THE ISB MAGAZINE | Issue 01
SPOT LIGHT
CONTENTS | Overview
Contents 3 Foreword from the Director 4 Student life College counselling
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New College Counsellor Coordinator Skyler Bentley provides an overview of the services offered at ISB
8 Arts Visiting artist workshops Multi-day workshops for Grade 11 and 12 IB Diploma Visual Art students provided spectacular results
10 Sport Extra-curricular programme Fun in a familiar environment for students up to Grade 8
12 Travel Ski camp / CAS trip to Tanzania
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Two very different trips with very different experiences
20 On campus Fiechten Grade 6 students get their very own campus!
22 Spotlight InDialogue The Strange, Exotic and Mind-Bending World of Mathematics
12 © International School Basel ISB, Fleischbachstrasse 2, 4153 Reinach, Switzerland, T +41 (0)61 715 33 33, info@isbasel.ch, www.isbasel.ch As an international school with almost 60 nationalities representing our community, we encourage and celebrate diversity everyday. You will notice that there are several English standards (American, British and Canadian to name a few) being used throughout this publication, depending on the article. Photography: School Photo Archive and Thinkstock.com (page 4&5) Design and Art Direction: StuderGuldin GmbH, Zug Contributors: ISB staff, students and parents as told to Drew Lilley Printer: S. Bürgin Druck + Verpackungs AG
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Foreword from the Director | ForewOrd
ISB MISSION To provide an international education to the highest recognized academic standards. The School is committed to promoting learning, cultural awareness and international understanding and to developing respect and appreciation for people of all nationalities, religions and cultural backgrounds.
Foreword from the director Welcome to this, the first edition of the International School Basel magazine! Our new annual publication, Spotlight, is designed to be a window into student life and to capture the spirit which is ISB. To achieve this, we have chosen several topics which we feel provide a flavour of what has been happening in and around the School’s extended community, whilst highlighting what has been achieved in a wide variety of student experiences. In this and future issues, we will focus on arts, sport, travel and campus life, with features and interviews from all those involved in our daily activities, including students, staff and parents. Within the next few pages, you will be able to read about artist Bernard Garo’s workshop which encouraged students to explore a personalized concept, through non-traditional media and on a challenging scale. The canvases were gradually brought to life during three days of intensive study at the Reinach Campus.
The magazine also focuses on two, very different School trips. Although these ventures are on vastly different scales, they produced similar challenges and successes for the students and staff. These trips may have seemed daunting at the outset for the students, but Grade 3’s first ever ski camp and Grade 11’s trip to Tanzania - the former being so young, the latter travelling so far and to such a different environment – proved exciting and enriching in equal measure. In short, the magazine focuses on the rich experiences that the students have been able to gain over recent months. It is written with the ISB community in mind, and I would like to encourage you to offer your comments and feedback which will enable us to ensure the success of future issues. I hope you will enjoy reading this first edition of ”Spotlight” and I invite you to join me in celebrating what is proving to be an exciting school year full of challenges and progress. Warm regards,
Other ”Spotlights” fall upon the School’s new venture at Fiechten, the expanding College and Career Counselling services, and one of several parent organisations which support the ISB community.
Lesley Barron Director SPOTLIGHT | 4 /2013
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Student life | College counselling
“The mentoring program is a really valuable initiative, which is a great source of information for getting to hear from people that are well established in a field that you want to study and they are able to provide you with information and advice about the routes to get there.”
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SHANNON, Grade 12 student SPOTLIGHT | 4 /2013
College counselling | Student life
ISB College and Career Counselling
Inspire...Explore...Collaborate...Enrich...Motivate...Educate – terms that encompass the College Counselling goals at ISB. We understand the challenges students and parents encounter when consider ing life after high school. It is a time when students need to choose relevant high school courses, research future career prospects and narrow down higher education options. Fortunately, ISB students and parents have a wealth of information available to them through the School’s College and Career Counselling. With five highly-qualified and experienced Counsellors at ISB, families are supported throughout Grades 8-12. The College Counsellors have a range of backgrounds and experiences from around the world including the UK, USA, Canada and mainland Europe. Students and parents can feel confident when receiving advice regarding the diverse programmes and institutions. The new College Counsellor Coordinator, Ms. Skyler Bentley, provides an overview of the College Counselling services offered at ISB with reference to the following goals.
Inspire ISB wants students to feel inspired about their chosen career path and knows how important it is to have meaningful experiences that reinforce this. Offered on a voluntary basis, ISB has a Mentoring Programme in place that connects Grade 11 and 12 students with professionals in the community, giving them the opportunity to learn more about a particular field of interest by connecting with parent mentors or other community agencies. Explore Early involvement is reassuring for families and the Middle Years is a time for students to explore their interests. The College Counsellors start this process in Grade 8 when students complete the MMTIC personality assessment. This helps students identify learning styles and strengths, including advice regarding career interests. In Grade 10, students participate in the Morrisby Profile, a personality and aptitude assessment that focuses on potential career interests. Each family then meets with a College Counsellor to receive guidance on university requirements and appropriate course selections for the IB Diploma Programme. ●●●
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Student life | College counselling
Collaborate The College Counsellors recognize the value of close partnerships and work collaboratively with students, parents, teachers and administration. There is a strong level of support from the ISB community and we actively search for opportunities to enhance student experiences including: teacher or parent mentorship, alumni guest speakers, student-led societies, career fairs, and other innovative ideas. To encourage collaborative efforts and effective communications, the College Counselling resource webpage is updated with new information and regular notices are sent to families regarding upcoming events.
“The interaction our family has had with the College and Career Counsellors has been very positive and instrumental in helping our children explore all of the options available to them beyond ISB.” Grade 12 Parent
5%
4%
4%
College applications by region 2012-2013: Canada – 5% United States – 27% United Kingdom – 32% EU countries – 11% Switzerland – 4% Australia – 2%, Gap year – 14% Other – 5%
Enrich The most effective way to learn is through ‘hands-on’ experiences and the College Counsellors encourage these enriching experiences. ISB hosts a three-day workshop in conjunction with Brighton Sussex Medical School; this school provides insight into medicine as a professional or medical student. Interested students in Grades 10 and 11 are given advice for submitting a strong application to universities in the UK, with the main focus on clinical and ethical skills. Once students are in Grade 12, they also have the opportunity to work with an interview consultant in preparation for Oxford and Cambridge, Medical or Veterinary courses in the UK. Our students thrive on these authentic experiences and find them to be an invaluable learning opportunity for applications and future studies.
11%
27%
2%
1
5%
32 %
USA Preparation ISB is a testing centre for the PSAT & SAT exams through the U.S. College Board. ISB hosts SAT preparation classes twice a year through an external agency called Academic Services International.
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College counselling | Student life
“ The college counselling experience at ISB has been very beneficial; I have been given so many opportunities such as lectures, workshops and interview practice and have been provided with a lot of comfort, support, encouragement and help from the College Counsellors. Overall, this has really helped me to develop crucial skills for application to university and also, to feel more comfortable and confident with the process.” JAsmine, Grade 12 student
Motivate What better way to motivate students about college and university life than to make it a real experience? Each spring, the College Counsellors take up to fifty Grade 11 students on a tour of UK universities. Two tours have been organised in May 2013 to explore Higher Education options in Scotland and England. Through interactions with professors and student ambassadors, our Grade 11 students can gain an added perspective for where they may want to pursue their studies. Educate ISB understands that the prospect of life after high school is a very exciting, but anxious time. With the knowledge that a growing number of resources are available, students and parents can feel confident about these final preparations. Each student is assigned to a College Counsellor in Grade 11 and works closely with this Counsellor in their final two years of high school. Students are given advice about their personal career and college search; this is achieved by individual or group meetings. University representatives from the UK, USA, Canada and Europe visit ISB each year and specialized programmes are highlighted including: Art & Design, Engineering, Business, Medical and Liberal Arts. The College Counsellors also host monthly University Advising Sessions for parents which outline the fundamentals of applying to universities and colleges around the world with themes on medical programmes, summer opportunities and gap year options.
“ The support I received from the College Counsellors at ISB is one of my fondest memories from my time there. They were truly interested in my well-being, encouraging me to challenge myself, and providing guidance throughout all stages of the application process. From discerning what I wanted to study, to reviewing my application essays, to celebrating my acceptances – they were available for me. Even two years after I have graduated, I have kept in touch with them, and know that they really care about me.” Amilee, Class of 2011 Alumnus
Ultimately, ISB wants students to feel confident about moving forward with the next step of their educational journey. The College Counsellors are truly committed to helping students identify and develop their individual passions and strengths, while exploring higher education choices.
“ The College Counselling Services at ISB are working hard to provide resources for students and parents to help with the university search/application process. The team has provided insightful information evenings about the university application process and we have had useful meetings with the counsellor assigned to our daughter to discuss her specific situation. Our daughter attended the SAT preparation classes last fall and will attend them again this spring to hopefully help improve her scores. Several university representatives came to talk to ISB students and parents and we are looking forward to attending more talks in the fall. We have seen a lot of expansion in the College Counselling Services at ISB this year and are looking forward to working with them even more closely when our daughter starts applying to schools next fall.” Grade 11 parent
We value the strong connections within the ISB community and look forward to following the success of our students as they continue to pursue their goals and aspirations.
In 2012, ISB implemented a new programme called Naviance. This resource tracks student applications, analyses data about university and college prospects, and provides information to Grade 11 and 12 students regarding higher education opportunities.
ISB is actively involved in two main associations: Swiss Group of International Schools (SGIS) and Council of Interna tional Schools (CIS). The College Counsellors attend annual conferences with opportunities for professional development, sharing of resources and net working with university representatives. SPOTLIGHT | 4 /2013
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Arts | Visiting artist workshops
“I learned a lot but the main points were not to make the focal point in the middle and to take risks, even when you don’t know how it will turn out.” Caroline, Grade 11 student
Visiting artist
workshops Since 2009, ISB has run two workshops every year with Bernard Garo, a Swiss professional artist based in Nyon.
These workshops, funded in recent years by the AISB, enable Grade 11 and Grade 12 Visual Arts students, respectively, to work in close conjunction with an innovative and expressive artist who can in spire them to develop both their personal concepts and their overall motivation. Grade 11 students work with asphalt and latex in their September workshop, while in November, Grade 12 students work on woodcarving – something that Garo also does as performance art, carving massive wooden panels with a chainsaw set to music!
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The three-day workshop for all 19 of the Grade 11 IB Diploma Visual Art students was the first time that they had worked on such a large-scale, and also with latex and asphalt as opposed to their more traditional 2D and 3D media. The use of non-traditional media on such a scale enables students to focus on texture, relief work and expansive compositional challenges, at the same time. They were also encouraged to go beyond the boundaries that they had previously set for themselves and to ignore any preconceptions. “If it’s beautiful, it’s not finished!” is one of Garo’s favorite phrases, and he also
explained to the students that, “When you know the rules of art, you can always go past them. You have to ‘break’ a canvas to go beyond it.” The students also visited Garo in Nyon three weeks before the workshop to see his studio, as well as the large, outdoor glass structure he designed and in stalled on a building in Nyon. This allows the students to see, feel and touch the type of work that the artist creates. The students also took their sketch books with them so that Garo could help them choose personalized themes before the workshop began.
Visiting artist workshops | Arts
The workshop itself took place in a highly visible part of the Reinach Campus, with the rest of the school community sharing the experience and watching the various latex and asphalt-based canvasses evolve over the three days. The end result was highly impressive, and a testament to the mature, professional, and highly creative approach demonstrated by the students.
“It benefitted me in ways that I didn’t even know were possible. I gave it ever y thing I had to tr y to achieve something on a higher level but I felt at some points that it still wasn’t good enough. Mr Garo inspired me to think outside the box and be different, which is something I’ll tr y to do as long as I can.” Aisling, Grade 11 student
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Sport | Extra-curricular programme
eCP – Fun
in a familiar environment Moving to a new country can often be a daunting experience for adults and children alike. And while the old adage that “the kids will be fine, they’ll adapt easily enough” is often true, parents may need support in making sure that the right conditions are there to help their children feel a part of the ISB community.
Questions such as “Where can my son play football?” and “Where can my daughter go dancing?” may be a matter of course in a familiar environment; however, they are far from easy to answer for parents who are new to the area and do not necessarily speak the language. Children’s artistic and creative talents also should not be put on-hold when they arrive in a new environment – indeed, exploring and developing their interests is one of the best ways to integrate. This is where ISB’s Extra-Curricular Programme comes in, playing an active role in the lives of parents and children of all ages. ISB students are always encouraged to take part in this After-School Programme, which offers a whole host of activities – sporting, artistic and creative – designed to help them discover new skills and enjoy social interaction outside the classroom. The programme changes each semester and different activities take place every day, with students able to explore a new activity or simply try something different.
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Activities are held both on- and offsite, with the latter being an excellent opportunity for students to get to know the area better and perhaps also make friends outside the ISB community. The programme is of real benefit to working parents, whose children are given the chance to enjoy hobbies and sport with their classmates just after school hours, either on-site or nearby and in a familiar and safe environment. As would be expected, soccer, basketball and dance are among the students’ favourite sporting activities, while funart, cooking and drama provide a more creative outlet. Mosaic-making has proved to be one of the most popular courses thus far among the younger (Kindergarten and Grade 1) students. These classes are limited to ensure that each student is given the opportunity to explore and develop his/her own artistic talents! The course is ideal for fostering hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills among younger children who also get to bring home gifts for the family.
Extra-curricular programme | Sport
Taekwondo
ISB is planning new ventures for the future including a summer programme. Parents of students from Pre-School up to Grade 8 were surveyed earlier in the academic year and provided very positive feedback about such a programme. The parents were delighted at the potential opportunity of an equivalent during the main school holidays. The summer programme is scheduled to be run over an initial two-week period with the possibility to expand at a later date.
One of the most popular courses for younger students is the martial art of taekwondo. Instructors from a dojo in Oberwil come into the School and give classes in English for students from Grades 2-5. Once the children have a feel and an appreciation for the art, they can go to the dojo themselves to attend more advanced classes. At the ISB International Festival organ ized by the Parents’ Association last June, there was a taekwondo demon stration involving ISB students as well as local children who attend the dojo. Younger students especially love the ceremonial aspects, clothing and rituals associated with martial arts, and taekwondo has proved so popular that an aikido course for ISB students aged seven and upward is now being run at another dojo in Reinach. SPOTLIGHT | 4 /2013
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Travel | Ski camp and CAS
“I had a lot of fun. I am super brave. It was very cold. I needed a helmet and goggles. I missed home so much. Mummy and Daddy are very proud of me. I’m proud of myself.” Dylan, Grade 3 Student
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Ski camp and CAS | Travel
“I wish I could go there for longer because it was so much fun.” L auge, Grade 3 Student
Leaving home for the first time:
Grade 3 Ski Camp in Haute-Nendaz
Ski camps are held every year for Grades 3-12, but for the youngest of those students who are often away from home for the very first time, it can be an especially emotional period.
No fewer than 91 Grade 3 students had this experience in January, sampling their first ever school trip with a four-day ski camp in Haute-Nendaz and coming back full of happy memories of the fun times they had had, both on and off the slopes. Preparation for such a daunting yet exciting prospect began early – on the first day of school, in fact! Teachers consulted with Grade 3 parents on the forthcoming ski camp to gauge how the young students’ reactions would be. In the following months, Physical Education (PE) teachers then mentioned the camp on a regular basis before or after class, explaining the process and answering any questions the children had (the most popular one being “Will I be able to share a room with my friends?”). Parents were invited to a ski-camp information morning in October featuring a presentation of all the details of ski camp, while the students themselves were treated to a ski-camp video in assembly. Most of them were already bubbling with anticipation, telling stories of jealous younger brothers and sisters who wished they were already in Grade 3 themselves! ●●● SPOTLIGHT | 4 /2013
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Travel | Ski camp and CAS
“We were risk-takers and are proud of our achievements.” A current Grade 3 student
There were a few tears on the morning of departure, but most of the separation anxiety was coming from the parents! And then they were off – 91 students and 11 members of staff – arriving in the resort in the Valais area of south-western Switzerland before midday. After lunch, the children were taken to the slopes to meet their instructors – all 15 of them – and then divided into groups based on ability. Parents had already been able to register online and give an initial gauge of their children’s abilities, but the instructors then carried out another assessment to divide up the beginners (approximately a third of the children) from the intermediate and the advanced. Then it was time for our seven and eightyear-olds to hit the slopes for good, in the company of the instructors who came from the private “Neige Aventures” ski school and hailed countries as varied as England, Australia and South Africa as well as Switzerland, with all coaching of course being given in English. The instructors also stayed and looked after the children during lunch every day.
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Ski camp and CAS | Travel
“When we showed up in ski camp I was so excited. I was in the advanced group. The colour medal I got was black and I was so proud.” a current Grade 3 student
The students skied for a total of four days, concluding their time on the mountains with a medal and presentation ceremony for each group on the Thursday before heading home in time to get back to Aesch Campus by early evening. Skiing was only part of the experience however. The students shared accommodation (with their carefully-chosen friends!) in the “Les Gentianes” Chalet, with dormitories of 6 – 8 featuring bunk beds and a bathroom with a shower, with boys and girls of course on different floors. A music teacher was on hand as soon as they returned from skiing, with the children congregating in the common room to play instruments and sing. They were also well looked after by the staff at “Les Gentianes”, who provided all the food (including a traditional raclette for dinner one night), taking everyone’s dietary requirements into account. Once everyone was happily fed, it was time for the young skiers to showcase their other abilities.
Entertainment was organised every evening: Tuesday was disco night, Wednesday saw a “talent show” and there was even a quiz night on the Monday with a Swiss theme to tie-in with what the third graders had been studying that semester. Being away from home at such a young age is an unusual experience and can be a testing one for parents and children alike. Up until last year, the students were allowed to call home, taking mobile phones with them which the teachers kept until the Wednesday. Invariably, this merely “reminded” them that they were out of their usual environment and led to some glum faces, so this year a blog and photographs were posted online every evening, enabling parents to keep track of the activities of their children. Because of the age of the children, there were more staff present at ski camp compared to ski camp trips with the older children. A nurse from ISB was also available as a touch of home sickness often comes out in the form of headaches or stomach aches.
The teachers also had more tasks such as checking sun cream, ensuring that the children had their helmets, goggles and ski passes and quite simply talking to them – before and after meals, telling them how the next day will be, giving them tips on how to put their equipment on – to engage them and keep their minds occupied. In keeping with the principles of the Primary Year Programme, the young students also acquired some independence and responsibilities, looking after their equipment (either their own or hired), putting on ski boots by them selves (an onerous task, as many an adult will agree…) and making sure that they stayed with their group leaders while using the lifts and gondolas. All in all, the trip was a great success, both for PE teacher and ski camp organ iser Didier Nehr, who also took Grade 4 and Grade 5 students to the resort at different times during the season, and above all for the students, who certainly seemed to enjoy every aspect of this new experience. SPOTLIGHT | 4 /2013
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Travel | Ski camp and CAS
Exhaustion and elation:
Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) in Tanzania It was a journey, not a holiday, and a life-changing one at that. Twenty-two Grade 11 students – the largest ISB group to date – travelled to Tanzania in February to help build a community centre as part of their CAS course.
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Ski camp and CAS | Travel
The students journeyed far, both in terms of miles flown and the distance they put between themselves and their everyday lives and comfort zones, and came back with experiences that most can only begin to imagine. This is the tenth time that ISB has run a trip to Tanzania, and the popularity of the expedition is constantly rising. In 2004, there were eight students who boarded the flight to Africa. This number has steadily increased to around 15, but this year no fewer than 22 students flew south, accompanied by two teachers and a school nurse.
There is plenty of work to be done prior to getting on the plane, however. Students have to submit applications to take part in CAS trips and undertake major fund-raising so that materials such as cement and construction tools can be purchased. Money raised also goes to help improve facilities and purchase text books. Students work all year round to collect the necessary funds, with much of the School involved in various ways. Contacts are also fostered from an early age, with this year’s Grade 6 students on Fiechten Campus writing to pen-pals in Tanzanian schools. The Tanzanian project is organised in conjunction with the International School of Moshi in the northeast of that country. The school, located in the lush, green town of Moshi on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, provides essential help with the trips, organising the project to be worked on as well as the vehicles for hire and guides. They also provide accommodation in a house which belongs
to the school. Students sleep five or six to a room in conditions which are basic but more than adequate, and food – a mixture of Western, Indian and Tanzanian – is also provided. This year’s students returned to the same site as the previous year and saw the primary school, whose foundations had been laid by their predecessors, now completed. There are three village schools in close proximity, and the 2013 ISB group worked on a community centre which will serve all three as well as the rest of the village. To say that the work was physically very demanding would be an understatement. Students carried huge concrete blocks and mortar, poured cement onto pathways and dug a cesspit. Despite the heat and the constant movement, the students took to their tasks with relish. They paired up, devised the best ways of working with each other and when one got tired, another picked up the slack. At the end of the day they were filthy, caked with mud and dust, but their smiles were clear for all to see after they had swapped being in a classroom for actually building one, and seen the progress of their building work hour by hour. ●●●
“In order to feel the boom of Africa, one needs to dive into the way of life there. One needs to experience the nature, the work and the people. Tanzania is a place where one can see wide-open savannahs, wildlife, sunrises on Kilimanjaro, a peaceful way of life, rich cuisine and the most amazing people on earth. Tanzania is peace, joy, colour, vibrancy and passion. In Tanzania I felt Africa’s booming heart for the first time, and it will be a time I’ll never forget.” Alexander, grade 11 student
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Travel | Ski camp and CAS
“There we were, sweating, out of breath, occasionally complaining but giving it our all with our hiking boots and light bags. And then there were the Tanzanian porters carrying out tents, food, tables, chairs, equipment and water, walking past us at an impressive speed wearing long sleeves and flip-flops…” Enya, Grade 11 student
As well as the physical aspect, the students were called-on to bear a heavy emotional load throughout the trip. Some of the experiences were uplifting, others heart-rending but all were unforgettable. On the second day, they were challenged to a game of football against the local kids. Two primary and a secondary school shut down and many local villagers all watched (a regular stadium match!) as the game was played in 35-degree heat. ISB lost 2-1 but this really was a case of the result being of secondary importance, as both sides cheered each other on constantly. There were also plenty of smiles when the students visited the local orphanage, though the “final whistle” in this case was a lot tougher on both sides. ISB visits the orphanage in Moshi every year and brings books, toys, toiletries and clothes either collected or acquired through fund-raising. It is home to children who have been abused, abandoned or affected by HIV, none of them older than five. As soon as the 18
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students arrived, a swarm of kids emerged, climbing all over them craving affection, human warmth and contact. Tears were flowing at the end from students and teachers as the kids clung on, refusing to let go and say goodbye. The trip also contributed to the action aspect of CAS with the students going on hikes up the Pares Mountain, where they camped out in the wild near the summit, and down to Lake Chala, Africa’s deepest lake. Later came the safari down into the Ngorongoro Crater, with vans of six people at a time getting almost within touching distance of lions, elephants and the rest of the “Big Five”. The group spent a day on the slope of Mount Kilimanjaro replanting trees as part of a project run by the Jane Goodall Institute’s environmental programme. With all the surrounding villages taking wood for fires, the slopes of Kilimanjaro are suffering from deforestation, so the ISB group planted no fewer than 350 trees. Students paired-off and worked
with older ladies from the village, getting in lines, planting trees and learning how to say rope, stick and tree in Swahili at the same time. Songs were sung in various languages, and all the students vowed to return and look at their trees in years to come. The 10-day trip, which coincided with school holidays in February, serves so many purposes. The primary aim is of course to help the community in Tanzania, but these projects also give our students unique insights into different lives and cultures – the kind they are unlikely to encounter on family holidays. Students each year return from their journey seeing their own world in different light. As they build links and get attached to people they are working with, they realise how lucky they are living in Basel and how many opportunities they have. What they see and feel in Africa stays with them for the rest of their lives. All students, no matter what their background or academic grades, come
Ski camp and CAS | Travel
Creativity Action and Service Creativity Action and Service (CAS) is a purposely non-academic outlet for Grade 11 and 12 students to counter balance the six academic subjects which they study. CAS provides students with an opportunity to learn from their own experiences in a number of different ways, at the same time reflecting on what they are achieving. As its name suggests, CAS is split up into three different fields. The “Creativity” aspect can be a skill such as photography, playing an instrument or becoming part of an orchestra, while “Action” tends to involve sporting activities, with ISB students typically playing football or tennis or training for a half-marathon. In both cases, what the students do should be fun but primarily have a goal and targets to be achieved.
back richer for the experience and feel that they have learnt far more than they have given. Many return home – exhausted and elated – with a new-found resilience and camaraderie. Plenty of students resolve to carry on where they have just left off to follow in the footsteps of the many ISB alumni who go back to Africa during gap years and university studies to continue to make a difference.
Where the trip to Tanzania comes in is the “Service” element. Many students provide other kinds of work for their CAS contribution: unpaid voluntary service to the community such as working in homes for the elderly, assisting nonprofit organisations to support asylum seekers or helping out at school, organising discos for younger students or running student council. And for some students of course, it is the opportunity to travel to Africa. As well as Tanzania, ISB runs another CAS trip to South Africa to work on various projects, including supporting an orphanage and a school. The latter has 600 children, two-thirds of whom are affected by AIDS (being either HIV positive themselves or having lost parents). In the past, ISB students have worked with the teachers there and raised money to provide the school with its first computers, as well as doing more manual labour including digging an artesian well and helping to build a library.
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On campus | Fiechten
Fiechten Campus – an exciting new venture
In June 2012, around 100 of our children left Aesch Campus as Grade 5 students and returned two months later not only as sixth-graders but with their very own new campus! Fiechten – situated in between our two existing locations and in very close proximity to the Aesch Campus – was inaugurated in August 2012. Zuzana Cox, head of the new campus, explains how much it benefits the ISB community.
Tell us more about the new campus… Zuzana Cox: We have rented two floors of a secondary school building from Reinach municipal council, so we share facilities wherever it is feasible with the primary school which is housed in the same complex. We have created certain areas that are exclusively for ISB use but the assembly and gym halls for example are common to both schools. Although it is rented, we have very much brought an ISB flavour to our own part of the building. It now has additional lighting, colourful notice boards and displays, soft furnishings in the library, and certain walls have been painted to enhance the architecture of the build ing. We have interactive whiteboards in most classrooms, new carpets throughout and plenty of storage space. This has created a light, airy and modern environment which is much appreciated by staff, students and parents. We have set up a separate lunch area and added computer and science labs, a library, food and design technology centres and a woodwork room. We also have a librarian and a nurse/receptionist. I am in constant contact with the head of the Swiss primary school, and she and I work together to make it a friendly working environment for all students and staff from both establishments. I have also taken part in one of the Swiss school’s staff meetings, and all of the teachers, ISB and Swiss, were introduced to one another. These were the first steps taken to foster new relation ships with our Swiss neighbours. 20
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How do the students feel about being on a campus on their own? At the beginning of the academic year, students enjoyed two days of induction activities. The first day was spent explor ing their new building and experiencing some sample lessons. Their second day involved a day trip to the “Klimaweg” which helped them to get to know other students and teachers outside a classroom setting. They thrive on the fact that they are at a different location. They have already built up their own very strong community, socially and intellectually, whilst still participating regularly in activities at both the Reinach and Aesch campuses. Since the drop-off point is located a few minutes’ walk away from the campus, students also appreciate the opportunity to meet their friends and socialise on the way to and from School. Friendships are forged, independence is fostered and daily events talked about in detail. This situation is probably unique for an international school.
“At the beginning we had mini-lessons and a tour round the school – that was great for getting to know our teachers and the school. We had a field trip in the first week and got to meet everyone.” A Current Grade 6 student
Fiechten | On campus
“The Swiss primary school students have been really nice to us.” A Current Grade 6 student
How are relationships being fostered between students from ISB and the existing Primarschule? There is quite a lot of interaction be tween the two groups, and our students enjoy the fact that they are in a special environment where they can “get the best of both worlds” – they are ISB students who are also part of a Swiss school to a certain extent. When we first moved in, we had a joint break time and provided a morning snack for students and teachers of the primary school, and encouraged our students to communi cate and intermingle. Since then, we have gone to separate break times as that is far easier to manage logistically. However we are looking at ways of fostering further contact and links between the two student communities. I was also invited along with other ISB teachers to a Christmas carol concert which they held, and they then brought all their students and sang for us in our part of the campus. They invited us to join them at their Carnival parade which we were unable to do, but we did wave them off on their way as they were leaving. How do the teachers based at Fiechten Campus see their new environment? Their feedback has been universally positive and it is easy to see why, as the practical advantages are almost endless. The beginning of the school year was a terrific time for staff and students to work and interact as this year’s journey began. In terms of mentorship they can quickly and easily find students at the end of the day for a quick reminder. They have been able to get to know their students in real depth, and enjoy the opportunities that they have to change the schedule or take the students on short trips without having to worry about how it affects six other grades! They are also part of a small team of dedicated staff, where every member is working just three doors apart from one another. It would be hard to find a more effective layout for a school anywhere, and particularly one that is so close to the local Swiss community. Parents concur with teachers, appreciating the open, friendly environment where the staff know all the students and have good overview of what is going on.
SPOTLIGHT | 4 /2013
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Spotlight | InDialogue
In Dialogue –
The Strange, Exotic and Mind-Bending World of Mathematics Ask any student (and parent) and they would likely tell you that there is no such thing as an interesting talk on mathematics! This was proved wrong last November however, with two guest professors captivating their audience and provoking excited discussion from all involved – experts and 10-year-olds alike. “The Strange, Exotic and Mind-Bending World of Mathematics”, held on 29 November 2012, featured two expert speakers: Professor Ruth Charney of Brandeis University in Boston, Massachusetts and Visiting Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, and Professor Hanspeter Kraft, Chairman of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Basel. A Theory of Knowledge teacher and an ISB mathematics student who introduced the speakers moderated the event, which was followed by a question-and-answer session. Professor Charney’s was a very visual talk, involving concepts of space and time which helped to position math ematics in the audience’s daily life. Professor Kraft meanwhile focussed on the importance of mathematics in Basel, including Euler’s theorem which was discovered by Basel-born mathematician and physicist Leonhard Euler.
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SPOTLIGHT | 4 /2013
Both talks were simple yet complex, and absolutely riveting from beginning to end. Professor Charney and Professor Kraft were passionate about their chosen subjects, bringing them to life and making them accessible to all, to the delight of the audience which included students as young as Grades 4, 5 and 6 as well as teachers, families and friends. Plenty of questions were submitted by the 175 people in attendance, with the best being selected for discussion at the end of the evening. Those in attendance were also able to browse around the info-tables set up by student volunteers that featured a variety of mathematicsbased games including Rubik’s cubes. An apéro provided the perfect atmos phere to continue the dialogue. Various topics have been featured in the InDialogue series since 2010, ranging from music and design to multilingualism and integration, and all have received excellent feedback. The talks provide the wider community with vocal, visual and concrete examples of what ISB is doing as well as giving students a fresh (and expert) perspective on the subjects they are studying every day. All events are also recorded on video and are available to the ISB community in the ISB library in Reinach.
InDialogue | Spotlight
“The Euler talk was excellent for example in both the content - and the linkages to Basel.”
InDialogue InDialogue, which held its first event in 2010, has become a highly popular forum for intellectual enrichment and the sharing of diverse opinions throughout the ISB and wider Basel communities. As of this academic year, these events are organised by a newly formed team of parent volunteers from the ISB’s Community Outreach Group (COG) and is funded by the Association of the International School Basel (AISB).
The InDialogue speaker series is one of several initiatives spearheaded by COG, aimed at increasing positive interaction between ISB students, parents, staff and local communities. COG also supports the School’s IB Programmes for Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) in Grades 11-12 and Community and Services (C&S) in Grades 6-10. Held at either Aesch or Reinach Campus, the InDialogue talks take
place several times throughout the academic year. Each talk involves two expert guest speakers, one connect ed to ISB and one from the greater community, and while the topics cover a wide range of subjects, they are always highly relevant to the ISB’s IB Diploma Programme’s Theory of Knowledge course and to subjects taught at the School.
SPOTLIGHT | 4 /2013
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AESCH CAMPUS Arlesheimerstrasse 7 • CH-4147 Aesch Reception +41 61 715 33 34 FIECHTEN CAMPUS Fiechtenweg 72 • CH-4153 Reinach Reception +41 61 567 34 00 REINACH CAMPUS Fleischbachstrasse 2 • CH-4153 Reinach Reception +41 61 715 33 33 Main School +41 61 715 33 33 Main Fax +41 61 715 33 15 Admissions +41 61 715 33 19 Trip Returns +41 61 715 33 32 info@isbasel.ch www.isbasel.ch