ISK Annual Report 2021-22

Annual

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.

About ISK

The International School of Kenya (ISK) is a private, non-profit PreK-Grade 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 1,100 students from more than 65 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

Michael Callan Director

ReportDirector’s

Amentor

of mine once told me that in your first year in a new leadership position, you inherit everything. After that, you own it. He went on to emphasize the importance of watching, listening, and learning in order to fully understand the school and its people. This has been a joyful year of understanding for me at ISK. Schools are complex and ever-changing organisms, and some wonderful changes have happened this year at ISK. Below is my attempt to capture some highlights.

The 2021-22 school year has been a year of reemergence. I was thrilled that we were able to spend the year together on campus, mask to mask. While the school did an exceptional job with its Dynamic Distance Learning in the 2020-21 school year, I am sure we would all agree that nothing beats in-person learning!

As we welcomed students back onto campus, we began to notice new social-emotional challenges that we were attributing to the lack of social interaction students had during their time away from school. With our second Strategic Focus Area as student well-being, the adults at ISK made this an area of priority this year. In the classroom, in advisory, on the playground, and in after-school activities, teachers, teaching assistants, counselors, and administrators dedicated their time to reintroducing students to the benefits and responsibilities of belonging to a community. Rebuilding relationships and guiding interactions was a wise investment, for without this foundation, learning cannot happen.

Throughout the year, we were able to reintroduce some of the normality of the past. We were able to run modified Intercultural Trips in High School and Middle School and restart day trips in Elementary School. Live student performances in drama and music were held, with cheering parents in the audience. We did exceptionally well in our ISSEA virtual events (STEM, swimming, chess, track and field) in the first semester, and in the second semester, our volleyball and soccer teams were able to travel to the ISSEA tournaments. In April, we hosted ISSEA basketball and came away as Boys’ Champions! These events revived the sense of community and spirit that is at the heart of ISK. Admittedly, our road to more normality was cautious and informed by the Kenyan Ministry of Health, CDC, and WHO guidelines. By taking this cautious approach, we were able to safely reintroduce so much of what we missed while allowing us to maintain our face-to-face learning.

Throughout the year, we have continued to focus on our first Strategic Focus Area: improving teaching and learning. The professional development that our faculty and staff have engaged in this year has been exhaustingly stimulating. We have held over 85 Impact Wednesday learning sessions with a wide range of topics to help us improve our teaching and enhance student learning. We have made great strides with our DEIJ committee work and have already determined outcomes for next year’s work on our three Strategic Focus Areas. We have worked hard on curricular and divisional alignment in many areas including our recruiting philosophy and practices. All of this work is an investment to ensure our students continue to thrive in new and wonderful ways.

Our Mission, Vision, Aims, and Values guide our educational approaches at ISK. Referencing keywords from these documents, we empower, nurture and inspire our students.

We foster their passion, creativity, and ambition. We help them become highly effective problem solvers. In this annual report, you will find the evidence and outcomes of this Whenapproach.Ibegan

teaching, academic rigor was often defined by how tired a student’s hand was at the end of the day. At ISK, we are not as concerned about how tired students’ hands are but more so, how tired their minds are at the end of the day. Two wonderful examples of this come immediately to mind. Both our Plastiki Rafiki and Carbon Neutral Alliance student groups have received international recognition for what they have accomplished by reflecting our Mission, Vision, Aims, and Values. You can also see the results in our impressive college/ university placement, MAP, and IB scores. In this year’s Parent survey, we specifically asked you about these key terms in our Mission and Vision in order to help reassure ourselves that we are on the right track. Here is what you told us:

Michael CallanYouDirectorhaveheard

me say this many times but I will happily reiterate. ISK is a great school but we are not perfect. No school is. However, great schools are too good not to want to get better and better. And this is our plan. It has been a wonderful first year that has helped me create a foundation of understanding, align the passions of hundreds of dedicated colleagues and chart a way forward so that our students thrive socially, academically, physically, and emotionally. I am grateful for what I have inherited and proud of what I now happily own. I am both excited and optimistic about the future. This brings me to a conversation I had at the buses last week. While speaking to an 11th grader, one of my kindergarten friends broke into the conversation. He said, “I am almost as big as my mom…I’m halfway there.” That’s precisely the attitude that we must adopt to help us continue to move forward toward our Mission and Vision. Like my kindergarten friend, I hope we will continually believe that we are halfway there.

Yours Sincerely,

Ann Marie Awori Chair, Board of Directors

Board ReportDirectorsof

Iwritethis annual report with the sounds of the ISSEA Basketball tournament wafting through my dining room window, and I am reminded of the journey our community, and our world, has been on over the past 25 months. And as the sun streams in, it reminds me of when our community pulls together; we can not only survive but thrive. Our school year has had minimal impacts by COVID this year, only needing to cancel class for a half-day before the long December break, and as Kenya has lifted restrictions, ISK students and staff are able to greet each other outside without face masks. What a glorious feeling that must be; although I suspect some kids are so used to their masks, it’s taken a bit of time to adjust!

This year, the board’s primary goal was the welcoming and onboarding of our new ISK Director, Mr. Michael Callan. Mike’s contract was literally signed the eve before Kenya announced their first case of COVID, and we could not be more thrilled with his joining ISK for the beginning of the 2021-22 school year. Mike, somewhat amazingly, knows the name of every student on campus, and as we have grown to a campus of almost 1100 students, that is impressive. He has embraced our community, provided leadership as we transition back to ‘normal,’ and, most importantly, headed our school along the path to fulfilling the Strategic Focus Areas. As a reminder for those who may be unaware, last academic year, the school embarked upon new Strategic Focus Areas that the Board had approved, which focus on enhancing teaching and learning, well-being, and inclusion. We know the latter two are tied directly to the first

goal of enhancing teaching and learning, and each year the school will focus on the next layer to achieve these goals.

We had four Board committees this year, and I would like to thank all the committee members, as well as the Chairs of the Committees: Governance (Amaka Godfrey), Finance (Adrian Amen), Facilities (Nadeem Noordin), and Compensation (Bryce Fort). I would also like to thank the folks who served as Board officers this year: Bryce Fort – ViceChair, Mimi Steward – Secretary, Adrian Amen – Treasurer. These folks, along with Mike Callan and Moez Jiwani, and other members of the Leadership and Administration Team, serve countless hours behind the scenes to ensure our school has the necessary resources and policies in place to have a well-functioning school that has good governance practices in Iplace.thank

you for choosing and supporting ISK. For many of us, ISK is a pillar of our daily community, and the passion, enthusiasm, and energy with which our staff and students come to school every day makes the work we do on the Board meaningful.

Thank you,

Ann Marie Awori

Chair, Board of Directors

Matthew Woodward Elementary School Principal

ReportSchoolElementary

Ryan Hopkins-Wilcox Elementary School Assistant Principal

As we look back at this year, there is so much to celebrate and highlight. COVID is still providing challenges, forcing us to respond and create new ways of learning, connecting, and growing. Our teachers continue to build warm, inviting environments. They collaborate to develop robust units of study that incorporate student voice and choice in alignment with our mission, vision, and values. Our students, perhaps more than ever before, have taken on new leadership in their learning as evidenced by the projects highlighted below. Many of these projects were seedlings that grew across our Day 8 inquiry sessions. Some were offshoots of the units that were happening across days 1-7. The feedback from students is overwhelmingly telling us that Day 8 has built new skills that will facilitate their trajectory in the coming years. In fact, we have been asked by many students to increase this time. So, our goal with this annual report is to highlight key learnings, events, and most of all, our students and the role they play in their own journey. We are grateful for the partnership with our ISK community.

First Quarter

o Family-Led Conferences building partnerships and getting to know our community members

o Start of Morning Meetings focusing on social-emotional learning and community

o Launch of “Who am I, Who are you, Who will we be,” first unit celebrating identities and who we are as learners

o Back to School virtual session with families

o First assembly to welcome everyone to ISK

o Launch of Day 8

o ES Co-Curricular Activities (in person!) and student-led Mountain Biking

o Calming space introduced by counselors and designed by students

o Pride Helper elections

Second Quarter

o The Pride launched with student contributions

o Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences

o MAP Testing G3-5 (first standardized testing session in almost 2 years)

o First student-created and directed assembly

o Yearbook committee launched in Pride Helpers- the ES yearbook was entirely designed and created by students (with teacher support)

o ES Track & Field Day

o ES Holiday Bazaar

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Special Highlights

Community building

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The schedule in the Elementary School included a soft start to the day with 30 minutes dedicated every morning to social and emotional learning as well as community building. A team of teachers who took part in a “Responsive Classrooms” multipart course led out the practices and principles that build inclusive communities. Students were able to take ownership over these meetings; they led out some of the inclusion activities, restorative conversations, and games. Our Kiswahili teacher was also able to take part in morning meetings to build a better appreciation of our host country’s language and culture. Our students loved taking part in traditional Kenyan games. Homeroom teachers and teaching assistants took part in workshops on Restorative Practices and Culturally Responsive Educator training. This has supported our work with diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice as they lead our positive classroom culture.

Third

Day 8 and Inquiry

Another highlight in the Elementary School schedule is Day 8. This is a day off timetable for students to follow personal inquiries and connect with our mission and vision: “...Passion, Creativity and Ambition;” “...Solutions for tomorrow’s challenges.” Homeroom teachers are joined by specialists to create teams of up to 12 adults “inspiring and nurturing” students through an inquiry process. The learning outcomes often are a combination of integrating standards into personal projects while also identifying our academic aims as learning assets. Students became problem solvers, creators, self-directed learners, communicators, and contributors who took action in their communities. Day 8 is a day of wonder and excitement while also a day of challenge and perseverance. To support the student learning, teachers spent time in MasterMind groups, online workshops, and book clubs to delve further into inquiry as an approach to learning.

Student Voice and Choice

We strongly believe in the idea of students owning their learning journey. We believe students should understand how they learn best, what learning matters, and ways to engage in learning that inspires and helps them find solutions to tomorrow’s challenges. Examples of students owning their learning included a student-led CCA (mountain biking), increasing the number of library books checked out by students (thank you first-grade students), numerous initiatives like planting trees, helping work with and supporting our little animal farm, and building new soccer goals with our operations team. In order to truly give our students voice and choice, we had to look at structures like our schedule, opportunities for kids to collaborate with other kids across grade levels and divisions, and support from outside experts. We are learning so much from giving students more control. Our new schedules for next year will implement a bit of this learning. We see the inspiration when they come to the ES office, and we see it when kids collaborate on projects and send us proposals to improve ISK.

Teacher Learning

Not only have our students been busy learning this year, but so have our teachers and teaching assistants. The year launched with Professional Learning Journeys during which our faculty and staff selected a driving inquiry to lead their year of professional development. Adults then connected across the grades and school to investigate mathematical practices through shared readings, take part in MasterMind groups to discuss current research in educational practices, and took workshops together led by experts worldwide. It has been so exciting to see that enthusiasm for learning is shared across the school. As an Elementary School, we explored our approaches to teaching and learning and identified five core practices that guide our work directly aligned to our mission, vision, and learning definition. “Learning is the construction of meaning” has guided our adult learning on Wednesday Impacts in the second semester. To continue facilitating adult learning, the Elementary School has hired a Learning Coach to start next school year and has brought in Toddle as our learning management system.

Learning is lifelong.

Learning is a personal and social experience; it is the ongoing development and demonstration of what we understand, what we can do, and who we are. At ISK, we believe that all can learn and have the right to do so. (ISK Learning Definition)

ISK ES Learning Practices

Learning

Learning want to say a huge thank you to our PTO members. Without their support, we could not have made it through the year. In particular, Ka Vang led our ES PTO and was instrumental in coordinating our events.

o August ES Meet and Greet off campus (in order to be in person)

o First of the yearlong PTO Sundowners

o October ES Parent Tea off campus (in order to be in person)

o October Documentary Angst shared with families and discussed with families and counselors at the Hob House

o October ES PTO Coffee Morning

o October Parent Workshop on Child Protection

o November ES Parent Tea with ES Counselors “How to help your child build Safe, Healthy and Positive Relationships.”

o November PTO Coffee

o November ES Parent Tea on campus with a tour and talk about learning

o February Virtual ES Parent Tea led by an outside consultant “Helping your child deal with BIG emotions at home.”

o March ES Parent Tea in person, on campus with an exploration of Day 8

o April ES Parent Tea Restorative Practices led by an ISK teacher

o April ES Parent Tea Transitions led by counselors

o May ES Parent Tea Connecting with your Tween led by counselors

o May ES Parent/Guardian Workshop Social Justice Education Starts at Home

o June ES Parent Tea Summer Learning

Your partners in education,

Elementary School Principal

Ryan Hopkins-Wilcox

Elementary School Assistant Principal

Alexa Schmid, EdD Middle School Principal

ReportSchoolMiddle

Drew Gregor Middle School Assistant Principal

Wehad a great year of learning in the Middle School. It was wonderful to continually make shifts back toward some of our “normal,” pre-pandemic, amazing traditions and experiences - from going off campus for IC Day Trips, face-to-face parent workshops, student socials, and more! We will use the lens of our ISK values to celebrate our year of learning.

Community & Trust

Our Advisory program continues to strengthen and grow. Advisory is a key part of the student experience. It provides an opportunity for students to develop a trusted relationship with an adult advocate and a space for explicit instruction and conversations about socialemotional learning. Our House System also continues to thrive and expand, providing an incredible opportunity for student leadership and fun community-building. House activities have provided important ways for our community to connect, laugh, and engage in light competition. Advisory and our House System have been essential components of how we support our community over the last couple of years. With increased challenges related to mental health and wellbeing, our proactive and responsive programs to build trust, focus on mental wellbeing, and have fun building community together have played a vital role in the Middle School.

This year, we saw a return of Student Socials, hosting our largest number of students ever. All welcomed the opportunity to have fun with friends outside the school day. We also worked to return to our pre-pandemic InterCultural Trips. Since COVID had us postpone these trips twice this year (in September and January), we opted for the rebranded Ignite & Connect Day Trips - lower risk and less chance of cancellation. Eighth-grade students spent a day rafting, climbing, zip-lining, and SUPing at Savage Wilderness in Sagana, and then a second day participating in an Amazing Race at Ngong Hills. Our sixth and seventh-grade students participated in choice-based trips over two days, selecting from hiking at Ngong Hills, rock climbing at Lukenya, SUP and kayaking at Karen Waterfront, biking at Karura Forest, and sustainable farming and cooking at Mlango Farms.

Equity & Justice, Inclusion

We have been so proud to launch the LifeCentered Education (LCE) program in the MS and HS this year. Housed in the new MS Building, Heidi Laws, Sally Ratemo, and their team have done a phenomenal job of supporting students with more intensive learning needs. We have worked hard to create an inclusive environment in the Middle School, where our community accepts our diverse learning needs. This has included speaking to advisories about the new program, creating a ‘lunch bunch’ to eat lunch in the LCE each day, and more.

We were also pleased to start bringing parents back to campus and enjoyed hosting them for various drama productions, music performances, sporting events, and parent workshops. Parents are an essential part of our ISK community, and partnering at this critical stage of development, growth, and change is important. We enjoyed hosting parents on campus for a Parent Learning Tour, an Assessment & Grading workshop, a session about Student-Led Conferences (SLCs), Proud To Be Me Day, and Personal Learning Profiles (PLPs), a well-attended workshop on Parenting with Tech, and finally a workshop titled: Social Justice Education Starts at Home.

In addition to creating an inclusive environment, students have lots of opportunities to live our values related to equity and justice. We have a Social Justice Club, which looks for ways students can expand their understanding and bring about real change - in the world and at ISK. In February, we also engaged in our 4th annual Proud to Be Me Day. This is a day-off schedule when all students engage in student-led workshops on themes related to identity to expand our understanding, acceptance, and how to be an ally for marginalized groups. Topics included: gender, sexuality, race, neurodiversity, and religion/culture.

Innovation, Growth & Productive Struggle

Our teachers have continually sought ways to honor these three ISK values: innovation, growth, and productive struggle. Several of our humanities classes and math lab classes use a self-paced learning model that promotes students’ independence, responsibility, and choice while allowing for increased personalized feedback from the teacher. The math department created a study group, read Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics by Peter Liljedahl, and then worked to implement the ideas, including vertical whiteboards, rich tasks, and expanded math dialogue and collaboration. The science department ended the year by participating in professional learning about OpenSciEd, a research-based instructional approach

aligned with the NGSS standards. The arts department collaborated with visiting artists to bring creativity and authentic experiences for our students. Across the curriculum, our teachers promote collaboration, meaningful communication, agency and student voice, and supporting meaningful learning that matters. This includes designing learning to include conceptual inquiry, choice-based projects, and thoughtful exhibitions.

Overall, it was wonderful to have a year of learning almost entirely on the ISK campus and to see us continue to return to many of our pre-pandemic practices while at the same time finding ways to grow and improve as a learning community.

Alexa Schmid, EdD

Middle School Principal Gregor

Middle School Assistant Principal In Partnership,

Robert Blanchard, EdD High School Principal

Jarrod Dale High School Assistant Principal

Awall

of graduation photographs can sometimes tell a moving story. Since the year 2000, ISK has proudly and permanently displayed a picture of each graduating class for all of our community to see. As individuals, seniors might tell you how much fun they had actually taking the photo, how proud they are to get to this point, how important it is to feel a sense of belonging as a class, how they really must make the most of their last few weeks at ISK, how they feel a little sad imagining next year away from home, or indeed how excited they are for a new adventure beyond ISK.

Collectively, this year we see a picture of 85 seniors gathered together in person and unmasked - no small thing given that our Class of 2020 and 2021 pictures are in a collage style necessitated by the pandemic. We couldn’t possibly be more proud of our ISK Class of 2022 - 85 students representing 32 nationalities - who are right to smile as they come together, reflect, and get ready for their commencement exercises on May 27th.

Here are a few notes about our senior Class of 2022: studied at ISK for ten consecutive years or more, one of whom enrolled at ISK in prekindergarten! completed the full

seniors were 4-year recipients of our prestigious High School the AISA for Excellence in joined ISK for the one year of grade 12. another

University Acceptances

The Class of 2022 university acceptances features an impressive list of universities - including Stanford and Yale - with 85 graduates earning 322 university acceptance offers and $5,298,338.00 in scholarship funding for tertiary education. 79% of the Class of 2022 report that they earned a place in one of their top choice universities.

Student Voice and Ethical Leadership

Led by a senior president and vice-president, our ASB continues to play a key role in the area of student voice and promoting ISK values. Comprising ten elected positions, the ASB led assemblies and community events such as a town hall. More and more student groups raise their voice and take action for positive change, for example, our new GSIA student group and Students for the Environment. The monthly Pride featured articles as a vehicle for student voice, with content generated by groups such as Project Imagine, Photography Club, and Embrace the Amazing. Overall, HS student enrollment was 360 in August, eventually growing to 366 students in high school by semester two. The ASB did a great job building community and helping all students feel

Inincluded.2022,ISK

received recognition with two very special international awards for studentled efforts to truly make the world a better

place. ISK and Plastiki Rafiki won the 2022 International School Awards Community Building Award. The Plastiki Rafiki group gained international recognition by taking action and empowering communities to promote and monetize grassroots plastic recycling in a self-sustaining manner.

ISK’s Carbon Neutral Alliance won first place - including $5000 for the project - for AISA’s Outstanding Service Project Award. This innovative Alliance model involving collaboration among numerous student groups at ISK - including Students for the Environment, Construction by Design, Interact, GIN, Roundsquare, ASB, Plastiki Rafiki, and The Greenhouse Project - represents our educational aims in action and our deep commitment as a community to make ISK carbon neutral. Under the mentorship of staff, our students are working hard to accelerate the timeline around a 2030 target date for carbon neutrality. The school has taken a key step this year by kicking off a proper carbon audit.

Celebrating Co-Curricular Programs and Community

In addition to the highlights above, the High School ran a comprehensive, inclusive, and enriching co-curricular program throughout the year. Our opportunity to host the ISSEA Basketball Tournament was a stand-out event. This in-person tournament took place in March 2022 and was an amazing community event - our girls placed 4th, and our boys are the ISSEA 2022 Basketball Champions! Additionally, after some virtual ISSEA events, we were able to resume international travel for student groups and in-person events - great opportunities and wonderful memories for our students! We now have 47 different clubs on offer ranging from STEM, Environmental conservation, investment, peer-to-peer support, service, and creativity. Unfortunately, our parents were unable to come to campus for much of the year again this year, though this changed somewhat in semester two when parents were able to come to special events such as plays, matches, concerts, and Teas. During one Parent Tea, we organized a learning tour, a chance for parents to feel well connected to learning at ISK again!

Inclusion and Student Wellbeing Strategic Focus Areas

We renewed existing strategic focus areas this year, including an ongoing focus on teaching and learning, inclusion, and well-being. Regarding inclusion, a highlight of the year saw the successful implementation of a LifeCentered Education (LCE) program starting in Grade 9. This was accompanied by the development and approval of an Alternative High School Diploma. Overall, we are an improved school and stronger community with this program now in place.

Regarding well-being, our advisory program continues to play an essential role in supporting student wellbeing, with the faculty continuing to receive support and training around project Wayfinder so that our advisory program can develop further. We also encouraged active student groups such as Be Well. And many of our co-curricular activities are now being viewed through a wellbeing lens. The annual intercultural trips and work experience program were not able to run as normal this year; instead we offered a modified version of each with students able to select from a variety of off-campus/overnight and oncampus options.

A notable development around teaching, learning, and curriculum development included re-envisioning our Physical and Health Education program, including a clear swimming philosophy. We also engaged in deep work at the leadership level to even better define what we mean by learning at ISK and what we expect to see when developing an architecture for learning through, for example, unit planning. This work looked like R&D at times, laying a great foundation as we create sustainable change and strategize our professional learning. ISK students again benefited from a wide array of course options, with IB and regular HS offerings totaling over 150 courses. In 2021-22, we expanded course offerings in support of inclusion, student choice, and personalized pathways, introducing Arts Pathways Projects, STEM Programming Our Physical & Digital Worlds, STEM Design & Construction, Textiles, and Agricultural Science. Thank you to our course review committee, comprising students and faculty representation.

Robert Blanchard, EdD

I conclude this year’s annual report with a full expression of gratitude, recognizing the community spirit, commitment to wellbeing, and kindness at ISK that prevailed amidst some ongoing challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The faculty maintained a growth mindset and worked together to deliver great learning experiences aligned with our mission for students. Students worked hard, looked after each other, and stayed positive even though it would have been easy to get frustrated with things like masks and missed ISSEA events. Families were so supportive, not to mention excited, when parents were finally allowed back onto campus for some activities in semester two.

And the Class of 2022 lived and learned through an empowering and unpredictable high school experience, with the pandemic presenting opportunities and challenges we’ve never seen before. On behalf of the community, we wish our graduating Class of 2022 all the best in life after High School and as proud ISK alumni.

High School Principal Jarrod Dale

High School Assistant Principal

Graduating Class of

Graduating Class of 2022 School of Copeland

ExaminationBaccalaureateInternationalResults

Weare delighted to present our 2022 IB results and are incredibly proud of our students’ achievements. We recognise the tremendous challenges our students have faced during their two-year IB programme by the COVID-19 pandemic, and are extremely grateful for the unwavering support by their teachers and parents during these uncertain times. Our students showed incredible resilience and adaptability over these past two years, and the IB learner profile attributes (especially those of risk-taker, balanced and reflective) were very much in evidence in the class of 2022.

ISK registered eighty-six candidates for the IB May 2022 exam session, and our IB graduates have once again consistently performed above the world global averages. Congratulations Class of 2022!

Sixty-two seniors were enrolled for the IB diploma, representing 73% (62/85) of the 2022 graduating class. The IB diploma pass rate for May 2022 was 98.4% (world global pass rate is 85.6%), and the average IB diploma score was 34 (world average is 32). The highest diploma point awarded to a candidate was 44 (out of a possible maximum of 45). Twenty-four additional juniors and seniors completed IB courses either for certificates, or in anticipation of their 2023 diplomas. Results

2022 University Acceptances

UNITED KINGDOM

o Abertay University

o Anglia Ruskin University

o Arts University Bournemouth

o Bath Spa University

o Bournemouth University

o Brunel University London

o Cardiff Metropolitan University

o Cardiff University

o City, University of London

o Hult International Business School

o Keele University

o King’s College London

o Lancaster University

o Leeds Arts University

o Leeds Beckett University

o London School of Economics and Political Science

o Loughborough University’s

o Manchester School of Art

o Manchester Metropolitan University

o Northumbria University

o Nottingham Trent University

o Plymouth College of Art

o Queen Mary University of London

o Regent’s University London

o Staffordshire University

o SOAS University of London

o University of Aberdeen o University of Derby

o University of Exeter

o University of Edinburgh o University for the Creative Arts Canterbury

o University of Glasgow o University of Hull o University of Leeds o University of Liverpool o University of Manchester o University of Nottingham

o University of Reading o University of Southampton o University of Sunderland o University of Sussex o University of the West of England Bristol

o University of Warwick

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

o Academy of Art University

o American University

o Appalachian State University

o Arizona State University

o Augustana University

o Berklee College of Music

o Boston University

o Bowdoin College

o Bryant University

o Carleton College

o Carnegie Mellon University

o Columbia University o College of Costal Georgia

o College of William & Mary

o Colorado State University

o Drexel University

o Duke Univeristy

o Florida International University

o Fordham University

o Georgia College & State University

o George Mason University

o Georgia State University

o George Washington University

o Georgetown University o Grinnell College

o Hollins University o Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne

o James Madison University

o Kent State University

o Keystone College

o Lewis & Clark College

o Macalester College

o Marist College

o Massachusetts College of Art and Design

o Mercy College

o Michigan State University

o Northeastern University

o Northwestern University

o Oakland University

o Occidental College o Oregon State University

o Pennsylvania State University o Quinnipiac University

o Sarah Lawrence College

o Savannah College of Art and Design

o South Dakota School of Mines & Technology

o Stanford University o State University of New YorkPlattsburgh

o State University of New York - New Paltz

o SUNY Purchase College

o Swarthmore College o Syracuse University

o Texas A&M University

o Texas A&M University Kingsville

o Towson University

o Tulane University

o University at Albany SUNY

o University of California Berkeley

o University of California Los Angeles

o University of California San Diego

o University of California Davis

o University of Colorado Boulder

o Union College o University of Denver

o University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign

o University of La Verne

o University of Maryland College Park

o University of Massachusetts Amherst

o University of Michigan Ann Arbor

o University of Miami o University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

o University of North Carolina Greensboro

o University of North Florida o University of Oregon o University of Pennsylvania o University of Puget Sound

o University of Richmond

o University of Southern California

o University of Tampa

o University of Washington Seattle

o University of Wisconsin Madison

o University of Virginia

o Virginia Commonwealth University

o Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

o Washington and Lee University

o Wentworth Institute of Technology

o Wheaton College

o Williams College

o Willamette University o Wofford College

o Worcester Polytechnic Institute o Yale University

CANADAo

Carleton University o Concordia University o Dalhousie University o Laurentian University o McGill University

o McMaster University o Ontario Tech University

o Queen’s University o Ryerson University

o Simon Fraser University

o University of Alberta

o University of British Columbia

o University of Calgary o University of Ottawa

o University of Toronto o University of Victoria o University of Waterloo

o Western University

o Wilfrid Laurier University o York University

EUROPEo

Delft University

o Eindhoven University

o Erasmus University Rotterdam

o John Cabot University

o Leiden University

o Les Roches International School of Hotel Management

o Paris College of Art

o SKEMA Business School

o University of Amsterdam

o University College Groningen

o University College Maastricht

o University of Nicosia Medical School

o Webster Vienna Private University

o Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Greg James Director of Teaching and Learning

ReportTLC

This was the second year that we were able to work together as a learning community on our strategic focus areas. From one year to the next, we have been able to focus on and really connect our shared daily work with our ISK mission and vision. This year we also saw our strategic focus areas through the lens of our community values (Trust, Community, Inclusion, Diversity & Equity, Productive Struggle, Growth, and Innovation).

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

Highlights from Strategic Focus Area One:

 During school-wide IMPACT sessions, faculty and staff have created and offered over 85 workshops.

 ISK has 26 self-selected mastermind groups meeting consistently to discuss and plan around their personal professional goals.

 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.

 All teachers will have completed a three-part workshop series focused on culturally competent education.

 In the elementary school, Day 8 has been implemented with consistency in the ES with a focus on the values of passion, creativity, and ambition.

 We use consistent student data protocol for all student support team meetings (ES, MS, HS).

 Colleen Ackford (learning consultant) supported our MS humanities team with unit creation and concept-based learning.

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Year-long focus on curriculum and unit development with our (Physical Health and Education) PHE team.

 All faculty and staff celebrated their professional growth during the May 11th school-wide IMPACT session.

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

Highlights from Strategic Focus Area Two:

 In the elementary school, A group of teachers took the Responsive Classroom courses together. They have been supporting the work through workshops and divisional meetings.

 In middle school, professional development and learning time have been given to grade-level leaders and counselors in order to develop and refine our MS advisory program.

 Project Wayfinder is fully implemented, supporting an aligned and wellarticulated advisory program 9-12, while involving training for HS teachers at the start of the year. From this work, two of your high school faculty members have received training to become Project Wayfinder facilitators.

 The first few parent teas and workshops of the school year were focused on our values and wellbeing. The goal was to integrate new families quickly, so they felt connected to the community.

 In September, counselors ran ‘How Well Do We Know Our Kids’ sessions with the entire MS faculty and staff. The goal was to have an activity that would help reflect and ensure that every child has a connection and is seen at ISK.

 The ES has built outdoor learning spaces with the intention of creating outdoor learning experiences and environments for our students.

 With our new middle school building, we are able to contain more events in our own facility, such as lunch. However, we continue to look at how we use all of our spaces in our new building to support purposeful student learning. One area we are still working on is lockers for students, which will be a big ease for student wellness. Also, continuing to look at lunch play spaces. All of this work is to create engaging, welcoming, and safe environments for our students.

 We have conducted a full audit of facilities, including data gathered from student groups.

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

Highlights from Strategic Focus Area Three:

 We have implemented our definition of inclusion into our day-to-day work and instructional policies.

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

 Our ISK Equity and Justice team has created and made progress on our action plan. We have worked with three consultants during the course of the year. They have offered guidance and an international perspective.

 Parents signed up for and completed the Social Justice Starts at Home workshop. These engaging workshops were offered by division.

 Our Head of Student Support Services (Heidi Laws) facilitated an 8 part virtual learning series focused on inclusive education.

 Students from the Gender Sexuality Identity Association (GSIA) Team have offered panel discussions for our faculty and staff.

 As a school community, we continue to support the financial health and growth of our Life Centered Education Programs.

 High School learning support teachers have offered multiple workshops on data discussion and differentiated inclusive practices during school-wide IMPACT sessions.

 In the middle school, Proud To Be Me (PTBM) Day workshops continued for the 4th year. We are deepening that work with students, and also how we prepare teachers. Pre-work will include mental health, and understanding privilege/oppression. The student-led workshop themes are gender, sexuality, religion, race, and neurodiversity. After the workshops, students will reflect on intersectionality and how they can be an ally.

Director of Teaching and Learning

Greg James

Maximilian Niccolo Freiherr von Handel / Gr 9 Outstanding Scholar

Sharmila Devi Bommadevara / Gr 10 Outstanding Scholar

Cosmo Rasmussen Sallusti / Gr 11 Outstanding Scholar (co-recipient)

Yohan Koh / Gr 11 Outstanding Scholar (co-recipient)

Anders Edward Luffman / Gr 12 Outstanding Scholar

Tulsi Raja / Gr 12 Svetlana Kovalsky Creative Arts Award

Oliver Jose Soto Rabelo / Gr 12 The Faculty Award

Anders Edward Luffman / Gr 12 Huduma Award for Commitment to Service

Maria Alejandra Romero Cuesta / Gr 12 Reuben Gray Sportsperson of the Year

Stella Louise Dry Director’s Award for Creative and Critical Thought

Carbon Neutral Alliance

AISA Service Project Award (not every year)

Makda Liyu Assefa / Gr 12

AISA Award for Academic Excellence (not every year)

Anders Edward Luffman / Gr 12

AISA Student Service Leader Award

Maciej Sudra (Teacher)

King Constantine Medal (RoundSquare) Award Recipients

Amina Vickery / Gr 5

Director’s Award

Hawi Okwany / Gr 5

Citizenship Award

MS Award Recipients

Gendhis Sapta / Gr 6

2022 Outstanding Scholar

Amelie Dunford / Gr 7 2022 Outstanding Scholar

Chikashi Nakano / Gr 8 2022 Outstanding Scholar

Daniya Ibrahim / Gr 8 Directors Award

Teagan Wood / Gr 7 MS Fairplay Award

Rohan Shah / Gr 8 MS Male Athlete of the Year Award

Jade Onderi / Gr 7

MS Female Athlete of the Year Award

Sammara Maharage / Gr 8

2022 Outstanding Leadership Award

Mattias Yohannes / Gr 8

2022 Outstanding Personal Growth Award

Maria-Antonina Biesiada / Gr 8

2022 Outstanding Personal Growth Award

Alan Funloer / Gr 8

2022 Outstanding Habits of Learning Award

Zaara Salami / Gr 7

2022 Outstanding Leadership Award

Kennedy Ireri / Gr 7

2022 Outstanding Personal Growth Award

Greyson Williams / Gr 7

2022 Outstanding Personal Growth Award

Daniel Ende / Gr 7

2022 Outstanding Habits of Learning Award

Isabell Warnback / Gr 6 2022 Outstanding Personal Growth Award

Hafsa Ahmed / Gr 6 2022 Outstanding Leadership Award

Alyssia Fazal / Gr 7

2022 Outstanding Habits of Learning Award

Will Moore Athletics Director

ReportAthletics

Asthe demands and constraints of living through a global pandemic have eased throughout the year, ISK Athletics has seen a huge increase in demand from our students to get involved in the program, with many exploring new sports and playing multiple sports throughout the season. To cope with this demand, the Athletics office has increased the variety of sports offered, creatively scheduled practice times to maximize participation and facility use, and increased the number of coaches to maintain the high standards of instruction and student-athlete development.

In response to feedback from the last academic year, the ISK Athletic Department formulated a new Philosophy that relates to the ISK mission and vision as well as explicitly focusing on embedding ISK’s Core values.AtISKwe

The ISK Athletics Philosophy:

believe that the purpose of the educational-based athletics program is to promote student well-being in a way that complements and extends the taught curriculum while supporting our Education Aims.

Participation is regarded as a privilege, where student-athletes are role-models of the ISK Core Values: Innovation / Trust / Community / Equity & Justice / Inclusion / Growth / Productive Struggle.

Through a series of workshops and leadership conferences that included coaches and student-athletes based on the philosophy and ISK’s core values, we have established an understanding of how this philosophy is reflected in our practice. This includes an understanding of how leaders within the athletics community should behave and reinforce the core values of the athletics program and the ISK Core Values in all their interactions with students and each other.

This has begun to show benefits across the athletics program, with greater consistency, more support for new or younger players, and greater dialogue between students, student leaders, and coaches. Another benefit that came from these 2 conferences was the introduction of the “Grab and Go’ breakfast after morning practice. This has proved to be a great hit, especially with hungry Middle School students getting some much-needed energy to start the day off!

The school Board’s approval of an Athletics Assistant in the department was gratefully received and has proven to be a real benefit to the program. This new position has resulted in the ability to focus more on developing coaches and student leaders for the betterment of our student-athlete experience and performance. It has also enabled the department to offer more opportunities for students to participate in events and training. This has included the inclusion of the ES as part of the Athletics coaching program, offered for the first time at ISK.

The participation and enthusiasm for the ES athletics program for students in Grades 3-5 has continued to gain momentum over the year. ISK Athletics has engaged professional coaches to offer a carousel of sports experiences for these young athletes. Sports include basketball, football, hockey, swimming, volleyball, rugby, and tennis over the four activity quarters. This system offers safe, varied, and expert training that gives students the

chance to find their passions within the sporting world as well as offering authentic team coaching experiences–for many, this is the first time. They have also learned about respecting others in sports, maintaining a positive attitude, giving their best effort and most of all, having fun! This has been the key focus for this initial launch. The commitment shown by these athletes and coaches has served as a solid base for when we introduce a more competitive program next year by arranging matches and tournaments against local schools, which is an aspect that both parents and athletes have been asking for.

The ISSEA journey this year has shown the commitment of the ISSEA athletics directors and associated school’s to continue to offer quality competitive and exploratory ISSEA experiences for our athletes, arts, and STEM. These have been held both virtually and inperson, and we thank all those who have had the courage to create these opportunities.

ES AthleticsES Athletics

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A highlight was the virtual ISSEA Track and Field and Cross Country event in October. Hiring the Kasarani National Stadium proved to be a great venue for 80 MS and HS student-athletes to experience and compete in. The virtual cultural events were well attended, with over 50 students involved with ISSEA Band and Choir, Drama, and Visual Arts.

ISSEA Chess team

ISSEA Drama team

ISSEA Swim team

ISSEA Track and Field

Swim Training Track and Field Training

We were fortunate to have three ISSEA in-person events:

• Volleyball ISSEA championships (ISTTanzania)

o Girls - 5th Place

o Boys - 3rd Place

• Football - ISSEA championships (AISJSouth Africa)

o Girls - 4th Place

o Boys - 4th Place

• Basketball - ISSEA Championships (ISK - Kenya)

o Girls - 4th Place

o Boys - ISSEA Champions

• Tennis - ISSEA Invitational (AISMMozambique)

o Girls - 2nd Place

o Boys - ISSEA Champions

The pinnacle of ISK Athletics this year came in April when we had the privilege of hosting ISSEA Basketball. This long-anticipated event captured a community spirit rarely seen on campus. The support from many ISK groups, including Operations, Catering, Advancement, PTO, HS Lions’ Pride club, parents, teachers, and students, helped create a truly amazing event. The 150 basketball players and their coaches provided a spectacle that will last long in the memories of those involved. The icing on the cake was the outstanding performance of our Lions’ teams, and we were especially proud to see our boys team lift the championship shield at the awards ceremony!

MS recipients:

MS Teagan,

The High School Lions’ Pride student body sought to generate ideas to support the community. With the resumption of a competitive program, this dedicated group of leaders has sought to promote ISK teams and athletic events through different media avenues, tournament/match management, pep-rallies, Spirit Week, and teaching and leading cheers during ISSEA. Their service to our athletics program has been outstanding and they and the club is already generating new initiatives for next year’s events.

Annual Athletics Awards:

HS Nurianarecipients:Merali-Gr

MS Jade, Gr.

MS Rohan, Gr.

9 Athlete Award: Sebastian, Gr. 9

Athletic Service & Leadership Award: Vera, Gr. 12

Academic & Athletic Excellence Award: Yohan, Gr.11

HS Female Athlete of the Year: Vera, Gr. 11

HS Male Athlete of the Year: Solomon, Gr. 11

ISSEA Basketball (Girls)

ISSEA Basketball (Boys)

Mary Ellen Bailey Creative Arts Coordinator

Creative Arts Report

TheCreative Arts Department celebrates self-expression, creativity, collaboration, and communicating with an audience through the act of creating, making, playing, exploring and reflecting. Being on campus and having an audience was a joy seen all over campus, from the Black Box, the Art Center and even on the rooftops! Our amazing students and teachers continue to share their hearts for the arts, celebrating creativity and expression along the way.

Elementary Art

Our teachers are Mrs. Liza Goold and myself, with assistant Mr. Josphat Magut.

K-2nd Grade explored our beautiful world with focus on the Art Elements. Artists Yayoi Kusama and P. Reynolds “The Dot” inspired us to celebrate community and the marks we make. We learned about collage, painting, oil pastels, drawing, bookmaking, and even 3D art forms. Kindergarteners learned about flower mandalas, balance and collaboration. Kindergarteners also collected and studied seeds for our bookmaking project.

First and Second Grade used our ISK gardens to learn about photography and skills needed for our giant flower paintings. For International Week, each student learned how flags are designed and then created their own based on what symbolizes their own identity. We worked with clay, recycled materials, and found objects from nature to make art objects to use in our Mobile Designs.

Finally, on Day 8, we worked with visiting Artist Chris Kinyanjui on murals in the Lobby of the Art Centre.

Grade 3-5 Art students spent a lot of time getting to know themselves and each other through exercising personal choices by choosing and reflecting on their Favorite Artworks. They showed creativity, ownership and resilience by recreating these artworks in any shape or form they wanted.

Grade 3 learned about the visual elements of line, shape, color, and pattern. For International Week, students completed a tessellation design inspired by their home countries’ flags. Grade 4 Art students also studied the visual elements of line: investigating it from all angles. We did continuous observational line drawings, abstract line composition, group

work by scaling up sections of an artwork and exploring linear perspective. For International Week, we identified our favorite foods from our home countries and incorporated them into our Shop Designs. Grade 5 Art collaborated with Homeroom Teachers in conjunction with the celebration of International Week. Students studied the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and then created an artwork that has contributed to a “Wall Quilt” of Human Rights. These beautiful artworks were also displayed on Freedom Day.

During Day 8, we decorated the CAD foyer with a mural celebrating the arts initiated alongside Kenyan mural artist Chris Kinyanjui.

Elementary Music

Our teachers are Rachel Aondo and Laois Rogers, with assistant Margaret Oganda. Students came to lessons with excitement, ready to create and make music even with masks and social distancing.

PK students learned to use their voices in creative ways: singing, whispering, speaking and shouting. They also learned about types of songs and their uses: lullabies, action songs, adding songs, silly songs and story songs. Students spent some time in creative movement using scarves and rhythm sticks.

Kindergarten students learned the difference between steady beat and rhythm. They learned about texture and harmony, studying callresponse and rounds in the music classroom. They played nursery rhymes on the hand bells and boomwhackers as an ensemble.

1st Graders made music using individual briefcase bells as a class ensemble and learned how to follow directions from a conductor. They studied note values with emphasis on quarter notes, eighth notes and quarter rests.

2nd Grade students explored instruments and the family groups to which they belong. They studied their first classical piece: Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint Saens. Students also had an opportunity to play chopping board drum sets as a class ensemble. They learned how to follow rhythm notation and accompany some popular tunes as well as to improvise.

3rd Graders made music on recorders, xylophones, boomwhackers and drums. A highlight for 3rd and 4th Grade was with guest artist Barissa Dhida who shared his knowledge of drum rhythms from the African continent. Grade 4 also explored the ukulele and are now brilliant bucket drummers who can play a range of repertoire and rhythms on their drums. In the 2nd semester, 5th Graders were lucky enough to start their introduction to the band. We enjoyed making music together as a

Theclass.ES

Musical Production “Olivia” was an exciting event for our community. This involved 35 performers from the 3rd - 5th Grade and was an afterschool activity involving singing, dancing, and acting.

Middle School

In Middle School Grade 6-8, Eleanor Miller teaches Visual Arts with assistant Elizabeth Maritim, Robin Willis teaches Drama, and Mark Anding teaches Music with assistant Noah Ochomo. 6th Grade drumming teacher is Barissa Dhidha.

Middle School Art had many exciting projects! Visiting Mosaic artist Maryann Muthoni worked with Grades 7 and 8 to create a mosaic for the new Middle School building. Each student created a bird in the mosaic mural to celebrate diversity here at ISK.

Middle School Art celebrated Proud To Be Me Day as part of International Day. Art 8 students created work around the subject of Identity Maps, combining the idea of geography and individual Whenidentity.CNN

came for #MyFreedomDay Art 8 students worked alone or collaboratively on work inspired by the idea of Modern Day Slavery. Ideas ranged from Cocoa farming to fast fashion. 7 and 8th Grade New Designers made aprons, personalised with a range of techniques from tie-dye, to screen printing, applique and adding pockets and embroidery.

Middle School Drama

We had an exciting and busy year in Middle School Drama. Here is a snapshot of what we Overaccomplished:140students participated in our fall MS/HS Production of Chasing Our Tales. This production was shared with our ISK community during 32 performances over two days! Our Middle School mainstage production of The Yellow Boat raised money for the Mater HIV/ AIDS Clinic. Grade 7 Drama collaborated with Grades 2-5 and turned their creative stories into plays! Grade 6 students performed A Midsummer Night’s Dream for audiences of their peers, teachers, and parents. The Theatre Production classes performed All I Need to Know I Learned by Being in a Really Bad Murder Mystery and an original interactive play based on Murderville.

In Middle School Music, band students learned in a tented area, while choir students used the new Middle School rooftop. Their first concert for all ensembles was attended by other students in the school and also recorded. Our next concert was the Java Jazz. In late December, ensembles performed during regular class time and for videos were sent home. During the second semester, all ensembles were performed during International Week, with the choir in the HS Amphitheater and the bands marching 100+ students in the parade to the lower field for a whole school celebration. Four students in the choir wrote original songs that the choir performed for Freedom Day and potential broadcast by CNN. The May end of the year concert was the last joint performance, summing up the work from the year. 8th Graders worked on their version of Dancing Queen for their promotion ceremony and the beginning bands performed Pomp and Circumstance for both 5th and 8th Grade. The choir sang the Kenyan National Anthem for many events in the year. There were many performances by many talented musicians!

Our High School teachers are Jill Hire HS/IB Theatre, Gwendolyn Anding teaching HS/IB Music along with assistant Millicent Obiero, Andrew Kay teaching HS/IB Visual Art classes along with Kaigwa Gakunju and assistant Antony Ngaruiya.

ISSEA Drama was a hit with 10 participants who joined our AISJ hosts virtually in the ISK Arts Center. The theme was “Metamorphosis” and the 2-day festival culminated in a livestreamed performance from the 7 schools who participated. IB Theatre students brought back the Fringe Festival this year, performing solo theater pieces inspired by unique theorists and practitioners. High school theater was even more back to normal as they rehearsed and produced Stephen Gregg’s psychological thriller, Trap, a high school play about a high school play. There were 38 students in the cast and crew. It was wonderful to be able to invite community members in addition to family and friends into the audience.

At the very end of last school year, our HS and IB Visual Arts classes relocated to the new Design and Art Centre in the T-Block. This creative and collaborative learning environment is having a very positive impact on the daily experience of both our HS Visual Arts and Design students. The introduction of the new HS Visual Arts Pathways Course also further extends the collaboration of creative thinking skills between Art & Design at ISK.

Lastly, the Creative Arts was also supported by our supervisor, Sammy Mwangi, and assistant, Kennedy Wando. Together with help from our operational staff, they helped support our programs for on-campus learning, exhibitions and performances.

Mary Ellen Bailey

Creative Arts Coordinator

Jessica Hajee High School Counselor for Student Wellbeing

ReportLearningService

TheISK 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. This year, over 300 High School students participated in ISK-sponsored Service Learning clubs and projects. High School ran 27 service-based clubs and several creative and student-led projects.

At ISK, Service Learning:

o Is linked to the curriculum

o Involves positive and meaningful action

o Engages student voice and choice

o Considers the sustainability of programs and partnerships

o Creates opportunities for participants to be enriched by diverse perspectives

o Nurtures social responsibility and global citizenship

o Is mutually beneficial to participants

o Inspires reflection

Service Learning Student Participation

Service Learning programs in the High School continued to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic this school year. While many options opened up again for our students on campus, restrictions did not allow ISK students to fully engage with service learning partners in the wider community. While this may have hindered some of our service, it certainly allowed our students and teacher leaders to innovate and push boundaries in new ways.

Project Imagine was welcomed to the ISK co-curricular program, focusing on ending period poverty. This club has found many ways to work with partner schools without meeting face-to-face. Period Pals gave ISK students the opportunity to exchange letters with partner schools to learn from each other. They also found ways to continue service within our community, collaborating with Grade 5 during their puberty unit.

Service Learning Student Participation

After working virtually last year, HeArts focused on service with ISK’s elementary students, providing art lessons. In the true spirit of service, elementary students worked on their art skills while High School students learned about themselves as leaders and mentors.

Our students continued to take part in advocacy in a year where issues of diversity, equity, and social justice continue to be of great importance. The GSIA club worked with the administration to do a facilities audit and meet with faculty to support the wellbeing of our students.

Although becoming a club leader was difficult in the beginning, I managed to adapt to my role and help improve it. I learned that, when an opportunity arises, I must take the chance because there will be someone else there to take it - Matthew

Overall, I think CAS has given me a lot of new experiences that I am really grateful for. Without CAS, I wouldn’t be able to understand my progress and see the areas in which I have improved - Amal

Co-leading Embrace the Amazing taught me that change is difficult but it is how we push through and overcome challenges and can still find the goal in the first place. I will take this skill with me as I enter the next chapter of my life - Eleanor

Through my CAS experiences, I’ve learned a variety of abilities that have helped me become a well-rounded individual with a diverse set of skills and experiences to choose from. I have fully evolved myself through the CAS program by opening my eyes to new experiences, options, thoughts, and connections - Sebastian

High School Counselor for Student Wellbeing

Douglas Irish Director of Technology

ReportDepartmentTechnology

During the 2021-22 school year, our technology and the programs we offer continued to grow.

In Elementary School, Day 8 allowed many of our students to explore their passion as Creators and Innovators for deeper learning. Day 8 projects included: Pre-K students using the Makerspace to build machines from cardboard; PK and G1 students building giant structures on the playground with bamboo, big boxes, and other materials; and G2-5 students coding using WeDo Legos and LittleBits for circuit making as well as learning architecture skills using TinkerCAD. Additionally, Day 8 allows Elementary School teachers to prototype ideas for student-led projects, and some grade levels have integrated those ideas into the day-to-day curriculum. A number of Middle and High School students have had an opportunity to collaborate and facilitate student-led teaching with the Elementary Students on various projects.

In Middle School, the new space has offered many new opportunities for students. Students have more room to work on projects, and we can have 2-3 classes happening simultaneously. Middle School now offers a very popular Woodworking elective in addition to our other STEM offerings such as Game Design, Genius Hour, and Robotics. Crosscurricular opportunities this year included students in Humanity classes using Minecraft to explore community and identity, 8th Grade Science students using Arduinos to collect data on the spaces and soil around campus, 7th Grade Math and Design students creating miniature houses that tackle a myriad of math and design challenges, and Art and Design students making stamps using the laser cutter for their clay projects. Plastiki Rafiki now has a club in Middle School where the MS students are learning how to process recycled plastic and make products for the Plastiki product line. Their first project has been creating keychains for the “Yellow Boat” play.

High School student enrollment in STEM classes is back up to 155 students after a lull last year of 105 students. The new Design and Arts (DnA) Center is a hive of activity with numerous prototypes in the works for items like rainwater collection, human-powered plastic washers, and Hatari (danger) signs for Electric fences. In addition to STEM and Visual Arts classes, the DnA is also the workspace for eight different extracurricular clubs with a focus on Art, Engineering, and Design. These clubs include Plastiki Rafiki, Construction by Design, Elements, Photography Club, 3D Fundi, and Design Studio Kenya.

Also, four of these clubs have teamed up with the ASB and SFE to form the Carbon Neutral Alliance. This alliance is spearheading the school’s move to become carbon neutral by

Christmas break, the ceramics area was extended together with a space dedicated to welding and foundry work. There has been close collaboration between the HS Visual Arts and STEM, including the addition of two new STE(A)M courses: Animation & Video, and

Textiles. The Game Design class is exploring a new curriculum where students are using Unity, the industry-standard software tool for game development, to code games with a syntaxbased programming language (C#). Product and Game Design students created toys that help develop fine motor skills in toddlers and educational video games for Elementary students. The school’s STEM Pathways program, an independent study course aimed at self-motivated students who are interested in pursuing an in-depth STEM project, has six students enrolled. Current STEM Pathways projects include a low-cost aflatoxin scanner for rural maize farmers, an autonomous rover designed for sample collection in Turkana, a fishing lure made from 100% recycled plastic, a tree seed dispensing drone, and an electric wheelbarrow/plow designed for rural Kenyan farmers.

ISK’s co-curricular STEM activities continue to grow. The highlight of the year was our Plastiki Rafiki group winning the International School Awards; Community Building Award for accomplishing its mission to clean up the environment by empowering communities to monetize grassroots plastic recycling in a self-sustaining manner. Plastiki Rafiki is also expanding its reach into the ISK Middle School and other neighboring schools. They have sold plastic recycling machines, including injection machines, extrusion machines, shredders, and product molds designed by ISK students to the International School of Uganda and Rosslyn Academy. These two schools would like to emulate what ISK and Plastiki Rafiki are doing on their own campuses. Students are looking forward to close collaboration next year. The

HS Plastiki Rafiki club also helped our MS Plastiki Rafiki club get up and running.

The ISSEA STEM and Middle School Lego League teams were very successful this year. The High School ISSEA STEM team has been working together to tackle this year’s challenges programming their own robots, building a Stirling engine, and practicing mathematics and science concepts. The team took home the gold medal in this year’s competition, winning first place in Math, Science, and Robotics. The Middle School Lego League team participated for the first time since 2019 as the league was inactive during Covid. The ISK students, in collaboration with Children’s Garden Home, took home 2nd place in this year’s tournament.

This year, ISK piloted a number of new applications to improve curriculum documentation and document student learning. Some of these applications will continue to be used in the coming years. We also looked to improve our data awareness and compliance with the Kenyan Data Protection Policies by engaging 9ine Consulting from the UK and appointing a Data Protection Officer. 9ine has worked with all departments to map out our data procedures using their expertise and application for data privacy and protection. They will also be reviewing ISK’s documentation and policies to ensure compliance.

I would like to thank the ISK Administrative Team, the Board of Directors and all of the ISK community for a wonderful seven years in Kenya at ISK. My family and I are moving home to Canada to be closer to friends and family.

Douglas Irish

Director of Technology

Year in Review

Adrian Amen Board of TreasurerDirectors

ReportFinance

Moez Jiwani Business Manager

Whereasthe last couple years required resilience and flexibility, in many ways this year has been one of recovery and new beginnings. Thanks to the hard work of our community and leadership teams, ISK was well-positioned to resume more “normal” operations this year. We welcomed new school Director Mike Callan, and under his leadership ISK has enjoyed a productive year of in-person teaching and learning and continued our trajectory of growth. This year we have exceeded our projected enrollment levels with nearly 1,000 fee-paying students.

Financially, ISK’s sound position and appropriate financial management practices were again confirmed by independent auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) in the unqualified opinion for the most recent school year audit (2020-2021).

With the middle school and other recent projects now complete, the Finance Committee looks forward to supporting the Board of Directors and Board of Governors in strategic planning for the years ahead.

Pamela Pappas Director of Community Relations & Advancement

ReportAdvancement

The2021/22 school year was a year of innovation for the Advancement Office. It continued to present challenges similar to those we had to deal with in the previous school year, but with that year’s experience under our belts, we could see more clearly what worked for us in our changed environment. The pandemic set us on a path of developing remote and contactless resources, and we quickly learned that they are of great value in any environment.

Admissions

This year, ISK set an enrollment record with 1085 students as of this writing. Given the continuing pandemic restrictions at the beginning of the year, we welcomed our new parents with a blend of virtual presentations and limited on-campus activities. With the relaxation of restrictions, the second semester’s New Family Orientation was done face-to-face in an entirely new format. The more intimate and personal drop-in sessions, as opposed to larger presentations given in the past, went over very well with the families.

This school year, we built on the success of the paperless admissions process by enhancing the flow of admission documentation, assessments, and decision-making. Open Apply, ISK’s admissions management system, is now the single source for receiving, sharing, and reviewing all applications. The Advancement Office initiated the Open Apply Review Process to improve and ensure a transparent and effective admissions procedure by providing safety and security of data, a paperless workflow, and an accountable decision-making system.

Community Relations

ISK is all about embracing and celebrating the community. It was a pleasure to see the return of ISK’s Farmers’ Market after a two-year hiatus. The Farmers’ Market, now organized by the Advancement Office, saw several changes to its format, including a family photo booth with instant photos, live music, a fun kids zone, and a picnic-style eating area for families.

We were also excited to bring back Faces in The Crowd after a decade. This comprehensive school-wide directory includes ISK’s 400+ workforce, their titles, photos, and email addresses, which was shared with the community in the community portal section of the ISK website.

Other notable community-building initiatives included “Twos-day” -- the Tuesday, February 22, 2022 campaign, Pandemic Christmas Campaign, Pandemic Valentine’s Day, Women’s Day Celebrations and the Parent Volunteer Appreciation Sundowner.

Empowering the ISK community is a cornerstone of the Advancement Office. This year, we were honored to welcome Adam Chande, a Grade 9 Life Centered Education (LCE) student. He joined the Advancement Office as an intern for the second semester. Adam learned what we do in terms of admissions, communications, marketing, and community relations. It was an enlightening experience for both Adam and the Advancement Office.

At ISK, we always value our alumni. That’s why we hosted three Alumni Mixers in Tampa, Los Angeles, and Boston in October 2021. Another local alumni event was slated for December, but unfortunately it had to be canceled due to Covid-related reasons.

Communications

We started the school year in the most special way we could, with the ISK Learns Together/45th Anniversary Celebrating Our Values campaign. The visual identity and branding throughout the school added warmth, a sense of community, and a shared understanding of what we believe in as a learning community. Notable branding elements around campus saw the introduction of ISK Values stairs in key locations, along with the new Parade of Nations in the Commons showcasing flags from every nation represented at WeISK.

launched our new-andimproved school website last September and were ecstatic with the community’s positive reception of it. Our goal was to elevate it as a principal means of communication for the community. Among the new features, the website contains a community portal that each community member can access with their unique password and obtain exclusive ISK information.

Boston Mixer

Tampa Mixer

We were also honored to host CNN’s #MyFreedomDay on March 16, 2022, for the second time since 2018. The CNN team, which included famed Kenyan International Journalist Larry Madowo, spent most of the day on campus enjoying student-led campus tours, conducting student interviews, and observing studentled panel discussions and performances. Coverage from the day featured prominently on CNN’s official website and social media channels.

Lastly, the Advancement Office played a leading role in entering ISK to the International School Awards sponsored by ISC Research. We were ecstatic to win the Community Building Award for the remarkable work of Plastiki Rafiki.

Following this award win, ISK is also competing alongside other international schools for the World’s Best School Prizes. The top five winners will each be awarded $50,000, which will be announced in October 2022.

While the pandemic is not over, we have successfully navigated and incorporated it into our new normal. Along the way, the Advancement Office has enriched its arsenal of tools and resources and is that much better equipped to serve the ISK community.

Pamela Pappas

Director of Community Relations & Advancement

Enrollment for 2021-2022 reached 1085 students from over 65 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.

Health Report

Childrenall over the world have endured difficult times since COVID-19 began in 2020. Here in Kenya, school closures interrupted learning for over 17 million children and increased the risk of violence, child labor, and child marriage. Their mental well-being has also been affected. After these challenges, it was encouraging to see the safe return of children to schools in 2021. These were huge achievements in the health and education sectors that we should celebrate.

On December 15, 2021, the Cabinet Minister for Health confirmed we had detected our first cases of the Omicron Coronavirus Variant in the country. The increase in cases infected with the variant with no recent travel history suggested ongoing community transmission of this variant. Kenya was battling a wave of COVID-19 infections greater than any since the coronavirus pandemic began in 2020. The positivity rate jumped from 6.5% in November to almost 30%.

All staff members were asked to vigilantly support and carry out ISK’s COVID-19 procedures and guidelines, to mitigate the spread of the disease both on and off-campus. This included cleaning surfaces and ensuring that we were socially distanced (especially at lunchtime), and wearing our masks.

On December 24, 2021, the MoH released new information regarding COVID-19 booster vaccinations for people who had completed the primary COVID-19 vaccination series. In collaboration with Westlands Sub-county Health Team, ISK planned to set up another outreach service on January 14, 2022 at the ISK campus for ISK staff (and family members) to receive booster vaccinations.

On January 21, 2022, we were proud to announce that we were able to administer 471 vaccines, 341 of which were given to ISK faculty and staff. Combined with boosters elsewhere, we were up to 77% of ISK employees having had the boosters and 99% having received their full vaccines.

On March 12, 2022, Kenya marked exactly two years since the first case of Coronavirus was detected and reported. Kenya’s positivity rate has remained below 5% over the last few months, while the proportion of fully vaccinated adults in Kenya stands at 30.4%. At the same time, MoH announced revised COVID guidelines based on guidance from the WHO and CDC on public health considerations and the evolving epidemiological situation globally.

This saw, among other things, the mandatory wearing of facemasks in open public spaces lifted, quarantine stopped, isolation days for confirmed cases reduced to 5 days (from 10), and full resumption of sports activities in learning institutions.

So as we applaud the resilience and determination of our children who are back in school and learning, we should not lose sight of where we have come from and other longerterm objectives. All our efforts would not have been possible without the support of the CRT and other pertinent external stakeholders like MoH and CDC within the ISK family.

We also thank the ISK community for their amazing work in enabling our students to feel safe and continue to learn as we keep navigating each change in the effect of the virus on our local and global community.

With Gratitude,

Steph Holder PTO Secretary

ReportPTO

Anotherincredible and challenging year has passed, with the PTO heavily relying on the ISK community’s passion and creativity to propose and implement ambitious alternatives to solve and overcome the challenges Covid continues to present. All-in-all, it has been a successful year, with the PTO organizing a diverse, friendly, and varied experience. Socials, Simba Spirit, ISSEA Welcome Baskets, FOTA, the Celebration of Nations, Book Clubs, and Swahili lessons, to name a few, have been highlights of the year and enjoyed by the ISK community often in a modified format but arguably in an improved successful form. We all deserve a congratulatory slap on the back for successfully overcoming these odds and looking forward to all being back on campus.

Imaginatively and enthusiastically, the PTO has continued to build upon and develop the ISK community despite Covid restrictions and limitations. Physical events have thankfully and joyfully become a feature of the ISK calendar and have included coffee mornings, sundowners, bus tours, and shopping opportunities, as well as picnics and studentonly events. Activities have been organized for parents/guardians as well as specific class, grade, and schoolwide levels and have been rolled out by grade reps through to the PTO New Parent Reps.

September and January offered new parent welcome coffees and sundowners with participants from ISK’s Faculty, Board, Advancement Office, and Administration and new and established parents and carers attending. Bringing parents/carers together through face-to-face interactions, albeit primarily outside school, has been hugely satisfying and greatly appreciated. As oncampus events for parents and students continue to increase, meeting outside ISK has provided a great opportunity to sample the varied and fun venues available in Nairobi –after all, nothing beats face-to-face interactions,

whether on or off-campus. Supporting these events and the community generally are the grade level WhatsApp groups that are crafted and powered by their participants, offering different modes of communication.

The Celebration of Nations acted as a showcase for the many nationalities present at ISK. Countries were invited to donate a basket filled with products or a cultural experience related to their country. The 180 donations were then put under the hammer through a Silent Auction. A wonderful and diverse range of products, from restaurant vouchers to cooking lessons to baskets filled with goodies for avid needleworkers. The baskets were advertised through a dedicated website, and bidding rapidly made it obvious that this was a must-go-to event, with the last 15 minutes of the bidding being particularly frenzied and exciting (or disappointing if you were outbid at the last minute). The raffle prizes, guessing jars, and paintings by local artists all made the offerings more tempting. The amount raised climbed to an impressive Ksh. 742,200, which the PTO will use for deserving projects in the next academic year.

After an absence of 2 years, the PTO members were delighted to host a staff appreciation lunch in May 2022. Located at school and face-to-face, the school’s cafeteria provided the menu, while ISK’s parents and carers produced

and donated an array of mouth-watering desserts. Thank you! The event is a small token of our appreciation to the wonderful ISK staff members and faculty.

The Holiday Bazaar returned in December, with the Duka giving ISK staff members and Elementary students the opportunity to shop for locally produced affordable gifts on campus.

The Duka’s physical shop is yet to return to ISK’s campus, but products continue to be advertised and sold through the official Instagram page. Any opportunity to physically sell items was taken up. The Duka offered a seasonable selection of goodies that were sold during the PTO Sundowners event, kindly hosted by Mr. Callan in December. And the Duka’s varied and colorful stock was also on sale at the Farmers’ Market in April - the Farmers’ Market and the Duka was a very welcome return to campus. In total, Duka made sales (at no profit) of an amazing Ksh 1,636,550 this year.

The PTO worked with the Advancement Office to provide financial support to ISK’s student service clubs. The rebranded “Lions’ Tank” saw ten student service clubs compete in a Shark Tank-style competition, making elevator pitches to a panel of PTO and Advancement Office representatives for a chance to win up to $500 each. Seven clubs took home a portion of what they argued for. Students displayed a truly impressive dose of confidence and innovation while eloquently delivering their sales spiel.

April saw Friends of the Arts (FOTA) exhibiting 278 pieces of art showcasing art and sculptures from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and more. This year, pieces designed and created by our very own International Baccalaureate students were exhibited side-by-side with the works of their

more established colleagues. In total, 51 pieces were sold, with ISK’s IB students donating 50% of their proceeds to support charity work in Ukraine. Once again, this event proved to be astoundingly successful, particularly as the entire event was held online. We hope it will be held in person next year and be even more successful.

A huge thank you to the community for supporting the PTO this year and volunteering, whether through organizing an event, a class playdate, purchasing a Duka item, or offering feedback. Our community is truly impressive and continues to thrive while remaining welcoming, approachable, and proactive. The dedication, commitment, and creativity exhibited are a joy to observe and fuel ambition and generate more energy. Thank you.

Steph Holder PTO Secretary