducation
Our strategy has personalised learning at the heart, and it is supported by three other areas of focus –providing an Exceptional Education, fostering a Connected International Community, and being Future Focused
The ISB Director is responsible to the Board of Trustees for all aspects of school life, and is supported by a strongLeadershipTeamofSectionalHeadsandDepartmentDirectors,eachwithstrategicresponsibilitiesfor different areas of our school. The configuration of our Learning Leadership Team (LLT) for the school year 2023-24wasasfollows:
JamesMacDonald SchoolDirector
SashaMarshall HeadofEarlyChildhoodCentre
LorettaStanley AssistantHeadofEarlyChildhoodCentre
LaTyiaRolle HeadofElementarySchool
ChristopherLeakey AssistantHeadofElementarySchool
MikeCrowley HeadofMiddleSchool
MaryJeanneFarris AssistantHeadofMiddleSchool
LauraBerntson HeadofHighSchool
LeighHeglund AssistantHeadofHighSchool
AdamSalem AssistantHeadofHighSchool
GordonEldridge DirectorofCurriculum&ProfessionalDevelopment
LeeRosky DirectorofAthletics&Activities
KristenSchroeder DirectorofInclusion&Challenge
JonathanMurray(August2023toOctober2023)
PaulCabrelli(November2023toJune2024) DirectorofFinance&Operations
FannyChan DirectorofAdvancement
ISBBoardofTrustees &HonoraryTrustees 2023-24
ISBBoardofTrustees2023-24
ISB is governed by a Board of Trustees The Board is responsible for setting the school's strategy, and is the guardianoftheschool'smission Thisincludesholdingtheschooltoaccountfordeliveringonallaspectsof themission,verifyingthattheschooloperatesonasoundfinancialbasis,andtakingallnecessarystepsto ensurethelong-termsuccessoftheschool.Thefollowingindividualsservedonour2023-24Board:
SimonBaxter
AnatBerger
AlexanderdeBeir
DavidBrightling
ChristianFadier
DimitraFellner
SylvieGigovic
LawrenceLane
MattiasLange
Francois-ValeryLecomte
ISBHonoraryTrustees2023-24
SuzanneJinMesinoglu
GeorgeNazi
MariaPardo
MarkReid
GiulioRindi
DavidShell
AaronSmethurst
WojciechStanislawski
FedericaValente-Marinkovic
ISBishonouredbythesupportofourHonoraryTrustees Theseareindividualswhohavegivenextraordinary servicetoISB,andwhowishtomaintainanactive,long-termrelationshipwiththeschool
ScottAlcott
AlexBongrain
RichardBurnett
ClaudiaCoory
EstelaDengler
PierreHochuli
HenryJohnson
RayKubis
BernardMcFadden
EricOsterweil
JimRosenstein
WilliamSeddon-Brown
J.AndrédeBarrosTeixeira
OpeningEnrolment& StudentDiversity2023-24
1,296
OpeningEnrolment2023-24
61 Nationalities
At ISB, we are proud to celebrate internationalism. Our campus is a culturally rich space that facilitates learningfromandwithpeoplefromallovertheworld.Fortheschoolyear2023-24,ourinternationalstudent communityincludedstudentsfrom61differentcountries
Exceptional Education Class of 2024
AcademicResults-Classof2024
As an inclusive school, we strongly believe in student and family choice regarding academic pathways. Studentsareguidedbyindividualacademiccounsellingandallpathwaysareopentoallstudents
Participation: IBDPResults
159 137 111
Numberof 2024graduates
Numberof students takingIBexams
Totaldiploma candidates
Scores:
34
Average IBDPscore
5.34
Average coursescore (outof7)
Bilingual diplomas
Studentstaking IBcourseswith accommodations
Passrate
ProfessionalDevelopment
AtISB,ourmission–Everyoneincluded,challenged,andsuccessful–laysafoundationonwhichwebuilda thrivingandinclusivecommunity
Ensuring emotional, physical, and psychological safety is fundamental to learning and growth In the 202324schoolyear,allISBteacherscompletedonlinetraininginclassroomculturethroughtheCrisisPrevention Institute(CPI).Thistrainingequipseducatorswithstrategiestopromotepositivebehaviour,resolveconflicts, and maintain classrooms where students feel respected and secure. This training will continue to be supplementedinthe2024-25schoolyearinordertostrengthenitsimpact.
An inclusive culture celebrates diversity and embeds fairness into everyday practices, and our Character Standardsaredesignedtonurturethoughtful,resilientindividualswholeadwithintegrityandempathy Our CPI training complements these initiatives by strengthening educators’ ability to create inclusive and collaborativeclassrooms.
ISB is committed to building a supportive environment where everyone thrives Through professional development,curriculumenhancement,andcommunityengagement,ISBensuresthateverymemberofits communityfeelsvalued,included,andempoweredtosucceed
STEMatISB
STEMeducationisessentialforpreparingstudentsforthechallengesofthemodernworld,andfromECCto HS, our STEM Programme focuses on nurturing students’ unique abilities and passions through engaging, meaningful,andpersonalisedlearningexperiences.
In2022-23,weembarkedonajourneytocreateaconsistentSTEMpathway,enablingstudentstopursuean integrated curriculum that builds skills for STEM careers. In 2023-24, we advanced this vision by defining an ambitious programme, appointing a STEM Leadership position, and partnering with SAM Labs, founded by alumnus Joachim Horn (Class of 2009), to enhance facilities, curriculum projects in the Lower School and MiddleSchool,andfacultyprofessionaldevelopment
Throughout the 2023-24 school year, our students participated in STEM competitions and events, aimed at nurturingtheirpassionforthesetopicswhilecompetingalongsidetheirpeers MiddleSchoolandElementary School students took part in Destination Imagination, a global programme where students solve openended STEAM-focused challenges and present their creative and innovative solutions at tournaments, and both ISB teams won first place in their respective categories Our Elementary and High School Robotics teams participated in the Belgium National Robotics Competition, sponsored by nooby.tech and VEX Robotics, qualifying for the finals and finishing 5th and 7th, respectively, at their first-ever tournament. Furthermore, our team partnered with Greenlight for Girls, an international non-profit organisation that organisesinteractiveworkshopsinspiringgirlstopursueSTEMsubjectsandcareers,tohosttheg4gBrussels dayonourcampusinthefollowingschoolyear
HomeLanguageProgramme
With 60+ nationalities and 55+ spoken languages, ISB is a truly multicultural and multilingual community, andwewanttherichnessofourinternationalidentitytoalsobemirroredbyourcurriculum.WhileEnglishis our main teaching language, we want to ensure that our students have many opportunities and incentives to learn the languages of our host nation and to maintain a strong relationship with their native home languages
In the spirit of honouring our diverse student body, during the school year 2023-24 we developed our integratedHomeLanguageProgrammeintheLowerSchool,whichwasinauguratedinthefollowingschool year (2024-25). In addition to French and Dutch for native speakers, ISB is now offering classes in the languages most spoken at home by our student community – Swedish, Japanese, Korean, Hebrew, and Spanish–duringtheschooldayandwithinstudents’timetables
When students move to another country and their schooling takes place in English, it is critical that they find ways to continuelearningtheirhomelanguage.Thehomelanguageis an integral part of their cultural and personal identity, and thusvitalformaintainingapositiveself-concept.
KristinHeglund,HomeLanguageProgrammeCoordinator
CommunityEngagementProgramme
At ISB, we pride ourselves on being part of a connected international community while simultaneously valuingoursurroundingenvironment,itstraditions,anditspeople
OurCommunityEngagementProgramme(CAS)isagreatwayforourHighSchoolstudentstogetinvolved in the local community and to nurture their social awareness through a range of diverse and rewarding projects.Theprevious2023-24schoolyearwasfullofexcitingandmeaningfulopportunitiesforourstudents tomakeadifferenceandtodiscoverpossibledirectionsfortheirpost-ISBfutures
TheCommunityPartners
5,500
465
FamilyAssociation
AssoonasyourchildbecomesastudentatISB,yourfamilybecomespartoftheISBFamilyAssociation(FA) Led by parents in our community, the Family Association has a mission to build a well-informed school communitywhereallfamiliesarewelcomed,encouragedtoparticipate,andallnationalitiesarecelebrated.
Our committed parent volunteers dedicate their time, energy, and heart to the school and organise more than200eventseachyear,includingtheannualISBInternationalFestival
46
Yearstradition
Parentsand facultymembers acrossFAteams
2,000
Members
3,500 240 120 40 70
Nationalities represented acrossFAteams
Eventsperyear Hamburgersflipped duringthe3sports seasons Volunteershelping outtheschool eachmonth
FamilyAssociationOperationsTeam2023-24
JenneWhitelaw President
KellyKent Administration
BrookePeterson Communications
LuizaPalhano Treasury
RachelReiner ArtsCouncil
JenniferMedeiros SportsCouncil
AnnaBigerstaff MarlaZackheim TransitionTeam
DanyaIdriss
FrancescaCavalli ValentinaRindi
KathlijnZwart
AnisaLaher CommunityEvents
JillBrightling HeatherFaase ECCRepresentatives
ValentinaFiore JenniferMedeiros LoesSelen ESRepresentatives
AnisaLaher RolaSalloum MSRepresentatives
DanyaIdriss
LuizaPalhano NaylaBassil JoelleHausberg Nascimento HSRepresentatives
AshleyAlphonso SijenOlthof InternationalFestival
AlessandraCantini BeatriceReid LanguageLearning
NeilDoherty ISBDads
AlumniCommunity2023-24
OurAlumni
Foralmost75yearsISBhasbeenasecondhometosomanyindividualswholefttheirmarkandhelpedus becometheschoolwearetoday.Ouralumniareattheheartofoursuccessasaninstitution,andtheywill pavethewayforthefuturethatweenvisionatISB.Currentlywehaveover25,000alumniaroundtheworld, andwecherisheveryopportunitywegettocelebratethemandtowelcomethembackhome
AlumniTours
Our ISB Alumni Team started the 2023-24 school year with the US Alumni Reunions that took place in Los Angeles, Austin, and Chicago in October 2023 Furthermore, for our Homecoming celebrations in October, manyalumnireturnedtocampustocelebratethatspecialISBcommunityspiritandtoreconnectwiththeir formerteachers,classmates,andfriends.
InMarch2024,alumnireunionswereorganisedintheUK,inLondonandEdinburgh JamesMacDonald-ISB Director,MikeCrowley-MSHead&AssistantDirector,andFannyChan-DirectorofAdvancementattended theUKISBAlumniTourandreminiscedwithourattendingparticipants
Summerfest
For Summerfest 2024, we invited all our former alumni and faculty members back on campus to celebrate their cherished friendships and post-graduation accomplishments together. Over 250 alumni attended on Saturday, 8 June, including many former students celebrating their 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50-year reunions, and even a former student from the first ever graduating class of 1962! They all brought their best ISB memorieswiththem,reconnectedwitholdclassmates,andmadenewconnections
JamesSidgwickTeacherRecognitionAward2023-24
Everyyear,ouralumniareinvitedtonominatetheirfavouriteteacheramongstthosewhohavetaughtatISB for at least 5 years. Each year, the nominees are selected from a specific school section, and the 2023-24 awardcelebratedaHighSchoolteacher
NamedafterJamesSidgwick,whoservedasDeputyHeadmasteratISB(1956-69)aswellasHeadmasterof the Elementary School (1969–88), the award was created by members of the ISB Alumni Community to recognisethededicationandprofessionalismofISBteachers.
After receiving numerous nominations and testimonials about many great ISB High School teachers, we announced Beata Olek, HS Chemistry Teacher, as the winner of the 2023-24 award Ms Olek consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication and commitment to the success and wellbeing of her students, and allofusatISBwarmlycongratulateher!
Day-to-day school activities and new developments are supported by a committed operational team who ensuresthatallpracticalandadministrativeaspectsofourschoolrunsmoothlytoempowerlearningandto createnewopportunities
FinancialReport
Anon-profitschoolsinceitsfoundingin1951,ISB’senduringsuccessisbuiltonalegacyofsoundgovernance and financial management. Despite year-to-year fluctuations in income and expenditure, through careful financial planning we continue to deliver an innovative educational programme that empowers every student to discover and be their best self and to nurture an inspiring and secure learning environment with state-of-the-artfacilitiesthatprovideforeveryone’sneedsandtalents.
BalanceSheet
Kattenberg 19, B-1170 Brussels, Belgium
I S B A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 2 32 4