ISK Annual Report 2020-21

Annual Report 2020-2021

MISSION AND VISION All decisions at ISK are guided by two foundation documents. Taken together, these documents define our purpose, the educational beliefs that drive learning, and the specific learning outcomes we are committed to developing in each student.

E D U C AT I O N A L A I M S

We strive to develop globally minded students who actively learn, create, solve and engage in the world.

ACT

Sel Gro f-Dire wth ctio n M Inq inds uiry et

RN LEA

ISK inspires and nurtures passion, creativity and ambition in pursuit of a better world.

ATE NIC

MISSION:

ret erp Int ress Exp hize pat Em

MU

M CO

Collaborative Risk-Taking Principled

s dea te I era te Gen nnova I pt Ada

E EAT

CR

INTEGRATED LEARNING EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

PERSONALIZED LEARNING

Des i Crit gn Th i Sys ical Th nking tem in s Th king ink ing SO LVE

VISION:

Empowering students to create solutions for tomorrow’s challenges

About ISK The International School of Kenya (ISK) is a private, non-profit PreKGrade 12 school created in 1976 through a joint partnership between the governments of the United States and Canada. Nestled on 40 acres of a former coffee plantation, ISK serves the educational needs of both expatriate and Kenyan students who seek a challenging international curriculum which leads to the rigorous International Baccalaureate Diploma program.

ISK’s internationally focused curriculum has helped Kenya become a magnet for foreign business investment and a desired posting for those working for the continuing development of East Africa.

Expatriate families consider Kenya a quality career opportunity, in part due to the quality education they find at ISK. Likewise, Kenyan families who want an international, culturally diverse education for their children see ISK as the school of choice.

ISK has close to 1,000 students from more than 67 countries.

Graduates earn an ISK North American accredited diploma and approximately 70 percent of ISK graduates earn the IB Diploma, enabling them to study at some of the most respected and competitive colleges and universities in the world. ISK students form a supportive, spirited and diverse community, which enables new students to adapt easily to campus life. Interacting in such a welcoming cross-cultural milieu, ISK students celebrate the unique and wonderful differences and similarities of people from around the world.

The value of respect for each other and for Kenya is evident at ISK, as is a commitment to giving back to the community. Our scholarship program for Kenyan students, together with a broad and dedicated service-learning program which serves our local and national community, have shaped our school values since 1976 and continue today.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication was correct as of August 2021.

© 2021 International School of Kenya This publication is copyright protected. Except as permitted by the Copyright Act no part of it may in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or any other means be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be broadcast or transmitted without the prior permission of the publisher.

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Contents 6

Director’s Report

10 Board of Directors Report 12 Elementary School Report 18 Middle School Report 24 High School Report 30

ISK Graduation Class of 2021

32

International Baccalaureate Examination Results

33

2021 University Acceptances

34

TLC Report

38 Award Recipients 42 Athletics Report 46 Creative Arts Report 52 Service Learning Reports 60

Technology Department Report

64

Finance Report

66 Advancement Report 72 Health Report 74 PTO Report

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Director’s Report David G. Henry Director

As I wrap up five happy years at ISK, I want to focus on the highlights of the 2020-21 school year!

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he 2020-21 school year started off with a continuation of the global COVID-19 pandemic and students returning to learning in virtual mode. That said, the school’s focus and energy was steadfastly on learning as teachers and students tapped into their creativity to connect virtually in innovative and supportive ways. Students understood that ISK is a place where they are listened to and asked for input on school improvement and their learning. Both High School and Middle School students found their passions early on with the formation of a Student Equity Committee in High School and the Social Justice Club in Middle School. Here, they worked in collaboration with their teachers to advocate for issues globally and within our community, especially in support of student wellbeing, equity, and belonging. Elementary students also worked through their activity structure to continue promoting student wellbeing and a sense of belonging while learning from home.

Following the Government of Kenya directives, we started the school year through late October with our Dynamic Distance Learning program and transitioned to having Grade 5, 8, 11, and 12 on campus throughout December.

Finally, when we returned in January, all students were allowed back on campus for in-person learning. The energy and excitement in the whole community was palatable, and it lasted through March. Unfortunately, the virus infections increased in March, and ISK was back to offering DDL. With vaccines introduced along with nightly curfews and domestic travel restrictions, the tide was stemmed, and the whole community celebrated the last month of the year in person, on campus. I again have been impressed by the resilience and adaptability of our students, teachers, staff, and the whole community as they embraced a continually fluctuating situation, remaining connected and supporting both each other and our community’s well-being.

Even with the background of the pandemic and the challenges it brought, the 2020-21 year was one of achievement at ISK. I want to acknowledge the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the ISK community.

This year, ISK started the school year with its new strategic direction in the form of Strategic Focus Areas or SFAs, which were purposefully aligned with continuously improving aspects of student learning. ISK has three SFAs

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

focused on improving teaching and learning, a comprehensive approach to student wellbeing, implementing our approach to inclusion.

This year, we came full circle; in April, the ISK Boards, current administration, and the incoming Director reviewed the progress of the 2020-21 End Results, or ‘expected outcomes’, for each of ISK’s three Strategic Focus Areas. Based on this progress, new End Results or the preferred future statements were developed for 2021-22 that clarify what it means to achieve a Strategic Focus Area. This is now ISK’s rolling strategic plan, and our End Results are the annual accomplishments that shift the habits within our organization, while achieving the SFA and contributing to the Mission and Vision of ISK. There were many objectives met through our planned actions to achieve each SFA’s End Results. However, one major accomplishment was in the area of inclusion. We didn’t just develop a definition of inclusion and how we thoughtfully combine educational excellence with equitable practices. This year also saw the Board of Directors approve a policy for an alternative High School diploma to support the growth of the Life-Centered Education program into the Middle and High School next year.

We celebrated the beginning of New Year with students’ return to campus and the completion of our new Middle School building and High School science labs. This 14,000

square meter purpose-built building was designed specifically to support and extend opportunities for students with special areas, including a large roof space for flexible learning opportunities, conference rooms, aquatic features for science, state of the art science laboratories, a teaching kitchen, black box, and multi-purpose rooms.

When it comes to student achievements, the 2020-21 year highlighted again that student agency is embedded into the learning experience. ISK hosted the first virtual Round Square conference on the continent organized by our High School RS students.

The conference theme, “Thriving in Africa”, was both timely and meaningful for the more than 300 Middle School participants from around the world exploring how students, schools, and communities can better support wellbeing and mental health issues.

There were plenty of activities when students were on campus while carefully following our safety protocols. This year, our Middle School celebrated the cultural richness of a virtual International Day with an exploration of identity. These e-student inspired workshops, entitled “Proud to Be Me”, supported increased awareness and understanding of our diverse student body, and the various aspects that make up identity. The Elementary School implementation of a “Day 8” or “Wonder Day” exploded into incredible student creativity, passion, and new learning with student ownership and voice. These students used various tools to align with their passions and projects, such as creating a newspaper while pursuing animal conservation topics.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

The community continued to consolidate and strengthen its practices, including supporting learning around the concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion school-wide, and culturally relevant pedagogy for the whole community. After participating in virtual events like International Day, Friends of the Arts, and the School Board’s Values and Beliefs Generative sessions, I continue to be amazed at how creatively engaged and committed our parents, PTO, and the School Board are to the school. Even with the ups and downs of this pandemic year, I continually heard how caring and supportive our teachers and our staff are, and how this is what makes ISK the school of choice in Kenya and beyond.

ISK also participated in pared-back virtual events in the arts, athletics, and academic activities. No one will forget the wonderful music during the virtual ISSEA Music Festival. This year, ISSEA, the International Schools of South and East Africa regional association with eight international school members, moved various events online. Through ISSEA, the ISK Robotics team won first place in this virtual event. At the same time, we must acknowledge the dedication of our athletes who continued to train, sometimes virtually, sometimes in person, in various sports we typically offer. Another innovation this year was how the Middle School redesigned their Intercultural Trips due to travel restrictions. The Ignite & Connect IC weekends were held on campus with much laughter, connection, joy, adventure, and simply being active - all necessary in a pandemic year.

I even had the opportunity to join in on some of the adventures. You don’t often get to rappel off of a school building!

2020-21 is likely the most memorable year for my family and me in our five years here in Nairobi, Kenya. Despite the struggles of living during a pandemic, we continued to focus on ISK’s values, community spirit, and strategic direction. When I think back through the school year and about the events that stand out, they all point to the positive, caring community that ISK is. As an ISK parent of two graduates and its director, I can say this school year was one of exciting developments and achievements in many areas. In short, the ISK community continues to strive towards inspiring and nurturing passion, creativity, and ambition in pursuit of a better world.

ISK is ready to expand its pride with a strong supporting foundation complimented by ISK’s Board, new Director, and leadership team who are courageously and strategically committed to keeping ISK on the cutting edge of continuous improvement of student learning.

Warm Regards,

David G. Henry Director

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Board of Directors Report Ann Marie Awori

Chair, Board of Directors

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his academic year proved, yet again, to be one for the history books. Let me congratulate the entire ISK community for not only making it through another year but for embracing every obstacle and challenge that came with having students and their families make the multiple transitions between on-campus and at-home learning. ISK will continue to be vigilant in its response, even as we hope a sense of normalcy will prevail over the next school year as the vaccine becomes increasingly available in Kenya, and we understand more about the prevention, spread, and treatment of the disease at large. I speak on behalf of the Board when I thank you all for your commitment to our ISK children, staff, and community this year!

The Board balanced the realities of this school year while still moving forward on our strategic goals. Our first Board goal this year was the smooth transition of the incoming Director.

While there has been some reworking of the schedule for incoming Director Michael Callan, he has been able to join us for various events virtually, which will allow for a wellstructured transition for next year. The Board also continued to approve various policy modifications, which included a new policy for a modified High School diploma for students enrolled in the Life-Centered Education program. And, last but not least, the opening of our gorgeous new Middle School building was unveiled, with students occupying the space from the beginning of January 2021.

I would like to thank all Board members for their immense dedication this year. Specifically, I would like to thank Nadeem Noordin for serving as Vice Chair, Mika Kosaki-Oldham for serving as Secretary and Adrian Amen for serving as Treasurer. Other folks who served as a Committee chair are Amaka Godfrey and Bryce Fort. A huge thanks to all for the work you have done this year. And to departing Board members, Jorge Laguna Celis, Bryon Dempsey, and Mika Kosaki-Oldham, we are indebted to you for your diligence, dedication,

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and passion to our community, particularly in such an unprecedented school year.

Finally, I, along with the Board, would like to extend a hearty and sincere thank you to David Henry, our ISK Director for the past five years. This school truly would not be where it is today without David’s expertise, judgement, and strategic thinking on many areas: our educational programs; our intensive needs program; our Middle School building; our updated policies that continue to reflect principles of equity, diversity, and nondiscrimination; our focus on student wellness; and rolling out, essentially overnight, a new virtual learning program that has undergone many revisions with state-of-the-art health and safety protocols during a pandemic. We would like to thank David for continually steering our ship steadily forward. We wish David the best of luck as he moves on to his next position as the Director of the International School of Paris

– bon voyage and kwaheri!!

Thank you,

Ann Marie Awori Chair, Board of Directors

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Elementary School Report

Matthew Woodward Elementary School Principal

Ryan Hopkins-Wilcox Elementary School Assistant Principal

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he 2020-2021 school year has been unlike any other before. Understandably, we faced many challenges with COVID-19 and its impact on building a schedule and program to support all learners. Our teachers worked to build responsive units, connect both virtually and on campus, and gather materials to send home, just to name a few things. Our students attended numerous Zoom meetings and longed to be sitting alongside their peers in the classroom. Yet through it all, resilience was evident from our students, teachers, and community. We continued to gather feedback, listen to suggestions and adjust where it would help position us to better support learners. We prioritized the student voice in our communications this year, as well as by allowing them to have ownership over their learning, such as on Day 8/Wonder Wednesday. There is so much to celebrate and be proud of in the elementary school. We would like to take this time to highlight a few of these.

As we prepared to launch the school year, we leaned on the great feedback that students, teachers and parents had provided from the previous year. Knowing that we would launch in our DDL program, we developed a set of guiding principles by which to plan.

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Guiding Priciples

Goals

ISK’s DDLP is guided by our Mission, Vision and Educational Aims: creating, communicating, soliving, learning and acting.

We ask all of our community to remember we are all here to support children and the communities they (and we) live in.

We aspire to craft distance learning experiences that continue to encourage experiential, integrated and personalized learning. When our DDLP is activated die to a community crisis requiring school closures, we must also be mindful of and responsive to the diverse challenges that our educators and families may be experiencing.

oo Provide engaging, meaningtul & equitable learning experiences for all learners that fosters independence oo Cultivate a sense of belonging, connectedness and wellbeing oo Create simple and predictable routines for our students and families oo Design an approach that is responsive to our students’ and families’ needs in this unique context oo provide the flexibility that our current context calls for, including communication of units and materials, and helping provide tools for our learners oo Be mindful of screen time, and deliver a distance learning experience that incorporates core (reading, writing, math and inquiry), specials and personal discovery (learning to play an instrument, STEM, outdoor play, etc)

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

The Dynamic Distance Learning plan that David Henry shared in early August included enhancements that focused on “inspiring and nurturing passion, creativity and ambition in pursuit of a better world.” Our new schedule aimed to foster independence and provide a balance of online and offline engagement.

It also created time for teachers to connect with students and support their social and emotional learning needs as well as facilitate 3-4 core subject lessons and specialist lessons each week. We began sending monthly newsletters and materials to support learning.

We also increased the number of synchronized small group sessions and had all grade levels use Seesaw. These initiatives were well received by families. However, the thing that perhaps helped us best kick the year off with students was our family conferences. These conferences helped to launch the vital home/ school partnership that would be necessary to support all children. This new conference is something we envision using for years to come.

October arrived, and once again we were preparing for a shift. Students in certain grade levels were able to return, while other grade level students remained at home to learn in our Dynamic Distance Learning platform.

We first discussed the challenges with the schedule: how could students on campus and at home continue to receive a balanced schedule that was mindful of screen time?

For consistency and independence, we continued with a predictable schedule that gave students ownership over their learning.

On Seesaw, students received feedback and engaging lessons while also building their own portfolio of learning to celebrate their growth throughout the year.

Just as we were about to head into our midyear two week break, the Kenyan Government stated that as a country, learning would return to on-campus for all students. Change was becoming the name of the game. Once again, we brought our elementary leaders together to discuss possible schedule options. We reimagined our schedule to allow for larger chunks of instruction, rotating days for specials, and a Day 8, which would serve as a day to follow passions and explore our inquiry units or project based learning. The longer blocks helped us dig deeper into learning while also having time to better follow our COVID protocols. Plus, the rotating schedule meant that there was an equal balance for all specials classes.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

There were, however, some challenges to the 8-day schedule. First off, a rotating schedule meant that communication for elementaryaged children would need to be accurate and timely to help the kids be ready for each day.

With our COVID-19 protocols, we needed to have a staggered recess schedule, lunches needed to be delivered, and we had to figure out how to have enough people on duty but also getting lunch. We quickly learned that we didn’t have enough materials/options for kids to play, and so four square became both an exciting space and a hotbed for conflicts between kids. Our answer to the recess issue was to have the students themselves think of what a COVID-compliant recess experience could be, bringing more playful options and fewer behavioral issues. While we are still in the development of this work, the ideas that students are bringing to the table are beyond what our team of teachers was originally thinking.

Our spring semester included student-led conferences that involved utilizing a day 8 to support reflection and set the students up for success while guiding their parents through

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Seesaw and portfolio documentation. It was truly a celebration from the lenses of the students. Teachers and parents both revealed that they had noticed the leadership and confidence of their children increase, which we are proud to hear. From PK to grade 5, students were invested in preparing their documentation and areas of celebration/ growth. In our early years, we piloted holding the conference during the day so that it was more developmentally appropriate. Parents let us know that this was indeed a better window into what their day-to-day experience is like.

Intercultural (IC) Trips have always been a highlight for our Grade 3-5 students, and we did not want to lose that excitement for learning. Laura Schutter helped us redesign the trips during the time of COVID to allow for safe and healthy excursions. Students went hiking in Ngong, made lunch at Mlango Farm, visited Karen Adventure Farm, and explored Karura forest while also planting trees. Laura has also helped us form partnerships with organizations in Kenya to help build our experiential learning goal. In fact, Grade 4 is working with Fun Kidz to make lamps from repurposed and recycled materials.

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

We worked to offer parent sessions around technology, social emotional content, and academics throughout the year. The focus for a few of the sessions was on supporting families during this pandemic. Counselors planting trees. Laura has also helped us form with andpartnerships Principals hosted anorganizations evening session in Kenya to discussed strategies aimed at building build our experiential learning goal. In fact, that Grade 4 is working with Fun Kidz to make la independence, voice and choice, growth from repurposed and recycled materials. mindset, and the power of connection. Parents that attended had great suggestions in terms of ways to try social to sustain motivation.

Giving and We worked to offer parent sessions around technology, emotional content, children choice and responsibility seemed academics throughout the year. The focus for oftakeaway. the sessions was fam to a befew a big One way thaton wesupporting saw during this pandemic. Counselors and Principals hosted an evening session to support students as a school, basedthat on discussed parent feedback from the session and other strategies aimed at building independence, voice and choice, growth mindset, and the powe communications, was having a screen free day connection. Parents that attended had great suggestions in to terms of passions, ways to make try to sustain that allowed kids explore choices, and move. to Ourbe counselors helped One way motivation. Giving children choice and responsibility seemed a big takeaway. build a choice menu, and teachers worked that we saw to support students as a school, based on parent feedback from the session an with kids to have a plan. Grade 5 students on other communications, was having a screen free dayhad that allowed kids to explore campus a screen-free day and were ablepassions, to select varied activities outside.

Weteachers hope that worked make choices, and move. Our counselors helped build a choice menu, and students did in fact have the opportunity to with kids to have a plan. Grade 5 students onregain campus had a screen-free day and were able some positive momentum to take them select varied activities outside. We hope that through students in factHere have to reg thedid semester. wasthe theopportunity choice menu: some positive momentum to take them through the semester. Here was the choice menu:

The parent sessions we held include: ○ September 14-16: Tech and Seesaw ○ September 29: Counselors - Parenting, Routines, & Finding Balance during DDL 15 ○ October 6: DDL and Math

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

The parent sessions we held include: oo September 14-16:

Tech and Seesaw

oo September 29:

Counselors - Parenting, Routines, & Finding Balance during DDL

oo October 6:

DDL and Math

oo October 27:

Counselors - Creative Ideas for Keeping Kids Connected with Peers

oo November 10:

Top 10 Ways to Support your Child

oo November 24:

Counselors - Community Hot Topics / What’s on your mind?

oo December 8:

Assessment and Report Cards

oo February 9:

Counselors: Social/Emotional Support

oo April 15: Ending the Year Well We want to take this opportunity to thank our ES PTO. Kristie Lambert once again spearheaded the few events that were allowed either on-campus or off-campus.

In particular, her leadership with our Holiday Bazaar, supported by Isabella Padua, brought some much-needed joy and appreciation within our community. We are thankful for her leadership and commitment. We also want to say thank you to our many homeroom parents and volunteers that spent hours communicating between teachers and parents.

Our entire world has been impacted by COVID-19. We could never have predicted how this was going to go. There have been many failures and moments of learning. And yet, reflecting on the past year, it has been the resilience of our students, teachers, and families that has led us through with such strength. We firmly believe that by continuing to strive for a student-centered learning experience, we were able to make decisions and look back on them with confidence that we had students’ interests in mind, and that the students themselves often had the creative process and thoughts that led to better processes and outcomes.

We thank our community for the incredible support, partnership, and trust in working with your children. We do not take this responsibility lightly. We wish all families a wonderful end-of -year break.

Your partners in education,

Matt Woodward Elementary School Principal

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Ryan Hopkins-Wilcox Elementary School Assistant Principal

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Middle School Report

Alexa Schmid, EdD Middle School Principal

Drew Gregor

Middle School Assistant Principal

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iddle School is an exciting time of growth, change, and finding passions. At ISK Middle School, we aim to create an environment where students better understand themselves and their identity, learn about others and grow their acceptance, and explore new interests and passions. The mission of creativity, ambition, and passion perfectly aligns with our programs and the opportunities we create for students to take risks, feel safe and connected, and grow as individuals.

New Building We were thrilled to open our new middle school building in January 2021. When dreaming of our new learning space, our priorities were to be accessible, have an appealing design, facilitate the ISK learning goals (ISK’s educational aims, personalized learning, inclusion, technology, and integrated learning), reflect the Middle School philosophy (teaming/collaboration, meeting developmental needs of our students), plan for growth and provide for an increase in student numbers, embrace the natural environment (natural light, airflow, rain and weather patterns, and incorporate amazing elements of Kenya), have flexible learning spaces, and fit in with the architecture of the school.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Our new space has some incredible features Large classrooms with outside learning patios

A multi-purpose space

Glass doors that can be opened for plenty of airflow

A teaching kitchen

A black box theater

A gorgeous conference room on the roof with glass walls amidst the treetops

A Life Centered Education room as we launch our more intensive needs program for grades 6-9

Six large open-air rooftop spaces

We are in love with our new space, and are thrilled that the opening coincided with welcoming students back on campus in January. What a great place to spend our days with students!

Flexible Learning Schedules At the start of the 2020-21 school year, we had school-wide professional learning to support powerful strategies and tools for teaching in the virtual classroom. The John Spencer professional learning aligned well with our ISK mission, vision, aims, learning pathways and overall ISK philosophy around personalizing learning, student agency, choice and voice, and inspiring and empowering students.

We began the school year in Dynamic Distance Learning (DDL), and had various starts and stops over the course of the year, moving between DDL, Hybrid, and Face-to-Face Learning. We were flexible, responsive, and thoughtful in responding to the different needs we encountered at each new phase of learning.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Advisory & House System Advisory is the foundation of our Middle School program, and this year it was more essential than ever. We leaned into the importance of the regular small-group connections with students, and revised our structure and priorities for how we would use the daily 30-minute advisory sessions.

We started each week with intentional organization lessons. The lessons included strategies for productivity, checking in on the weekly schedule rotations, filling out the student planner, and reviewing the weekly student announcements. We also had one day of the week dedicated to lessons related to

social justice. In the first semester, those were designed and created with the expertise of Sagda Khalil and Amin Hussain. In the second semester, they were developed by the studentled Social Justice Club. The other advisory sessions provided foundation and support for students related to mental health and wellbeing, responsible choices, and rights and respectful relationships. We also supported students in understanding themselves better through the development of Personal Learning Profiles, the creation of a vision statement, reflection on strengths and areas for growth, and goal setting.

The House System proved to be equally robust and important this year, as we sought ways to stay connected and build community vertically throughout the Middle School.

Our House Leaders and House Captains developed engaging opportunities for fun and connection, including the Jerusalema Challenge, a Kahoot Challenge during the DDL, the Bottle Flip/Cone Flip activity when we were in Hybrid Learning, Hybrid Sports Day in December, socially distanced Noodle Tag and Drama Games in February, and most recently the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen (GISHWHES).

Ignite & Connect Weekend Experiences When faced with the prospect of not being able to take offcampus InterCultural Trips, we decided we needed to think outside of the box. We rebranded and repurposed IC from ‘InterCultural’ to ‘Ignite and Connect’, we abandoned our normal goals, and instead established these objectives: oo To have fun through adventure, challenge, and active outdoor experiences oo To connect with friends (old and new) and make time for community building Rift Valley Adventures and Savage Wilderness collaborated with our ISK team. Keeping our COVID-19 regulations in mind, we designed an awesome weekend for our students.

On three separate weekends, each grade level of the Middle School spent a weekend on campus.

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Saturday was an exploration of fun and adventurous activities, where we grouped students based on their friendship preferences as they rotated through five activities with the outfitters: biking skills, low ropes course, stand up paddleboarding, archery skills, and abseiling (rappelling) off the roof of our new MS building. Sunday provided an opportunity for students to take a ‘deep dive’ into the above activities and also take on some ISK Design Challenges. Lastly, we incorporated downtime to connect with friends, we ordered pizzas, watched a movie on the big screen

with popcorn as it got dark, and roasted marshmallows to make s’mores.

The overall feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and we were thrilled to offer such an exciting, fun, and meaningful experience for our Middle School community! We definitely met our goals, and are so happy we were able to dream up this creative innovation in spite of the COVID-19 obstacles. We hope to resume off-campus InterCultural Trips again next year, but we are so pleased and proud for this incredible opportunity for our community to IGNITE and CONNECT!

Student Leadership & Voice Middle school is a time with significant change and growth: physically, emotionally, intellectually, and socially. It can be a confusing time, but also a special and magical time for students to learn more about themselves, explore and identify new passions and areas of interest, and to develop agency as learners.

Middle school is a time when students find their voice and start to develop their leadership skills. At ISK, we believe in the power of amplifying and listening to student voices, and providing opportunities for students to expand and grow their leadership qualities. Our Middle School believes that ALL students can be leaders and encourage them to find ways to get involved, use their student voices, and find something they are interested in expanding and growing their leadership.

Leadership Round Table Every two to three weeks, we host a Leadership Round Table, and we encourage all students to participate in any session they choose.

We share the topics that will be discussed, and use this as an opportunity to get student feedback and input about different aspects of middle school life.

The topics this year included: oo Feedback on our hybrid learning plan oo Input about how to stay connected and tend to the mental health of our community oo Feedback as we returned to face-to-face learning oo Input on the elective offerings for courses next year oo Sharing thoughts on our schedule/time table Students then reported our conversation to the entire Middle School during assemblies, practicing their public speaking and presenting skills.

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Student Leadership Seminar Twice a year, we host a Leadership Seminar. This is also open to any student interested in attending, and has a different theme each time. The goal is to have fun and grow as student leaders through participation. We also try to dispel the myth that leaders are those who stand at the front and have the loudest voices. Instead, we hope that all students will start to recognize their unique leadership gifts.

House Captains The purpose of our House System is to connect and grow our community vertically across Middle School.

Each House has a few House Captains who come together regularly to plan fun events to support that goal. We are so grateful for these community builders to help us have fun these Wednesday mornings.

Student Ambassadors This group requires an application process, and provides service to our ISK community. Student Ambassadors provide tours to prospective families, support New Student Orientation, and act as ‘buddies’ to new students. Ambassadors work with our counselor to have regular training sessions, and to continually support the overall culture and climate in our Middle School.

Social Justice Club Some of our co-curricular offerings also provide amazing opportunities for students to grow their voices as leaders. The Social Justice Club is for students who are interested in equity and social justice work that can really impact both the ISK community and the world at large. Students meet each week and work collaboratively to learn about and promote social justice work within our community. This club is student-led and student-centered. Students create a meaningful program for our advisory sessions related to identity, equity, and social justice every Thursday.

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Proud To Be Me Day Planning This group of student planners meets from November to plan how the Middle School will celebrate our diversity and to learn more about our identities on our annual Proud to Be Me Day in February.

Students propose the different themes for the student-led workshops and support teachers in developing meaningful activities to engage their peers.

The purpose of this day is: oo To raise awareness about different aspects of identity and how it contributes to our community’s diversity oo To nurture an open mind and heart to expand our inclusive community oo To increase awareness, acceptance, and a sense of belonging oo To increase sensitivity about the impacts of our actions and words In Partnership,

Alexa Schmid, EdD Middle School Principal

While the year presented many challenges, it was also incredibly rewarding and successful in our focus to keep students at the center of our work. An essential part of our success with students is the supportive parent and school partnership!

Drew Gregor

Middle School Assistant Principal

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High School Report

Robert Blanchard, EdD High School Principal

Jarrod Dale

High School Assistant Principal

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would like to start this year’s annual report with an expression of gratitude, acknowledging the community spirit, hard work, teamwork, and can-do attitude that prevailed at ISK amid the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The faculty found ways to improve practices and deliver great learning experiences for students no matter what. Students also demonstrated strong habits of learning and stayed positive at a time of physical distancing, applying the COVID-19 prevention 4 W’s to help keep us all safe. Lastly, families were unfailingly supportive of students and the school at a time of uncertainty for all.

Like high schools around the world, the ISK High School faced some specific challenges this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. I am extremely proud of the way our community planned for and responded to unprecedented challenges, remaining true to ourselves, our mission and values, and our

students along the way. The following report reflects how we moved forward thoughtfully and responsively to ensure that an enriching, student-centered and holistic learning environment was maintained, no matter what twist or turn the year took.

First, let’s celebrate our Class of 2021, 89 students representing 37 nationalities

2 1 2 1 24

studied at ISK for ten consecutive years or more, one of whom enrolled at ISK in prekindergarten!

64 another

seniors completed the full International Baccalaureate (IB) as Diploma Program candidates;

senior joined ISK for the one year of grade 12.

24

completed at least one IB course.

seniors were 4-year recipients of our prestigious High School scholarship.

34

seniors earned a place on the first-semester honor roll (17 high and 17 regular).

senior earned the AISA Award for Excellence in Africa.

9

were members of the National Honor Society.

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

The Class of 2021 acceptances featured an impressive list of universities - including Cambridge University - with our 91 graduates earning 246 university acceptance offers as at April 2021. The class reported that they earned a place in one of their top choice universities. ISK students continue to perform well in IB examinations, with 98% of seniors

who attempted the full IB Diploma in 2020 achieving this rigorous and highly regarded, internationally recognized qualification. The average diploma score was unusually high at 35 points (the international average is 30), and the average IB grade was 5.5 (out of 7). Well done, Class of 2020!

Virtual, In-Person, and Hybrid Learning Environments

I think it is safe to say we saw it all this year.

Every time we tried to define our “new normal”, the landscape seemed to shift. We started in dynamic distance learning mode for the first quarter of this academic year, welcoming Grade 11 and 12 students back to campus after the October break. High School enrollment stood at 333 when the year started (Grade 9- 80; Grade 10- 79; Grade 11- 82; Grade 12- 92). The transition to hybrid mode was smooth as we were able to apply many of the lessons learned over the previous six months to design our hybrid schedule and learning experiences. Having said that, we continued to gather feedback and remained open to making adjustments. Our Grade 9 and

10 students were able to return to on-campus learning in January, and it was wonderful to have all our students and staff working together in person. An asynchronous learning option remained in place for the few High School students who were unable to return to campus. By the end of January, 98% of our High School students were back on campus, with 10 students working asynchronously. We then enjoyed on-campus in-person learning until the whole school returned to virtual-only mode in April. Our IB and Diploma students wrote their final examinations in person, while the rest of the school continued learning online until all students were again able to resume oncampus lessons and activities in May.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Celebrating Co-Curricular Programs and Community The High School Co-Curricular Program ran throughout the year, whether virtual or inperson, depending on the circumstances and regulations. We offered a rich and diverse virtual program with 28 Round Square and Wellness Clubs running and well over 200 students engaged when we were fully virtual in September. Activities ranged from STEM, Arts, Leadership, Service, and Wellbeing, to Student Support and Tutoring. Additionally, sports ran this year, with a more participatory than competitive lens.

ISK hosted the Round Square U14 Worldwide Virtual Conference in March with ISK student leaders running a conference under the theme of mental health - some of our High School students designed and ran this event for younger students. ISK also hosted an ISSEA STEM conference online, a truly interactive opportunity with ISK students finishing the event in shared 1st place. We also participated in the virtual ISSEA festival for Band and Choir.

While we persevered this year and applied a can-do spirit on so many fronts, unfortunately some events were cancelled due to the constraints of the pandemic, including the High School Intercultural trips and the Work Experience program.

Our parent-student-teacher conferences featured students taking an increasingly active

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leadership role in conferences. Our studentled framework promoted student reflection, agency and ownership of learning, while hopefully reinforcing our climate of open exchange and clarity around constructive next steps with learning. The virtual format this year led to an increase in parent and student participation in conferences, a silver lining we saw. Another silver lining saw us initiate a new online course selection process through PowerSchool for all High School students, a streamlined process for families that also helped us further reduce the amount of paper being used for admin purposes.

Unfortunately, our parents were unable to come to campus all year. Nonetheless, our parents remained engaged and our Parent Teas were well-attended. Some topics discussed in our ‘Tea’ time online together this year were IB results, the Advisory Program, DDL feedback and planning ideas for hybrid including the High School Schedule, Wellbeing & Compassion Fatigue, College Planning & Application Process, Grade 9 and 10 Issues, and Dress Code & High School Culture/ Community. The interactive virtual format seemed to work well, with parents getting the opportunity to discuss important issues while the school was able to hear thoughts and gather feedback.

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Inclusion and Student Wellbeing Strategic Focus Areas Having clear and consistent strategic focus areas in place right from the start of the year lent clarity and shared purpose for a positive start to the year. Two focus areas were inclusion and wellbeing. Regarding inclusion, the highlight of the year saw the successful design and approval for a Life-Centered Education (LCE) program, with implementation in Grade 9 starting in 2021-22.

Regarding wellbeing, the addition of a third High School counselor as well as a schoolwide coordinator helped us take important strides

forward while supporting student mental health through the pandemic. Our weekly communications for families this year featured a wellbeing section, sharing guidance and support around wellbeing matters. Our advisory program continues to play an important role in supporting student wellbeing, with the faculty continuing to receive support and training so that our advisory program can develop further.

Student Voice and Ethical Leadership The ASB-led assemblies continue to be a key vehicle for student empowerment and for voicing student matters. The ASB also led some important community events, helping to promote a sense of community and belonging.

There were Spirit Weeks, an opportunity for us to build community and have some fun too. The ASB led a town hall (hybrid version) for students and faculty, providing a forum for collaboration between students and teachers.

It also gave all students a platform to voice their opinions on pressing matters. The three topics for discussion were Wellbeing and Community amid COVID-19, Dress Code, and Culture and Curriculum with a focus on Belonging and Identity. IB students celebrated the completion of Senior Extended Essays, with a special assembly where students shared lessons learned with the IB year one students about to embark on the extended essay process. Finally, the ASB reintroduced Acknowledgements, involving students recognizing the achievements of their peers and having successes be recognized when we gathered as a community in assemblies.

Awareness Month. Our Greenhouse Club and Students for the Environment continued their good work and raised awareness on Earth Day during assembly. Many other groups merit mention without the space to do so, though in concluding this section, it is worth noting that we used the overhauled monthly Pride article as a vehicle for the student voice in the second half of this year, with the content studentgenerated.

A Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice student group called the Student Equity Committee was also proposed and approved this year, with students engaging in meaningful work in this important area. Our Embrace the Amazing students spoke up about Autism

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Facilities Updates

Much of our facilities’ development work this year focused on ensuring that our High School classrooms were carefully laid out in line with COVID-19 safety guidelines. We also developed and used outdoor spaces as much as possible, such as the recently covered High School Amphitheatre which was used for lunch and other small meetings.

The High School Science construction project was successfully completed halfway through the year, the January 2021 opening proving to be the perfect time as all students returned to campus.

We have been delighted with this new High School Science facility, getting settled in and enjoying the large, airy, well-resourced learning spaces. Shortly after completion of this major project, we shifted our attention to a new Design and Art Center for the High School, with work ongoing and plans to open this exciting space for ‘STEAM’ learning and wide-ranging project-based design work when the new school year commences.

Curriculum Developments and Learning Pathways ISK students enjoyed and benefited from a remarkably wide array of course options (IB and regular), including new courses implemented this academic year as follows: Mathematics 11/12 IB Environmental Systems & Societies (SL only) Africa in the World System

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Some priority focus areas for us as we reviewed and further developed our high school curriculum included: Life-Centered Education (LCE) Programming Equity and Diversity Environmental Awareness, Globalmindedness and Intercultural Learning

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

The course review committee (comprising students and faculty representation) recommended several new courses for 2021-22. Next year, we are excited to introduce the following changes: STEM Product Design (old name Industrial Design) Motion Graphics (old name Emerging Media) STEM Programming Our Physical and Digital Worlds (new Course) STEM Design & Construction (new Course) Textiles (new Course) Environmental Science 1, 2 (old name Terrestrial and Aquatic Science) Agricultural Science (new Course) Sport Science - the basics (old name Health and Exercise Science 1) Sport Injuries (old name Health and Exercise Science 2) Philosophy of Religion (old name World Religions)

The new courses will be in addition to over 150 courses already offered as part of the ISK High School program. Our course review committee had two students on it this year, the student viewpoint being well represented. We continue to be reflective and remain open to feedback, applying innovative thinking on many fronts, including around our learning pathways and the revised High School schedule as we look toward 2021-22. In many cases, we cannot simply do things the way we have always done. Instead, we have to re-imagine school life to meet the needs of these times and our students.

A Special Thank You Perhaps more important than any year before, it is important to say a special thank you to our faculty, staff, parents, and students at ISK. This year, we are particularly proud of our seniors, the Class of 2021, who have lived through an empowering and unpredictable experience- quite different from any other ISK graduating class. On behalf of the community, we wish our graduating Class of 2021 all the very best in their lives after High School and as ISK alumni.

Robert Blanchard, EdD High School Principal

Jarrod Dale High School Assistant Principal

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International School of Kenya

Graduating Class of 2021

30

Adam Abdirizak

Siddarth Dukkipati

Keshia Keene

Saarthak Aggarwal

Emily Eddy

Max Kemp

Samiya Ahmed

Kiara Ehsani

Rayan Khan

Zahra Aziz

Sebastian Elder

Yashna Khatry

Tarek Badawi

Muhammed Fatty

Berra Kilic

Tanner Balisky

Nadia Ferrand

Rama Kumar

Inaya Basharullah

Leah Ferrell

Rucha Kumthekar

Christian Bekalu

Xavier Fevrier

Phoebe Laws

Ruth Bekalu

Niev Gadhia

Kimberly Macharia

Elyes Ben Said

Misha Gagnidze

Yilma Makonnen

Simran Bhatia

Zanier Griego

Munoda-Ishe Mamvura

Elliot Chavez-Gardner

Tanish Gudhka

Mana Mao

Darsh Dave

Belinda Humure

Taiye Marriott

Birgit Deflander

Hanan Ibrahim

Yash Maru

Gregor Deininger

Bethany Jones

Tasheni Mbao

Zion Drake

Ella Kaufman

Hana McCormack

International School of Kenya

Graduating Class of 2021

Isaac Miles-Watt

Avik Patel

Divyh Singh

Felix Miller

Krish Patel

Hazel Singh

Lia Millo

Serena Pradhan

Alexandre Smith Chopin

Genevieve Moore

Lea Putar

Ji Ho Son

Lucas Mordue

Ana Sofia Ramilo Henry

Inaara Sunderji

Haroon Muwonge

Tia Reeder

Marriam Syedah

Clarence Mwangi

Alexander Rex

Chifundo Thangata

Imani Naitore

Amirou Sanoussy

Kurt Tjossem

Ngum Ngwa Taniform

Yuga Seto

Carlos Van der Vliet

Emilie Noel

Aaina Shah

Mara Vigada

Paulina Nuamah

Ana Shah

Ruhi Vora

Michael Ochola

Jai Shah

Carla Wachira

Talicia Padayachee

Sonia Shah

Gloria Yiweza

Jahnavi Pahuja

Rania Shamji

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

International Baccalaureate Examination Results

T

he IB organization directed ISK to administer the written examination papers (the examination route) for all our candidates at school. Despite the disruptions that arose due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our teachers, students, parents and stakeholders rallied together, adapted to the changes and pressed on to prepare our IB students for their final examinations. ISK registered ninetynine candidates for the IB May 2021 exam session, and all our IB candidates managed to write their exams in person on campus following our COVID-19 safety guidelines and protocols.

We are delighted to announce that our IB graduates have once again consistently performed above the world global averages. Despite a school year filled with challenges, the Class of 2021 achieved a 100% pass rate and a diploma average point score of 35. Congratulations Class of 2021!

Number of full IB Diploma Programme candidates Number of IB Diploma Programme certificate (course) candidates

IB Diploma Programme Year 2 (2021)

IB Diploma Programme Year 1 (2022)

63 (70%)

63 (79%)

24 (27%)

19 (18%)

May 2021 IB Results Sixty-three seniors were enrolled for the IB diploma, representing 70% (63/90) of the 2021 graduating class. The IB diploma pass rate for May 2021 was 100% and the average IB diploma score was 35 (international average is 33). The highest diploma point awarded to a candidate was 44 (out of a possible maximum of 45). Thirty-six additional juniors and seniors completed IB courses either for certificates or in anticipation of their 2022 diplomas.

IB Diploma May 2021 School Statistics

70% 5.56

100% 35

(world average is 33)

32

(maximum is 7)

44

(maximum is 45)

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

2021 University Acceptances UNITED KINGDOM oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo

Anglia Ruskin University Bath Spa University Bournemouth University Cardiff University Coventry University Edinburgh Napier University Greenwich University Keele University King’s College London Loughborough University Nottingham trent University Oxford Brookes University Prifysgol Aberystwyth University Richmond, The American International University in London Royal Holloway,University of London St. George’s University University of Bath University of Birmingham University of Bristol University of Brighton University of Cambridge University for the Creative Arts University of Chester, Parkgate University College London University of East Anglia University of Edinburgh University of Exeter University of Glasgow University of Greenwich University of Kent University of Leeds University of Leicester University of Liverpool University of Loughborough University of Manchester University Nottingham University of Plymouth University of Reading University of Sheffield University of Southampton University of Sussex University of Surrey University of Warwick University of Westminster University of the West of England UWE Bristol University of Winchester

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo

Abilene Christian University American Academy for Dramatic Arts American University Arizona State University Barnard College Berklee College of Music Boston University Bridgewater University California Institute of the Arts Case Western Reserve University Costal Carolina University Colorado State University Duke University DePaul University Eckerd College

oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo

Fordham University Florida State University Georgia Institute of Technology George Mason University George Washington University Georgetown University Gonzaga University Hawaii Pacific University Howard University Illinois Institute of Technology Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis Jacksonville University James Madison University Kennesaw State University Lewis and Clark College Loyola University- Chicago Los Angeles College of Music Massachusetts College of Art and Design New York University New York Institute of Technology Northeastern University Northern Arizona University Ohio University Parsons School of Design Pennyslyvania State University Purdue University San Diego State University State University of New York at Purchase Soka University of America Southern Oregon University Suffolk University Syracuse University Texas Tech University The Savannah College of Art and Design Trine University Trinity College University of Arizona Tufts University University of California, Berkeley.

University of California, Davis University of California, Riverside University of California, San Diego University of Colorado, Boulder University of Connecticut University of Evansville University of Hawaii, Manoa University of Maryland University of Maryland Baltimore County University of Maryland, College Park University of Massachussets Amherst University of Minnesota University of Michigan University of Miami University of New Mexico University of Nevada, Las Vegas University of Oregon University of Southern California University of South Florida University of Tampa University of Tennessee University of Vermont University of Virginia

oo University of Wisconsin-Madison oo Valparaiso University oo Worcester Polytechnic Institute CANADA oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo

Carleton University Concordia University Dalhousie University Huron University College King’s College Lakehead University McMaster University McGill University Mount Allison University Ontario Tech University Queens University Ryerson University University of Alberta University of Bristol University of British Columbia University of Calgary University of Guelph University of Northern British Columbia University of Waterloo University of Toronto-Scarborough University of Toronto University of the Fraser Valley University of Victoria Western University Windsor University York University

EUROPE oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo

American University of Paris Bocconi University École hôtelière de Lausanne Ecole Bleue Erasmus University Rotterdam EU Business School GBSB Global Business School John Cabot University Jacobs University Bremen Leiden Univeristy Saint Louis University — Madrid Campus oo School Camondo - Architecture D’intérieur Et Design oo Tilburg University oo University of Amsterdam OTHERS oo oo oo oo oo oo oo

American University in Dubai Duke Kunshan University Keio University New York University Shanghai Sophia University University of Hong Kong Waseda University

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

TLC Report Greg James

Director of Teaching and Learning

I

t is an understatement to mention that it has been a memorable twelve months at ISK and around the world. From the perspective of the Teaching and Learning Center, we have fully embraced the idea of constantly promoting and embracing flexibility. As a school, we are currently in our first year of our new strategic focus area system (our schoolwide goals). All three of these focus areas are deeply rooted in the day-to-day work of the Teaching and Learning Center. They are our north star and have served as our foundation during this time of pandemic education. Here is an update of the work we have accomplished during the 2020-2021 school year

Strategic Focus Area One We will continually focus on improving teaching and learning.

Highlights from Strategic Focus Area One: ÂÂ In August, all ISK teachers and teaching assistants were engaged in professional development that focused on creating connections and powerful learning experiences online. ÂÂ The distance learning professional development served as an anchor for divisional work as teachers planned through the first semester. ÂÂ We have begun to reimagine the way we plan and construct units and projects at ISK. Our emerging process places a larger emphasis on our instructional aims (skills and dispositions) to be the driver of our content and curriculum. ÂÂ With the shift to distance learning, we have offered time and support for our teachers and teaching assistants to learn and upscale their expertise with certain online

34

tools and resources (Zoom, Seesaw, Padlet, etc.). This work has allowed them to be more creative and confident with their unit planning and delivery. ÂÂ Within the high school, we have created an additional focus on our advisory program. During the second semester, all ISK advisory teachers worked with outside consultants (Kate Weiller and Jo Taylor) to think about consistency within our program. ÂÂ As a school, we have used this moment in time to reflect and begin some very foundational work. One component of our work has been the creation of shared ISK values (Trust, Community, Diversity/Equity/ Social Justice, Inclusion, Learning/Growth, and Innovation). These values are in line with our mission and vision and help us stay focused on our direction and purpose moving forward.

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

ÂÂ We have continued to grow our understanding and practices around diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. For the next year, it will be a catalyst with our curriculum as we take a closer look at culturally responsive leadership and practices. This work will be firmly grounded in our strategic focus areas and our professional learning structures.

Strategic Focus Area Two We will integrate a comprehensive approach to student wellbeing throughout the school.

Highlights from Strategic Focus Area Two: ÂÂ For the 2020-2021 school year, we were able to hire a school-wide student health and wellbeing coordinator to help set our direction and build our community-wide approach. ÂÂ The ISK leadership team worked with our student health and wellbeing coordinator along with outside consultants to envision and plan our goals for our community wellbeing structures. ÂÂ We have worked with different stakeholders to develop a working definition of wellbeing at ISK. ÂÂ Within each division, we have taken a deep dive into the division’s social emotional learning plan. Moving forward, we want to ensure vertical consistency as students move through our school. ÂÂ Similar to Strategic Focus Area One, our high school advisory teachers have worked with outside professionals with a goal of creating consistency with our advisory program.

ÂÂ We have two student-led groups within the high school and middle school focusing on diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.

These two groups (Social Equity Committee and Social Justice Club) have focused on increasing student voice. ÂÂ Two student clubs were offered a focus on wellbeing as part of their middle and high school co-curricular clubs program. ÂÂ We have reviewed and updated our child protection policy and process, moving towards a safeguarding approach. ÂÂ Recognizing that a key component for thriving wellbeing is a sense of safety, all staff members completed child safeguarding courses to be able to prevent, recognize and respond to signs of harm or abuse. ÂÂ Opportunities were provided for the faculty to engage in social emotional learning along with mental health and wellbeingfocused presentations and workshops. ÂÂ We have clear health standards within our physical education program.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Strategic Focus Area Three We will define and fully implement our approach to inclusion.

Highlights from Strategic Focus Area Three: ÂÂ During the school year, we have offered virtual professional learning opportunities focused on inclusion and neurodiversity.

ÂÂ Our head of student support services offered coaching opportunities that were tied directly to growing our shared understanding of inclusive practices in the classroom.

ÂÂ Speech/language and occupational therapy trainings have been offered to our early-year teachers.

ÂÂ Cross-divisional protocols have been created to help guide data discussions during student support team meetings.

ÂÂ We have offered full faculty support and training as we plan to expand and open our Life Centered Education program in middle school and high school.

ÂÂ Our ISK learning support teachers have received training on Response to Intervention. This framework will help us focus on using data to make intervention decisions for our learners. ÂÂ We have created a definition of inclusion that fits our ISK values and direction.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

ISK’s Definition: Inclusion is embracing and honoring the unique learning needs of every learner. We thoughtfully combine educational excellence with equitable practices.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

HS Award Recipients

Jason Choi / Gr 9 Outstanding Scholar Award Seungmin Woo / Gr 10 Outstanding Scholar Award

Anders Luffman / Gr 11 Outstanding Scholar Award Serena Pradhan / Gr 12 Outstanding Scholar Award

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Chifundo Thangata Faculty Award Kiara Ehsani Director’s Award for Creative & Critical Thought

Hazel Singh Huduma Award for Commitment to Service Phoebe Laws Reuben Gray Sportsperson of the Year Award

Paulina Nuamah Svetlana Kovalsky Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts Leah Ferrell AISA Award for Academic Excellence

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

MS & ES Award Recipients

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Saron Piper Outstanding Scholar Award

Annabel Asamoah / Gr 8 Outstanding Scholar

Chikashi Nakano / Gr 7 Outstanding Scholar

Nadia Trites / Gr 6 Outstanding Scholar

Caitlin Wood / Gr 8 Outstanding Leadership

Daniya Ibrahim / Gr 7 Outstanding Leadership

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Penelope Woudwijk / Gr 6 Outstanding Leadership

Rugaba Mujuni / Gr 7 Outstanding HOLs

Amelie Dunford / Gr 6 Outstanding HOLs

Reem Ephrem Yohannes / Gr 8 Outstanding HOLs

Emilie Brekke / Gr 7 Most Personal Growth

Divit Goyal / Gr 6 Most Personal Growth

Emir Abdellahi / Gr 8 Most Personal Growth

Leo Aziz Bonvik Director’s Award for Creative and Critical Thinking

Anne Bamlango Citizenship Award

MS

ES

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Athletics Report Will Moore

Athletics Director

T

he ISK Learning Aim, CREATE, has been central in our planning and implementation this year. The elements within this Aim, Innovate, Adapt and Generate Ideas, have helped guide students and coaches through this challenging time with ISK athletics.

Our adaptation to circumstances has allowed us to make the best of the restrictions we have all had to deal with. We moved away from our more formal seasons by offering many sports simultaneously, introducing a no-cut policy throughout the program, and encouraging student athletes to participate in multiple activities. This increase of opportunities allowed for access to much-needed physical activity, with close to 80% of Middle School and High School students signing up and committing to the program.

Our coaches demonstrated their innovation by creating training sessions to maximize learning, fun and motivation while following our 4 W’s and maintaining a safe environment. Many coaches work across divisions and help to establish continuity with the student-athletes as they move through the athletics program.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

The expansion of the required online child protection and safeguarding courses has been well received and educates coaches to become more familiar with identifying and responding to our student-athletes’ needs. All ISK coaches and coaching assistants have completed these courses.

The High School Lions’ Pride student body sought to generate ideas to support the community with initiatives such as mask painting, spirit week, and intramural competitions. The Stress Buster Friday initiative gathered momentum during our on-campus learning phase, with increasing numbers of students joining in and having fun with natural competition, including badminton, outdoor volleyball, mini golf, and ultimate frisbee. These events gave our Lions’ Pride group a much needed outlet to develop their leadership skills and perform service to our community.

Although all ISSEA travel was suspended this year, many amazing opportunities and the long anticipated events were trimmed down and moved into opportunities to develop virtual ISSEAs. Our band and choir students attended a one-day convention, hosted by the International School of Tanganyika, where a well choreographed event showcased the talented musicians from around East and South African regions. Our swim team was also given the opportunity to enter times and compete virtually against other ISSEA schools; as always this team was hugely competitive and their high standards represented ISK with great results.

We were due to host the ISSEA Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) competition in person, however, we sought to adapt to the circumstances and hosted it online in April. With 6 schools taking part,

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

the 100 participants competed in math and science tests and quizzes. The engineering challenges consisted of much dried spaghetti, glue, and patience as towers and bridges were constructed and tested. A fun, competitive and spirited competition was enjoyed by all, especially as our ISK STEM team finished as champions in equal first place!

ISSEA STEM

2021

Looking forward to future endeavors, the approval of a much anticipated all-weather running track will come as welcome news to our studentathletes. This facility will be a great addition to ISK’s athletics portfolio, in terms of students’ physical development, learning and competitiveness, and will allow us to host major track and field events, both locally and internationally, as we endeavor to continually showcase our fantastic facilities.

The addition of an Administrative Assistant in the Athletics Department comes at a time when we expand our program into Elementary School. From next year, we will formalize coaching in a number of team sports for Grades 3, 4, and 5, and hope to give opportunities for local competition in football, basketball and track and field. This expansion will support the growth and development of our younger student-athletes as well as developing continuity and standards as our Lions move through the athletics program.

Will Moore Athletics Director

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Creative Arts Report Carolyn Acorn

Creative Arts Department Coordinator

A

t ISK, our Creative Arts Department continues to be a source of inspiration and creativity for our community. As in all schools around the world, our students and teachers have dealt with the challenges of teaching and learning in a world with COVID-19. From the continuing change in our learning environments to how we socially interact with our peers, our ISK community continues to rise to the occasion. This is true in our Creative Arts Department, where the very nature of our subjects is about self-expression, creativity, collaboration, and communicating with an audience. Our amazing students and teachers have found ways to still do it during this challenging time.

Arts in Elementary School Our Elementary Music teachers are Mrs. Rachel Aondo and Mrs. Laois Rogers, supported by teaching assistant Mrs. Margaret Oganda. Our Visual Art teachers are Mrs. Liza Goold and myself, with teaching assistant Mr. Josphat Magut. For the first half of the year, with the exception of Grade 5 students, most teaching and learning was done via weekly scheduled “live” Zoom classes and asynchronous learning tasks on the online platform, Seesaw. Teachers had to learn how to help our younger students to communicate, create, share feedback, and revise work in an online environment.

Although we were mostly online, we did celebrate Elementary School Arts Week later in the year during International Week, showcasing their learning on the International Day website. When our students came back in January, the Arts Centre felt alive for the first time since last March. Visual arts students were getting their hands messy with paint, textures, and clay. Musicians were singing, dancing, and playing instruments once again. Even though

46

masks and social distancing have become a part of our learning experience, students still came to arts classes with excitement, ready to share their creative ideas. Some students even shared their learning with their parents during student-led conferences.

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Arts in the Middle School Our Arts team in the Middle School consists of Eleanor Miller teaching Grades 6-8 Visual Arts, Robin Willis teaching Grade 6-8 Drama, and Mark Anding teaching Grade 6-8 Music. Barissa Dhidha is a part-time drumming teacher who works with our Grade 6 students each quarter.

Antony Ngaruiya and Waturi Ekirapa, our teaching assistants for Visual Art and Music, have also dedicated their time to learning the new online tools, providing feedback and working with small groups online and in-person. Middle School teachers have had similar challenges to Elementary, where Grade 6 and 7 were online for most of the first half of the year. This did not stop them from doing some really amazing things this year.

Visual Art students had a chance to create and showcase their artwork for the virtual peace day assembly. Mrs. Miller helped set up a collaboration opportunity between Grade 8 art students and the Advanced Spanish class to help with visual input for the Spanish language blog. Students in the New Designers’ class practiced their sewing skills and made aprons for the new Middle School kitchen.

Some students’ artwork was showcased in the International Day closing ceremony.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Grade 8 drama students from the Theatre for Young Audiences Class performed The Mysterious Murder of Matthew James for Grade 5 students. This play was performed virtually through Zoom, with Grade 5 students watching on the big screen. There was also a surprise interactive moment with the audience!

Grade 6 students performed A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the new Blackbox Theatre for peers and teachers: the first performance in the new space. Twenty-One Middle School drama students attended the ISTA Festival (from Grades 6, 7 and 8) in collaboration with AISJ-Johannesburg. Although our ISK students participated online, it was clear through their final performance that they enjoyed their festival and bonded with their peers.

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In Middle School music, our band students had their lessons outside in a big spacedout tented area, while choir students used the roof space in our new Middle School building. When on campus, music students had opportunities to perform together as an ensemble. Grade 8 students were able to perform in front of a few audience members while they pre-recorded their songs for the virtual Spread the Love Charity concert. While learning at home, choir students and other community members were invited to learn the song, One Voice, by the Wailin’ Jennys. Singers rehearsed and recorded their parts. Mr. Anding then took those recordings, edited and layered them to create an amazing, virtual musical performance. He had taken many hours recording parts and learning how to use online editing tools to help enhance his students’ learning experience.

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Our High School Arts teachers are Jill Hire, HS/IB Theatre; Gwendolyn Anding teaching HS/IB Music; and Kaigwa Gakunju, along with Andrew Kay teaching HS/IB Visual Art classes. Millicent Obiero supports our music High School students as a teaching assistant and is the piano accompanist for High School solo performers. Antony Ngaruiya also works with the IB Visual Art students, helping to provide materials, offer feedback, and helping with displays. Our High School students and teachers have faced many challenges this year and have had to adapt to many sudden changes. Although our changing situation made things complicated, this did provide students and teachers with opportunities to think “out of the box” and come up with creative solutions. Students continued to create and collaborate through their composition work, scriptwriting, directing, and visual displays. Performing was still a big part of our program, even with a limited audience (live/ virtual).

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Theater performances went on in the auditorium, the IB Visual Art Exhibition also took place in the Commons area and IB musicians still recorded their recital pieces. Twenty-one music students recently participated in the ISSEA Music Virtual Festival hosted by the International School of Tanganyika.

A highlight for our department was their involvement in December’s Spread the Love Charity concert, organized and sponsored by Pamela Pappas and the Advancement Office.

We were fortunate to have many students, faculty members and our very own creative arts teachers showcase their singing, dancing, and instrumental performances for such a good cause. Jill Hire was key to the organization of this concert, along with Mark and Gwendolyn Anding, who gave their time and talent to help showcase their students’ musical talent as well as their own.

Our teaching and learning in the Creative Arts was also heavily supported by our Arts Centre supervisor, Sammy Mwangi, and assistant supervisor, Kennedy Wando. Together with help from our operational staff, they helped set up our flexible environment for online and oncampus learning.

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This school year, we have all learned the importance of flexibility, perseverance, feeling safe, and looking out for one another. We are all proud of the work our department has achieved this school year.

Carolyn Acorn

K-2 Visual Art teacher Creative Arts Department Coordinator

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Service Learning Report Jessica Hajee

High School Counselor for Student Wellbeing

T

he ISK Co-Curricular Program aims to develop students of character who learn, create, act, and solve in a collaborative and engaging environment. Service Learning is an approach to teaching and learning that addresses authentic needs through active engagement in our local and global communities.

At ISK, Service Learning: oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo

Is linked to the curriculum Involves positive and meaningful action Engages student voice and choice Considers the sustainability of programs and partnerships Creates opportunities for participants to be enriched by diverse perspectives Nurtures social responsibility and global citizenship Is mutually beneficial to participants Inspires reflection

Service-Learning Student Participation The pandemic certainly affected our ability to offer our robust service program normally, but it also fostered incredible creativity and resilience in our students. Students had to adapt to the ISK design remodel and reimagine their activities to move them online or find entirely new ways to engage with our community. Although students could not go out into the community, they were able to continue working “behind the scenes” in a reciprocal service relationship. The Global Issues Network is a good example of indirect service. GIN members have been working with Kakuma Refugee Camp School by exchanging letters, creating awareness about refugees in Kenya, and organizing book drives to support the school at the camp.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

HeArts club members have continued their programs virtually by tutoring students at the Nest Center via Zoom. ISK High School students also worked as student helpers in Elementary classrooms for a short period of time before COVID restrictions forced the program to close. Students and teachers are excited to bring back this service when possible, since there were numerous reciprocal benefits for everyone.

Our students have also taken part in advocacy services in a year where issues of diversity, equity, and social justice were on the global stage. Students who engage in advocacy have raised awareness and interest to bring change and action. Clubs like GIN and SEC have also created awareness about social issues affecting our world today.

This year, 230 High School students participated in ISK-sponsored Service Learning clubs and projects. High School ran 22 service-based clubs and several studentled projects. Our Service Learning Program continues to link services with the curriculum

and the Sustainable Development Goals. The Greenhouse Club has continued to work hard to inspire sustainable food production. The club tackles Goal 2 (zero hunger) and through their latest invention, the biogas digester, they are also tackling Goal 13 (Climate Action) and Goal 12 (responsible consumption and production). The biodigester enables them to utilize food waste around campus to create methane and fertilizer for their gardens.

Embrace the Amazing tackled Goal 4 (quality education) and Goal 10 (reduced inequality) by building awareness for acceptance to those in the neurodiverse community and creating learning opportunities for the children in the Autism Support Center of Kenya. Round Square tackled Goal 3 (good health and wellbeing) and Goal 10 (reduced inequalities) by hosting an international virtual conference on mental health. Students from 17 countries were in attendance. The conference helped to spark conversations on student wellbeing in schools, resulting in at least one school starting their own wellbeing program.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

With the pandemic, many students needed to shift and find new ways to engage in service. Even though this was a challenge, it did provide students with unique and interesting possibilities, and new ways of thinking about service while at home. ISK’s students are creative problem solvers who showed incredible resilience. Students engaged in trash collection on their streets, baking goods for health care workers, walking dogs for elderly neighbors, and creating workout videos for other young people stuck at home, to name a few.

Student Voices of Resilience and Hope This year was strange. We were not able to meet in person or work in the lab the majority of the time. Despite this, we managed to set up several recycling workshops and design products to help turn discarded plastic into valuable products. We set up our second workshop in Mathare in partnership with UNHabitat, as well as two workshops in Kisumu and Lamu in partnership with the Flipflopi project. There is also another workshop in Kariobangi and another two in Turkana county that are currently being established using our machines. Michelle, Grade 10

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Overall, this was quite an experience and I am so grateful to have been able to experience it. This Service Learning has made me recognize my interest involving kids and helping out in the community in general. The biggest part of my learning outcome was to recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions, and I feel very accomplished with that. Even though, because of COVID, it was a bit challenging to communicate with them, I still kept in touch over the phone or by sending videos. The best part about this experience was that not only did I learn many things that benefitted me, but I also formed amazing friendships with the workers there and bonded so well with some of the children. I will definitely continue being a part of this community, and I can’t wait for more opportunities like this. Moe, Grade 11

***** After beginning the full IB Diploma at the start of 11th Grade, CAS allowed me to expand as an individual, grow in confidence and become largely involved with many activities I simply

would not have had the opportunity to, if I had not taken part in CAS. When I first started CAS in 11th Grade, I thought it was just a simple add-on to the curriculum to keep students from staying inside all day and being lazy. I was wrong. Now I understand that CAS’s primary purpose in my life has been to encourage the skills that I require to be a socially responsible, contributing, and collaborative member of my community. It has also given me the foundation to become a well-rounded individual that strives to give to (more than I take from) the many communities I will find myself in, such as school/university, work, and old/new friends.

Max, Grade 12

***** In the past two years, I have been able to increase my understanding of different aspects of various activities and how much of an impact they can have on an individual’s life. Through my involvement in CAS/L’s various activities, I have been able to fully understand what it means to be a well-rounded and grounded individual. It has fully impacted me, as it not

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

only taught me this important aspect but also how to be an effective and kind leader. I also learned how important it is to work well with others, and gained new collaborative and personal skills I would have never received if it was not for CAS/L activities. When I started with CAS, I did not yet comprehend the importance it has on developing an individual’s ability to develop “real life skill sets”. Through being involved in creative, sport, and service activities, I have gained real-life experiences I would have never been able to if I was not involved in CAS. Hana, Grade 12

***** When I started at ISK in September, I was nervous when I heard the word CAS/L because it was something I had never participated in. At my previous school, I was someone who avidly participated in the many after-school activities, but it was never something that I had to sit down and reflect on. I did not understand what CAS/L meant and initially saw it as extra work I needed to do to graduate. If I am being honest, it still kind of feels like extra work. However, I do have a much better understanding of why ISK requires its students to do it. Most of the activities I have participated in over the past year have been a lot of fun and have brought my attention to some of the pressing issues in the world. I am thankful for the aspect of CAS/L that pulled me away from my school work and forced me to do other activities outside of academics. Zanier, Grade 12

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Service before the pandemic and after 1) Service project

Screenshot from Zoom lesson recording: Nest students in Grades 3-4 during their Math lessons

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

2) Round Square Conference

Before

After

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Jessica Hajee

High School Counselor for Student Wellbeing

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Technology Department Report

Kathleen Chromicz K - 12 Technology Integration Coordinator

Douglas Irish

Director of Technology

Challenges of COVID-19 as Catalysts for Technology Integration

T

he challenges presented by COVID-19 in the 2020-2021 school year provided many unique opportunities for leveraging technology to provide innovative pathways for student-centered teaching, learning, and assessment. Teachers, administrators, and students used a design cycle approach to collaboratively generate strategies that engaged the learning community. They tested these strategies and iterated them for better results. As our Dynamic Distance Learning (DDL) program evolved, teachers and students sharpened their listening and communication skills through various technology platforms, constantly adjusting so that students’ social and emotional needs were also given high priority.

Teachers researched and attempted new digital strategies to encourage remote student collaboration through online platforms such as Padlet, collaborative digital whiteboards, and small group breakout rooms. Students were

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

eager to document and digitally share their learning and choosing tools of their choice.

They were keen to produce concerts and performances using Zoom, fully planning and managing themselves. This time of creativity and flexibility to experiment with technology launched new ways of teaching and learning, providing a wider choice for students to show their growth in individual ways. Parents, who are important partners, were invited to technology training to help them flatten this steep learning curve.

We placed emphasis on streamlining digital workflows. This involved creating collaborative agreements for a standardized setup of Google Classroom for Middle School student success, posting Zoom links and assignments in SeeSaw, producing Elementary School newsletters that communicated in a consistent way, and establishing office hours for studentteacher consultations. Divisional documents for DDL included common agreements and mapped out the variety of digital resources available at each division with tutorials.

STEM classes and co-curricular activities were adapted for remote participation and collaboration. Students collected Arduino Boards and M-Bots from ISK so that they could create and program at home. They sent

their 2D and 3D designs for projects to their teachers so that they could be laser cut or 3D printed. One teacher even streamed the 3D printing job so that the students could learn the settings and enjoy watching their projects emerge.

High School Game Design students held virtual interview sessions with students in Third Grade classes to discuss their favorite games, superhero characters, and academic subjects in which they like to play games. This market research helped the High School students create prototype games for the third graders to test. Middle School students used Kahoot to create competitions for House events.

Virtual co-curriculars included Elementary School Coding, Middle School Game Design, Middle School Personal STEM Projects, Middle School/High School Plastiki Rafiki, High School HandOut, and High School Design Studio.

When students were allowed on campus in January, a hybrid teaching and learning model was developed. By this time, flexibility and adaptation of teaching and learning had become an acknowledged strength. The Tech Team rallied to create and share resources that supported all levels for hybrid learning.

Just in time, training was available for all teachers, and a great deal of sharing occurred spontaneously among colleagues. Tech Support members spent the December Break making adjustments to classroom technology, accommodating the new classroom layouts to meet school COVID-19 safety guidelines.

The hybrid model helped students who were in the classroom to learn to collaborate with those at home. Middle School robotics easily pivoted to the hybrid model. Students at home and at school programmed their individual mBots, writing code, and practicing missions.

Students collaborated virtually and in-person to debug their code and demonstrate progress.

Technology also generated more diverse assessment strategies. Reflection, sharing work and receiving feedback evolved throughout the year. Elementary School students learned to explain their work to their teachers and parents through SeeSaw. High School STEM students began using a new portfolio platform called bulb.

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This platform was also effective for students who might have trouble organizing work and reflecting upon it. Several teachers explored how to use the platform to collect evidence and reflect for their own Personal Learning Journeys.

Bulb also has a parental component where they can give feedback to their children. It even includes a personal portfolio for the parent.

Although the Middle School / High School bulb portfolio rollout was intended to take place this year, the full rollout will take place during the 2021-2022 school year.

Our Design Spaces for each division were heavily used during the third quarter when in-person learning resumed, in addition to being utilized remotely. Elementary School students designed their Day 8 projects in Elementary School MakerSpace. High School students constructed two bio-fences to collect floating rubbish in the Ruaka River, on the boundary of Karura Forest.

Other students independently initiated projects like: oo Experimenting with a bioplastics system that produces biodegradable products from food waste. oo Working with local organizations to find ways to prevent fire ants from invading turtle nests in Watamu and Diani Beach. oo Designing a charcoal cooler for transporting vegetables to rural areas using Boda Bodas.

Middle School and High School Technology and Art teachers are excited about increased experiential and integrated learning opportunities that will result from the approved moves for the High School Design/Fab Labs and High School Art, as well as for the Middle School Innovation Studio for the 2021-2022 school year.

In retrospect, the year of COVID challenged us to apply more transformative uses of technology. Looking ahead, a school-wide Technology Action Team has been meeting this

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semester to design ways forward for intentional transformative integration of technology at ISK. The team’s focus is to align and integrate technology into the overall ISK learning program. If we recognize and use technology as an accelerator that deepens learning and engagement, we will have met our goal.

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

During 2020-21, the Technology Department also improved system security by completing the internal and external security audit and acting on recommendations made. The department even installed a new, nextgeneration firewall/filtering solution. The new Middle School building is covered with WiFi 6 networking and large-screen TVs in the classrooms. A new phone PBX system is being implemented, and our Internet bandwidth is now up to over 600 Mbps. ISK has upgraded to Google Workspace Enterprise for Education

and partnered with InfoSec to bring faculty and staff targeted electronic security training.

We are looking forward to a larger, more centralized help desk in 2021-22 that will be located just outside the library.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Finance Report

Moez Jiwani

Business Manager

Adrian Amen

Board of Directors Treasurer

Year in Review

T

he COVID-19 pandemic has obviously brought enormous challenges and hardships to our community. ISK’s Board of Governors and Board of Directors revised the school’s budget and adjusted operating plans during this difficult period. They did this to support the community while retaining our dedicated staff and ensuring the school’s readiness to offer in-person learning when possible.

ISK’s sound financial position and appropriate financial management practices were independently confirmed

by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in the Unqualified Opinion for the most recent school year audit (2019-2020).

This year, we also achieved an important milestone in completing the Middle School construction project. This new facility provides room to grow and will support increased enrollment numbers in the years ahead. The High School Science block will also enable an expanded and improved science program for our students.

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2021-2022 Budget Statistics 2020-2021 Operational Budget

2021-2022 Operational Budget

5%

5%

19%

20%

76%

75% Personnel

Personnel

Other Educational Costs

Other Educational Costs

Operating Overheads

Operating Overheads

2020-2021 Capital Budget

23%

30%

2021-2022 Capital Budget

19%

22% 24%

23%

26%

17% 16%

Computer Equip

Major Improvements

Computer Equip

Furniture

Equipment

Furniture

Equipment

Freight, Duty & Vat (Capital Purchases)

Major Improvements

Moez Jiwani Business Manager

Adrian Amen Board of Directors Treasurer

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Advancement Report Pamela Pappas

Director of Community Relations & Advancement

T

his school year took place entirely during the Coronavirus pandemic. The Advancement Office played a pivotal role in devising communications and other initiatives to keep the community informed and in good spirits, as well as tailoring event organization to keep the community safe and in good health. The accomplishments outlined in the following sections all reflect this common thread.

Admissions Enrollment in September 2020 fell to 912 in comparison to 1,016 at the same time last year.

However, we were pleased with the enrollment numbers given the effects of the pandemic.

These circumstances notwithstanding, we were excited to welcome over 95 new families representing 30 different nationalities. With the postponement of face-to-face learning, the Advancement Office was tasked with organizing our first-ever virtual New Family Orientation, which was well received. Along with welcoming our newest lions to the ISK pride, there continued to be many inquiries and much interest from families wanting to join ISK in January 2021 and beyond. This is a positive indication of the confidence that people place in ISK’s educational program.

Given the virtual landscape of our working environment, we developed an online application assessment and review process together with the leadership team. This new process paved the way for moving towards a paperless admissions process through Open Apply, our school’s admissions management system.

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Community Relations To commemorate the reopening of the campus after nearly ten months of distance learning, the Advancement Team made special ISK bracelets for all students and produced a “You Belong Here” video collage in anticipation of their return. We also designed and distributed branded ISK masks and bracelets to all ISK faculty and staff.

“ISKares” wellness packages were highly appreciated by community members required to stay at home due to Covid-19 related illness/ quarantine. This initiative was spearheaded in the spirit of “no community member left behind.”

Annually, the Advancement Office collaborates with Village Market to host a holiday concert.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, we organized the “Spread The Love” Virtual Holiday Benefit Concert in collaboration with these student clubs: Artsco, Hearts, Interact, and Shangilia.

The community event was live-streamed on December 15, with over 300 household logins. All proceeds went to funding Christmas Boxes packed with staple foods for the local communities that these student clubs engage with through service. All told, 250 Kenyan children received boxes over the holiday season. Delivery took place during Christmas week, and was met with much joy and appreciation. A two-minute video of the food deliveries was shared with the community.

Keeping up the community’s spirits was one of the main motivations behind the organization of the Thanksgiving Thankful Thoughts Raffle, Pandemic Christmas Campaign, A Pandemic Valentine’s Day and Women’s Day, and lastly, Staff Appreciation Week. Keeping the community safe and in good health was a driving force in the Advancement Office-led organization of the graduation and Middle School ribbon-cutting ceremonies.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Communications After nearly 10 years, The Link Lite and The Link were rebranded. The rebranding was in the interest of streamlining communications and elevating the profile of The Link Lite, now The Mane, as the authoritative source of ISK weekly news. In particular, the divisional bulletins were incorporated in The Mane. The Link became The Pride - a monthly magazine showcasing what we are proud of.

Along with the rebrand, we introduced an exciting new communication platform for The Mane and The Pride. This platform hosts The Mane Minute and The Pride in Five, video summaries presented by students of The Mane and The Pride respectively. It’s a collaboration between the Advancement Office and the High School Directing Class. It has been an exciting one, and it sustained a high level of enthusiasm from students up to the end of the year. Giving students a voice is a priority at ISK, and it has been a tremendous pleasure to provide this new opportunity to do so.

In collaboration with High School Student Club, Simba Wakati, we produced Covid-19 Safety Videos detailing campus safety and ISK’s Covid-19 preparedness efforts, known as “For Students, By Students” video collaborations.

The Advancement Office is in the process of a complete upgrade of the ISK Website. Most notably, the new website will be optimized by the integration of Power School and the use of Parent Portals, which will allow us to create and post content specifically for parents in a “onestop-shop” format. The launch is slated for the first semester of the 2021-2022 school year.

Despite the many challenges faced during this trying pandemic, and in some cases because of them, this has been a year full of innovation. We learned that difficult times lead to unanticipated blessings and allow us to grow as a school and a community. We remain confident in our purpose and the strengths of our students, faculty, and staff. We recognize that beginning the academic year fully virtual had profound impacts on students’ academic, psychological, emotional, and social wellbeing, now and well into the future. The pandemic’s sensitivities and uncertainties put the tasks of communicating and maintaining community relations to the test. Despite these obstacles, and with a combination of flexibility, poise, and personal touch, the Advancement Office was able to continue working towards our goal.

Pamela Pappas

Director of Community Relations & Advancement

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Our Diverse Community

11

60

94

3

8

24 14

8

368

1

1

3

3

3

3

2

1

1

4

2

ISK STUDENTS REST OF THE WORLD

70

2

1

1

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Enrollment for 2020-2021 reached 980 students from over 67 nationalities. Diversity is a hallmark of ISK and sets us apart from other schools in Kenya.

Students at ISK find a warm, welcoming atmosphere that allows them to adapt quickly into a rewarding school life.

1

25 7

31 11

5

1 3

1

19

3

1

1

2

3

1

MACEDONIA

2

2

2

4

14

3

3

49

3 MYANMAR

1 1

2

1

3 9

2

1

6

110

2

1

25

5

1

1

10

6

2 6

3

1 11

1 BOTSWANA

23

16

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Health Report W

hat a year this has been! For faculty, staff, and students within ISK, the ISK Health Office has remained a crucial part of the support and management of various health-related aspects emerging because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This would not have been possible without tremendous support from the COVID-19 Response Team (CRT) and other pertinent external stakeholders like MoH, CDC, and UNICEF representatives within the ISK family.

While the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Kenya has been extremely fluid, the Health Office has strived to keep abreast of the happenings, and continuously updated the CRT and Leadership team in order to support school-wide decision making.

We are happy to share our successes, challenges, and activities throughout the year.

Successes and Activities oo Successful training, coordination, and rollout of faculty, staff, student, and community 4W’s trainings through: • Digital training materials (slideshows and videos) • On-campus posters and signage outlining the Four W’s • Continual reminders via email, The Mane, The Pride, and the ISK website • Janitor training that was reinforced using our ISK Safety Checklists

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021 oo Successful revision of the Pandemic Response protocol in line with emerging new COVID-19 information. oo Setup of an isolation tent within the school behind the Health Office. oo Formulation of a CRT (Crisis Response Team) as outlined in Section 2 (page 12) of the COVID handbook version 6 to inform the administration of related COVID-19 issues that might arise. oo Successful development and maintenance of a COVID-19 spreadsheet to follow up on staff and students in isolation and quarantine. The status list projects staff and students with COVID-19 related absences from various divisions for members of the CRT to actively follow up on. oo 93.3% of faculty and staff received their first and second dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination supported by MoH. oo Planning and subsequent roll out of onsite rapid antigen COVID-19 testing that began in April- end of school year. This has been done in collaboration with Meditest Laboratory.

oo COVID-19 handbook developed in line with the latest information on the COVID-19 pandemic and procedures implemented throughout the school community. We are currently at Version 6, thanks to the tremendous support from the CRT, Advancement Team, and COVID Compliance Officer. oo Introduction of care packages delivered to students, faculty, and staff confirmed to have COVID-19 at their homes. They are supported by the Wellbeing Coordinator and Advancement Team. oo Introduction of COVID-19 weekend on call schedule, whereby one Health Office staff works collaboratively with a member from the ADMIN team to support ISK families reaching out with confirmed/suspected cases. oo Implementation and routine revision of COVID communication letters and flowcharts. oo Biweekly catch-up meetings with MoH and CDC representatives.

Challenges oo Lack of consistent reference documentation from MoH to support decision making as needed. oo Delay in timely communication while contact tracing between parents, students and staff.

We continue to encourage the ISK community to keep following the World Health Organization COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.

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PTO Report Rachel Radcliffe PTO Secretary

I

f there’s one thing the PTO did this year, it was to adapt to the realities of these COVID-19 times. Gone were the touchy-feely welcome back picnics, the community-building potlucks, the fun movie nights, the amazing on-campus Duka, the cornucopia of mouth-watering food at International Day, and pretty much everything ISK has come to associate with the PTO. Instead, the PTO put on its thinking cap, rolled up its sleeves, and started innovating ways to keep our community together.

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Community building is one of the PTO’s primary purposes. Most of you experience this through the grade-level WhatsApp groups we administer. ISK is at its best when its parent and teacher communities are strongly connected, and when new families are assimilated and quickly embraced. This year, we weren’t able to host new parent welcome events and other parent socials on campus, so we took advantage of Nairobi’s many spacious outdoor venues. New parent welcome coffees and sundowners took place in September and January, and were well attended by new and

existing ISK families, the ISK administration, and board members. The popular Nairobi Bus Tour took place in September, using two buses this time to ensure proper social distancing.

Other parent coffees and sundowners were hosted off-campus when possible, and there were also a few grade-specific social events outside of ISK that gave new students an opportunity to meet their classmates in person.

Parent Social

Bus Tour

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

Our new take on the Taste of Nations replaced the booths of regional cuisine with a Silent Auction. Our team quickly built a website that showcased gift baskets prepared by many of the 67+ countries represented at ISK as well as vouchers donated by local businesses.

When the website opened on January 18, the ISK community jumped right in, eager to win one of the 76 baskets and vouchers, 24 raffle prizes, 5 guessing jars, and a painting that had captured their attention. The final moments before the auction closed on January 22 were an adrenaline rush of bidding as people fought to bring home the American junk food basket, the voucher from Ate restaurant, the Norway & Sweden basket, the genuine Latin BBQ voucher, one of the amazing Israeli baskets, or any of the other thoughtful and generous baskets prepared and donated by the ISK community. The PTO was able to raise Ksh. 422,850. Even though this was about half of what was raised last year, it still exceeded expectations because of the pandemic situation.

The PTO wasn’t able to host its usual staff appreciation lunch last year (and sadly, we also can’t host it this year). In December, though, a few of us were able to make quick visits to campus to show a little love to all of the ISK staff. We handed out DUKA-sourced goodie bags to let everyone know how much they mean to us. That simple and brief human connection was a wonderful way to end the calendar year as we prepared to break for the holiday.

Taste of Nations

In December, the PTO also organized a pareddown version of its annual Holiday Bazaar.

This event normally gives ISK students an opportunity to shop for affordable holiday gifts on campus from over 50 local vendors from the Duka and other craftspeople. This year, we moved it to an ISK family’s garden and focused on the Duka’s existing pool of vendors. ISK community members were able to visit in small groups and get their shopping done at a safe and festive event that was a win/win for both us and the DUKA vendors.

The PTO is proud to support Service Learning at ISK. This year, we worked with the High School service club team to do things a little differently. We invited all of ISK’s service clubs to participate in a Shark Tank process.

DUKA

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021

They worked to persuade a panel of judges consisting of PTO representatives, Mr. Maldonado, and each other so they could win up to $500. A total of eight clubs, including two very brave and eloquent 5th Graders, should be proud of the excellent presentations they made in the Tank! In the end, the PTO awarded a total of $2,000 to five clubs. Well done to Plastiki Rafiki, Greenhouse, Construction by Design, Shangilia, and Tukimbie Pamoja!

The Duka’s physical shop was sorely missed this year, but the Duka team found new ways to keep things going despite the pandemic restrictions. The Duka was moved off-campus and hosted at ISK family homes. It also stepped up its efforts to advertise on the PTO’s Facebook group, established its own Instagram page, and began accepting M-PESA payments.

Capacity building workshops for vendors will take place, but exclusively online. Compared to last year, revenue is down by about 50%.

However, we are grateful to have been able to support the Duka’s vendors as much as we have.

One of the PTO’s premier events each year is its Friends of the Arts (FOTA) art exhibition.

The pandemic compelled FOTA to take a different direction this year, moving from the usual physical art show to an online exhibition.

Our amazing FOTA team quickly built an easyto-navigate and beautifully curated website showcasing more than 200 pieces from 68 artists from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Between April 12 - 22, over 40 pieces were sold, including to buyers overseas!

FOTA Homepage

It’s been a very unusual year for the PTO, but we are proud of what we’ve been able to achieve. We are grateful for the support we’ve received from ISK and for the energy, ambition, dedication and creativity of our volunteers!

Thank you!

Staff Appreciation

Rachel Radcliffe PTO Secretary

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