Inspiration Magazine 2018

Inspiration

Newsletter 2018 | International School of Prague

ISP Newsletter 2018

From the Director Welcome to the first Inspiration magazine of 2018, the International School of Prague’s 70th year of operation!

We opened this year with the publication of Accreditation Reports from the two organisations who evaluate how well our school is fulfilling our mission, the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

“The Evaluation Team is unanimous in observing and confirming that the International School of Prague is mission-driven, student-focused, futureleaning, progressive on many levels, high performing and a safe, secure place for learning.”

Council of International Schools Evaluation Team Report

Dr. Bieber attending the plenary session of AAIE (Association for the Advancement of International Education) Conference at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.

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As is summed up succinctly in the above quote from the CIS Report, the contents of these reports represented a resounding endorsement of our school’s mission and the guidance and commitment of our Board of Trustees.

While I was not surprised by the findings of the report, they were nonetheless a source of immense personal pride in our students, faculty and staff, and indeed our entire community.

ISP is the first school in the world to have completed what is a new way of carrying out schools assessment, and while the process was at times challenging, it is this willingness to push ourselves that makes us what we are. As the NEASC report put it - “The fact ISP put itself forward to pilot this approach speaks highly of what the school values: future-oriented thinking, a willingness to take risks, and a determination to achieve transformational change”.

As part of the accreditation process, we welcomed the esteemed educators and administrators who made up the accreditation teams in late 2017.

The process confirmed ISP as an international school with a global reputation. We are honored that schools throughout the region come to ISP to learn how our school functions.

In that regard, I greatly look forward to welcoming an international audience of educators to Prague this March, when we host the Central and Eastern European Schools Association (CEESA) conference.

This conference represents a great opportunity for us to showcase the great learning stories that occur at ISP every day while also allowing us to learn from our peers from other parts of the world. As I said in a recent speech to an audience of educators on a visit to Beijing, China - “...as international educators we believe that we have

r. Bieber visits Chinese educators in his role as Chair of the D Educational Collaborative for International Schools (CEIS).

so much to learn from and with each other. Working collaboratively across borders is crucial if we are to remain relevant to our young learners.”

This type of collaboration and learning from others is equally important among our own community. As a future focused school, we cannot be insular, we must be outward looking, willing to take risks and innovate.

The NEASC report said - “all in the ISP community are extremely proud of their community and rightly so”.

We are in the fortunate position to have a community where parents are our partners in the education of their

children. This is epitomised by ISP parent and Board Trustee Jan Sýkora’s role in the Duke of Edinburgh Award at ISP and his facilitating the visit of His Royal Highness Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex to our school, about which there is an article in this edition of the magazine.

We look forward to our ongoing collaboration with partners near and far as ISP continues to Inspire, Engage and Empower our students and our community.

Warmly, Dr. Arnie Bieber

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A Royal Appointment ISP is in the fortunate position that the school is often asked to host esteemed guests. In school year 2016/17 a particular highlight was the visit to ISP of Dame Jane Goodall DBE, the truly inspirational British primatologist. It is not every school year, however, when ISP welcomes another prominent Briton the following school year, not least a member of the British Royal Family!

HRH chats to Elementary students.

ISP had the honour of welcoming His Royal Highness, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, to Nebušice in December 2017.

His Highness was visiting the Czech Republic in his role as Patron of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (DofE).

The Award has grown to be a key part of the ISP experience for many Upper School students. Prior to Prince Edward’s visit to ISP, Director Dr. Arnie Bieber and several ISP community members were delighted to attend a ceremony at the Czech Senate where Prince Edward personally presented eight ISP students with their DofE Gold Awards.

The mission of the DofE programme, “to inspire, guide and support young people in their self-development” is very closely connected to that of ISP, which is “Inspire, Engage, Empower”.

The school enthusiastically supports the DofE programme as it affords so many opportunities for ISP students to lead healthy, fulfilling and purposeful lives.

In regard to the visit itself, Prince Edward was given a rousing welcome to ISP courtesy of the Elementary School Choir under the tutelage of Mr. Allen. His Royal Highness toured the new state-

of-the-art artificial grass sports fields, which he later officially opened. He then received a tour of the school, guided

by ISP Director Dr. Arnie Bieber and ISP Parent and Board Trustee Mr. Jan Sýkora, who is also Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the DofE in the Czech Republic.

During the tour His Royal Highness took the opportunity to chat to some Middle and Upper Technology students and their Technology Coaches in the ISP Idea Lab. The tour led to the Landau Theatre, by way of a Middle School musical performance, where Prince Edward saw a performance from US Drama students,

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← HRH is welcomed to ISP by the Elementary Choir and Elementary Teacher Kenny Allan ↓ HRH meets ISP photographers Mario and Vincent

↑ HRH visits the Idea Lab ← HRH visits Shannon Hambleton‘s Upper School PE class on the new state-of the-art playing fields

based on the Duke of Edinburgh Award Expedition, a key part of the Award.

His Royal Highness then delivered a speech to the ISP Audience which exholled the benefits of the DofE programme in nurturing a lifelong sense of adventure and in creating memories which Award recipients would treasure forever. He then unveiled a plaque which marked the official opening of the new sports fields, which are in use all year round.

In the wake of the visit, Dr. Bieber expressed his profound gratitude to Mr.

Jan Sýkora, who was instrumental in arranging Prince Edward’s visit, stating that ISP is very fortunate to have so many community members like him who are passionate about seeking out and providing such wonderful learning experiences for ISP students.

Unsurprisingly, Prince Edward’s visit attracted a lot of attention from local media, with television coverage of the visit- part of the media in attendance were ISP Grade 7 photographers, Mario and Vincent, who had the opportunity to shadow the official photographer on the

day - and took some great shots of their own - some of which accompany this article.

The last word on Prince Edward’s visit appropriately goes to an ISP parent, who said in an email to the Director following the visit; “ISP students may have convinced some people that they were creating a special presentation for important guests. However, from my perspective, it was an ordinary day at ISP where the kids do extraordinary things.”

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Meeting Again in Massachusetts Going to an international school is certainly a unique experience, with students from all corners of the world, who speak different languages and have different experiences, all coming together for their education. International schools remind us that the world is simultaneously big and small. After caps are thrown in the air, people will move near and far, old friends will be lost and new ones made, and gradually ISP, for some, will become a distant memory. But then one day we’ll be reminded of how truly special and enduring ISP connections are, and this is exactly what happened for ISP Class of ‘03 graduates Joe Krikava and Deep Arjun Singh, who reconnected under truly extraordinary circumstances.

ISP’s ‘03 graduating class was a rather small one of just 32 students. Joe started in kindergarten with Mrs. Vasecka (now retired), before leaving with his family for grades 1-4, then returning to ISP in 5th grade. Joe’s parents Jim & Peggy Krikava, were a big part of the school‘s music program, teaching at every level, as well as creating the school‘s band program. Deep originally hails from India and his parents were part of Prague’s diplomatic community.

At ISP Joe and Deep were friendly but not close friends. They played volleyball together, and Deep remembers that Joe was much better than him. After graduating they both moved on to lead their separate lives. Despite the fact that they both lived and worked in Massachusetts, they were not in touch very much. However, when Deep and Joe did finally reconnect, it was under rather serious circumstances.

It all started when Joe’s son Elijah was born with a neurological condition called Hydrocephalus (also known as Water on the Brain). Hydrocephalus is caused by a blockage in the brain, which results in the buildup of cerebrospinal fluid. If left untreated, it is life threatening and can lead to increased head size and brain damage. There is no cure for hydrocephalus and because it is fairly rare, the condition is largely under researched and underfunded.

TeamE HydroWalk 2017

While Joe and his wife were going from doctor to doctor looking for answers for their son, Deep, a graduate of Worcester Polytech in Massachusetts was working for a small company (Alcyone Lifesciences, Inc.) as a medical device engineer. His company was researching and developing a new technology to treat a rare and neglected disease...Hydrocephalus!

Deep remembers seeing Joe walking through the neurosurgical department at Boston Children’s Hospital and thinking “Is that really Joe?” Deep reached out to Joe and the two got to talking. Joe learned that Deep’s company was developing a new technology to help people living with Hydrocephalus. Currently, the

only treatment is implanting a shunt, a device which drains fluid from the brain into the abdomen. The device Deep’s team was working on addresses one of the most common issues with shunt failures, which is occlusion of the shunt tubing that resides in the brain. Due to this, currently the only treatment available to patients with real, or even suspected, shunt occlusions is undergoing another brain surgery to replace the shunt. Shunt occlusions result in patients, most of them being pediatric, having dozens of brain surgeries in their lifetime.

The device Deep’s team developed, and for which recently got FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) and EU (European Union) approval, is an

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Elijah and Joe HydroWalk 2017

Elijah 2017

implanted as a part of all shunts so that every hydrocephalus patient has piece of mind with their shunt, similar to how every car should have an airbag for emergency situations.

Joe and Deep HydroWalk 2016

implant that is part of the shunt. The implant aims to noninvasively unocclude the shunts so that patients do not have to undergo repeat brain surgery every time an occlusion is even suspected. The device is also expected to prevent shunt occlusions when used preventatively, something the company plans to study in the clinic.

Deep’s hope is to have this device

Elijah is now six years old and doing very well. He had two brain surgeries before he was two months old and has a shunt to help manage his condition.

He is very smart and healthy and if you didn’t already know he had Hydrocephalus, you would not be aware of it. Elijah does not use the new piece of technology yet but the work Deep and his team have done offers him and others with the condition a new sense of hope that they will need fewer brain surgeries throughout their

lives. Although they were friendly with each other during their years at ISP, this story has brought Joe and Deep closer than they ever were before. Both now frequent charity walks and events to raise awareness for the disease and Deep’s company is a platinum sponsor for an annual Hydrocephalus Walk.

It’s certainly amazing to think that a connection that started at ISP had potentially life saving impacts a decade later. Deep and Joe’s story reminds us just how special ISP connections can be. As Joe said, “I think keeping up these ISP connections is incredibly important. It allows us all - being from and living in different parts of the world the chance to benefit from our brains and friendship...I‘m grateful for what Deep and his team have done and the fact that we were brought together at ISP a lifetime ago.”

For more information about Hydrocephalus, opportunities to donate and even info about the fundraising walk that Joe and Deep take part in visit www.hydroassoc.org.

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“ISP is future-leaning … Ambition personified” ISP Successfully Completes Accreditation Process

by Nora Colley (Class of ‘17) ISP has completed an 18 month long accreditation process and became the first school worldwide to be accredited under the new New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) ACE learning principles. ACE is an acronym for Learning Architecture, Learning Culture and Learning Ecology).

US Students visit to Kosovo with article author Nora Colley 2nd from right

But what does accreditation mean and what did the accreditation process entail? According to ISP Director of Learning Research and Development, Teresa Belisle, “Accreditation is like an annual medical check-up.” The accreditation process affirms that ISP is delivering quality education as promised in the ISP Mission and ISP2020 strategy; as well as being compliant with Czech health and safety laws. ISP is accredited by two external organizations; The Council of International Schools (CIS) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

Due to ISP’s exemplary reputation, CIS and NEASC chose ISP as the first school to be the pilot school for the new synchronized accreditation.

This approach differs from the past because historically accreditation has been mainly focused primarily on compliance, such as documenting curricular plans and ensuring that all teachers have appropriate licenses.

The new ACE principles, however, are

focused more on the what and how of the learning that actually happens.

Examples of ACE Learning Principles against which ISP was accredited are; “Learner Engagement and Autonomy,” “Inclusiveness of learning,” and “Learning Community”.

As this accreditation process was a pilot, ISP was proactive on conducting the selfstudy and presenting evidence of the ACE principles. Ms. Belisle said that being in “beta version” was both a challenging and an exciting part of the process. The accreditors from both organizations were very impressed with the strategy that ISP adopted, which was delivering a series of “learning stories.” “We use stories to make sense of our world and share that understanding with others,” said Ms. Belisle. So, painting the picture of learning at ISP through stories proved extremely effective. Members of the accreditation teams spent their week on site talking to students, teachers and other ISP community members, collecting evidence to confirm what had been shared in the learning stories.

One example of a learning story was High School teachers Leanne Fleming and John Crane organizing a trip to Kosovo for students learning about the 1999 NATO intervention. Students engaged with people from both sides of the conflict, speaking to UN representatives, non governmental organizations (NGOs), and ordinary citizens. This story demonstrates the ACE learning principle of “Learning Goals: “understandings, competencies, knowledge, dispositions, and values that will allow learners to become responsible and successful citizens.” Another example, this time in the Elementary School, was about the Kindergarten annual bakery unit.

Students work together to plan, prepare and and manage the bakery. The results of their hard work, delicious treats, are enjoyed by the entire community as the young children develop a wide range of practical skills and understandings.

Beyond academics, the learning stories also extend to ISP’s broad range of extracurricular activities. Through talking to students, the accreditation

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ISP‘s Maintenance Team Jiří, Karel, Martin Milan, all a key part of the Learning Community section of Accreditation

teams recognized that in addition to skills in technology and engineering, the Robotics Club also helps students to learn skills such as how to market, fundraise and attract sponsorships.

Both accrediting teams were made up of highly-respected educators and administrators, and they took with them the clear understanding that ISP is a “high performing” school and a leader in international education as evidenced from quotes in their reports: • “ There is an understanding that there is a need to learn more than ‘just what is in a textbook.’”

• “ISP has created an environment where creativity thrives.”

• “Learning at ISP is clearly multifaceted.

Through classroom observations, walk-throughs and learning observations, the Visitors saw and heard students grappling with high order thinking across many subject areas.”

• “ISP is future-leaning. The school is highly aspirational in design, innovation and strategy for the future of teaching and learning with this organisational culture coupled with passionate and sophisticated school leaders, teachers and support staff.

Ambition personified.”

• “ISP lives up to its mission of inspiring

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Engagement and Autonomy at ISP

all learners to lead healthy, fulfilling and purposeful lives.“ The visiting teams also recognized that ISP has outstanding teachers and support staff, stating simply that “ISP is filled with passionate and highly qualified faculty and staff”.

The accreditation process also reaffirmed ISP’s future goals and areas for improvement. Based on ISP’s self assessment and recommendations from the accreditors, ISP’s Mission and 2020 strategy continue to act as guiding lights for improvement.

As the NEASC report put it - “The ISP Mission and ISP2020 both give clarity to what the school values and how this frames learning goals”. The main areas of action for ISP following accreditation are: • Define learning - As the learning stories demonstrate, ISP students learn in a variety of authentic and real world experiences. Rather than having a strict definition for “learning” ISP strives to create “learning principles” which teachers can follow when planning their lessons and activities.

• The teacher appraisal process: ISP wants to create a more comprehensive way for supporting

ongoing professional growth for our faculty, our most important resource for learning.

• Physical Learning Environment: ISP wants to continue to evolve and improve learning environment for students that reflect our approach to teaching and learning.

• Wellbeing: In addition to having a sound physical environment ISP will explore how best to ensure that students are physically, socially and emotionally healthy.

It was certainly a great honor for ISP to be selected as the first school to go through this new accreditation process.

Although it took months of hard work, and participation from students, teachers and staff of all departments, ultimately this process brought our community closer together and supports us in continuing to improve as we move forward.

If you would like to know more about the learning stories that were key to the Accreditation process please see ISP’s “Selected Learning Stories” publication which is available in the ISP Advancement Office or online at: www.issuu.com/ internationalschoolofprague/docs/ isp_-_accreditation_2017_-_print__4.

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Keeping Connected One Alumna’s Legacy at ISP

Ms Riffle and current ISP students

A recent Alumna this year literally “gave back” to the Science Labs at ISP which helped her decide on the direction of academic journey which has taken her to University College London!

The ISP Upper Science Department was the recipient of the GE Star Award stipend that is to be used to purchase equipment. This is thanks to Alison Rep (Class of ‘17) who received a General Electric Scholarship for her academic achievements. With this stipend, two new magnetic stirring hot plates were purchased, which are necessary pieces of equipment in the Science Lab. These stirring hotplates are real workhorses

and each time our students use them, they will be reminded of Alison‘s generosity!

Alison takes up the story: “The hot plates were made possible by the GE Star Award, a program run

by General Electric for children of their employees. Given that my Dad works there, I was able to apply for this award by submitting an original essay. Lucky

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Alison (far right) with 2017 classmates on graduation day

The hot plate in use

Ms Riffle‘s Science Class

Alison in the UCL main library located behind the Portico

for me, they seemed to like mine and I was one of several chosen students!

biochemistry and genetics (my personal favorite). We have many lectures (many 9 AMs to my dismay!), practicals (labs) and tutorials weekly and of course the quizzes and exams as well.

quite interesting though because the topics I discussed on my Extended Essay (genetics and malaria, are very relevant to what I am studying now and remain one of my major interests.

Hopefully in the future I can go into this more specific field of research”.

Currently I am studying biomedical sciences in London at University College London (UCL). The three year course is challenging (much more so than I imagined!), however, it sure is fascinating! Modules I take this year include anatomy, pharmacology, cell biology, human physiology, chemistry,

I do think studying science at ISP influenced what I am studying now in several ways, however, I had known for quite some time that I wanted to follow an education in science. It is

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Back to the Future - ISP Lives and Stories ISP says goodbye this coming summer to a long serving librarian and since the last Inspiration has welcomed back two long serving ex-faculty to Nebušice.

Linda and Marcine with Library colleagues Sandra Richards and Mirjana Renovica. Mirjana recently left ISP after over two decades of stellar service

Linda Marti

Linda Marti is leaving ISP this summer after 26 years at ISP and is in some ways going “back to the future“. Linda is heading back to her family home in Kansas, USA, to her family farm and to care for her 92 year old mother. Linda has been living abroad since she was 18 and described “mixed emotions” about leaving Prague and ISP. Despite frequent trips home to the farm, near the village of Bern (population 166) in Kansas State, Linda said it will be something of a culture shock to move

from the bustling and beautiful city of Prague to a rural environment. Culture shock, however, is something that Linda experienced when she first arrived in Prague, via Germany, in 1992.

These apparent drawbacks of early 90s Prague life, however, were more than compensated for by Linda being spellbound by the beauty of the city, a feeling that endures today.

The city she arrived in was very different to the Prague of today, Linda recalled many diesel engines which made the city somewhat seem and polluted. Linda also cast her mind back to potraviny stores with somewhat sparse choices which were something of a contrast to what was on offer in the States and latterly in Germany.

Life at ISP also greatly stimulated Linda, where she started as a 5th Grade Teacher. Like the city however, the ISP of 1992 was a very different place to that of today. Linda’s class of 18 students contrasts with today’s ISP Grade 5 class of over 70 students but Linda looks back on her early days at ISP fondly. “The class was all taught in a living room in

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Anne Ross (left) with Linda Marti visiting ISP in 2017

the villa, it was somewhat cramped but kind of cosy too. There were a lot of embassy kids and I remember more than a few Australian students too as a big company was setting up in the country. We often took learning out of the classroom too, to different locations throughout the city”.

After two years teaching Grade 5, Linda moved to the library, or more accurately, to the attic of the villa, where the somewhat sparsely stocked library was situated. The 1997 move to Nebušice saw a big responsibility fall on Linda and her colleague Rick Van Pelt. “We were not involved in the planning of the library space per se but once it was ready we certainly had total responsibility for planning. At the time it was a little daunting, we didn’t even have any shelves! However, it was a great experience overall, and one which cemented my friendship with Rick and other colleagues. It was really a different time though - I remember going down to what was the temporary building at Jenerálka to find it had been taken over by local chickens!”

Reflecting on her time at ISP , Linda said that over the years she has learned to be more relaxed as a person and said that more than anything she will miss the kids. As for the city she said that she will miss the city and its architecture.

“Just simple things like going for a walk, and the priorities of Czech people who get away most weekends”.

Looking ahead, however, Linda is very much looking forward to living among family and friends and as she puts it, “I won’t recreate my life in Prague, although I’ll obviously be in online contact with colleagues and friends, it is the nature of international schools that people come and go. The ISP chapter is closed”. The European chapter is not completely closed as after leaving ISP Linda intends to further explore her Swiss-German heritage and visit relations. She will not, however, leave her Czech experience behind completely and after returning to the US, intends to attend one of the many Czech-American festivals just over the Nebraska border in the coming years.

Marcine Crowhurst

Linda’s friend and longtime colleague, Marcine Crowhurst, who worked at ISP shortly following the revolution, taught at ISP with her husband James who sadly passed away in 2016. Marcine now lives in Connecticut, USA. Marcine’s first school year was 199091 and ISP looked a bit different to what it does now. Shortly following the revolution, Marcine recalled that during her time at the Valley Campus it was, although homely, somewhat rudimentary in terms of facilities. She recalled having to carry out running onsite repairs - including manually flushing toilets!

Moving to Nebušice was a great experience for the school and students.

Marcella recalled, however, that the campus seemed a little drab. She commented that the addition of lots of colour around today’s campus was very welcome. Marcine also recalled her personal connection with husband James helped to build the loft in 1999 with Mr. Chip, who was then a Teaching Aide.

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Other welcome changes since her time at ISP noted by Marcine are what she described as the advancement of technology and “great steps forward in Academia, particularly in terms of the introduction of the IB programme”.

Also welcome was the observation that there was a lot more diversity among ISP staff and opportunities for staff development, which did not really exist when she was at ISP - “we were, I suppose you could call us, pioneers - the world was quite a different place then and we were learning and adapting as we went along”.

Marcine also noted that the most obvious area of growth, other than the campus itself was the student numbers,

predicting that numbers would soon be double the around 500 students that attended ISP at the time she left.

The growth was looked upon as being very positive and that “there is a real vibrancy around the school with lots of collaboration and cooperation going on and the expansion of the school hasn’t loosened its connections with local nature”.

Marcine maintains that international education is a gift - that students and parents have a different experience from those at other schools, of truly being part of a community, not just a school. Of Marcine’s own children, two graduated from ISP - Tim Crowhurst (Class of ‘95) was part of the very first graduating class at ISP and Karen Chandler (nee Crowhurst - Class of

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‘98). Karen currently lives in Huntsville, Alabama where she is currently a fulltime mother after working for a legal firm. Tim currently has his own company We <heart> IT. This is after a 13 year career at Goldman Sachs. During his time at the University of Chicago Tim helped with Czech translations - putting the language he’d learned while at ISP to use. As Marcine recalled from Tim’s school days “he spoke Czech with his heart and German with his head”.

Marcine has retained her passion for learning, as she put it “we should always continue to learn no matter what age we are” and continues to teach in Connecticut, tutoring in her home village.

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← Marcine Crowhurst meets current Grade 2 teacher Liezel de la Isla Alemany ↓ Marcine catches up with her former student and current ISP IT Support Technician Tommy Jarolímek

Anne Ross

Anne worked at ISP from September 1987 to June 1999. For the first three years, Anne taught Second Grade. From September 1990 to February 1997, Anne was principal of what was then the Valley School. Then, when the whole school moved to Nebušice, Anne became the Elementary School principal.

Since leaving ISP in 1999, Anne has continued to be an educator and had been principal of a small public elementary school and a teaching coach for Head Start in Massachusetts, where she lives.

Anne has what she describes as a whole book full of memories. She was, of course, present for the Velvet Revolution and that is something that

she will always treasure. Anne takes up the story from that time, recalling being at Prague Airport when going back to the US for Christmas. “In those days, the exit from immigration and customs was a series of solid wooden doors that resembled a row of stalls in a public bathroom. The door would slam behind you with a resounding smack and it always seemed to me to say - ‘you are trapped now‘. When I went home to the US for Christmas in December 1989, all of these doors had a ‘Havel na Hrad‘ poster on them. The posters, along with the smack of the doors now seem to say to the Communists “Get out!”.

Anne also recalled her first feeling of culture first culture shock when taken to Mala Strana for the first time. “It was like leaving the 20th century and driving into the 18th century. All that was missing were the horses”. Many culture shocks followed!

Among Anne’s most treasured memories of ISP, however, was unrelated to Prague and the historic times locally she living through. It nonetheless was directly related to another historic event.

As Anne recalls, “one of the African children I taught in second grade. He was a tall, quiet boy who had a very reserved personality. One morning, very

unusually, he spoke up spontaneously in class. He spoke up in a clear, strong voice, ‘He is free’. He was speaking of Nelson Mandela, who had been released from prison the day before”.

Anne revisited ISP 2017, having had not been in the school or in Prague for 18 years. “Some things were the same; the flags in the cafeteria, the big staircase down to the gym, the march of the children from the elementary school to the playground on the other side of the building”, said Anne. Other things, however, were new or different.

Anne reported, “the building additions threw me, but I loved the mural in the elementary wing of the Czech buildings (the ‘Wall of Wonder’ by Mr. Chip”). The maturing of the trees planted 18 years ago has softened the hard edges of the building.”

Anne lamented that her visit back to Nebušice was too short to get any real sense of the human experience. She did, however, say that she gets a sense of what ISP is now as a educational institution from the posts on the ISP Facebook page. Anne’ final word on ISP is that: “It still seems like the exciting, creative, supportive environment I was so happy to be a part of from 1987 to 1999”.

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Just Dance!

Jana Kyriakou on how ISP Kids just Keep on Movin’ The Just Dance Activity this year celebrates its tenth year and has become something of a phenomenon at ISP, with over 100 students involved in a wide range of dance styles. Ranging from modern, street, to ballet and classical dance, break dance and even Bollywood dancing, Just Dance shows have seen audiences in excess of 300 people cram into the Landau Theatre and many more follow on the ISP live stream!

Current Coordinator of the programme, ISP parent Jana Kyriakou, has ran Just Dance since 2009. Jana recalled that when she took over there was a fairly small class, made up exclusively of Elementary students and ran in tandem with the music class. The class of less than 30 children did introductory classes made up of ballet and modern and street dancing.

This club was, however, always oversubscribed and the shared desire of Jana and Elementary Principal Dr. Cindy Vega to broaden access bore fruit in 2012. The recruitment of a new teacher, Dáša Horváthová, who Jana described as a “simply awesome teacher”, and the involvement of a number of Upper School students who wanted to run a class for Middle School as part of their CAS project really set

the wheels in motion for the growth of Just Dance. The CAS project that year also helped support local charity the Vitej Foundation, which assists adults who live with autism, with Middle School students ultimately visiting and performing at the Vitej Centre.

2013 saw important milestones in the development of Just Dance with the recruitment of another teacher, break

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dance teacher Mates Erml and the first ever Just Dance show, which ran as an independent production, focusing only on dance. The period also saw more and more involvement from ISP Activities Director Joe Monks, who Jana described as “consistently full of support for dance at ISP in terms of advice, budget and support”. In 2015 the club grew again, with the incorporation of the Bollywood dance

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activity, initially started by parents, which added another style to the Just Dance repertoire.

my emotional state - more so through bodily expressions than I ever could through words”.

Jana is forthright of her views in the power of dance and movement, and has a background in classical ballet from Prague National Theatre which led to a passion for modern dance. As Jana put it, “I feel that through dance I feel I can truly express myself and

Jana also teaches adults in dance, yoga and body awareness classes so dance and movement are cornerstones of her life. The same goes for the other members of her team. Dáša has taught at ISP since she was a university student and also has developed a programme

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called “.movementally” as well as finding the time to teach movement potential to adults and be a singer and musician! Mates works in finance by day but dances in the renowned Czech breakdance crew Pentifull and is routinely described by Jana as the “cool teacher”. Bollywood teachers Lucie Linhartová and Jarmila Chromíková ,who come from acting and musical backgrounds respectively, and when not teaching at ISP, deliver Bollywood lessons at the Indian Embassy in Prague.

As for the future, Jana sees the Just Dance programme continuing to grow

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and flourish, reporting that discussions have already taken place to bring dance into the daily curriculum at ISP. Progress has already been made in this regard with Jana and Dáša leading dance classes as part of Upper School Stretch Days. Dáša has also held initial talks about having dance as an International Baccalaureate elective so perhaps in the future dance will go even deeper into the everyday life of the school.

With over 100 students directly involved in Just Dance, and a host of other community members looking to get involved, the future looks bright for dance in Nebušice!

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Class Notes Class of 2010

Avo (far right) celebrating this first solar installation.

Erkaiym graduating with a BA in Politics and International Studies.

Project Sisterhood: three generations of women in Erkaiym’s family

Dear Class of 2010,

Eva Freckmann spent the year working as a Science Technician in a secondary school in Sheffield. This helped her decide that she wanted to pursue a career in scientific research, and Eva is delighted to be starting her PhD in Cancer Studies at the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, University of Glasgow.

responsibility and learning the language of finance. And I will never forget when Brexit happened, and how quiet the bank suddenly became. Having done a few self-development and leadership courses, I realised that I am very passionate about empowering women in my home country of Kyrgyzstan to come together in solidarity, and launched Project Sisterhood (Eje-Singdi in Kyrgyz). I created BBC programmes, was interviewed by a major newspaper in Kyrgyzstan and now there’s going to be a TV show launched in a few weeks.

I left the bank a month ago to re-assess my career and what I want to do longterm - do I want to continue in finance or focus on empowering women fulltime? I will keep you updated. And my advice for anyone in school: be open, curious, and use your talents to improve the world.” Best of luck to Erkaiym!

I’m very pleased to be writing our fourth alumni newsletter and I hope the enthusiasm for the newsletter continues. There have been a number of great achievements in the last year: For class of 2010 graduate Avo Shahverdian, the real world has been pretty exciting. In the last year, he left his job to start his own business, Founding Edmond Becquerel Inc., named after the French physicist. The business is focused on solar engineering and installation, but there are plans on moving into other ventures in the future. It’s been busy, but also very rewarding. This year Avo also started flight school! Avo reports: “Maybe by the next ISP Newsletter I’ll be a licensed pilot, or have died in a ball of fire. Only time will tell. To ISP, my classmates, and teachers, I miss you very much! Warm greetings from the USA!” After graduating from her MSc Bioinformatics course at the University of Edinburgh in November 2016,

Erkaiym Djumataeva reports: “It’s hard to believe it has been seven years since we graduated from High School. After ISP, I attended Warwick University which is very popular with ISP alumni, and with good reason.

Intending to be a journalist/political commentator like my mom, I studied Politics and International Studies. But I quickly learned that journalism is not for me after doing an internship at The Prague Post. I didn’t want to talk and write about people and events all day, I would rather achieve things myself! Well it seemed like getting a job in the City of London was the way to go. So, after Warwick, I enrolled in Law School and then started a job at an investment bank in London as a Compliance Officer. It was initially very exciting, having a lot of

Maria Amer reports: “I battled cancer for 3 years and won.

But now I’m healthy and happy!”

Sarah Jenicek is currently a trainee at the European Commission!

Katrien Wilmots is set to graduate with

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Class of 2013 Greetings from the class of 2013! This year has been a year of many changes and we are excited to share some of them with you through the January newsletter.

Lukas Borovicka has completed his Bachelor at SCAD in Film and TV and is currently working in Los Angeles at Disney ABC Television Group in the Production Management Department.

Katrien (center) at the Michigan-MSU game last fall in Ann Arbor.

her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in December 2017. She has absolutely loved her time in Ann Arbor and will miss student life (especially football, Go Blue!). After graduation, Katrien will take the New York bar and move to London to start her position as a first-year U.S. associate at Allen & Overy LLP doing capital markets work. But before she starts work, she plans to travel for a couple of months and hopefully see some of her ISP classmates along the way!

Hana Felix has moved to Vancouver, Canada and is currently doing an LLM at UBC. Thank you to all those who responded!

If you have any more updates you want your classmates to know about or you have any photos you want to share please don’t hesitate to pop me an email at isp.class.of.2010@gmail.com and I’ll make sure to include them in the next newsletter.

Katrien Wilmots

Daniella Smith has completed her Bachelor degree in Communication Studies and Journalism at the University of Alabama. She is currently working in Marketing & Community Relations at the Chicago Blackhawks, a professional ice-hockey team in Chicago, Illinois.

Her parents have recently moved to Tokyo, Japan, where she spent a couple incredible weeks traveling around Japan.

Alexia Bossan has completed her Bachelor degree in Biomedical Sciences and Chemistry at the University of Central Florida. She is currently taking a gap year before starting medical school in the fall of 2018. She is employed by EMR Scribes, where she works as a medical scribe in a pediatric neurology clinic. She also volunteers as a scribe at Shepherd’s Hope free clinic in the evenings, and has recently submitted her first author publication to the Oncotarget research journal. She is also learning Russian!

Aydin Shahidi has completed his Bachelor of Science in Managerial & Business Economics at U.C. Davis and hopes to return to Europe in the fall to commence a master degree in International & Sustainable Finance.

After graduating from his Bachelor, he spent several months traveling and completing an agricultural economics research project for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at U.C. Davis. He currently lives in Boulder, Colorado, where he gets to explore some of his new passions and works as a part-time wine connoisseur at PMG Wines.

Kristyna Dlouha is set to graduate in February 2018 from Hotelschool The Hague. She is currently writing her thesis on Market Trends in New York City’s services and hotels, where she also moved to in May of 2017! She is working full time as reservations and revenue intern at the Library Hotel in N.Y.C. Steven Slezak has completed his Master of Science in Strategic Management at the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), after completing his Bachelor of Science in International Business Administration at RSM. He is working in New York as well as an account manager at JustPremium. He runs digital advertising campaigns for several clients and is responsible for the daily operations that are necessary to carry out these campaigns.

Ana-Maria Berlew is set to graduate in May 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in management. She is currently working at the Boston Consulting Group as the Operations Co-Op and will continue to work there while completing her final semester of her degree.

Besides our classmates in America, we’ve got many updates from the ones who are still in Europe as well!

Claire Gilbert, who left Prague before graduating in 2013, spent her time at four different schools before graduating from high school in Croatia. She recently completed her Bachelor in Media and Communications at Webster University in Leiden, the Netherlands. She’s currently working for her hometown’s newspaper in Ghent, New York, and is planning to complete a marketing and communications internship. She invites other members of the class to contact her at claireelisegilbert@gmail.com.

Marie Stehlik has completed her Bachelor of Science with Honors in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Nottingham. She has also started her Master’s degree in

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role at his family run restaurant chain.

With the aid of franchising, they are currently running three restaurants in Hungary and one in Romania.

Sara Hadzic has completed her Bachelor of Law at Maastricht University. She took a gap year after her bachelor’s where she did an internship at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and a traineeship at the European Parliament. She has recently started her Master in Law and Finance at the University of Oxford.

Aydinand Sukhoat U. C. Davis

Psychology at the University of New York in Prague. She is happy to be back here!

She has also picked up singing again, something she has been passionate about since middle school.

Ye Jin Choi has graduated with a Bachelor of Music from Juilliard in May of 2017. She started her Master of Arts at the Royal Academy of Music in London this fall. She will be trying out for the International Prague Spring Competition this coming May. She hopes to be able to return to Prague along with some good results to follow!

Tina Zhou Hui has completed her Bachelor at the University of Warwick and is considering to start a master’s degree next year. She is currently working as talent acquisition consultant for IT roles at Hays, a recruiting company.

She is also a trainer of the team.

Klara Ovcackova has completed her Bachelor of Arts in European Politics at King’s College London in 2016. After taking a gap year, during which she worked in Prague at the Institute of International Relations, she returned to London. Here, she is completing her Master’s degree in Economy, State and Society: Politics and the International Economy at the University College London. This is a two-year dual degree that focuses on Central Eastern Europe and Russia. She will spend the next year studying in Budapest. Besides her studies, she also completed her second half-marathon in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Balazs Kuti has completed his Bachelor in Film and Media at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is currently completing a Master of Science in Marketing at the International Business School of Budapest. He is also the marketing director and has a managerial

Nam Son, Zbynek, Pavlina and Ye Jin reunite in London.

Maite Versaevel has completed her Bachelor in Interior Design at the School of Arts in Gent, Belgium. She started her Master’s degree in Interior Architecture at KU Leuven, Sint Lucas Gent. She was also able to complete an internship in Istanbul with Ozer&Tulgan Architects.

There, she was involved in drawing detailed floor plans for several projects including the lobby of a Double Tree hotel in Adana, Turkey and a casino restaurant in Dakar, Senegal.

Paulina Wydrzynska completed her Bachelor in Journalism and Communications at the AngloAmerican University in Prague. She started her Master’s degree this year in Media & Business at the Rotterdam School of Management.

Kristian at his new coworking space in Rotterdam

Kristian Voldrich completed his Bachelor of Science in International Business Administration at the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) last year. He went on to complete his Master of Science in Business Information Management at RSM right after. He currently remains in Rotterdam, where he is running his own venture named College Life (https://collegelife.nl). He has a team of four people and helps international students in the Netherlands with topics such as jobs, housing and financing.

As for myself, I completed my Bachelor of Science in International Business Administration at the Rotterdam School of Management this summer. I recently started my Master of Science in Marketing Management at RSM as well, after completing an internship at Ogilvy & Mather this past summer. I’m very much hoping to find a marketing strategy and/ or digital marketing job after graduating from my master next summer.

It has been an extremely eventful and successful year for all of the ISP ‘13 graduates and we are as excited as ever to continue studying and start our careers! Thank you to the Class of 2013 for your updates. We look forward to hearing more.

Kind regards,

Bo Hitzert

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Class of 2014 Class Correspondents Anna-Rosa Eerikäinen Holli Demirel rosiefinland@gmail.com holli3demirel@hotmail.com

customers. For this, I am beyond excited and I cannot wait to see what else life has in store for me! Apart from working, I continue my passion for photography and song writing whenever I have the time to do so.

Hello ISP and greetings from our Class of 2014. Our class has gone through some pretty big changes and decisions during the past few months and we are thrilled to be able to share some of our news with you!

Wishing you all well, Class of 2014.

Nina Sharma I have just finished my Bachelor‘s in Economics Honors from University of Delhi, and after completing a traineeship in Account Management from Dentsu India, I will be moving over to the land of maple syrup i.e., Canada! To be more specific, I will be studying Marketing Management in Ottawa! Life has been quite hectic ever since the decision to moving came, not to mention I am kind of scared too, but I am also super excited in living life in a new place and hopefully calling that place my home! One of the most exciting events to take place this year was the mini-ISP reunion we had in Delhi. It was wonderful catching up with old friends and talking about all the things we had been through.

Anna-Rosa Eerikäinen I finished my Bachelor Degree in Journalism and Mass Media Communications at the AngloAmerican University of Prague late June this year. In the midst of getting ready for graduation, I was trying to decide whether I would like to continue my studies for masters in the field of International Relations or whether there would be some other choices for me to take a look at. Sooner than I realized, I found myself taking a chance and I ended up applying for a few jobs instead of continuing my studies. I have now been working for the ExxonMobil Corporation office based here in Prague, since mid-April. I currently work as an Accounts Receivables for Finnish

Neel Chatterjee, Nina Sharma, Griffin Chu and Zelim Vitarigov in Delhi

Inna-Maria Eerikäinen I started my masters this September in Design Management after graduating with my Bachelor’s degree in Product Design. I also work part time in marketing as well as a freelance designer. During my free time I like to draw, as well as play field hockey and badminton for my university’s sports teams.

Federico Pattinella I graduated with First Class Honours in my bachelor‘s degree in computer science from Loughborough University this summer. I spent the summer in Italy and Germany and now I‘m back in England, where I started a job in Birmingham. I am currently working as a solutions engineer at a software company that builds enterprise reporting and data management tools.

It‘s a good blend of business and technical, which I quite like.

Anna-Rosa Eerikäinen on her graduation day

Class of 2015

Kristian at his new coworking space in Rotterdam

Joshua Bieber is studying Jazz Piano at The School of Jazz in New York. This is a flyer from a recent performance.

ISP Newsletter 2018

Class of 2016

Vahe Asatryan: My first year at King‘s College London and the beautifully chaotic, inspirational environment of the city itself have been an extremely rewarding experience, above all for my degree in political economy and for acquiring general life skills. Meeting new people and continuing on doing what I‘ve loved have made for a highly enriching year. I plan on supporting the work of an Armenian Charity & Trust in London over the summer, and spending some time back home before heading to the UK for my second year!

Dominika Wydrzynska: At the moment I live in Amsterdam. I study to become an international teacher for elementary schools.

Ralph Lee: I’ve moved back to Korea to study international relations.

Isabella Wilkinson: Since finishing my first year as an undergraduate at the LSE, I‘ve had a wealth of fantastic experiences. In June and July I volunteered with a response team working with refugees on a Greek island, and had the opportunity to improve my Arabic and meet some truly inspiring people. During the break, I also spent time interning at a think tank and reconnecting with family and friends in Prague. Now back at university, I am balancing (read: no sleep!) part-time work at a research consultancy with my degree and leadership of the LSE‘s largest women‘s network.

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Sam Barlien: Sam has been working full time in Prague as an actor having performed 18 plays including musicals and ballets, alongside people such as the British Ambassador and Lane Davies in locations such as Divadlo Hybernia and Stavoske Divadlo. He has also appeared in over 40 voice over productions and 8 on screen appearances and is working on his first TV show Carnival row scenes with Orlando Bloom.

Xinni Guo: I‘ve been studying psychology and international business at the University of Michigan. Studying at a renowned research institution has opened up many opportunities for me to explore my interests.

Theodora Sabadeanu: This past year I‘ve been studying Psychology at University of St Andrews. It has been a year of discoveries and opportunities ranging from meeting so many wonderful people to discovering new academic interests and getting involved in volunteering programs that deepened my understanding of Psychology, particularly mental health.

I‘ll be forever grateful to all my teachers and counsellor at ISP who helped me reach this amazing place.

Elena Ishchuk: In the past year I created the Speech & Debate society at Coventry University London Campus, I also am currently the secretary of a fundraising society called Raise&Give and was recently elected as the Academic Board representative. In the near future I am planning on organizing a TEDx event at CULC and continuing to enjoy my life journey in London.

Katya Kowalski: Over the summer I interned at the Faculty Hospital Motol in the children‘s psychiatric ward, where I got extremely interesting hands-on experience in the field of mental health, which I am currently interested in pursuing as a career.

I have entered my second year of psychology at the University of Bath, getting involved in a ton of interesting activities. I recently joined the volleyball club and am playing for the university’s second team. I’m also currently the social secretary for the Bath Association of Psychology Students and a PeerAssisted Learner leader, tutoring first year students; I’m also a peer mentor and student ambassador for the psychology department.

Carla Gras: Studying English Literature at Concordia University in Montreal, whilst doing an outside study on Nutrition and holistic healing.

Rutger Hamel: Over summer I did a month long design internship at Feadship (one of the biggest super yacht companies in the world. I also started my second year of automotive and transportation design at Coventry university.

ISP Newsletter 2018

Hugo Kornblad: I have been making music in Holland the past few months

finding time to play volleyball for her university and sing in a co-ed acapella group.

Sohi Yoon: I have been quite busy, juggling academics and extra-curricular activities. I am currently a supervisor at one of the Durham University College Bars, a first-aider of St John‘s Ambulance, and the secretary of Durham Marrow, a branch organisation of Anthony Nolan stem cell registry.

I recently co-organised a successful charity formal dedicated to blood cancer and, with the Durham Marrow exec members, increased the stem cell registration in Durham up to 207% compared to the year before.

Diana Shafran: I study Music Industry Management in University of Hertfordshire in England and of course enjoy playing volleyball with my new team. Occasionally, I go back to Prague to see my family and friends, so I visit ISP every time, also since my sister is in 7th grade now. I hope everyone is doing great!

Mariia Chykulay: Mariia (Mania) Chykulay has been keeping herself busy by spending her fall semester at the United Nations by being selected through a joint program with Drew University. She is currently researching the legitimacy of the UN as an international organization with a focus on the situation in Ukraine while also

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Government, teach Russian, mentor freshmen and am a competing member of the travel team for the Models UN/ NATO/Arab League. Overall, I am just having the time of my life in college, and currently preparing to start my 6-months long coop in December at the Massachusetts’ Attorney General’s Office, Executive division as an assistant.

I am super excited to start working and see how I like working in government.

Frankie Kubena: I changed my name and moved to New York City. I work as a barista at Whole Foods and go to school at Pace University.

Jewon Yun: I have been majoring in public service where I can study administration, law and marketing.

(And I am still playing basketball :)) Aidar Ulan: I‘m in the second year of my studies in bachelor of science of Business Economics in Erasmus school of economics.

Elina Mariutsa: In my second year studying Political Science, International Affairs and History at Northeastern University (Boston). I am working on campus as the Resident Assistant, serve as a Senator in the Student

Ryan Griffiths: The past few months I have been working on the final stages of releasing a new collection for my own clothing brand “Palmtrees clothing”, which I started before leaving ISP. Along with this, I have been working for an event management organization in The Hague, and have spent a lot of time promoting and working in both Amsterdam and Leiden.

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Class of 2017 Gwen Castillo

Emma Charlotte

Alexandra Nyupenko

I am currently studying at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond Virginia. I have been having an amazing time meeting new people and fitting into the VCU community. One of my favorite aspects are all the activities I get to do. I am in volunteer organizations, soccer team, an acapella group, a tutoring group, a history club and more.

My advice to new or old students at university, is to reach out and see what your school and community has to offer you cause there are so many opportunities to go out and do something great for yourself and the world.

I am currently studying in Middelburg, Netherlands at University College Roosevelt. I am planning to do an interdepartmental major in Social Sciences and Sciences with a focus on law, psychology and biochemistry. So far, my university experience has been amazing and I have even been able to continue doing theater as I did at ISP and will be performing in the Winter Production which is entirely student led! I hope to visit ISP soon and am excited to see what university has in store for me.

I am currently studying Fashion Business at Istituto Marangoni in Paris.

The course offers many internship opportunities in brands like Dior, AlaĂŻa and Elie Saab, as well as Paris Fashion Week visits. I really like the university life so far as my passion is finally realized in the career that I enjoy! I am looking forward to the upcoming Paris Fashion Week and putting my skills to work during that special event!

Violet Burbank

I live in California now, right outside of LA! It has been so much fun so far, but a lot of work too! I got to celebrate Thanksgiving with a friend a few weeks ago, and I went to the beach for the first time in years. Even though it was November, it was warm enough to go swimming and relax in the sand. While I miss Prague dearly, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nice to not have to bundle up!

ISP Newsletter 2018

Emily Ghassemi

After high school, I returned to my home of 5 years, the Hague, the Netherlands, to attend Leiden University College the Hague. I study Liberal Arts and Sciences with the focus of Global Challenges.

The most important lessons I’ve learned are probably how to eat the same meal three days in a row, in order to save money on groceries, and where the fabric softener goes in a washing machine.

Even though I feel like I’m still a child, being away from family has morphed me into an adult. I have to declare my major in May and am deciding between Global Public Health and World Politics. My current plans for after university are to live in Tehran, Iran for half a year and work for an international organization to get some work experience and better my Farsi.

www.isp.cz/supporting-isp/

Alexander Marecek and George Mazzotti

George Alexander Wheatley Mazzotti and Alexander Marecek are currently attending the University of Reading in the UK. George is studying real estate and Alex is studying consumer behaviour and marketing.

The university is located near the town centre of Reading, a town known well for four Bs, being biscuits, bulbs, bricks, and beer. They are both enjoying their university experiences and are having a great time in the UK.

Moving away from home was definitely very hard for me and still is. You never really fully appreciate how good you have it back home until you’re on your own. So far University has been treating me well, I found some new friends and passed my first midterm exams. University is definitely an experience which everyone should look forward to not only for the exciting course you’ll study but also the things you’ll learn about yourself. Feel free to shoot me a facebook message if you have any questions. - Marko

Victoria Schdeva

Marko Stracar

I am currently undertaking an Engineering and Physical sciences foundation year at the University of Nottingham.

I am currently studying Economics and Accountancy at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. So far university life was full of surprises. New friends, duties, challenges and excitements. At the university you finally start realizing what independence actually means. Although studying takes up a lot of time, I still participate in many other activities, discovering new things about myself everyday.

Right now I am finding my passion in olympic archery

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and economics society. In my free time I try to travel around Scotland, discovering its uniquely beautiful nature, mysterious castles and unpredictable weather. Next year I hope to study abroad for one year and travel.

Your Class Correspondents

1997 Martina Pomeroy pomeroy@unhcr.org Sinan Aka kuzensinan@yahoo.com 2000 Ben Groucott ben@groucott.com Evgenia Bukhantsova jboukhantsova@hotmail.com 2001 Gorana Renovica goranarenovica@gmail.com 2002 Melanie Wallinger jaga36@hotmail.com 2005 Andrej Vukotic andrej.vukotic@gmail.com 2007 Daisy Hessenberger dhessenberger@gmail.com 2008 Larissa Batt larissabatt@hotmail.co.uk 2010 Katrien Wilmots katrien_wilmots@yahoo.com 2011 Zoey Hitzert zoey.hitzert@gmail.com Katie Hobkirk hobkirkk@gmail.com 2012 Dara Chermoeva dara.chermoeva@hotmail.com Sophia Freckmann 4sophiafreckmann@gmail.com 2013 Julien Mikton julien.mikton9@gmail.com Bo Hitzert bohitzert24@gmail.com 2014 Holli Demirel holli3demirel@hotmail.com Anna-Rosa Eerikäinen rosiefinland@gmail.com 2015 Mati Malvido mati.malvido@gmail.com 2016 Mariia Chykulay mandy.chykulay@gmail.com

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And do not miss!

Student Raffle 2018 starts in early April!

Raffle tickets go on sale very soon!

Due to the generosity of our donors, students have the opportunity to win amazing prizes while also raising funds for Scholarships and Financial Aid at ISP.

Raffle prizes will be on display every day in the Cafeteria and students, once they have purchased tickets can place them in boxes for each prize they are interested in.

Raffle tickets cost 50 CZK each, go on sale on the first week of April, and there is no limit on how many tickets an individual may purchase!

The last day of ticket sales is Wednesday 11 April and the winning tickets will be drawn by Dr. Bieber in the Cafeteria the same day at 15.30!

Tickets will be available every morning, starting on Wednesday 4 April, in the Elementary School Foyer, and in the Cafeteria every day from 14.30-15.30.

Please stay tuned for updates on the ISP facebook page and website to learn more about the generos raffle prizes and our generous donors!

Night at the Tower - Saturday 5 May

The International School of Prague presents the 8th Annual Annual Fundraiser for Scholarships and Financial Aid. The showpiece event of the ISP social calendar moves on to another incredible venue following the last two years at Manes Gallery and Sacre Coeur.

This year’s gala event takes place at the beautiful and historic setting of The New Town Hall (Novoměstská radnice). http://www.nrpraha.cz/

The stunning venue has a unique place in Prague’s history and in 1419 it was the site of the first defenestration of Prague! The only incidents in the Tower on 5 May, however, will be when guests can scale the steps and take in stunning views of the city from a truly unique vantage point.

The full entertainment programme is still under developed and indeed some of the aspects of Night at the Tower including a mysterious tribute band! will remain a secret until the night itself.

Fine dining will be delivered, however, by the Zátiší Group, the Czech Republic’s finest caterers.

Tickets for Night at the Tower go on sale in mid March and details will be publicised throughout the school, through Parent Contact and through ISP social media feeds.

As ever, the evening will be the highlight of the ISP social calendar and as well as fine dining, live music, the Auction and a range of other activities, we have a top DJ to take the party into the wee small hours!