ISK Annual Report 2022-23

Annual Report 2022-2023

ISK’s Mission, Vision & Educational Aims

EMPOWERING students to create solutions for tomorrow’s challenges.

LEARNING at ISK

At ISK, learning is the construction of meaning. We construct meaning through inquiry-based experiences that transcend disciplines.

These active roles prepare all ISK learners to achieve our vision to empower students to create solutions to tomorrow’s challenges.

Self-Manager

As a self-manager, I am responsible for my actions. I reflect on my learning and set goals to continue to grow. I take initiative and persevere to overcome challenges. I am aware of my needs and the needs of others.

Thinker

As a thinker, I identify problems and find creative solutions. I am curious and pose questions in ways that open up thinking and create new possibilities. I analyze and evaluate information to design and develop solutions and opportunities. I make claims and support them with evidence and reasoning. I deepen my understanding by considering different viewpoints.

Collaborator

As a collaborator, I actively listen to understand the ideas of others. I contribute by asking questions and building on the ideas of others. I ensure that all voices are heard and valued by encouraging others and sometimes compromising as we build on our strengths. I am respectful of others’ opinions and form positive relationships as a community member in order to achieve a common goal.

Change-maker

As a change-maker, I use my skills and understandings to make a positive difference. I am interested in working on real-world problems and being helpful locally and globally. By being aware of my culture and other cultures, I better understand issues from many points of view. I try to make principled decisions in my everyday life and advocate for a just and equitable future.

Communicator

As a communicator, I express ideas and information clearly, confidently, and appropriately. I listen and show respect when others are speaking. I express my true self and understand that my words impact others. I support and provide space for those whose voices and identities may not be heard.

OURVALUES

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 continued 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 among people from around the world.

© International School of Kenya

Published August 2023.

Michael Callan Director

Director’s Report

When we opened our doors to the 2022-23 school year, we had an unusually high number of returning students (845). As we prepared to welcome and embrace 188 new friends from all over the world, something felt different. Perhaps it was seeing their faces and shaking their hands that made this welcome feel so special. The time of masks and social distancing was behind us and we were elated to return to a “normal” school opening. Well as normal as could be. Some families joined us a few weeks later due to concerns about the National Elections. After a close election result, Kenyans proudly chose a peaceful transition and soon we were 1055 students strong as we moved into September.

People

It was going to be a year of emergence and growth in the areas of people, program, and place, and we eagerly awaited the familiar. Our intercultural trips were back, and we got to explore our extraordinarily beautiful host country and use it as our learning laboratory. From our 3rd graders spending the night in Nairobi National Park to our High Schoolers climbing Mount Kenya, we once again were able to have Kenya as our classroom.

Travel to ISSEA schools was now possible once again and our Lions represented us well throughout the ISSEA region. Our athletes, musicians, actors, and engineers made us proud! Our boys and girls cross country teams won gold, as did our boys track and field team. Our boys swimming, golf, rugby, and STEM teams brought home gold too. We hosted the Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS) Middle School Choir Festival and

sent our actors to the International Schools Theater Association’s festival in Mumbai. It was a satisfyingly exhausting year for our students!

It was also a satisfyingly exhausting year for our faculty, staff, and administration. COVID restrictions taught us new ways of doing things, so, to be honest, many of us were out of shape when our very busy normal returned! We ramped up our extracurriculars and collectively dug into the transformational curricular work outlined in our First Strategic Focus Area: Improving Teaching and Learning.

Program

There is excellent teaching and learning happening each day at ISK. Our goal this year was to ensure that this excellent teaching and learning is embedded in our systems and structures as well as in our learning design. We wanted to create common understanding and coherence in what we do as faculty. Looking at our three Strategic Focus areas, we defined learning and well being and then created frameworks with which we could design deeper learning. Most notably, we consolidated our Educational Aims and turned them into active learner roles that students from pre-K to 12 can understand and use. These research-based roles now serve as our framework for learning design. While no one truly knows what schools will look like in 10 or 20 years, I guarantee you that students will be Communicators, Thinkers, Collaborators, Self Managers, and Change Makers. This is how we will prepare our students now for an unknown future.

In October of 2023, ISK will be welcoming schools from across Africa to our campus. The Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA) Conference will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase what we have been doing at ISK, and we look forward to welcoming hundreds of colleagues to our beautiful Kenyan home.

Place

I remember first stepping foot on ISK’s beautiful campus. I was a finalist for the Director’s job, and as my wife Michelyne and I toured the school, she turned to me and said “This place is loved”. A place is only kept this beautiful if those responsible for the dayto-day upkeep have a strong connection to and pride in the place. As a nonprofit school, ISK dedicates significant funds each year to maintain and enhance our beautiful learning environment, and this summer, we will be making it even better!

On March 17th, we broke ground on the long-awaited track at ISK. This project has been in the planning stages for many years and I am thrilled to share with you that it will be completed by August 2023. We will begin the next school year with a five-lane, 400-meter track with changing rooms and environmentally friendly hillside bleachers. I can hear the crowd cheering!

I am also happy to share that we will also have a new Health Office for the start of the next school year, as well as new Physical Education and Health classrooms for High School and Middle School. The Health facility will be larger with private consultation rooms and differentiated areas for student well-being.

Strategic thinking and planning is a key role of the Board of Directors and Board of Governors. Almost a decade ago, the Boards approved the construction of faculty housing which has served as a huge draw to attract excellent faculty and has saved the school millions of dollars over the years. Plans are underway to replicate this wise investment by purchasing land and building more faculty housing near the school.

While it is difficult to summarize the 202223 academic year, the attempt to do so has been a satisfying process. It truly was a year of emergence, development, and growth. Our plans have kept us busy in the areas of people, place, and program. So much so that the students and adults of ISK will certainly deserve a summer break where we can smile with the satisfaction of this year’s accomplishments and grin in anticipation of an incredible 2023-24 school year.

Sincerely,

Michael Callan Director

Ann Marie Awori Chair, Board of Directors

Board of Directors

In early April, ISK had its final Strategic Retreat for the school year, with folks from the Board of Directors, Board of Governors, and the Administration Team. Dr. Prairie led the group through a discussion about how schools have historically functioned over the past 125 years, and how progressive schools are now trying to implement change in order to ensure we are not excessively relying on a historical educational model, but ensuring that students are equipped with the skills they will need as they leave ISK and enter the working world. A similar discussion was also shared with parents at a well-attended Director’s Tea a few weeks before that. Given most parents and teachers attended K-12 several decades ago, it was fascinating to learn and begin to understand how education is shifting, the skills required for the future, and the role of deeper thinking. I’m grateful that we have a school that will continue to put us at the cutting edge of educational practices and appreciate the vision Mr. Callan has for our community.

The Board had two primary goals this year. The first was to pilot our “School Success Indicators” that we had been working on for several years. The purpose behind this goal was to get a snapshot of where the school is at so the Board can support the school with policies and/or resources depending on the need. We plan on using these same indicators over the foreseeable future for monitoring purposes. While we have access and have always discussed many of these indicators as a Board, we now have a comprehensive reference document. Our second goal was a “1200 Taskforce” that was co-chaired by two Board of Directors and comprised of members from both Boards and both sponsoring Missions. The goal of the task force was to determine whether 1200 students is our ideal

student population. The task force reviewed various data from ISK, other schools, demand from our local and international populations, and in the end, recommended that 1300 students is the ideal number of students. The task force then made recommendations for several things, including possible facility enhancements, to support this number of students. This is an example of how the Board is strategically looking at the future to make sure we are planning accordingly for the next generation of ISK Lions.

We had five Board committees this year, and I would like to thank all committee members, as well as the Chairs of the Committees: Governance (Erin Gerba), Finance (Adrian Amen), Facilities (Nadeem Noordin), Compensation (Bryce Fort) and the 1200 Taskforce (Janine Cocker). I would also like to thank the folks who served as Board officers this year: Bryce Fort – Vice Chair, Erin Gerba –Secretary, Adrian Amen – Treasurer. These folks, along with Mr. Callan and Mr. Jiwani, and other members of the Leadership and Administration Team, served countless hours behind the scenes to ensure our school has the necessary resources and policies in place to have a wellfunctioning school that has solid governance practices in place.

I truly appreciate the support of everyone in our community for making ISK a wonderful place for our students to attend school.

Go Lions!

Thank you,

Ann Marie Awori Chair, Board of Directors

Passion | Creativity | Ambition

Elementary School Report

As we look back over this year, there is so much to celebrate and highlight. Our goal with this annual report is to highlight our learning and growth as a whole school community.

Semester 1: A focus on Community

o The ES introduced a new learning coach to support collaborative teams focused on designing learning.

o The Who Am I? Who Are You? Who Are We? unit launched the year with a focus on identity and community.

o Pride Helpers opened without elections. All student volunteers chose committees to build voice and leadership at school.

o The ES Playgrounds were enhanced with new resources.

o Three-Way Conferences brought teachers, parents, and students together.

o The PTO co-sponsored Back to School Night.

o ISK hosted the Welcome Back Community Picnic.

o Wonder Wednesday replaced Day 8 and launched with a focus on personal inquiries.

o We removed our masks!

o Parents joined us to share their passions and inspire Wonder Wednesday ideas for students.

o The PTO hosted an ES Movie Night.

o Pride Helpers took on the role of managing ES Assemblies. Our first “live” ES Assembly was hosted in the Lions’ Den!

o The ES Holiday Bazaar was a great moment to share in holiday cheer and shopping.

Semester 2: A focus on Collaboration

o We changed the co-curricular activity (CCA) signup process to a more inclusive and responsive platform and added Wednesday buses.

o Track and Field Day started the semester.

o Our whole school came together throughout International Week and with the PTO Taste of Nations.

o For the first time since 2020 we were able to run our Intercultural Trips (IC Trips) for Grades 3-5.

o Student-Led Conferences brought students and parents together to discuss learning.

o The ES Lego League Team won the tournament.

o ISK hosted a live podcast with peace activist Emmanuel Jal.

o Wonder Wednesday continued to support personal inquiries.

o The ES musical, Aladdin, gave children the opportunity to work as authentic actors, singers, and performers.

o The first live assembly was held in the auditorium!

o The G5 Promotion celebrated the students moving to Middle School.

o A second ES Movie Night brought us together again.

o Parents joined their children’s morning meeting and learned more about their experiences at school.

o Learning stories were shared weekly all year, highlighting passion, creativity, and ambition, and building a collaborative culture around our learning aims.

Ryan Hopkins-Wilcox Elementary School Principal

Kacey Molloy, EdD Elementary School Assistant Principal

Special Highlights

ISK Aims

Our refreshed aims emphasize the skills needed to become empowered learners (collaborator, communicator, thinker, selfmanager, and change-maker). As students have shared their inquiries throughout the year, we have captured some quotes that exemplify the refreshed aims:

o I learned that the things I think I can’t achieve I can actually achieve if I work hard and put my mind to it.

o I learned the importance of trial and error.

o I learned that I’m a self-manager and can stay organized.

o I push myself to my limits because I usually don’t do that,but I loved my inquiry project and I wanted to push myself.

Learning Coach

The ES Learning Coach and Tech Integrator supported learning design in collaborative teams. They took the ES on a journey through our ISK definition of learning:

At ISK learning is the construction of meaning. We construct meaning through inquiry-based experiences that transcend disciplines.

Construction of Meaning:

We construct meaning through conceptual inquiry; “If we can see how the world is organized, we can understand it. If we can understand it, we can impact it for the better and lead meaningful lives.” (Julie Stern, 2023).

The ES Learning Coach and Tech Integrator worked with teaching teams to delve into conceptual unit designs that foster deeper connections. Every grade level has these new units, documented on Toddle.

Transcend Disciplines: By supporting teachers with the work of developing conceptual understandings, the ES Learning Coach and Tech Integrator are creating the conditions for learning that transcends the disciplines.

Inquiry-Based Experiences:

As a part of ISK’s mission, vision, and aims, we want to empower students to be self-managed learners. This is where the ES Learning Coach and Tech Integrator have supported teams with an inquiry-based approach. Together they have crafted experiences that allow learners to question understandings, grapple with challenges and ultimately gain deeper understandings. These inquiry-based experiences started with personal inquiry projects facilitated by Day 8 and now Wonder Wednesday, however, they have started spilling into the daily literacies of learning and are being woven into units within the classroom.

Teacher Learning

As a learning community we are all constructing meaning; our teachers and teaching assistants followed Professional Learning Journeys that allowed them to be inquirers and meaning makers. A sampling of the inquiries that guided these journeys are below:

G2: How might we weave student wellbeing throughout the day?

KG: What systems and structures can help us document and share learning?

SSS: How can we build a culture of collaboration, partnership, and empowerment?

G5: How can we teach in a way that engages all learners?

G3: What is transdisciplinary concept-based learning?

Music: What makes a unit powerful or meaningful?

Parent Learning

To further build our learning community we have offered many opportunities for families to learn with us and for us to learn with them. Below are a collection of those experiences:

o Back-to-School Night

o Workshop: What is learning and where is education heading?

o Workshop: Child Protection Virtual Workshop

o Workshop Series: ISK’s Approach to Behavior & Discipline

o IC Trip Parent Evenings

o Consultant: “Covid and adolescent mental health: Getting past the pandemic” with Sean Truman

o Workshop: Building Discerning Readers

o Workshop: Transitions

o Workshop: Learning at Home

o Two Morning Meetings with Families

o ES Assemblies followed by parent coffee/tea throughout the year

o PTO Happy Hours

We would like to conclude with a very special thank you to our Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) and all families. We appreciate the partnership and truly believe we are better together!

Warm Wishes,

Ryan Hopkins-Wilcox

Elementary School Principal

Kacey Molloy, EdD

Elementary School Assistant Principal

Empowering Students to Create Solutions for Tomorrow’s Challenges

Middle School Report

Alexa Schmid, EdD Middle School Principal

Drew Gregor Middle School Assistant Principal

We had a great year, diving back into many of our pre-pandemic norms and practices. There was great joy as we took off our masks, welcomed parents back on campus, and resumed many former activities and events.

As we worked across the school to revise our definition of learning and update our educational aims, we have been norming and aligning our understanding of the new learner roles: self-managers, thinkers, collaborators, changemakers, and communicators. We have organized our year in review through that lens.

Self-Managers

Coming out of the pandemic, we focused on realigning and seeking consistency in our practices as a faculty. This included looking at our assessment practices, our proficiency scale, and our approach to student choices and behaviors. We also revisited our approach for parent-student-teacher conferences and supported students in the process of reflecting on their progress as well as ensuring we provided a helpful mid-semester check-in for parents.

As a learning community, we focused on themes of compassion, gratitude, and service. Nimesh ‘Nimo’ Patel visited ISK in November to spread these messages, leading numerous student, parent, and faculty engagements. We continually came back to these themes over the course of the year, as these core values are a part of what makes our community strong and caring.

As a self-manager, I am responsible for my actions. I reflect on my learning and set goals to continue to grow. I take initiative and persevere to overcome challenges. I am aware of my needs and the needs of others.

Thinkers

The work of our Strategic Focus Areas this year was inspiring. As we adopted a new definition of learning and learner roles, we took considerable time in our Wednesday IMPACT sessions to unpack and understand what they mean. This included working to deepen our understanding around: constructing meaning, conceptual inquiry, transcending disciplines, and ultimately designing deeper learning experiences for our students. We also explored the 5 learner roles that are used to frame this year in review. In addition to IMPACT faculty sessions, we hosted multiple Open Doors Weeks – where teachers get into the classrooms of colleagues and use a lens of learning @ ISK and learner roles to observe and learn together.

We continued to strengthen and enhance our work to provide meaningful experiential learning opportunities with Kenyan connections and choice-based engagements. Teachers designed powerful learning experiences for students - from inviting parent experts to present to students in humanities classes, powerful exhibitions of learning, recipe/cooking math projects that involve

real-world applications and fun final food sharing, science challenges, to designing the best cooler, and more! Our Electives program continued to provide rich opportunities for conceptual inquiry and learning that transcends disciplines. For example:

o The Tour de Friends class trained with nutrition, fitness, bike skills, and planned a lap-a-thon fundraiser for World Bike Relief.

o Our Healthy Chefs learned how to incorporate taste, creativity, and presentation into their delicious and healthy concoctions.

o Musical theater students wrote and produced their own musical performances.

o ISK Intern students volunteered and got real-world experiences across the ISK campus.

o Graphic Design students used the design cycle to develop solutions around the ISK campus.

o Ted Talks students developed and executed professional-level speeches that went live on the Ted-Ed website.

As a thinker, I identify problems and find creative solutions. I am curious and pose questions in ways that open up thinking and create new possibilities. I analyze and evaluate information to design and develop solutions and opportunities. I make claims and support them with evidence and reasoning. I deepen my understanding by considering different viewpoints.

Collaborators

We continued to stress the importance of community and connectedness in the Middle School. Our advisory program used the CASEL framework to support our socialemotional learning program, where we engaged in powerful conversations about selfmanagement, social skills, mental health and wellbeing, and responsible decision-making. Our wildly popular house system provided an opportunity for vertical community building and fun, as well as strong student leadership from our many house captains who plan these thoughtful events.

After a couple of years with parents not allowed on campus, we were thrilled with the shift in practice to bring parents back in September. We worked in close partnership with our parent community, providing multiple parent workshops, several PTO events on and off campus (including a fabulous Family Movie Night in April), counselor-facilitated book clubs, and more!

Changemakers

InterCultural Trips (IC Trips) are a huge part of our ISK experience, with students engaging in adventure, risk-taking, cultural exchange, immersion in nature, and the opportunity to learn outside our school walls. After a couple of years of creative solutions to support IC Trips on campus and through day trips, we were thrilled to bring these back for overnight trips to Ngare Ndare Forest with Rift Valley Adventures and Sagana with Savage Wilderness. Students become more aware and develop a greater appreciation of Kenya, and also think about sustainability and care for our natural environment.

As a collaborator, I actively listen to understand the ideas of others. I contribute by asking questions and building on the ideas of others. I ensure that all voices are heard and valued by encouraging others and sometimes compromising as we build on our strengths. I am respectful of others’ opinions and form positive relationships as a community member in order to achieve a common goal.

As a change-maker, I use my skills and understandings to make a positive difference. I am interested in working on real-world problems and being helpful locally and globally. By being aware of my culture and other cultures, I better understand issues from many points of view. I try to make principled decisions in my everyday life and advocate for a just and equitable future.

We were also pleased to open up our full offering of opportunities for students to get involved with After School Activities, Drama, Athletics, and Leadership. In addition to a wealth of opportunities for students to be creative and active after school, we hosted the following amazing events that support our students in becoming changemakers:

o Nimesh “Nimo” Patel led a Student Leadership Seminar about compassionate leadership in November.

o MS MUN Conference in December.

o Proud To Be Me Day, with student-led workshops about different aspects of identity in February.

o First Lego League robotics competition in February.

Communicators

Over the course of the year, we had so many opportunities for students to share their learning with authentic audiences. In humanities, students presented their projects to peers and parents. In math and science class, students prepare their presentations to show the trials and tribulations of experimentation and applying skills. We also hosted several performances and displays for students to express their ideas and learning:

o Student Leadership Seminar about environmental leadership, which supported a lovely Earth Day celebration in April with options for students to be creative, take action, engage in service, and learn.

Students also have multiple opportunities to make authentic Kenyan connections in their classes, meaningfully think about how they can be of service, use their voices as young activists, and engage as solutionaries when thinking about climate, equity, and justice. From humanities projects where students rewrite a chapter of a history book to consider an under-shared perspective to art projects that support International Day of Peace activism, students engaged in real-world problems and deepen their awareness and understanding of themselves and others.

o Java Jazz music concert in November.

o We hosted the AMIS (Association of Music in International Schools) Honor Choir Festival at ISK in January, with 3 other international schools attending.

o How to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse one-act play in February.

o A group of 16 students attended the ISTA (International Schools Theatre Association) Festival in Mumbai, India.

o Shrek Jr Musical in May.

o MS Art Shows

It has been exciting to return to a more ‘normal’ learning environment, full of engaging opportunities in and out of the classroom. It has also been powerful for our teachers to work toward coherence and alignment, as we revised our definition of learning and updated our educational aims with the ‘Big 5’ learner roles. This has helped us with a shared vision for learning, and we look forward to continuing this focus in the year ahead.

Middle School Principal

Drew Gregor Middle School Assistant Principal

Alexa Schmid, EdD

In Partnership,

As a communicator, I express ideas and information clearly, confidently, and appropriately. I listen and show respect when others are speaking. I express my true self and understand that my words impact others. I support and provide space for those whose voices and identities may not be heard.

High School Report

Let’s start by recognizing our graduating Class of 2023, consisting of 93 students whose High School experience included some unprecedented challenges through the pandemic and culminated with much to celebrate. In our Class of 2023:

29

nationalities were represented

seniors studied at ISK for ten consecutive years or more, including one student from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 and five students from Kindergarten through Grade 12

67 1

6 another

senior earned the 2023 AISA Award for Excellence in Africa

seniors completed the full International Baccalaureate (IB) as Diploma Program candidates; completed at least one IB course.

seniors joined ISK for one year of grade 12

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

14 51

23 3 2

seniors were members of the National Honor Society

seniors earned a place on the first-semester honor roll (20 high and 31 regular) - this is a particularly high and very impressive number of seniors on the ISK honor roll.

The Class of 2023 university acceptances featured an impressive list of universities across a wide array of countries. As of April 2023, our 93 graduates had earned 509 university acceptance offers and been awarded over US Dollars $11,600,000 in scholarship funding for tertiary education (this represents double the amount of previous years and includes offers received through the recent implementation of the Concourse system). The Class of 2023 was a tight-knit and cohesive group with a spirit of kindness and mutual support prevailing. Their last day of regular schooling involved a special day of fun, song, food, reflection, celebration, and even a new blue-and-gold event with all seniors receiving notes from loved ones (special thanks to the parent reps and grade-level leaders!)

Robert Blanchard, EdD High School Principal

Jarrod Dale High School Assistant Principal

Additionally, 73% of the class report that they earned a place in one of their top choice universities. ISK students also continue to perform well in IB examinations, with 98.5% of seniors who attempted the full IB Diploma in 2023 achieving this rigorous highly regarded, internationally recognized qualification. The average diploma score was 35 points (the international average is 30), and the average IB grade at ISK was 5.44 (out of 7). Congratulations, Class of 2023!

Students, Voice & Ethical Leadership

HS student enrollment was 371 in August, growing to 375 students in High School by semester two. Students worked hard, looked after each other, and maintained a positive can-do attitude as the student body as a whole was able to enjoy all the opportunities available at ISK. Led by a senior president and vice-president, the elected Associated Student Body (ASB) did exceptional work leading the High School student body by modeling our aims and enhancing school culture through the consistent promotion of our shared values. Comprising ten elected positions, the ASB engaged the community around key priority areas such as equity, inclusion, and a sense of belonging. ASB elevated student voice through well-organized, meaningful, and inclusive assemblies, one of which involved a collaboration of ASB with the Student Equity Committee including a guest speaker from Amnesty International, and a focus on being a positive agent of change in the world.

Other examples of avenues for student voice and action included the IB Extended Essay assembly featuring student research on topics such as subsidies, hearing loss, water management, trauma, the lives of victims in literature, and twin primes conjecture. Monthly Pride articles were a vehicle for other student voices, with content generated around student leadership, neurodiversity, change agency, and traveling telescope. Building on momentum from being recognized with AISA’s Service Project Award, members of ISK’s Carbon Neutral Alliance presented suggestions to the school board for fast-tracking carbon neutrality at ISK by 2023. ISK seniors in the Class of 2023 delivered the presentation, representing over 125 ISK students from affiliated groups and reporting on ISK’s carbon audit (our campus footprint is 642.3 tonnes - a problem and opportunity).

Wellbeing, Service Learning & CoCurriculars

We continue to offer a rich co-curricular program in High School. There were 46 clubs in High School, providing opportunities for creativity, activity, and service experiences to support students’ wellbeing and growth. The program also provided space for students to explore new interests and passions while making connections with their classroom learning. At least 314 students signed up for at least one school club in semester one - and this does not factor in athletics and the sports teams!

Social-emotional learning continues to be a focus area and an important aspect of supporting student wellbeing. Supportive adult relationships and a sense of belonging are two key factors in positive mental health for young people - and two goals of our advisory program. We continued to use Project Wayfinder to complement our program and as a driver for effective social-emotional learning in advisory. After two years of COVID-19 restrictions, the program has helped students to reflect, connect, and move forward with skills and understandings needed for success in school and life. Dr. Sean Truman also worked with our community this year, helping our adult community think of new ways to support student mental health after the pandemic.

The entire High School was excited about the full resumption of intercultural trips in August. These trips are a highlight of a student’s time at ISK. Due to pandemic restrictions, many students had not had a full IC trip experience since 2019 and everyone could feel the buzz in the lead-up to the trips. All students participated in trips around Kenya, pushing their boundaries, making new friends, and finding a sense of belonging. We also introduced a new wellness retreat at Brackenhurst Estate, which focused on different aspects of wellbeing. In addition to the grade 9 Mt Kenya experience, a group of seniors climbed the eastern side of Mt Kenya together.

In addition to local trips, students traveled internationally as part of their learning experience and to represent ISK. RoundSquare traveled to the UK where they spent a week

with other students from around the world looking at creative ways to solve the climate crisis. MUN traveled to Portugal and debated issues of global importance such as the crisis between Ukraine and Russia, the rights to wear religious artifacts, and the role of NGOs. Drama students traveled to London, and ISSEA provided a full, uninterrupted program. One sporting highlight of the year was ISK Hosting ISSEA Track & Field and Cross Country - across three venues including the Kasarani National Stadium - with the ISK Track & Field Boys, Cross Country Girls, and Cross Country Boys teams all emerging as ISSEA Champions!

Teaching, Learning & Community

ISK students again benefited from a wide array of course options and learning pathways, with IB and regular HS offerings totaling over 150 courses. In 2022-23, we expanded course offerings by introducing Mathematics 11/12, IB Business Management SL/HL 1, and a Leadership Seminar. There was a name change for our Social Sciences 9 & 10 courses (previously known as World Civilizations). Starting in 2023-24, Pathways projects in the areas of STEM and the Arts can be selected for study at either the Honors or Regular (non-honors) level and the Global Online Academy is being added to complement an existing online academy provider. Course name changes include the STEM Programming & Digital Electronics elective and the grade 9 and 10 / pre-IB DP Mathematics courses (Mathematics 3 now Mathematics 10). Thank you to our course review committee, comprising students and faculty representation.

Inclusive practices continued to be a top strategic priority at ISK, and we enjoyed a second year implementing the Life-Centered Education program in the High School division as students with more significant learning needs moved through grade 10 and are on track towards an alternative High School diploma at ISK. Notable developments around teaching, learning, and curriculum included developments around inquiry and projectbased learning including students designing a community forest stream on campus.

A strong home-school partnership is a key component of the ISK experience. We held interactive parent tea sessions this year around topics such as course selections, student wellbeing, and parenting teenagers in Nairobi with particular attention to the specific area of alcohol, nicotine & substance use. Counselors also offered a variety of parent workshops to support our adult community as well including a book club for parents. Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety by Dr. John Duffy helped parents understand the significant shift in mental health while also focusing on practical strategies that can be used at home. Our counselors also offered workshops to parents and students to navigate the constantly changing landscape of university admissions.

Faculty have been engaged around strategic priorities, for example prioritizing unit design and planning, collaborating to develop a position statement around generative artificial intelligence and academic honesty, and extending professional learning around student mental health with the visit of Dr. Truman. A direct result of faculty collaboration and learning is an intentional focus on helping students get more sleep, an integral part

of student wellness. For example, faculty developed a few action items including earlier summative deadlines and teaching time management as well as study skills in the leadup to finals. The High School team will continue to make this a priority next year.

A quick note about the ongoing track project, a major development in progress at the time of writing this report. With the ground-breaking having occurred in March with High School students in attendance and speaking, we now look forward to the opening of the ISK Track in 2023-24, including the planned sails, seating, and changing rooms thoughtfully integrated into the lower field landscape.

Let’s conclude with a full expression of gratitude to our parents and families for their partnership, while recognizing the kindness and hard work of our students, as well as the deep commitment, care, and excellence of our faculty and staff. The Class of 2023 lived and learned through an unprecedented High School experience, with the pandemic presenting new opportunities each year for this class while also posing challenges never seen before. We believe that this class embarks on their onward journey with important lessons about life born from adversity and empowered by their spirit of perseverance, teamwork, and hope that things can and will get better in this world. On behalf of the community, we wish our graduating Class of 2023 all the best in life after High School and as proud ISK alumni.

On a final note, I (Rob) would like to thank ISK for 23 great years here as a leader, educator, parent, colleague, and community member. I couldn’t possibly be more proud of the students I’ve worked with over the years and seen walk across that stage in their blue and gold to receive ISK diplomas. I will forever be grateful for the relationships made, the trust placed in me, and the opportunity to serve this most special school community. I welcome and wish our incoming High School Principal, Julie Lemley, all the very best as the baton and ‘spoon of excellence’ is passed. Go Lions!

School Assistant Principal

Robert Blanchard, EdD

High School Principal

Jarrod Dale

High

Graduating Class of 2023 International School of Kenya

Meheware Abiy

Harerta Abraha

Ladan Ahmed

Benjamin AllmendingerTilson

Jaime Allport

Mohammed Al-Mansab

Kay Aluvanze

Cynthia Ayuninjam

Taymour Badawi

Udit Bansal

Gabriel Bierly

Elias Björnholm

Aika Boroli

Benjamin Case

Devyn Chaffee

Keshav Chandra

Amelia Chenzaie

Manoa de Jager

Miya de Jager

Mouhamad Dieng

Alec Fest

Noah Foster

Adit Garg

Maélie Germain

Hana Gregor

Kurt Gugelev-Shapiro

Jakob Heck

Thomas Heck

Salma Iversen

Malayika Jacques

Zahra Jiwani

Mazaruni Khan

Graduating Class of 2023 International School of Kenya

Joy Kilonzo

Sungwoo Kim

David Kimani

Mark Kitili

Yohan Koh

Eliade Kress

Vera Laws

Kira Leon

Cecilia Lloyd

Serita Lokia

Medina Lokule

Nicolas Lyon

Mandipa-Ishe Mamvura

Juliette Mercier

Arya Monadjem

Kailan Monson

Tai Moore

Joshua Mwangi

Jack Nader

Aydin Ngumi

Mafor Ngwakum Akisa

Stuart Niessen

Takashi Nishikawa

Josephine Nuamah

Anne Nyangaga

Manqoba Nyathi

Colomba Oberti

Bian Ochola

Anabel Ockman

Reuben Ockman

Nathan Okene

Christine Okulo

Husna Omar

Brian Otieno

Erik Otterstedt

Ayush Pandit

Silas Piper

Solomon Piper

Maeve Ross

Siana Ruiz Stannah

Cosmo Sallusti

Aarav Shah

Yanna Shah

Oscar Sheridan

Anna Sherman

Christian Shooks

Isabella Starckman Soza

Kyara Tanna

Samuel Tapiola

Quddus Tesfaye

Samrawit Terrefe

Keifer Tjossem

Aagya Tripathee

Praveer Uberoi

Teun van Bommel

Alessandra Veveiros

Jeanne Wittmann

Michelle Woo

Julia Grace Woods

Grace Young

Ivan Zherebko

International Baccalaureate Examination Results

After three years, the May 2023 IB assessment session returned to the full assessment model. IB also introduced a new format for the May 2023 examination schedule - all the examinations had to commence at the specific time defined for each school by the IB. This meant that all students in an exam zone started an exam at the same time, rather than some starting after others had finished.

The 2023 cohort demonstrated outstanding academic abilities and personal growth, and we are incredibly proud of their achievements. Their dedication and hard work led to impressive results, and we are all honored to have played a part in their educational journeys, and wish them all the very best for the future. Congratulations Class of 2023!

May 2023 IB Results

ISK registered ninety-six candidates for the IB May 2023 exam session. Sixty-seven seniors were enrolled for the IB diploma, representing 72% (67/93) of the 2023 graduating class. Twenty-nine additional juniors and seniors completed IB courses either for certificates or in anticipation of their 2024 diplomas.

The IB diploma pass rate for May 2023 was 98.5 % and the average IB diploma score was 35 (world average is 30). The world average diploma score has returned to pre-covid levels, and despite this decline, our IB candidates maintained a higher pre-covid average diploma score.

IB Diploma May 2023 School Statistics

72% 98.5% 5.44

(maximum is 7)

43 35

(world average is 30)

(maximum is 45)

2023 University Acceptances

UNITED KINGDOM

o Aston University

o Birmingham City University

o Bournemouth University

o Cardiff University

o Coventry University

o De Montfort University

o Durham University

o Glasgow Caledonian University

o Hereford College of Arts

o Hult International Business School London

o Keele University

o King’s College London

o Liverpool Hope University

o London Metropolitan University

o London South Bank University

o Loughborough University

o Newcastle University

o Oxford Brookes University

o Queen’s University Belfast

o Richmond, The American University in London

o Staffordshire University

o SOAS University of London

o University College London

o University of Aberdeen

o University of Bath

o University of Birmingham

o University of Brighton

o University of Bristol

o University of East Anglia UEA

o University of Edinburgh

o University of Exeter

o University of Hertfordshire

o University of Kent

o University of Leeds

o University of Lincoln

o University of Liverpool

o University of Manchester

o University of Northampton

o University of Nottingham

o University of Plymouth

o University of Reading

o University of St. Andrews

o University of Sheffield

o University of Southampton

o University of Stirling

o University of Strathclyde

o University of Surrey

o University of Sussex

o University of West England Bristol

o University of Worcester

o University of York

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

o American University

o Adelphi University

o Arizona State University

o Auburn University

o Augustana University

o Austin Community College

o Bard College

o Bennington College

o Blinn College

o Boston College

o Brigham Young University–Hawaii

o Brigham Young University–Idaho

o Brown University

o Butler University

o Carleton College

o California Lutheran University

o California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo

o Chapman University

o Clark University

o Clark Atlanta University

o College of William and Mary

o Concordia College

o Cornell College

o Daemen University

o DePauw University

o Eastern Michigan University

o Elon University

o Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University

o Emerson College

o Florida International University

o Fordham University

o George Mason University

o Georgia College and State University

o Georgia Institute of Technology

o Georgia State University

o Greenville University

o Goucher College

o Gonzaga University

o High Point University

o Houston Christian University

o Hult International Business School Boston

o Indiana University Bloomington

o James Madison University

o Kansas State University

o Knox College

o La Salle University

o Lewis and Clark College

o Lynn University

o Loyola Marymount University

o Loyola University Chicago

o Marian University

o Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

o McDaniel College

o Michigan State University

o Norfolk State University

o North Carolina State University

o Northeastern University

o Northeastern Illinois University

o Northwest Missouri State University

o Oberlin College

o Ohio State University

o Ohio Weslyan University

o Old Dominion University

o Oral Roberts University

o Pennsylvania State University

o Purdue University

o CUNY Queens College

o Quinnipiac University

o Regis College

o Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

o Rice University

o Santa Clara University

o Saint Mary’s College of California

o School of the Art Institute of Chicago

o Seton Hall University

o Snow College

o Simpson College

o Simmons University

o South Dakota School of Mines & Technology

o State University of New York College at Geneseo

o State University of New York Plattsburgh

o St. Edward’s University

o St. Michael’s College

o St. Olaf College

o Stevens Institute of Technology

o Stony Brook University

o Suffolk University

o Susquehanna University

o Syracuse University

o Texas A&M University

o Texas Lutheran University

o Texas State University

o The College of Wooster

o The New School

o Trinity Univesity

o United States Air Force Academy

o University of California Berkeley

o University of California Davis

o University of California Irvine

o University of California Los Angeles

o University of California Santa Barbara

o University of California Santa Cruz

o University of California San Diego

o University of Colorado Boulder

o University of Delaware

o University of Denver

o University of Florida

o University of Georgia

o University of La Verne

o University of Maryland, College Park

o University of Maryland, Baltimore County

o University of Maryland Global Campus

o University of Massachusetts Amherst

o University of Massachusetts Boston

o University of Michigan

o University of Michigan Flint

o University of Minnesota

o University of Minnesota Duluth

o University of Montana

o University of New Haven

o University of New Hampshire

o University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

o University of North Carolina Wilmington

o University of Oregon

o University of Pittsburgh

o University of Plymouth

o University of Puget Sound

o University of Rhode Island

o University of Richmond

o University of San Francisco

o University of Saint Joseph

o University of St. Thomas

o University of Southern California

o University of South Dakota

o University of Southern Mississippi

o University of Tampa

o University of Texas San Antonio

o University of Utah

o University of Vermont

o University of Virginia

o University of Washington

o Utah State University

o Utah Valley University

o Villanova University

o Virginia Commonwealth University

o Virginia Tech

o Xavier University

o York College of Pennsylvania

o Wabash College

o Wartburg College

o Wake Forest University

o Winona State University

CANADA

o Bishop’s University

o Brock University

o Carleton University

o Concordia University

o Fraser International College

o Huron University College

o IE University

o McGill University

o Ontario Tech University,

o Toronto Metropolitan University

o Trent University

o University of Alberta

o University of British Columbia

o University of Calgary

o University of Guelph

o University of Lethbridge

o University of Montreal

o University of Ottawa

o University of Saskatchewan

o University of Toronto

o University of Waterloo

o Queen’s University

o Western University

o Wilfrid Laurier University

o York University

EUROPE

o American University of Paris

o Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

o EADA Business School

o EDHEC Business School

o EU Business School

o Erasmus University Rotterdam

o ESCP Business School

o ESSEC Business School

o Griffith College Dublin

o Hanze University of Applied Sciences

o HEC Montreal

o IÉSEG School of Management

o IE University -Spain

o Koç University

o Lund University

o University College Groningen

o Maastricht University

o NEOMA Business School

o Tilburg University

o Trinity College Dublin

o University of Amsterdam

o University of Nicosia

o Utrecht University

o Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

AUTRALASIA

o Deakin University

o University of Auckland

Virginia Prairie, EdD Director of Teaching and Learning

TLC Report

This year’s theme has been Coherence.

Coherence is defined as:

1. The quality of being logical and consistent.

2. The quality of forming a unified whole.

Both definitions embody our goal this year to align our priorities to our Mission, Vision, and Educational Aims as a whole school. The TLC, in collaboration with the Learning Leadership Team, have anchored all learning opportunities to consistently focus on these foundational statements, which include our revised Definition of Learning and the ISK Active Learner Roles. These guiding principles set our direction as we worked toward meeting our Strategic Focus Area (SFA) end results. As we reflect on our year of Coherence, we look forward to our upcoming year of Clarity.

SFA 1: Improving Teaching and Learning.

End Results:

Review and refresh our Educational Aims and align them to our Mission and Vision. Redesign the ISK learning design process that leads to the fulfillment of our Mission, Vision, and Educational Aims for all students.

Evidence:

 During IMPACTs, divisions participated in protocols to look at ISK’s language of learning. Groups were given opportunities for consensus-making, looking at models from other schools/organizations, and deeper understanding.

 Learning Leadership Team members analyzed the faculty’s and staff’s ideas to create parameters and next steps.

 Students and parents were also surveyed for their input and ideas.

 MS Open Doors Week focused on the new Definition of Learning.

 All divisions have started to integrate the Ed Aims into their courses and units (and will continue next year).

 The Deeper Learning process was created, piloted, and rolled out with all divisions.

 ES is using Toddle to incorporate Deeper Learning and Backwards Design into unit design.

 MS has had several opportunities to develop deeper learning in their courses. All teams met with the TLC to design learning that brings the Educational Aims to life.

 MS Open Doors Week in April focused on intentional teaching of the Active Learner Roles.

 HS has been introduced to the Deeper Learning process and will be working more closely with this process once it is added to the Chalk template.

 The Director’s Tea in March focused on the history of education and what we should be considering in the coming years.

ISK’s Mission, Vision & Educational Aims

EMPOWERING students to create solutions for tomorrow’s challenges.

LEARNING at ISK

At ISK, learning is the construction of meaning. We construct meaning through inquiry-based experiences that transcend disciplines.

These active roles prepare all ISK learners to achieve our vision to empower students to create solutions to tomorrow’s challenges.

Self-Manager

As a self-manager, I am responsible for my actions. I reflect on my learning and set goals to continue to grow. I take initiative and persevere to overcome challenges. I am aware of my needs and the needs of others.

Thinker

As a thinker, I identify problems and find creative solutions. I am curious and pose questions in ways that open up thinking and create new possibilities. I analyze and evaluate information to design and develop solutions and opportunities. I make claims and support them with evidence and reasoning. I deepen my understanding by considering different viewpoints.

Collaborator

As a collaborator, I actively listen to understand the ideas of others. I contribute by asking questions and building on the ideas of others. I ensure that all voices are heard and valued by encouraging others and sometimes compromising as we build on our strengths. I am respectful of others’ opinions and form positive relationships as a community member in order to achieve a common goal.

Change-maker

As a change-maker, I use my skills and understandings to make a positive difference. I am interested in working on real-world problems and being helpful locally and globally. By being aware of my culture and other cultures, I better understand issues from many points of view. I try to make principled decisions in my everyday life and advocate for a just and equitable future.

Communicator

As a communicator, I express ideas and information clearly, confidently, and appropriately. I listen and show respect when others are speaking. I express my true self and understand that my words impact others. I support and provide space for those whose voices and identities may not be heard.

SFA 2: Integrate student wellbeing throughout the school.

End Results:

Student wellbeing is integrated through our school-wide learning design process. Focus on supporting student wellbeing through our homerooms and advisory programs.

We defined wellbeing: At ISK,wellbeing is equipping all learners with the knowledge and skills to navigate life’s challenges while feeling good on the inside,functioning well on the outside,and doing good for others.

 Counselors finalized the definition of wellbeing at ISK and are updating the website.

 The new definition was shared with the Faculty in April.

 A baseline audit of learning related to student health and wellbeing across the school curriculum was completed.

 ISCA standards and scope and sequence were agreed upon for counseling as a baseline for advisory program structure.

 PHE teachers completed a course called Health in International Schools to strengthen the team’s collaboration, scope and sequence, and pedagogical practices.

 Substances and Healthy Relationships were key concepts that were identified as areas of growth in our vertical program.

 A HS Parent Tea on wellbeing in the curriculum took place in March.

 Training in Eating Disorders for counselors and PHE Teachers.

SFA 3: Define and implement an approach to Inclusion.

End Results:

All educators will plan for and support ISK’s definition of inclusion through our school-wide learning design process.

 MS Open Doors through Inclusion lens.

 Divisional group presentations/discussions around inclusion.

 K-12 Alignment in the SSS department around MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support) book study.

 Schoolwide data conversations (MAP, Acadience, assessments).

 HCL (Highly Capable Learners) workshops for divisional faculty.

 Ongoing support with the Teaching Assistants (TAs) around differentiation.

 SENIA presentations around ELL, LCE, and inclusion.

Warm Regards,

Virginia Prairie, EdD Director of Teaching and Learning

 WIDA training and K-12 alignment around supporting our ELL learners.

 Alignment with our LCE beliefs and philosophies K-12: modifications and curricular conversations.

 SSS presentation to the Board.

 Monthly meetings with AISA SSS Educators to share best practices.

 IEP, Student Profiles, and ELL Support Plans updated and revised.

 Admissions alignment around SSS.

Award Recipients

ES Award Recipients

MS Award Recipients

Yannick Kamphuis / Gr8

2023 Outstanding Scholar

Milan Jayaram / Gr6

2023 Outstanding Scholar

Edie Soraya Cutler Director’s Award

Lorenzo Carver Hernandez Citizenship Award

Taneem Umaiza / Gr7

2023 Outstanding Scholar

Nadia Trites Directors Award

Anay Doshi / Gr7

Outstanding HOLs

Helena Stott / Gr8

Outstanding HOLs

Noah Massawe / Gr7

Outstanding HOLs

Pomeline Hissink / Gr6

Outstanding HOLs

Natasha Sottsas / Gr6

Outstanding Leadership Award

Zaara Salami / Gr8

Outstanding Leadership Award

Raheel Shah / Gr8

Outstanding Leadership Award

Madigan Gerba / Gr8

2023 Outstanding Personal Growth Award

Marcella Cowan / Gr7

2023 Outstanding Personal Growth Award

Neelan Chanmugam / Gr8

2023 Outstanding Personal Growth Award

Wesley Oberjuerg / Gr6

2023 Outstanding Personal Growth Award

Jade Onderi / Gr8

Female Athlete of the Year Award

Dylan Okanda / Gr8

Male Athlete of the Year Award

HS Award Recipients

Solveig Lund Andersen / Gr 9

Outstanding Scholar

Alexander James Thomas / Gr 10 Outstanding Scholar

Sumedh Vedya Vutukuru / Gr 11 Outstanding Scholar

Cosmo Rasmussen Sallusti / Gr 12 Outstanding Scholar

Silas Nelson Piper Svetlana Kovalsky Creative Arts Award

Nicolas Antonio Lyon

The Faculty Award (The Rob Blanchard Faculty Award)

Noah Son Foster

Huduma Award for Commitment to Service (Co-recipient)

Nathan Serwa Okene

Huduma Award for Commitment to Service (Co-recipient)

Vera Harmon Laws Reuben Gray Sportsperson of the Year

Anne Waga Nyangaga Director’s Award for Creative and Critical Thought

Kurt Gugelev-Shapiro Alexander AISA Award for Academic Excellence

Solomon Cabral Piper King Constantine Medal (RoundSquare)

Mandisa Mathew The ASB Spirit Award

Will Moore Athletics Director

Athletics Report

For the first time since 2019, have we seen the full athletics program in action and the return to this has been welcomed by students, parents, coaches, and ISK staff alike. The ISK athletics program has continued to grow and evolve this year, in line with the school’s Mission and Vision. This is evident by the increased number of students choosing to access the program, the number of teams we are producing, and the growth of our team of coaches.

The school Board’s approval of the new track facility, inclusive of much-needed changing facilities and an announcement booth, shows the commitment ISK’s Board has to continue to enrich the student’s experiences and opportunities both in athletics and the ISK PHE program. We thank them for their support. We are looking forward to seeing how these facilities support both student performance and community spirit.

Although we often look to the ISSEA results as one measure of our success in the sporting arena, the first interschool matches for the ES program were realized this year. Students, coaches, and parents celebrated the achievements of our young athletes on the field. We believe that providing the opportunity to develop ISK Lions’ values, how to build trust, grapple with productive struggle, and recognize growth, is essential in building strong lions of the future.

ISSEA Track and Field and Cross Country is one of the most complex tournaments to host. ISK really showed off Kenya at its best using the Kasarani Stadium and the amazing Kararua Forest as the venues for the events. We are proud to be lions in the home of Kenya and our visitors were suitably impressed by the venues and also our performance as we celebrated a home victory coming away as champions! Although not in person, ISK volunteered to host the ISSEA Virtual Chess Championships, honoring our commitment to diversify ISSEA to include opportunities for students to compete in scientific, sporting, musical, and artistic arenas to learn and share unique experiences with students from around the continent.

In April, we held our inaugural ISSEA celebration to recognize all our ISSEA teams and groups. An opening reception held on the MS rooftop area saw teams reunite for refreshments and photo opportunities. This was followed by the exciting awards event in the Arts Centre Auditorium. Here we heard the ISSEA choir sing, watched memorable video montages, and cheered as teams took to the stage for their awards to be presented by our coaches. We finished with tea and cake!

This annual event will now become a permanent fixture on the calendar as we continue to raise the profile of our outstanding ISSEA teams.

ISSEA 2022-2023 Results

Track and Field / Cross Country - Hosted by ISK - Kenya

Cross Country girls team ISSEA Champions

Cross Country boys team ISSEA Champions (for the 4th year in a row!)

Track & Field girls team 4th Place

Track & Field boys team ISSEA Champions

Volleyball - Hosted by ICS in Ethiopia

Girls

Boys

3rd Place

4th Place

Swimming - Hosted by HIS in Zimbabwe

Girls

2nd Place

Boys ISSEA Champions

Boys Spirit of ISSEA Award

Rugby - Hosted by AISL in Zambia

Girls

2nd Place

Boys ISSEA Champions

Band and Choir - Hosted by AISJ in South Africa

Drama and Visual Arts - Hosted by AISL in Zambia

Basketball - Hosted by AISM in Mozambique

Girls

Boys

4th Place

5th Place

Boys Spirit of ISSEA Award

Tennis - Hosted by ISU in Uganda

Girls

Boys

Golf - Hosted by ISU in Uganda

3rd Place

2nd Place

Boys ISSEA Champions

Boys Spirit of ISSEA Award

Football - Hosted by IST in Tanzania

Girls

Boys

5th Place

5th Place

STEM - Hosted by HIS in Zimbabwe

Overall Design/Robotics ISK 1st Place

Overall Math ISK 1st Place

Overall Science ISK 3rd Place

ISK Team ISSEA Champions (for the 4th year in a row!)

Will Moore Athletics Director

Creative Arts Report

The Arts are an essential component of our ISK curriculum, serving as the lifeblood that infuses creativity, expression, and joy into our students’ education. Music (Vocal and Instrumental), African Drumming, Visual Arts and Theatre Arts allow and encourage a range of artistic expression that involves creativity, imagination, and skill in creating and presenting artistic works and endeavors. Our students are provided with diverse opportunities to explore their passions, showcase their talents, and develop valuable skills that extend far beyond the confines of the classroom. 20222023 was a vibrant school year as we brought the Arts back to our ISK Community.

Elementary School Art

This year, Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade have all enjoyed learning about printmaking and working with clay. Kindergarten explored string block printing with tempera paints, while Grades 1 and 2 experienced making block prints using ink plates, brayer rollers, and foam blocks. When studying clay, Kindergarten students made pinch pots and beads, Grade 1 created funny fish and coil pots, and Grade 2 formed funny faces and designed their own projects. We look forward to our end-of-year art show to share our creativity with parents.

Grades 3-5 Art has been busy as well studying a wide variety of artistic influences, media, and techniques. Grade 3 students explored our wonderful skies with charcoal, pastels, and marble effects, after which they moved on to turning their countries’ flags into textured surfaces, and studying paper mache fruit sculptures. In Grade 4 we had fun studying and creating ceramic gargoyles from the Medieval Times, the 20th Century art by the Ndebele people from Southern Africa, and Linear Perspective drawing techniques inspired by the Renaissance. Grade 5 students took their

hands to sewing and weaving, explored the art of painting urban scenes with our artistin-residence, Adam Masava, and designed a hybrid animal whilst refining their drawing skills.

Music

This year, our Elementary School students have enjoyed making music in lessons and sharing it with our community in assemblies and during international week. We look forward to performing in the concerts during the last week of school.

Robin Willis Middle School Creative Arts Head of Department

Gwendolyn Anding High School Creative Arts Head of Department

Laois Rogers Elementary School Creative Arts Head of Department

PKA students know how to use their voices in different ways, PKB students can identify different types of songs, Kindergarteners enjoyed playing handbells, Grade 1s can play steps and skips on their briefcase bells and Grade 2s are fluent chopping board drummers. In Upper Elementary School, Grade 3 enjoyed African Drumming in the last quarter, Grade 4 are all proficient ukulele players and fluent at reading bucket drum notation, and Grade 5 students are ready for Middle School with a semester of band done.

Members of our upper Elementary Students, alongside Mrs. Beiner, Mrs. Haswell, and Mrs. Rogers held 2 performances of Aladdin Jr. We also had 20 chorus members working alongside Mrs. Aondo and Mrs. Hardy. This was a colorful show of music and drama involving Ms. Hire and the HS tech crew who ran the sound and lights as well as managed the backstage and set design. The show was attended by nearly one thousand members of our community.

Middle School Art

The Middle School Visual Art Department fosters collaboration and creativity through cross-curricular activities and exhibitions, offering students a platform to showcase their talents, expand their horizons, and deepen their appreciation for the arts and the world. Students from the Writers Clubs collaborated with Art students who illustrated their short stories and poems. Additionally, during Black History Month, the department worked with the Modern Language department to create pieces that depicted the personalities of historical figures. At the end of each semester, the Library hosted a collaborative Art Show with the High School, featuring artworks, textile design projects, and stop-motion animations.

Drama

This school year, more students than ever before were able to access curricular and cocurricular Drama offerings. Increased elective classes meant that more students were able to explore their passions in performance and theatrical design. We held two mainstage Middle School Theatre productions this year that were performed, designed, and managed by over 120 of our grade 6-8 students and reached over one thousand audience members. Finally, selected theater students traveled to Mumbai, India to extend their learning at an International Theatre Festival. It was a vibrant year in our Drama program and we look forward to what next year brings!

African Drumming

In Grade 6 African Drumming class, students got the opportunity to perform for our ISK community during the International Day celebrations, the AMIS opening ceremony, and the Kenyan Jamhuri Day, a celebration that was done in collaboration with the Kenyan studies group. It was a year full of energy and life in our drumming program and we look ahead for more opportunities.

Music

Middle School Music this year resonated with excitement with many concerts and activities. We performed at the Welcome Back Picnic, the Java Jazz, the Holiday Concert, the AMIS Honor Choir Festival, our Marching Extravaganza at International Day, the Peponi Music Festival, our End of the Year Concert, and the 5th Grade Promotion. Basically, music was buzzing through the school all year long. Each of these concerts included all the students in some way, collaborating with their groups to make great performances of music from a variety of styles and periods. We look forward to continuing this passion next year!

High School Art

This has been another eventful & exciting year in the HS Visual Arts Department. Notable highlights include all the exhibitions of new artwork presented and the ISSEA Visual Arts Festival in Zambia but significantly also the daily excitement and creative spirit clearly evident in our HS Design & Art Centre. The ongoing and evolving collaboration between HS Design & Visual Arts students and teachers continues to nurture a dynamic hub of creative thinking at ISK.

In February we sent a team of 12 students to the ISSEA Visual Arts Festival in Zambia. All participating students had a great creative learning experience at the American International School of Lusaka. In March we were very proud to see a blockbuster IBDP Visual Arts exhibition, including the artworks of 13 students. The diversity and quality of work presented was a rewarding and thoughtprovoking experience for all those who attended. Congratulations to the Class of 2023 Visual Arts Students!

Drama

Theater allows the opportunity for both participants and viewers to question and explore personal and societal issues in creative ways. This year, High School Drama students slayed literal and metaphorical monsters in the epic Dungeons and Dragons show, She Kills Monsters. It was a mix of high action, comedy, and drama, wrapped up in a gaming adventure. This show is about the importance of imagination in helping us solve the difficult problems we face or the challenging circumstances we find ourselves in. She Kills Monsters provides an important perspective on facing the issues many people deal with throughout life. In the second semester, the high school tech crew assisted in the production of the faculty/staff musical Return to the Forbidden Planet. They were up in the sound booth controlling the lights as well as managing backstage. This tech team transformed the stage into a gigantic purple spaceship and created a monster with largerthan-life tentacles. Thanks to them for making this show a huge success!

Music

The High School Musicians were thrilled to leave the tents and return to the classroom this year. It feels good to be performing together again for our community! The PTO Welcome Back Picnic was a hit in September! Families and friends were able to attend the HS Jazz Cafe in the HS Amphitheater this year, enjoying the music from our Concert Band, Concert Choir, String Ensemble, Jazz Combo, and A Cappella Choir.

During Semester 2, International Day focused on a unit of Kenyan and Namibian music, with Concert Band and Choir taking the stage. February 22-25, 2023 marked the return of the in-person ISSEA Band & Choir Festival hosted by the American International School of Johannesburg. ISK students had the opportunity to work under the batons of Scott Leithead and Tremon Kizer. The ISSEA Finale Concert was a grand success! The year ended with the Showcase Concert on April 18, where 14 seniors were recognized for their commitment and leadership in the music program.

Laois RogersRobin Willis Gwendolyn Anding

Elementary School Creative Arts Head of Department

Middle School Creative Arts Head of Department

High School Creative Arts Head of Department

Jessica Hajee High School Counselor for Student Wellbeing

Service Learning

Report

The program continued to grow this year, with exciting new clubs proposed by students. Students in ISK Auto have been busy restoring a 1969 VW beetle with a plan to sell it and buy another car to restore next year. Hack club offered students an opportunity to learn coding skills, with a main focus to encourage girls to pursue STEM courses and careers. French and Spanish clubs offered an opportunity for Modern Language students to practice speaking, get homework help, or just delve deeper into the language they enjoy. The Coffee Barista cohort passed their Barista certification at Dormans Coffee, allowing them to work in coffee shops around the world. Tupike Global Dishes students learned to cook simple meals and how to add their own creativity to meals.

With COVID-19 restrictions lifted this year, we have fully resumed community interactions for service learning. For example, the Interact Club has continued its feeding program and forged a new partnership with a local primary school. The Round Square Club has started a partnership with Kangemi Resource Center which benefits over 17,000 students. Project Imagine has continued to work with Salama and Children’s Garden Center, and also presented to teachers this year on the role we can all play to support a safe and inclusive climate.

We’ve revamped the CAS program this year. Students in grades 11 and 12 now take part in a clearly defined collaborative CAS project, and we have seen amazing projects such as CoLearn where our students have been teaching science to students at Loresho Primary School on Wednesday afternoons. ISK houses the biggest Samburu museum in our library, and digitizing it was the CAS project for two of our seniors.

The grade 10 work experience was another highlight, with grade 10 students planning for the future with a career fair and four days of work experience. Work experience came at the end of a quarter-long advisory unit which helped students understand themselves better in order to plan for both their immediate and long-term future. During the career fair, students heard from a wide range of professionals such as an architect, physiotherapist, engineer, book author, research analyst, and even a professional basketball scout from the NBA! Guest speakers shared their own journeys and discussed the need for work-life balance and life-long learning. Work experience also saw our students work in a variety of different placements: BBC, KWS, Capital FM, World Bank, the Supreme Court, Amnesty International, iHub, Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital, Trademark Hotel, local veterinary clinics, and many more. Student and employer feedback was overwhelmingly positive, highlighting how beneficial experiential learning is at ISK.

Jessica Hajee

High School Counselor for Student Wellbeing

Dave Neudorf Director of Technology

Report Technology Department

During the 2022-23 school year, our technology and the programs we offer continued to grow.

Elementary School

At our Elementary School, we believe in fostering innovative practices. Our focus on integration and designing units around conceptual inquiry was instrumental in promoting the active learner role of our educational aims. With the help of the experiential team, we created a variety of learning spaces beyond the traditional classroom, including a kitchen, Makerspace, and outdoor areas. This approach allowed pre-kindergarteners to engage in woodworking challenges to learn basic tools, while our grade 5 students used the Makerspace and 3D printers to create artifacts for their human rights museum. This year, the experiential team offered weekly cooking classes for our kindergarteners and our grade 4 students learned the basics of movie-making through green screens and stop-motion animation. Grade 3 students explored electricity and circuits through the use of LittleBits, and grade 1 learned the basics of coding by giving a WeBot a set of directions so it moves to a specific location. At our school, we are committed to making the curriculum accessible to all students and working with teachers and students with the use of adaptive technologies. These innovative practices have helped our students develop transferable skills such as passion, creativity, and ambition that will be invaluable for their future success.

Middle School

In Middle School, we have focused on supporting our students to be innovative and purposeful in their use of technology. The Chromebook program continued to be successful in allowing students to access resources and share their learning in their core classes. This year, students throughout Middle School harnessed the power of websites, video editing, graphic design software, animation, and other tools to showcase their learning for a variety of audiences and purposes. In addition to the Chromebooks, the Middle School used iPads as a creativity tool for classes such as Humanities, Art, Design, and Photojournalism. Within this digital environment, we also take time to focus on well-being and responsible use of technology. The digital citizenship curriculum continues to expand throughout the Middle School through advisory lessons tailored specifically to each grade level.

The Innovation Studio continued to offer a variety of elective courses for students. Among the courses previously offered, the addition of Product Design and Graphic Design courses offered new opportunities for students to be innovative and creative. Among some of the projects this year, the students redesigned the library genre signs for the Elementary School library, created name plaques for teachers in the Middle School, designed posters for the Lego League tournament, designed and built a feedback box for the MS Leadership Roundtable, and redesigned the medicine cabinet for grades PK-12 in the Health Office.

Also in the Innovation Studio, co-curriculars were available every day after school. Coding, Plastiki Rafiki, DIY Design, Minecraft club, ISK Autos, and Sawdust Club have allowed students to learn new skills and find new passions. This year there has been more crossdivisional collaboration in the co-curriculars with the Minecraft Club being led by a group of High School students and ISK Autos having a mixture of MS and HS students.

High School

The Design and Arts Centre (DnA) was a very active space this year, home to 6 popular STEM electives, IB Design Technology, STEM Pathways, as well over 10 extracurricular clubs. The Arts and Design Faculty continued to collaborate on a variety of projects and make use of each other’s resources.

Over the summer break, the triangle in front of T4 was paved, making it a usable outdoor workspace for both STEM and Arts students. This year we started the Designer in Residence program in the High School, where designers are invited to the ISK campus so that students can learn from them and gain practical skills from experts in their fields. The Arts Department, similarly, has revived its “Artist in Residence Program” and we look forward to growing this initiative in the following school year. As part of this program, in March and April, we were able to invite an auto electrician, a panel beater, a mechanic, and textiles and an upholstery expert on campus to work with ISK students to rebuild a 1960s VW Beetle through the newly established ISK Autos Club. After winning the AISA Service Project Award and the ISC Service Learning Awards at the end of last year, the ISK Plastiki Rafiki Club continued to build plastic recycling machines, designing products, and help open up new workshops.

STEM Pathways students were involved in designing various innovative social impact products including a remote monitoring system for African Senegalese Beehives, garden furniture made from recycled plastic, 3D printable vertical and horizontal wind turbine blades that connect two generic 100w generators, and electric tilling and seed planting wheelbarrows for rural African farmers.

ISSEA STEM took place in-person again in Harare, Zimbabwe. ISK sent 13 students to compete in Science, Robotics, Design, and Math events against other schools from Southern and East Africa. ISK, the defending champions, once again won first place in the competition.

Lastly, is the work the Math Department has been doing in collaboration with the Tech Department in piloting different hardware and software tools to enhance the math classroom’s teaching and learning experience.

Dave Neudorf Director of Technology

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

Finance Report

Adrian Amen Board of Directors Treasurer

Year in Review

Moez Jiwani Business Manager

ISK’s sound financial position and appropriate financial management practices were independently confirmed by KPMG in the Unqualified Opinion for the most recent school year audit (2021-2022).

This year, we also achieved an important milestone in beginning the construction of the running track project. This project has been postponed over the last few years due to COVID and other matters.

The Board of Governors and Board of Directors provided guidance and fiduciary oversight to ensure that ISK remains on a firm financial footing. A regular review of the school’s LongTerm Financial Plan (LTFP) by the Finance Committee and Board of Directors ensures that ISK’s remains in good financial standing.

2023-2024 Budget Statistics

2022-2023 Operational Budget2023-2024 Operational Budget

2022-2023

Budget 2023-2024

Budget

Regards,

Pamela Pappas Director of Community Relations & Advancement

Report Advancement

After two years of uncertainty and caution, we were delighted to see so many traditions, school events and day-to-day activities come back to life as COVID restrictions eased. The eagerness of every community member to get together again was evident in every smile and hug as the campus reopened to parents.

Admissions

Telling the story of ISK is key to helping new families understand and decide if ISK is the right match for their family. We have a great story to tell, and not surprisingly, many new families agree. This year, ISK’s enrollment rose to 1076 students, which is a testament to the expertise of ISK’s dedicated staff and faculty, excellent facilities, and our reputation as one of the best, most welcoming schools in Africa and the region.

Marketing & Communications

The Advancement Office is responsible for guiding the school’s communications and ensuring effective communication both inside and outside the ISK community. The goal is to tell the ISK Story in print, in person, and through electronic communications, a job that is both challenging and extremely rewarding. Among the highlights:

• The Advancement Office also worked alongside the Teaching and Learning Center to build the visual identity of ISK’s revamped definition of learning and educational aims. To highlight this, we will undertake branding activities around the campus before the beginning of the new school year. This will contribute to our shared understanding of what we believe in as a learning community.

• As a part of our marketing strategy for enrollment, we hosted four Open Days, two focusing on the early years program and the others on our Pre-K to Grade 12 program. We received an overwhelmingly positive response from prospective parents, who, among other things, admired

the eloquence and confidence of our student ambassadors. From November 2021 to the present, we have hosted six Open Days, and as a direct result of these, we have enrolled 15 children, and 35 other applications were received.

• Following an aggressive social media campaign highlighting the ISK experience and showcasing the prestigious IB Diploma Program, we received over 300 applications for the 2023-2024 High School Scholarship program, twice the number received the year before. This year, we awarded two scholarships: to Nathan Matimu hailing from Jawabu School, and to Saone Kwena from Viraj International Academy.

Community Relations

Community-building initiatives and events are the cornerstone of the Advancement Office’s activities. The Welcome Back Community Picnic, a collaborative event between the Advancement Office and the PTO, welcomed over 1000 Lions on the ISK campus in September. Innovations in this annual event made it a smashing success, according to the feedback received, with student-led clubs in the spotlight, and a new centralized physical layout. The last time we hosted this event was in 2019, before the onset of the pandemic. We are confident that bringing back this annual favorite helped families feel closer to the ISK community.

Hosting events such as the monthly Farmers’ Market contributes to the cohesiveness of the ISK community. The market tagline (and branding) -- Fresh|Local|Lively -- fed into a lovely community ambiance that included a family photo booth with instant photos, a fun kids’ zone, live music, and a picnic-style eating area for families.

International Week 2023, which was held on campus for the first time in three years, was a successful collaboration between students, faculty, staff, and parents. Since the pandemic started, we adapted to the new normal of minimizing interactions and putting off events. This year, we were finally able to celebrate our full International Day on February 17, 2023. We had a celebration of flags and nationalities as a part of the ceremony (honoring 118 nationalities!), and parents were invited to attend for the first time since February 2020.

For the second year in a row, we hosted LCE student Adam Chande as an intern in our office; it was a pleasure to have him back with us. Adam learned about everything our team does related to admissions, communications, marketing, and community relations. We were equally proud to host Grade 9 student Naledi Mazibuko, who interned with the Advancement Office for six weeks in semester 2 in connection with the HS Leadership Seminar.

Alumni

In addition to supporting our students on campus, their parents, faculty, and staff, the Advancement Office maintains close ties with former students, parents, faculty, and staff and actively seeks ways to facilitate communication between them. This year we took special steps to connect via social media with our Alumni community, locally and abroad, and to reinforce the message that ISK is still a vibrant and growing institution with the same commitment to excellence that they remember. In this vein, we hosted various Nairobi social gatherings with alumni guests ranging from the classes of 1983 to 2022, and a great time was had by all. In February 2023, we hosted an overseas Alumni Mixer in Washington, DC, hosted by ISK’s Director Michael Callan, with

over 80 former students, faculty, administrators, and board members in attendance. The photos and videos shared point to a lovely evening of reminiscing and networking. Building on the success of our alumni engagement strategy, we look forward to opportunities to connect with this important constituency next year.

Sincerely,

Pamela Pappas Director of Community Relations & Advancement

“This year we took special steps to connect via social media with our community,alumni locally and abroad.”

Our Diverse Community

Enrollment for 2022-2023 reached 1076 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.

Judy Mbithe ISK Health Clinician

Report Health

Dear ISK Community,

Mid- Late 2022, many countries globally began shifting towards the endemic phase of COVID-19. This meant a roadmap was being developed for how the countries could eventually live “normally with COVID-19 in our midst”, and manage it as an endemic disease while maintaining some public health measures. Here in Kenya, there was no such official public declaration made but it was clear with the easing of many restrictions and increased uptake of COVID-19 vaccination that as a country we were making remarkable progress.

Re-opening and IC Trips

In line with the MoH call for vaccination of children aged 12 and above, ISK successfully collaborated with Westlands Health Centre in facilitating two separate COVID-19 vaccine drives at ISK in November 2022 and March 2023. The health team believes that looking beyond the classroom and into community organizations and other public or private partnerships can reduce inequalities in educational achievement and health outcomes.

With the backdrop of COVID-19 transition from an epidemic to endemic, schools across Kenya reopened successfully and most were able to transition back to pre-covid activities. At ISK, Inter-cultural trips across all divisions resumed successfully whilst maintaining health and safety measures e.g frequent handwashing and reporting Flu incidences. It was so rewarding to see the joy and positive anticipation on the student and teacher faces as they prepared to attend these trips.

Screenings and sports events

School programs that account for the individual, family, school, and community can positively influence both student health behaviors and learning. In this regard, towards the end of September the Health Office carried out Vision,Hearing and Scoliosis hearing checks on students within grades: Grades 2, 4, 6 and 8, Scoliosis- Grades 6, 7, 8, and 9. Parents whose child/ren needed specialist review depending on the outcome of the checks were notified at the end of the exercise. These screenings are not substitutes for a complete evaluation by specialists. If any parent wishes to have their child/ren evaluated, please be on the lookout for our emails through the Divisional Offices next school year!

Effectively coordinated and strategically planned school health programs and services are also necessary for closing the academic achievement gap and promoting health equity.

In the month of October (Pink Month) the ISK Health Office partnered with MP Shah Hospital to provide a health talk on breast health and on-site screening to staff at ISK on October 26. The Health Office sent out “Did you know” facts

and other information about Breast Cancer in Kenya and all over the world every Monday and Friday and encouraged the community to wear pink every Friday in October. The pink ribbons were made available at the Advancement Office, Health Office, and Divisional Offices. The event was successful and we had over 50 registrations.

ISSEA Track and Field took place within the same month of October. The Health Team in collaboration with E-plus ambulance Services worked hard to ensure that everyone’s health was well taken care of during the entire event.

In support of Men’s Health and to honor International Men’s Day on November 9, the ISK’s Health Office in collaboration with MP Shah Hospital offered an opportunity to screen for blood sugar, blood pressure, and PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen). We had over 80 men attend the drive!! It was great to see men at ISK take part in this wonderful initiative of knowing more about their health.

The Health Team is always seeking learning opportunities to keep abreast with the everchanging medical world and provide better health services for the ISK Community. In this regard, the health team undertook an Advanced Trauma Training on campus offered by Prime Care Trainers.

Health alerts and relocation

In early February, there was increased sensitization by the MoH on Cholera vaccination following a confirmed outbreak in Nairobi among other counties. All food services staff participated in the drive supported by Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital. The annual vaccine drive followed in March offering the Cholera and other vaccines to the ISK community.

Following safety concerns of the Health Office building, we relocated temporarily to the ES MPR early March. It’s been wonderful experiencing life on this side of the school. We are appreciative of the efforts made towards advocating for a new Health Office building and look forward to moving in August 2023.

As we come to the end of yet another wonderful year, we wish to thank the ISK community for their continued support and collaboration. We value the smiles and frequent interactions within the campus and hope you enjoy the upcoming summer break! Be safe.

Kind Regards,

Freda Muyambo PTO Chair

PTO Report

To all the wonderful people who make up the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) including parents, faculty, administration, and the Advancement Office, thank you for making us successful. We would also like to thank the school in its entirety, including Operations and Security for holding us up throughout the year.

The past year was full of surprises when it came to fulfilling our mission and building our community. With far fewer post-pandemic restrictions, our events often saw a record

number of attendants. This meant it was hard to know if our budget would hold, but with a little thinking outside the box and having more access to campus, we reduced some of our anticipated costs and made our coffee mornings and sundowners successful, no matter how big. We also came into the year open to more partnerships with the school community and co-hosted events where possible. The highlight of our year was a return to hosting full-scale events on campus such as FOTA Art Show, ES Holiday Bazaar, and Taste of Nations.

We opened the school year by collaborating with each school division (ES, MS, HS) to host sundowners right after the Back to School Nights, with a successful turnout. The rest of the year, our divisional lead reps worked closely with our respective school principals to bring on a number of community-building events such as movie nights, parent socials, and parenting book clubs among other initiatives. Each semester opened with very well-attended coffee mornings and sundowners, welcoming new parents into the community to mix with existing parents and faculty. Our New Parent Bus Tour returned and was fully subscribed, offering an adventurous introduction to Nairobi’s best-kept secrets. Our community events were also very well attended and appreciated; with some coffee mornings held in partnership with the PTO Shop (DUKA) as well as hosting sundowners in tandem with the annual Friends of the Arts Show (FOTA).

Our Holiday Bazaar was fun for the kids, with over 80 local vendors and a festive atmosphere with live music from our elementary school students. Some of our youngest lions became experts at negotiating prices, giving them a real Maasai Market experience. We charged a vendor fee of KSH 2000 per vendor, which helped to cover the costs of tea and lunch for 168 people within the vendor teams. The surplus was used to sustain the ES budget.

We had the challenge of trying to recover the budget deficit that we experienced over 2 years during the pandemic. We implemented event-sustaining strategies where the opportunity presented itself and also saved costs throughout the year. We will end this year in a much healthier financial position than initially anticipated as a result. Some of the strategies included charging a Holiday Bazaar vendor fee and opening a community events drinks bar at FOTA. We also invited parents to buy their own drinks during sundowners, this was enthusiastically accepted.

Lion’s Tank pitch sessions, a Dragon’s Den-style pitch competition for student service clubs, were held on November 17th, 2022. Nine community service clubs, consisting of ES,

MS, and HS students, presented their pitches before a panel made up of parents and faculty from the Admin, Advancement, and Business Office. Each grant was worth $500. The clubs were awarded a total of $4000 in a 50/50 partnership between PTO and Advancement Office.

The Taste of Nations (TON) was a truly delicious celebration of our diverse community with 61 countries represented on the day. It is our annual “Fun-Raiser” event and our main source of funds through the sale of food donated per country. Together we exceeded our expectations and raised almost twice the amount we had hoped for; Ksh 1.7 million!! This is more than we have ever raised in any of our historic events. The response from the community made us very proud and we thank everyone for showing up in a big way. Although the final figures captured a loss of $1060 in M-Pesa transactions, our Fun-Raiser was a success and will only further our mission and strengthen our community-building work for next year. In summary, we took an income of $17,988.50 with $2,800.00 from Director’s contribution, $13,283.00 from TON 2023, and $1,905.50 from the additional fundraising activities.

$14,000 is our spend to date as of 25 April 2023, with a projected year-end spend of $15,455.

PTO BUDGET 2022/23 $15,455

PTO FOTA Corner

FOTA, exhibiting East African art, returned to campus for the first time in two years, under new leadership. This was the first in-person FOTA show post-COVID. We had 32 volunteers who supported this year’s preparation and opening night. The opening night, held on November 11th, 2022, was attended by about 300 guests from the ISK and the general community. ISK students visited the show on the following Monday after opening night along with their teachers. The Art Show had 80 participating artists from the East African community, mainly from Kenya and Uganda.

80 Artists

In addition, nine (9) ISK IB art students participated in the show with one student selling their piece and donating proceeds to the charity of their choice. It was considered a great success by both attendees and artists with 3⁄4 of artists selling at least one piece at the show and 15 selling out all of their pieces.

FOTA sponsors this year included Sirimon Cheese and Hendrick’s Gin. Both sponsors plan to support FOTA again next year.

$11,185.72

$12,834.45

Lilliane Makole and Danielle Muench (FOTA Co-Chairs)

PTO Duka Corner

Our PTO Shop, the Duka, is also back on campus near the ES Auditorium. It is open several days a week, providing opportunities to shop till you drop and make a difference to the Kenyan vendor community. We stock 29 vendors and run with the support of 20+ parent volunteers, participating in the Welcome Back Picnic, Farmer’s Markets, and PTO drop-in coffees. It also held a social media capacity-building workshop for vendors this year.

Annual sales have exceeded Ksh 2 million so far, and over Ksh 1.5 million payments have already been made to vendors. There is also a current balance, accumulated over the years, of approximately $15,000.

PTO DUKA, 26.04.23

Opening balance

Imonggo Sales

M-Pesa Payout

Actual Expenses

Cr Closing balance

$18,108.34$31,057.20

DebitCredit $15,110.00 $15,947.20 $15,498.63 $2,609.71 $12,948.86 $31,057.20

We would like to thank every member of our community for making our year successful as one PTO.

Warm Regards,

Freda Muyambo

PTO Chair