The Care Bear Warrd is one of the highest honors one can get at ISH. Each year, only one person per grade can receive this award and that person needs to meet strict, specific criteria revolving around the attributes we associate with someone who willingly looks after others and cares for the community in which they live. In addition, they will do this in a kind and selfless manner.

These Care Bears are made in Keyna by an organisation called Uniting Global Communities through Aid (UGCA). This is an organisation run by women who have been left alone to support a family, sometimes they are left with responsibility not just for their children, but for more than one generation. The International School Hilversum has been a supporter of UGCA sine 2011 and by purchasing these handmade care bears, we generate enough cash to pay the rent for their factory for a whole year!

ISH has supported these initiatives since 2011, initially funding electricity for a small center in Kibera. While the center had to close during the COVID-19 pandemic, our support continues.

Margaret’s Journey

Margaret, originally from Mbale, Uganda, came to Kenya in 1979 to escape the Idi Amin war. Supported by Missionary Sisters, she learned tailoring skills and received a sewing machine, which allowed her to start a small business. Over the years, she has used her craft to sustain her family, even while facing significant health challenges, including brain surgery in 2014 and a mastectomy in 2017.

Margaret’s connection to ISH began in 2009 through a women’s empowerment project in the Kibera slum called Choose Life Today. It was here that she learned to make the Care Bears we know and love today. This skill, introduced by volunteer Marzieh Talebi, not only gave Margaret a new source of income but also forged a connection with our school community.

Rose’s Vision

The empowerment project Margaret joined was founded by Rose Mongare, whose own story is one of resilience and giving back. A widow at 35 and a mother of three, Rose turned personal challenges into opportunities to support others. Through her church and community work, she established programs like Choose Life Today, which teaches tailoring and handicraft skills to women in informal settlements.

Rose also founded the Tulia Education Trust, which helps marginalized students access education. From elementary school to university, Tulia’s efforts have enabled young people to achieve their dreams despite difficult circumstances.

Margaret now makes Care Bears from her home, with the income helping her pay for medication and sustain her family.

This partnership has also strengthened the bond between ISH and the wider community, offering our students and families an opportunity to contribute to impactful causes.

We are incredibly grateful to Margaret, Rose, and all those involved for their dedication and courage. Their stories remind us of the power of compassion and the importance of supporting others in meaningful ways.

Sonja works with impactful organizations at global, national, and local levels, including:

- The Salvation Army
- VluchtelingenWerk Nederland
- Stichting Present, particularly the Friend4friend NL initiative.

Through her work as coordinator of Friend4friend NL, a buddy programme for Dutch youth and newcomers to The Netherlands, Sonja shared valuable insights on building bridges between communities.

Her talk centered on a powerful question: 'What can I do?'—showing how small acts can create meaningful change.

We’re deeply grateful to Sonja for inspiring our students and staff to contribute to a more just and inclusive world.

Matthijs Schrijvers:

"I really enjoyed the experience of immersing myself in the competitive programming culture and making new friends. I learned about machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing, which allowed me to win a bronze award. Going to Bulgaria for this was the highlight of my summer!"

Stefano Larsen:
"It is difficult to know where to begin, given how many amazing things happened in Bulgaria. Above all though, it was incredible to meet people from all over the world and hear their stories about how they got there. We got particularly close with the Isle of Man team, amazing people we are still in contact with to this day.

There is more to AI than what is portrayed in the media. We had to make and train these networks ourselves, so it was not a matter of just using ChatGPT to do the work for us—it most certainly wouldn't do a good job! We got to learn how these networks were made, as well as how they can be used, and it was wonderful to do this in a friendly and competitive context. Winning the bronze medal too was just the cherry on top."

 We’re proud of Matthijs and Stefano for their dedication to learning and for representing ISH on a global stage!

During their time at ISH, Mr. Graves, our Art and Design teacher, led a session focused on Dutch artists, setting the stage for the students' upcoming visit to the Rijksmuseum. This discussion was enriched by the participation of our own Turkish speaking students, who confidently facilitated engagement, represented ISH, and demonstrated exceptional hospitality.

These interactions reflect the essence of education at ISH—fostering global connections, encouraging curiosity, and promoting collaboration across borders. The visit was a wonderful opportunity for everyone involved to learn, share ideas, and create meaningful memories.

We extend our gratitude to the AÇI Schools for their visit and to our students and staff for their efforts in making this exchange such a success.

Moments like these highlight the power of education to connect worldwide and make us proud to be an internationally engaged community!

In València, 163,833 children are currently living in areas heavily impacted by the recent catastrophe, and with nearly 29% of the populations already at risk of social exclusion, the DANA (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos), the low- pressure system, has worsened many families’ situations. At ´Holanda con la DANA´, they believe no child should go without a gift this holiday session.

ISH is ready to help them to bring magic to those children and make Christmas better for them!

Instructions:

1. Use a small box/present bag
2. Fill it nicely with small, nice and new presents: a stuffed animal, a toy car, dominoes, musical instrument, toys, a puzzle…)
3. Decorate and wrap the box as a gift
4. Mark the age (between 1 to 14 years old)
5. Write the gender (for a boy, for a girl, or for both)
6. Hand in the box to Mr. Palacios (MYP office) or to Students Services (Ms. Janika Venter)
7. Deadline: Friday 6th of December 2024

Written By: Mr. Monllor Palacios

Bonjour! My name is Vita. I am a student in Grade 10 at ISH.

I recently came back from an Erasmus+ mobility activity to a beautiful city in France, Brest. This exchange was for a month, and I spent it meeting wonderful people, discovering new aspects of the culture and seeing what the city has to offer. It was truly a fantastic month and besides improving my French, I have also learnt more about the country itself and the school system.

The school was very different compared to ISH, ranging from the breaks to the lessons. It was quite hard at first, speaking in a new language and living with a different family than my own, but everyone made me feel very welcome. I will be forever grateful that I had the opportunity to do this.

This experience has taught me how to be more independent, and even though I got a lot of help when I was there, some parts I had to figure out on my own. For instance travelling back on my own was very hard and honestly quite stressful. My communication skills have greatly improved during this time period, not only with close people but also in a school setting. This has also been a time when I was honestly very happy most of the time, mainly because of the experiences in the city, with the family but also with others. I strongly recommend this experience to future candidates!

Written By: Vita, Grade 10

We’re thrilled to share a comprehensive report created by four dedicated members of the ISH Sustainability Committee before the summer holidays. This report outlines our ongoing efforts toward sustainability within the school, showcasing the initiatives and key individuals who are working hard to make a positive environmental impact.

The report highlights our school community’s collective dedication to building a more sustainable future and encourages us all to continue making thoughtful, green choices.

For those interested in learning more about the report and our sustainability journey, you can read the full document here.

Figure 1- ISH delegates at MUNISH

The MUN conference took course over three days and began with an opening ceremony to welcome delegates. The opening ceremony included a speech from the secretary general, Anna Vallette d’Osia multiple guest speakers at the conference explained their understanding of the theme and what multilateralism is but also how these theme applies to MUN and to our society. The opening ceremony was a warm welcome to all the delegates and, through the various keynote speakers, was also a trigger for thinking and learning. In the words of the secretary general, “MUNISH is a once In a lifetime experience” which the delegates from ISH had been able to connect with.

Figure 2- MUNISH opening ceremony

Over the next three days delegates debated issues in their committees that they had prepared to tackle. The MUN was truly outstanding in its organization with a flag presentation at the opening ceremony of all countries attending, showcasing the sheer variety of perspectives. We would also like to thank the Board of Directors for their hard work in making all of this happen and run smoothly, and in giving us the honour to experience the product of their hard work.

MUN or model United Nations is a stimulation through which students can take up a role of an UN delegate. It relies highly on skills such as debate, collaboration, communication, public speaking, problem solving and creative thinking. This makes MUN a great opportunity to develop a plethora of academic skills. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, the conferences focus greatly on occurring issues which raises global awareness in our students and brings the younger generation to take action in the world. Additionally, MUNISH included delegates from across all countries such as Egypt, France, Germany and turkey making it a great opportunity to make friends and to meet people from other countries. Many delegates from international school Hilversum as well as other schools stated that this sense of internationality and connection is what they believe to be one of the highlights of MUN. It is an opportunity to investigate other perspectives and to, very importantly, learn from one another.

Our school had a lot of first time delegates coming into this conference, up to 15!. These delegates already had workshops organized by the school MUN club so that they are prepared and confident for the conference. They were given opportunities to write resolutions and debate before the actual conference so that they are ready to take action.

““Going into MUNISH I was rather intimidated, especially as I do not do a lot of public speaking however everyone was very welcoming and it was a great experience that I would recommend” -Tilly Glass, first time delegate, EVC

MUNISH is a conference that is friendly to both beginner and advanced delegates due to its variety in committees. As mentioned by Tilly, delegates are very friendly, and a welcoming learning atmosphere is established by both trained chairs and experienced delegates. We continue to encourage any interested students from grade 9 or above to take part in MUN not only due to its amazing academic impact but also because of how special such an experience is. Set in the Hague, attending MUNISH was not just an MUN conference but it was an experience to broaden horizons. Many students had stayed in the city in the peaceful local community. Many delegates from ISH stated that staying in their accommodations in the Hague and being able to connect with others there made it very exiting and enriched their experience.

“Mun was a great experience, even though I have been to another MUN this felt like my first.” - Shourya Sangwan, Lebanon, spc2

We are immensely proud of all attending delegates. We would like to give special recognition to Merijn Schumacher, HSC who made ISH shine through winning best delegate! It is also important to give a thanks to Anushka Seth, chair of ICJ and Johan Zijverveld, chair of WHO. We are so proud that students from our school are taking the initiative to help make MUN the incredible experience that it is and that have led and helped such important committees over the course of three days. We would like to thank the MUNISH board of directors again for making all this possible, and our ISH MUN directors for organizing and overseeing this trip.

Written By: Pola Borkowska

The trip included various cultural activities such as museum visits, printmaking workshop and pasta making class.

The famous salute of David and various art treasures such as Primavera by Botticelli  were viewed under the guidance of an experienced local guide.

The students learned the ancient techniques of etching and aquatint which aren’t all too dissimilar as what masters such as Rembrandt used.

The art of fresh pasta making was also experienced and the result was very delicious truffle filled tortellini: a skill the students could enjoy for many years to come.

It was truly inspiring trip and all the participating students and accompanying teachers came back home with more appreciations for Italian art and culture as well some a couple of etching prints which they can use for exam work.

Written by: Mr. Ron Kim

After a 3-hour flight, we arrived at Keflavik Airport and met our amazing guide, Nick Taylor. Our first adventure was to the “Bridge between Continents”, where we stopped between two tectonic plates and experienced Iceland’s bipolar weather. One minute sun the next minute lashing hail and strong wind.

The next destination was Gunnuhver, where we watched the bubbling mud pools. That evening we stayed at Hotel Vatnsholt and enjoyed a warm meal together. However, the day hasn’t just ended, we experienced a beautiful moment after dinner where the northern lights had surprised us on our first night.

The second day we went to Iceland’s famous Golden Circle. We saw Strokkur (a geyser) erupt, shooting hot water into the air every 5-7 minutes. After the Golden Circle we made our way to the Gullfoss waterfall, we felt the mist of the water up close. After an astonishing view of the waterfall, we made our way to Fridheimar greenhouse, where we enjoyed an amazing bowl of tomato soup along with mouth-watering, freshly baked bread. Then we visited Þingvellir National Park and learned about Icelands amazing history, later on that night we arrived at Hotel Laugarvatn and enjoyed some downtime.

The third day was all about Iceland’s southern coast. We roamed behind Seljalandsfoss waterfall, explored the immense Sólheimajökull glacier and visited the renowned black sand beach and Vík, which is known to have “sneaker waves”, these waves can unexpectedly sweep people off the shore. The towering basalt columns at Reynisfjara captivated us, however, we enjoyed the view from Dyrhólaey cliff. By the end of the day, we stopped at the LAVA Centre, a museum made for Iceland’s volcanic activity, before settling in at Hotel Örk.

On our very last day we walked through Reykjadalur Valley, known for its steaming hot springs and explored Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Station to gain insight into Iceland’s renewable energy. Further on, Nick had given us a tour of the capital city (Reykjavík) which familiarized us with the city’s attractions, including the famous Hallgrímskirkja Church and the Sun Voyager Sculpture. We enjoyed our last dinner together at a Hamburger factory before going back to Hotel 201. We arrived back to the netherlands with unforgettable memories of Iceland’s natural beauty and geothermal wonders. This journey left us all inspired.

Written and Photographs by: Adam El Baigi DP1

This memorable achievement speaks volumes about the dedication of our players and the support of our incredible coaches: Mr. Simon John, Mr. Michael van Brummelen, and Ms. Mieke Zonneveld. A special thanks also to Oscar Calleja for his leadership on this journey. Together, they made this competition a true highlight of the year.

Congratulations to all involved for representing our school with such heart and skill on the international stage!

The team also made a kahoot to be played in the aula. Furthermore, the Ukrainian speakers of the school have grouped together to create a video to engage with the language in an interactive way.

The purpose of LOTM Ukrainian is to promote cultural understanding, promote linguistic and cultural diversity, and help people appreciate unique languages like Ukrainian.

Written by Adam Hopping

From 4-6 October, ISH students attended the MUN conference in Lorentz Lyceum, Arnhem. LmunA is a major MUN with three days of twelve committes , including NGO’s, focusing on amplifying voices. The conference was a major event towards student initiative and ISH stood out with six chairs attending and three best delegates! We are immensely proud of these students and their contributions. Thank you, to the LmunA board of directors for making this event possible and for working so hard on making it the fascinating learning experience that it was.

“Having attended LMUNA 2023 I had high hopes going this year. LMUNA 2024 did not disappoint” – Stanislaw Borkowski, HSC

As previously stated, the conference was set in Arnhem in Lorentz Lyceum. The conference was opened by Lothar Smith, the guest speaker, who is a professor at Radboud university. As the theme of the conference is amplifying unheard voices, the professor introduced the conference with discussing the importance of communication in modern times which related back to the theme of the conference. Secondly, the delegates were welcomed with a poetry recital and a piano piece performed by a student of the school, Lucia Leia. The opening conference engaged the students in expanding their thinking about current events and had a wide impact towards their awareness and understanding.

“ The LmunA opening conference was probably the best one I’ve ever been at due to the variety in guest speakers and media ” –(Kriti Das) “

LmunA is a major MUN conference which all students can look forward to.

” LMUNA was definitely one of a kind this year. The atmosphere was cozy and welcoming, perfect for second time chairing!” – (Zofia Sobotowska- Chair)

With twelve different committees, including NGO’s, delegates of various skills and interests can find a place where they will enjoy learning through debate for the course of three days. Students engage through writing resolutions, discussing their perspectives and listening to others, all while putting themselves into a UN representative’s shoes. Many different perspectives were heard, varieties of issues were brough up ranging from climate change to equality in policies to food security.

However, LmunaA is not just about debate, This years conference had over four hundred students from various schools attending, isn’t that a great place to meet new people?

“Meeting others in my committee was not only fun but they also inspired me. Their strong speeches motivated me to improve my own public speaking skills.” – Seger Korteweg on his social experience in the conference showing how learning and meeting new acquaintances can be joined together through MUN.

“It was lovely, There were people in my committee from Germany, Austria and Spain”- Kriti Das - Chair- on meeting delegates from various countries.

Thank you ,to our school’s delegates and chairs for representing the ISH. 27 ISH Students attended the conference in the various committees that LmunA has to offer. Congratulations to the 7 students who were new delegates! We continue to encourage all students from our school to join the various MUN opportunities that our school participates in! MUN can develop public speaking skills, formal writing and vocabulary, problem solving, self awareness and awareness towards world issues and many more! Students of various ages and skills can develop and benefit. Our new delegates have greatly enjoyed engaging with MUN procedures over the course of LmunA .

We hope that you enjoyed the conference and that you continue to speak your voice.

We would furthermore like to congratulate our best delegates; Stanislaw Borkowski – HSC, Johan Zijderveld – SC and Nicole Shmakova – CSW. These are great results, and we are immensely proud of our students! We recognize their contribution to the community and participation and hope that they continue performing so well.

The conference had a welcoming atmosphere and was definitely a productive three days. We thank the board of directors for the hard work and for all the delegates gathered for making it so eventful.

Written By: Pola Borkowska

To read more about the event and the impact it will have on the local environment, you can check out the full article via this link: https://www.hilversumsnieuws.nl/onderwijs-wetenschap/onderwijs-wetenschap/344418/dance-a-thon-scholieren-international-school-hilversum-dansen

A huge thank you to everyone who made this event such a success!

Today, International School Hilversum was thrilled to host our October Sustainability Committee CAS and Service as Action project: the Dance-a-thon!

This marked a special opportunity for students and staff to participate in a meaningful project linked to Hilversum’s 600-year anniversary.

In partnership with GNR (Goois Natuurreservaat), ISH joined the “600 Years Hilversum, 600 Trees” initiative, a project dedicated to redeveloping 35 hectares of land from the former A27 highway into a thriving nature reserve. This redevelopment, part of the Huydecopersweg Project, will transform the area into a green space with 600 trees planted in celebration of Hilversum’s milestone.

The Dance-a-thon brought together the entire MYP and DP, who danced for 30 minutes to raise funds to support the Huydecopersweg Project. The energy and enthusiasm of the participants demonstrated their commitment to sustainability and community engagement. Thanks to their efforts, we were able to raise almost €6000! What an extraordinary feat!

The day was not just about dancing but also about connecting to a larger cause—contributing to the preservation and enhancement of our local environment. A huge thank you goes out to the students, staff, and everyone who donated to make this event a success!

This project serves as a reminder of how much we can achieve together in promoting sustainability and environmental consciousness within our community.

Stay tuned for future sustainability initiatives at ISH!

During the event, Annefleur showcased her skills by winning the Neary on hole 10, marking the closest shot to the hole on the green, and impressively secured second place overall. We are incredibly proud of Annefleur’s achievements and congratulate her on this amazing performance.

Congratulations, Annefleur! We look forward to seeing even more success from you in the future!

Over the past few days, they’ve been out exploring the island’s stunning landscapes, bonding with classmates, and embracing new learning experiences amidst the dunes.

A huge thank you to our dedicated mentors, staff, and of course, our amazing students for making this trip a memorable adventure for everyone involved. It’s been an experience filled with growth, teamwork, and lasting connections!

Introduction

What was the programme?

Link to the event programme: resources.finalsite.net

The Leadership and Sustainability Summit was a conference taking place in the International School of Luxembourg where people from different schools, companies and groups got together to engage what true sustainability is and how to tackle it over the years. Many experts attended the conference to tell us their experiences regarding raising awareness for climate change through journalism, to educate people further on regenerative economics and to incorporate sustainable technologies within their companies. It was inspirational so see adults tackle the issues we worry about in all sorts of fields and through this we got a further understanding of the world changing around us. We met with people from 17 different countries all over the world. Some students attended from countries like Scotland, Germany, and Luxembourg to see how their schools are engaging with the topic of sustainability. We were delighted to hear that many were inspired by our growing committee of around a hundred people through our debriefing on the last day.

We are thrilled to share the amazing feats of our very own Isabelle at the elite gymnastics tournament held last weekend in Ahoy Rotterdam. Demonstrating her exceptional talent and dedication, Isabelle won a gold medal in vault and a bronze in uneven bars.

This year has been truly spectacular for Isabelle. She has consistently showcased her skills and determination, making her a standout athlete in every competition she participates in. Her performance last weekend was no exception, as she continues to excel and inspire us all with her unwavering commitment to gymnastics.

We are incredibly proud of Isabelle's accomplishments and can't wait to see what she achieves next. Keep up the fantastic work, Isabelle!

Congratulations to our gymnastics star!

On June 7 and 8, International School Hilversum proudly hosted another edition of our Model United Nations (ISHMUN) conference. Nearly 200 students from across the Netherlands participated in this annual event, which simulates the intense debates that happen at the United Nations and allows students to represent different countries.

The goal is to foster debate and collaboration among students on various propositions. A big thank you to De Gooi- en Eemlander for reporting on our event! 

You can read the article on De Gooi -en Eemlander's website here: https://www.gooieneemlander.nl/regio/gooi-en-eemland/leerlingen-spelen-verenigde-naties-na-in-hilversum.-de-gossip-box-maakt-het-luchtig/13731527.html

The Sustainability Committee's Hedgehog Project raised 168 euros for the Hedgehog Refuge in Huizen! 🦔🌱

This money will be used to buy food and bedding for hedgehogs brought to the refuge. Thank you to everyone who contributed!

You can also donate to the refuge using this link: https://www.egelopvangmiddennederland.nl/doneer/ 

After the CAS trip to Kenya, we decided that selling these bikes could be a great opportunity to collect some extra money and offer it to the schools where our students did volunteer work. The schools lacked materials that we consider normal in our school. The students will often get their only hot meal of the day at school so any donations made, will go towards building/renovating a kitchen, which is currently a shack at the end of the field. Any money left over will be spend to art and sport supplies. 

So, we are very happy that we were able to sell the bikes, and we can help the schools even after the trip of our DP1 students.

The bike sale made another parent decide to donate money to this charity, which she collected during the celebration of her 50^th birthday. We think this is such a great initiative that we wanted to mention it in this message. She donated another €500!

We want to say a big thank you to all parents who helped this charity by buying a bike or donating money. We are sure that the money will be spend well by our colleagues in Kenya.

Written By: Mr. Michael van Brummelen

On Tuesday this week, two teams from the school ventured down to the International School Eindhoven to face off against the best that the ISE could throw at us! A girls’ team, comprised of a mix of MYP and DP students, as well as the boys’ DP team (still undefeated) had spent the past week training and strategizing how best to take on what we all believed to be a real test – ISE teams train weekly and attend numerous school tournaments. They also have some super outdoor facilities (two football pitches!) BUT – we remained positive and focused on the job to come.

The girls, led by Skye Mulder as captain, and coached by Mieke van Zonneveld (herself a spicy footballer) were magnificent. Right from the off, they peppered the ISE’s goal, moving the ball through the lines and between the ISE defence like a hot knife through butter. It was relentless. By the end, Josephine Hausson had blasted in 2 blistering shots (before tragically breaking her arm in a freak fall) and Skye had used her skills, and her head, to bury the ball the twice more. In the end: 0-4 to ISH. Special mention should also be made of our brilliant grade 7s, Valerie, Mosse and Manon who shone during the match, taking on girls that towered above them with aplomb.

For the boys, it was really a game of two halves. The ISE were strong in the opening 45 minutes and, even though it appeared like we were the more dangerous of two teams, they posed us some problems. Captained by Lenny Sehn and coached by Michael van Brummelen (himself a footballer but tragically struck down by dodgy knees), the boys kept calm and tried to work the ball across the pitch, seemingly able to use a sixth sense to know where each other were. At half time, with the score at 0-0, and before having to take Josephine off to the hospital, Michael and the boys assessed the situation and made the necessary changes. In the second half, with the indomitable engine room of Manuel and Coen in the midfield, alternating as two number 10s, we pressed on and secured the advantage. In the space of 30 minutes, we had scored 7 goals. Lenny himself had a hat trick. In the dying moments, the team remained galvanised to ensure we crossed the line victorious, sweeping the ball around and controlling the game. It remained 0-7 when the ref blew for full time.

We were all so proud of the students. They were incredibly positive and well-behaved throughout – an absolute joy to spend time with. And we march on. Still undefeated!

Written By: Mr. Simon John

We're thrilled to share our very own Isabelle's outstanding achievements at the recent national gymnastics tournament! 

Despite fierce competition, Isabelle secured 3rd place overall, showcasing her exceptional skills across all disciplines. But the excitement didn't stop there! In the individual finals, she soared to victory, claiming the gold in vault and adding another bronze to her collection in bars.

Join us in celebrating Isabelle's remarkable talent and dedication to excellence!

Our group started the first day with a graffiti workshop. This gave them a chance to experience a very present form of art in Berlin. First they learned the basics and then it was time to fiddle around with the spray cans, creating some impressive pieces of art! After that it was time for a completely different part of Berlin’s history; the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. It is an intimidating camp where we spent a few hours and via audio tours learned about life in the camp and about the different kind of barracks. In the bus there was time to reflect on what we’ve seen as we were on our way to our restaurant, called Sixties Diner. We enjoyed the burgers and other typical American food and ended the day with an hour of glow in the dark golf!

On Wednesday morning the weather was lovely. This was nice, because the Escape The City Tour app didn’t always work, leading to some frustration. The other group was able to attend an amazing lunch concert in the Berlin Philharmoniker, whilst we were on our way to our Berlin on Bike tour. the sun was still shining and we saw many of the impressive buildings of Berlin. The roads in Berlin are very bike friendly (much better than for example Amsterdam) and we got to see a lot in just over 2 hours. In the evening it was time for the highlight of the week for many students; the Blue Man group! Both groups were here together and enjoyed this spectacular show!

On our last full day in Berlin our group went to the Berlin Philharmoniker, where we learned about the architecture of the building and how they built everything to create the best sound inside. It is an impressive building! Next up: Sanssouci Palace. First we discovered the gardens and the massive premises, after that it was time to have a look inside. Then, back in the bus and time to pack our bags for our drive back tomorrow!

We had a very enjoyable trip and did not just enjoy the city Berlin, but also the positive attitude of our students!

Written By:  Mr. Nico Cramer

ISH group at HMUN

22 students from ISH went to HMUN. We continue to encourage Grade 9 students to involve themselves in MUN. There were also a few first-time delegates, one of who was even an ambassador. Although an extra role, she inquired about the respective requirements to fulfill her duties.

At HMUN, a new arrangement of double delegation was introduced to many delegates. Congratulations to Stanislaw Borkowski and Johan Zijderveld for being awarded Best Delegation in the Security Council. Their collaboration, participation, expression, and insight were certainly recognized.

Security Council was held in the Haarlem city hall, BRICS has held in the Avila Travel Agency, and Lutheran Church Haarlem hosted UNEP. These locations were carefully chosen to enhance the spirit of the conference. They were easy to get to as they were a short walking distance from the school which was the main location.

The Opening and Closing Ceremony happened in the Saint-Bavo Church Haarlem. Here, the Secretary Generals made speeches, Guest speaker and alumni of the Stedelijk Gymnasium Haarlem, Mr. Geoffrey van Leeuwen spoke of his experience of Dutch Ambassador in Afghanistan, and an incredible instrumental of Hallelujah was played on the Mullet Organ, that dates to when the Mozart had played it.

HMUN opening ceremony at St. Bavo Church Haarlem with Mullet Organ

The General Assembly plenary was held in Teyler’s Museum on Sunday the 7^th of April. Here the GA committees exchanged their collaborative findings on their issues.

“It was a beautiful location, and it was great to hear what all the other group had been talking about over the weekend”, said Jody Gielen, Ambassador of South Sudan in the first Committee of the General Assembly.

She liked that she got to contribute to issues of a different variation as a single GA committee can be focused on similar issues.

Debate was intense in all the committees and the global issues at hand were presented with representations of all opinions.

 “The debate of UNHCR brought me so much insight on the situation and living conditions of refugees that many may not be aware of,” Jemma Hambides said, “In debate, there was laughter and friendship built, yet all the delegates were able to work together and come up with resolutions to make best of the situations we are given.”

That about sums up the beauty of MUN. Much of what is remembered is the friends that were made. For experienced delegates, it starts to feel like a community, coming across familiar faces and catching up on each other.

We had warm lunches, that were delicious in addition to their sustainable approach of vegetarian meals. Delegates were also treated with ice-cream that was just perfect on the sunny Saturday. Team ISH much appreciates the Organizing committee and Secretariat of HMUN for putting together this conference.

Written By: Anushka Seth

• The ways personal and cultural events are celebrated
• The reasons cultures have the traditions they do
• Similarities and differences between celebrations

• How do we know about other important celebrations around the world?
• Do all countries celebrate things?
• Why are celebrations important?
• Why do we celebrate?
• What are different celebrations about?

 

Written By: Ms. Foteini Karkampouna

We are thrilled to announce that Bradley (Grade 8) has officially received confirmation of his selection to join the NLTU16 team for ice hockey! As the youngest player, Bradley will proudly represent the Netherlands at the U17 tournament in Bratislava in June as a part of the National U16 team.

We extend our sincerest congratulations to Bradley and his family on this remarkable achievement and are proud of him for pursuing his dreams on the ice.

Congratulations again, Bradley! 

Our exploration began at Tyne Cot Cemetery, an impressive sight that serves as a silent testament to the enormity of the sacrifices made during the war. We were equally moved by other historic sites, such as the Brooding Soldier of Canada, which stands as a powerful reminder of the past. The grand and solemn apperence of the cementeries was made serene by a warm spring sun.

Our visist was enhanced by guided tours that brought to life some of the stories of soldiers and regiments that have fought on those grounds. Our visits to various museums allowed students to step back in time, where exhibitions and reenactments made the experiences of soldiers more tangible, offering a glimpse into their lives during the war. We also visited Talbot House to catch a glimpse on how soldiers would relax on leave from the front – thus providing a comprehensice picture of their lives during the war.

However, our trip wasn’t solely a journey through history. It also included moments of enjoying the charming city of Ypres, sharing meals in local restaurants and engaging in a lively quiz night that sparked laughter and spirited competition. We look forward to going back next year! 

Written by: Mr. Bogdan Cornea

Dr. Valegård is an astrophysicist that teaches here at International School Hilversum, led a fascinating study on the Orion Nebula, capturing stunning images that are helping researchers unlock the mysteries of planet formation.

Let's hear what he has to say about this amazing feat!

Congratulations on finishing your PhD Dr. Valegård!  What inspired you to pursue your PhD while teaching? How do you feel this accomplishment enhances your role as a science educator?

The plan I had from the beginning already before I came to the Netherlands was to pursue an academic career in astronomy and astrophysics. Then in the twists and turns of life I ended up teaching, but the idea of research was always in the back of my mind. Then a friend of my wife/partner, who was a chemistry teacher at a Dutch school started to do a PhD next to her work and she gave me the idea that maybe this would still be possible. So, in a way it is a goal I set a long time ago that finally happened.

I think it is important for subject teachers to be able to return to the roots of their subject. Teaching the subject is super but you still need to work on the 'relationship' to the subject to breathe new life in your teaching otherwise you risk ending up just delivering the content and lose your enthusiasm and that's the moment it starts to get difficult to renew yourself. Which I, for myself at least, find very important.

Can you briefly summarize the focus of your doctoral research and its potential implications in the field?

My research focused on young stars surrounded by dust and gas disks which are locations where planets are forming. They represent the nurseries of exo-planetary systems. The processes taking place ultimately mirrors what took place around our own Sun about 4 billion years ago. The stars I have been studying are somewhat more massive than our own Sun. This is because they are brighter, which makes observations of the disks, with the techniques we have used, easier. The results I, or actually we, since collaboration is really important in science, have found are that the evolution of the young stars towards maturity and the evolution of the disks towards planetary systems seems to take place over different timescales. Previously the general idea was that the disk evolves with the star, but it seems like some of the 'older' young stars have quite young-looking disks. Something either keeps the disks young by stopping the evolution (potentially forming planets) or there is some kind of rejuvenation mechanism that keeps disks young.

I think that it indirectly impacts the scientific community in that it is basic research, it is driven by our curiosity, and therefore can push instrumentation and observational techniques. Also, it helps putting the pieces together in understanding where our own solar system came from. The idea that our sun formed from a molecular gas cloud and the planets from a dust and gas disk around it is not new, this idea is almost 300 years old. But the details of how it happened and why our solar system looks so different from the planetary systems we see around other stars are still not fully understood.

Could you share some insights into the most significant findings or breakthroughs from your PhD research?

To be able to focus on one thing at the time. I think it is more difficult than what one admits to oneself. It took me almost 2 years (out of the 5) to finally be able to efficiently shut out school and family when I was at university and concentrate on research only. To shut out research and family when I did schoolwork and to shut out research and school when spending time with my family.

How do you plan to integrate your research experience into your teaching curriculum or classroom activities?

I hope that renewing my experience in a research project will help me supervise students in their extended essay, their internal assessment as well as their regular studies in physics. We also of course need an astronomy club whose limits are just the inventiveness and interests of its members.

What do you hope your students take away from your journey?

That learning and exploring never stops. When they graduate from IB they are yet only at the beginning. I also hope to show them you are never too old to follow your dreams and that success does not have to happen when you are 25 and done with your Master. In fact, for most of us it happens very much later in life. Of course, success is subjective but let's say it is succeeding with a set goal. My goal was to do research and obtain a PhD in a subject that for me was important and interesting.

Have there been any unexpected or particularly memorable moments that arose from the media attention surrounding your achievement?

Well, I must say that even though I was pre-warned it could happen. I was not really prepared for it. It was a hectic, strange yet very fun week.  I do not really see myself as the expert, but to hear myself speaking on Dutch radio as the expert was, I think for me a memorable moment.

Looking ahead, what are your future aspirations or goals in both your teaching career and your continued research endeavors?

I think I will have to let this sink in for a while. The grant I had for my PhD came with a promise to stay in Dutch funded education for at least two years. I will use these two years to decide what to do next. I already know that there are similar grants, for teachers, in the Netherlands for continued research as post-doc. But only time will tell.

Do you have anything you would like to say to your students after all has been done?

Set reachable goals on your way to your own dream or career and realize that very few people reach the final goal early in life. The same goes for your schoolwork. So, learn to set reachable and reasonable goals for yourself based on your abilities and knowledge at the moment. Easy to say of course, but very hard to learn.

Thank you so much Dr. Valegård for your time, effort and commitment to doing what you love! We hope our students are inspired by your journey and benefit from your expertise.

Ramadan is a special time of fasting and reflection, followed by the celebration of Eid. To honor this occasion, our Kindergarten class indulged in delicious baklava and crafted lanterns.

As part of their new unit of inquiry “cultural celebrations” our Kindergarten class explore how “People around the world express their cultures and traditions in different ways.”

Our KG class - The Robins - would like to, once again, wish the students who celebrate: Ramadan Mubarak!

We are so proud of Andrea (DP1) for placing first and becoming National Champion in the 60m hurdles category! 

Let's hear her talk about her wonderful achievement and what's up next!

Congratulations Andrea! Can you tell us about the event you competed in and what you achieved?

The event I competed in was the 60m hurdles, of 74cm height. I ran against the most esteemed and accomplished athletes in the country, and it was an honour to be there. I won the title of Dutch National Indoor Champion on the 60m hurdles in the category women under 18. While I am extremely happy that I won the gold medal, I am proud of myself for simultaneously making a new personal record 8.58 seconds.

How did you prepare for the competition?

Personally I vigorously trained for 4 to 5 times a week, while stressing that I didn't have enough time to do any school work. However, I understood the sacrifices I had to make to reach a balance between my academic and my athletics career.

Your effort truly is commendable. What was the experience like for you during the contest?

For myself competing is always a fun and exciting experience but of course that doesn't come without a bit of nervousness. The first round started a bit rough because I though i made a false start but in the finals I managed to put that behind me an push myself to do my best. Mainly being confident in myself and my training, I knew that all I had to do was do my best and see what happens. 

How did you feel when you found out you won?

When the race finished I wasn't sure whether I came first or second considering it was such a close race. There was a moment of tension and silence between the end of the race and the moment they came on the screen, but when I heard them announce my name I knew all the work I put into it was worth it in the end. 

That must have been so surreal! What are your plans or goals for your athletics journey moving forward?

As of this moment I don't have any solid plans but rather want to focus on continuing to enjoy myself, my sport and to push my abilities to the limits. However the next milestone is the outdoor national championships in June. So, I'm looking forward to see what I can achieve then. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to tell us about your wonderful win Andrea and we wish you all the luck in the world for your next championship!

ISH has always been a hub of talent, and Friday night's Talent Show really put that on display!

With a range of diverse talents - from captivating dance routines to impressive musical performances, our students displayed a diverse range of skills and creativity.

Congratulations to Anita for receiving the Judges' Choice Award and to both Scarlett and Florine for earning the People's Choice Award!

Their talents and enthusiasm really highlight the vibrant spirit of our school community, so join us in celebrating all those who participated!

A total of 3500 delegates attended this well-coordinated event. The ambience was filled with interactions between delegates from all over the world and us international students felt right at home. Languages were recognized, familiar accents were heard, and divergent perspectives were exchanged on a large scale at this conference.

            “I made friends from all over the world during this conference,” shared Nour Lotfy of IS9, “I am really thankful for the friends I made at THIMUN. I will stay in touch for sure.”

            The opening ceremony took place at the King WIllem Alexander Compact of the World Forum, it is the largest auditorium in the Netherlands seating up to 2,161 people. After the President of the General Assembly’s welcome and reading of the UN charter Preamble, a number of meaningful speeches followed. One that especially struck was the one Mr. Mayor Jan Van Zanen.

“If you can make it here at the Hague, you can make it anywhere in the world.”

 Furthermore, the Secretary General, related his opening speech to Newton’s 3^rd Law, expression that just like every action has an equal an opposite reaction, our work at THIMUN is sure make a significant impact.

            To go with the theme of Peace, Law and Justice, Mr. Osvaldo Zavala Giler, Registrar of the ICC spoke of the History of International Criminal Handling, and mentioned the International Criminal Tribunal of Former Yugoslavia and International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

            Professor Geert-Jan Knoops, an International Criminal Lawyer and Lead Counsel of ICC spoke about the role of defense team in the ICC. The speech was purposeful as we learnt how the prosecution of individuals happen in international court.

            Later some ISH delegates took at visit to the International Criminal Tribunal of the Former Yugoslavia located closely by the World Forum. They also visited the International Court of Justice. The majestic building was a breath-taking sight to see in The Hague.

In the days of debate that followed, lobbying happened, forming allies and bettering resolutions with the combination of multiple minds. Next came the debate which was a competitive procedure with up to 200 people in committees. Delegates carefully evaluated their countries stance based on persuasive speeches. By the end a total of 93 resolutions were passed at THIMUN.

            Congratulations to all delegates for their participation with either a speech, resolution, amendment, point of information or simply undivided focus and engagement in debate. Our delegates bettered their understanding over a range or world topics and how different nation perceive them. It was all about collaboration and finding actions that worked for everyone to make a change. Aral Altun of IS9 main submitted a resolution in Sustainable Development Committee 2, about Ensuring access to adequate and affordable housing for all.

“THIMUN was a great opportunity where I could express myself confidently. It was by far, the most incredible MUN I have ever joined,” Aral said.

The closing ceremony touched our hearts hearing the stories of how far members of the secretariat have come. After the flag bearing and the official hit of the gravel, a most talented musical group played as all delegates got up from their seats and celebrated the end of the tiresome 4 days. The expectation for discipline and formality was lightened and it was a moment of pure joy. Final goodbyes were said, others said see you later, many were inspired, and everyone was certain to miss THIIMUN.

Among all those schools in the world, us delates are incredibly proud to be students of ISH; for taking part in this prestigious conference. It was an absolute honor to be all that international talent. Special appreciation to Mr. Skarvelis, for directing and guiding our experience.

Written By: Anushka Seth

At the recent New Year's Reception for the AT Scholen, staff at the International School Hilversum gathered to welcome the new year and reflect on the educational journey we've been on together in 2023.

This year's celebration was made even more special as we had the honor of acknowledging two exceptional members of our staff who went 'Above and Beyond' in their contributions: Ms. Furstenberg and Ms. Richards!

Ms. Richards was recognized for spearheading the Language of the Month at International School Hiversum. Language of the Month celebrations have brought the cultural and linguistic diversity of our community to the forefront. Her dedication to fostering linguistic diversity and promoting cross-cultural understanding has significantly enriched the school experience for all grade levels. Here's what she had to say:

"I would like to thank the AT Scholen community for this award. It was a complete surprise! It was lovely to have our work in promoting the languages of our community recognized. So many people have been involved in the process: for over ten years, colleagues, students and parents have been contributing to our annual Mother Tongue Languages Celebration in the library every September. Indeed, it struck me as colleagues offered their congratulations, how many of them had played an invaluable role over the years.

"It seems to me that the celebration of our languages has become so much more a part of the social fabric of our school. Every month, for the past two years, we have celebrated a new language and culture with students who speak those languages as well as non-speakers who help and support us. I have often heard from students how grateful they are to have the opportunity to share their language or to see their language made visible in our school. This reaction is so heart-warming and makes our initiatives feel so worthwhile."

"The annual Mother Tongue Languages Celebration in the Library, facilitated by Ms. Christine Furstenberg, is now part of Mr. Charles Claxton’s schoolwide OWL Day, a whole day we now have celebrating languages.

A big thank you to Ms. Cecilia Neethling and our management team for supporting us in this process. We have been welcomed by Ms. Nicolene Gelderman and Ms. Lin Heidmann and have forged a strong link with the PYP by sharing our monthly languages. So many colleagues have helped when their language was being showcased for language of the month or for the Library Mother Tongue Languages Day; indeed, I feel I know some colleagues mainly because of the language initiatives. I could put down the names of all the colleagues, students and parents who have helped me both directly and indirectly over the years, but the list would be too long.

A big Thank You to all of you!"

Ms. Furstenberg was also acknowledged for her efforts in welcoming new students and playing a pivotal role in celebrating the school during the 40-Year Anniversary festivities last year. Her commitment to creating a warm and inclusive environment has left a lasting impact on our community.

When asked about her reflections on the year and receiving the Above and Beyond Award, Ms. Furstenberg said:

"Although I already received thanks on many occasions from Management for my extra commitment last year, I was really surprised and overwhelmed to receive one of this year’s ‘Above and Beyond’ Award. I am very honored, that not only ISH Management but also the AT Scholen Management value my contributions.

"It felt amazing to be call up on stage in front of a big AT Scholen crowd!"

My goal was and is to make the library a warm and welcoming environment for students and staff - whatever their reason is for coming. I love to work with young people, and I appreciate the opportunity to contribute making their time at ISH special!

Ms. Agterdenbos is always supportive, open to new ideas and gives me the possibility to get involved in challenges outside the library as well."

"Since I’ve started working at ISH, I have experienced a welcoming, supportive and understanding community both from students and staff. It’s a pleasure for me to work here. A big thank you to everybody who helped me along the way!"

 Join us in celebrating these remarkable individuals and congratulating them for their outstanding efforts in making ISH an exceptional place for everyone. Their contributions embody the spirit of our school, and we're grateful for their dedication to facilitating an inclusive and enriching learning environment.

Here's to another year of excellence and growth at International School Hilversum!

Thank you, delegates, advocates and MUN director for our appearance as ISH last week. We had a worthwhile experience at the MUNISA. We are grateful for the sophisticated organization of this event by the Board of Directors of International School Amsterdam. The open-minded ambiance and welcoming atmosphere encouraged critical thinking and co-operation. It was the perfect opportunity for our first timers to get a taste of MUN.

The MUNISA opening ceremony was special because the guest speaker, VVD member: Ton Van Nimweg gave an insight into current Dutch Politics. The delegates brought up elections, collision government, housing and other vital topics which were discussed in the Question-and-Answer opportunity. “When Mr. Van Nimweg talked about his role in the VVD, it helped me notice that people in politics may have to make professional statements and take actions based on a collaborative and compromised reasoning rather than solely their own opinion,” shared Neha Mali.

This moment shed light on the complexity of conflicts and how most decisions are not an obvious yes or no and are often in fact debatable.

Mr. Van Nimweg gave a well-rounded overview from a neutral perspective as well as that of the governing political party (VVD).

In this MUN we had multiple first timers from both Grade 9 and 10. They got to know about different global topics, and they applied their understanding in their resolutions. At the conference, they saw other delegates’ views on the respective topic. “At MUNISA, I learnt about the international perspectives on weaponry policies,” said Naysa Mundhra, who was in the First Committee of the General Assembly at her first conference. The delegates who were nervous about what it would be like got plenty of reassurance from the more experienced delegates and after the weekend, they got familiar with voting, speeches, amendments, points and motions. They are now involved in the MUN community and are hopefully in for attending other conferences soon.

We had 2 students from ISH participate in the ICJ as advocates for the respondent team on the Australia vs. Japan Whaling conflict. They were first timers to the ICJ procedure and Catherina Roggeveen and Anushka Seth put up a strong case for Japan. They prepared stipulations, evidence, and a memorandum prior to the conference. Once there, they were part of an intimate committee consisting of 10 people. Throughout the conference, they made speeches, interrogations and the questioning of ISA students called in as witnesses were especially amusing. The advocates briefly prepared their witnesses who had to be questioned by the opposite party and it was impressive how much they added to the case. Ultimately, it was something new and different from the usual resolution writing procedure. It really stimulated a courtroom and was a meaningful exposure for our ISH advocates.

Being part of MUN means attending conferences occasionally and gaining knowledge about the world. This can enrichen vocabulary, activate critical thinking and most importantly advance social skills that can be carried with for the diverse professional fields the students are destined to enter. The art of constructing astute phrases is a life skill which is especially emphasized in resolution writing. Further, the verbal approach of convincing others is also practiced in MUN in making speeches where students worked hard to be persuasive. This is something they must take with them because they collect strategies such as voice-modulation, facial expression, evaluations and much more.

“MUN conferences have really pushed me out of my comfort zone to develop the ability to speak in front of a large audience of unknown people about a newly learnt topic. It taught me to improvise radically and research on the spot to make valid argumentative points against opposing delegations,” - Neha Mali after MUNISA, her 2nd MUN.

ISH encourages students who are fascinated by this disciplined practice. We thank the MUN Directors for supporting us to be a part of the MUN community. Well done delegates and advocates, keep up the good work!

Written By: Anushka Seth

Last Friday, the ISH attended the Gooi Schaak Kampioenschap, and after tying 2^nd place and going through a tiebreaker, eventually ended up getting 3^rd place out of all the schools in Het Gooi!

Our Chess Club regularly participates in these types of events, and if this interests you join the club and strengthen our school’s chess community.

Written By: Ari Veldhoen

Thank you, delegates, chairs and directors, for our appearance as ISHMUN last week. We had a gratifying experience at the LMUNA. “I think as organizing team when you are busy the whole year, and then you see it all coming together…you have like a whole proud moment. It’s like a proud mom moment,” said Sonali, the DSGI of LMUNA. The arrangement and hospitality was much appreciated. The entertainment acts were all impressive and the ceremony speeches touched our hearts. We hope to see you again.

At this conference we had 4 chairs from ISH. They were in the committees: General Assembly (6) and the World Health Organization. This is a new experience for some of them, for the others it was a chance to advance their skills of directing and managing. They passed many resolutions. “As a committee of mostly first timers, we are incredibly proud to announce that every single one of our delegates spoke during this weekend,” said Aadeta about GA6. Their encouragement and effort made an important change in many delegates, even those who were so nervous at first but finally broke through the ice.

This was the first MUN experience for many Grade 9s. They got familiar with the preparing for issues, the general discipline and the in-session language use. We hope they were intrigued by the practice and are willing to participate and discuss other global concerns in the future.

For a lot of the Delegates, this was the first away Conference. A new experience since their first time was likely at our location at the ISHMUN ’23. They were able to apply their understanding that they gained last time into practice at LMUNA.

Many learnt to form allies and work together with delegates from other schools and other age groups. Samuel was in ECOSOC representing India, “I made a bunch of new friends including the delegation of China which is interesting because China and India…and we talked about many different things when we did the workshop,” and the political view of the delegations enhanced their friendships. The workshop gave time to engage in some creative activities while the delegates somewhat sat back and got to know others better. “Other delegations that I befriended were many that co-signed on the resolution I was creating.”

Tommy represented the NGO NASA, “It was different because when I listened to the debate, they addressed the member states but was not inclusive of NGO’s.” This shows that delegates need to be better prepared to be inclusive of all in their committees to have the best productivity and efficiency from all. Going forward ISH will encourage their delegates to be considerate of NGOs. The unique role of representing and NGO was a first time for some from ISH and they benefitted from the experience which they can apply in upcoming MUNs.

Some delegates were introduced to the Ad-Hoc Practice. This was different because they way of preparation varies from the usual resolution writing and there is more collaboration and on-spot activity.

There were 4 best delegates from ISH. Catherina in HSC, Evie in GA6, Sophie in UNICEF and Stan in GA1. Congratulations to them! Furthermore, there were multiple honorable mentions; Macayla Rautenbach- WHO, Samuel Durston- ECOSOC, Kriti Das- UNESCO, Aral Altun – HRCand Anushka Seth- GA6. The great efforts have certainly been recognized. “As usual ISH has swept LMUNA clean, and I am extremely proud of each and every delegate! Absolutely amazing job,” Tara Chanda said after the closing ceremony.

We are so proud of all delegates and chairs for their performance. Their formal looks and polished expression at the LMUNA truly spoke as the face of ISH.

Written By: Anushka Seth

The whole school community - students, parents and teachers - came together to celebrate OWL Day on 26 September.

OWL Day is when we stop and take time to celebrate Our World Languages (OWL) - we now have more than 60 languages and cultures here at ISH. 26 September is the European Day of Languages - an initiative of the Council of Europe since 2001. As an international school - and an IB school - our diverse cultures and languages are really important to us.

In celebrating our huge diversity of languages and cultures we really wanted to do 4 things:

• start a conversation - between students and students, students and teachers, teachers and parents etc. etc. - about what our languages and cultures mean to us as individuals;
• learn first-hand about our languages and cultures;
• give students and parents and teachers (and all our staff members) an opportunity to 'show off' their own language and culture and share their favourite elements with the wider school community;
• engage the whole school community - and make sure that no student regardless of age was left out.

So what happened?

Thanks to the amazing efforts and contributions of our students, parents and all the school staff, we were able to enjoy a massive variety of activities based on our languages and cultures.

Highlights of the day included:

• classes and activities in PYP led by MYP and DP students - ranging from Polish dancing and Irish culture to baking typical English shortbread;
• market place stalls in the aula led by MYP and DP students and parents showcasing their languages and cultures - and food. The market place has more than doubled in size since last year and we needed to expand into the DP courtyard. In total we had 15 market stalls in the aula and 10 in the DP courtyard! Stalls ranged from Arabic designs to freshly made French crepes and covered many languages - and snacks - in between;
• classes and activities in MYP led by students - ranging from Shakespearian insults to learning about Kannada culture;
• activities outside led by students and parents - ranging from Finnish hockey (and hard rock!) to Greek Olympic games - as well as some Australian inspired activities;
• mother tongue presentations in the library - thanks to students and staff members who presented to a packed audience.

We look forward to OWL Day being back in 2024 - and hope that it will be even bigger and better!

Five schools from across the Netherlands including A. Roland Holst College, Alberdingk Thijm College, Stedelijk Gymnasium Haarlem, International School Utrecht, and the International School Almere participated in the conference, with over 150 students involved in total. This gave us the opportunity to build and strengthen relationships with other schools, and invite those who invited us in the past, allowing other schools to experience ISH.  

ISHMUN revolved around the theme ‘equity and equality’, focusing on achieving both and distinguishing between them. The conference began with a workshop for new delegates given the MUN Club President, Tara Chanda. ISHMUN’s opening ceremony featured a speech by our Ridhi Maganahalli, our secretary general, as well as Mr Edwin Keijzer, our guest speaker, an experienced diplomat, who talked about his journey through his diplomatic career and his current role at NATO.  

The conference consisted of six committees from the United Nations: General Assembly committees, the Environmental Commission, the Economic and Social Council, the Human Rights Council and Security Council. Surrounding the theme of equity and equality, the delegates debated topics such as ethnic tensions in China, inequalities in sustainable development, reliance on Russian gas, the fast-fashion industry and refugee protection. In the end, the six committees passed over fifteen quality resolutions.   

ISHMUN was a collective effort and brought together parts of the entire school community. The MUN club, the baking club, the photography club, the school’s technology and IT team, administrative staff, caretakers, teachers, students from grade 7 to DP1 to even past ISH students were all involved in one way or another.  

For being ISH’s first own conference at this level, it was an immense success. Our team is overjoyed by the learnings we experienced, and the wonderful feedback received from students and teachers of schools with years of experienced in hosting MUN conferences. We are glad to have set the precedent for what we hope is a long line of future ISHMUN conferences. 

Take a look at the ISHMUN Daily Day 1 and Day 2 for more about our conference.  

After last years very successful inaugural Exhibition, we look forward to again showcasing work from all our PYP students. The past months the students have all been working hard on their masterpieces and have been busy writing their accompanying 'Artist's Reflection'.

Their work from across the year will also be displayed.

The Exhibition will be opened at 14.45 in the Aula of the main building. All students will go across to the Aula with their teacher. We will open with a fabulous musical rendition by all of the PYP students, under the guidance of Mr Jeremy. The Art Exhibition will be open until 17.00.

We look forward to seeing you all there.

Yes, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, the above picture is of our beloved MUN club - at the European Parliament! For the first time ever, our members had the opportunity to visit Brussels, the de facto capital of the European Union.

A one-day trip, we left by bus at 9am, embarking on a 3.5hour drive full of laughter, enjoyment, and anticipation. Because who wouldn’t be excited, visiting one of the most significant institutions of our time?

When we arrived, we enjoyed a nice 30 minute break to stretch our legs and explore the area around the Parliament complex. Some decided to visit the shops, others opted for a walk around the vicinity, while yet others decided to settle at cafés or local vendors. In other words, we thoroughly enjoyed the “Quartier Européen”, or European District, and the many amenities it has to offer.

Then, at 1pm, we entered the Parlamentarium, passing through security and ready to learn about this complex machine which drives so much of our daily lives - without us knowing! First we were given an insightful presentation on the history of the members of the European Union, how the Parliament functions in the context of the institution as a whole, and how it functions in terms of meeting. I for one am incredibly proud of our members for the immense display of curiosity into these operations.

“It was a great, really interesting and unforgettable experience here in Brussels. It’s interesting how such a complicated process can be shared with anyone.” - Andrea and TK, Grade 10

Then, we were led to the hall where the fantastic picture this article begins with was taken - the place where 3 times a month, the parliament amend and vote on resolutions full of recommendations for the members to implement. The process of translation was explained to us, along with the issue presented by the current complex when it comes to these translations - there are simply not enough places for new languages to be translated in the hall should more than 3 states join! Luckily, with the global introduction of remote working, solutions are available, even if not ideal.

“It was such an eye-opening trip and I absolutely loved learning about the inner workings of the European Parliament!” - Aadya Makvana, DP1

Unfortunately, soon after this the end of our enthralling tour had come. Finishing with an explanation of the 3 story sculpture by Olivier Strebelle, ‘Confluence’, housed in the magnificent stairwell, we eventually bid adieu to our lovely guide, and left the complex.

After a short break (extended by a need to use some of Brussel’s other types of amenities), we once more boarded the bus, and left the beautiful city and, later, Belgium as a whole. Upon reflection, it was an insightful trip, which was beneficial in not only teaching us about the EU and EP, but also in furthering our interest and intrigue into international diplomacy.

And on that note, I, on behalf of the MUN club, would like to thank Mr Skarvelis and Mr Maguire for organizing the trip and accompanying us. It was a fantastic experience and one I certainly hope the next generations of MUN will get to experience.

Written by: Jana (DP1)

Join the PYP team on Tuesday the 23rd of May from 15:15 and Wednesday the 24th of may from 08:45 to celebrate different forms of learning and exploration.

From the 31st of March till the 2nd of April, our school's MUN club attended the Haarlem Model United Nations conference of 2023. One of the biggest conferences in the Netherlands, it provided the chance for our delegates to debate and seek compromise with peers from over 10 other countries!

The opening and closing ceremonies were held in the beautiful St Bavo Church, with speakers including the two Secretary Generals, the mayor of Haarlem, and many more! As the theme of this conference was "power; what makes the world go round", in both the physical and metaphorical sense, it was highlighted to all present that conferences like these should not be about forcing other member states to agree with one's perspective, but about seeking compromise to find a solution which benefits all.

This sentiment was echoed by the collaborative nature of HMUN, with an incredible mix of experienced delegates and newer participants. As usual, our school's delegates knew how to impress, with Karolina Stec winning the Best Delegate award in GA3! Other important congratulations go to Adithya Vijay, who, as a first-time chair, was deputy chair of the Human Rights Council (HRC)! Both are very impressive achievements, and we as the ISHMUN club are incredibly proud of them both.

"HMUN was a lovely experience, and I greatly appreciated the opportunity to chair for the first time. It showed me a lot, and I felt how it was to sit on the other side of the table for the first time. All around, It was very enjoyable, and I would love to do it again."

- Adithya Vijay, Deputy Chair of HRC

Due to the size of the conference, but the intimate setting of most of the committees, it was a very social conference. Just like last year, HMUN encourages the creation of friendships, some of which may last a lifetime. The HMUN box, a revised, improved, gossip box, provided a break from the serious debate at the end of each day.

On a personal note, HMUN has always been one of my favorite conferences, particularly for its ability to accommodate all experience levels. This is reflected in our participants, six of whom were first-time delegates. They reported feeling comfortable asking their chairs point of parliamentary inquiries at any (appropriate) time, leaving them engaged and excited to continue the debate. However, also attending on behalf of our school were two 6-time MUN’ers, myself and Aadeta Makvana, and we similarly enjoyed challenges in this conference, further developing our skills.

“I really enjoyed this conference and I can recommend going to anyone.”

- Sebastiaan Aleman, delegate of South Africa to SPC2

Overall, the Haarlem Model United Nations conference of 2023 was a fantastic experience for all our participants, with many learning incredible amounts about their topics and the rules of procedure - whether as a first-time delegate, or a first-time chair. As always, we are grateful for the invitation and hope to attend next year’s conference.

In this new edition of our ‘Where are they now?’ alumni series, we speak to Jessie van Hattum (Class of 2010): climate expert, who through her freelance work hopes to inspire more people to change for the better. In this article we find out a little more about her life post-ISH and what she is up to these days.

Jessie, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Who are you and what did you get up to after graduating from ISH?

My name is Jessie van Hattum, I'm Dutch and I will turn 31 later this year. I live in Amsterdam but not for long because I will be moving back to the countryside. I love the outdoors too much to be so far away from it. I guess I've always had a thing for our natural surroundings, because over the years my passion for building a sustainable future has grown enough to make it my job.

Who am I? Well, I think I'm still figuring that out. Now more than ever since I recently started to work for myself. But I guess you could say I am a curious, very energetic and determined person.

After my graduation at ISH in 2010 I studied in Delft for my Bachelors in Industrial Design. However, it was clear to me that there is enough 'stuff' in the world, just not enough 'good stuff'. So I decided to pursue two master degrees in Delft and Leiden: Industrial Ecology (a study that combines technical, environmental and social knowledge to solve complex sustainability problems) and a second master in Science Communication (how to talk about science in an effective way). With those two combined I graduated sustainable behaviour change. An endlessly interesting topic for me. And now more than ever, very relevant.

What did you enjoy most about your master degrees?

What I loved most about my masters degree is the fact that I got to learn about something really important for the future of our existence; a green and sustainable existence. I learned about sustainability from so many perspectives that I can now easily join any conversation about the topics. I learned about social, technical, environmental and future sustainability systems.

Would you recommend our students studying the same thing?

I would always recommend students to focus on studies that can add positively to our society and ecology. Why spend time taking from the planet when you can also learn how to give back?

How about after you completed your Masters? Did you know straight away what you wanted to do?

After graduation it was time to look for a job. I applied for the Albert Heijn traineeship and got in! Lucky me! Because, if I managed to change the food system there just a little bit towards a more sustainable one, the impact of such a big company would be much more than I could ever do alone. For four years I learned endless new things. I learned how to work in a large company, sell products, manage a supermarket team of 250 colleagues, and much more.

Eventually I found a job in the sustainability department. Here my passion for creating sustainable change grew even bigger. I saw what the company did, but also what the company didn't do. For me the changes were good but they did not always go fast enough and I was not learning enough anymore. It was time for me to embark on my own journey and discover new things. So, I left Albert Heijn and started as a freelancer and spent my energy on sustainability storytelling.

Through strategy development sessions with companies, creating infographics about sustainability and moderating creative sessions I hope to inspire more people to change for the better. I know people can, but they need to believe in themselves, see others do it too and feel competent enough. Because of my expertise in sustainability, I've even been on national television recently for a talk show! Never a dull moment as long as you dare to say yes to new things.

So I didn't study to become a specific thing, and I know for sure that I'm not 'there yet'. But, I am learning every day and following my interests and I'm really happy doing so.

Where did your passion for sustainability come from? Were you already active in it when you were at ISH?

I can't really recall what started my passion for sustainability. But there was no way back for me when I started seeing the possibilities that are there for a sustainable future after noticing how many things we did (and still do) that are ruining our planet. I do know that I was already busy with the topic in high school, but I really started learning more about it during university. 

You say you are 'still figuring out who you are and what you want'. Is there something specific you are doing to help you discover this?

My way to discover my path is to say yes to many things that come along. So far I've been fortunate enough that by talking to many people there have always been a number of them that brought me new things to do. So I haven't had to sit still. I guess, for me, talking to people, telling my story as if it's still being written (because it is), and letting others help me has brought me the best adventures. And, maybe to add, with what I said: I don't mean that I am not yet something or someone. I am loving the becoming part of my journey, and think it's more valuable than the goal itself.

What tips would you give to our current students who are also still figuring things out?

Talk to everyone about it, let them help you further, but always keep making your own decisions. You are allowed to have dreams and follow them. And you are allowed to disagree and go your own way. But mostly, be proud of who you are.

Beautifully said! Now let’s talk a little bit about you personally. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love being outside, tinkering, drawing, giving advice to others, reading, running in the early morning and talking about sustainability.

What is your favourite book and what are you reading at the moment?

Every morning I go for a run, and then I always listen to books so I've gone through quite a bit. In terms of favourites about sustainability I was really moved by - look out: long title coming your way - 'what we think when we try not to think about global warming' by Per Espen Stoknes. The book that I am reading now is 'The good Ancestor' by Roman Krznaric. I almost always read non-fiction. An easy fiction about sustainability worth reading is (in Dutch): Het hebzuchtgas by Jan Terlouw.

When thinking back of your time at ISH, what comes to mind?

I owe a big part of my curiosity to my ISH teachers making learning fun. Of course the most defining moments were those with my friends, crushes on boys, and discovering who I was as a young adolescent.

But besides that my favourite classes were Spanish and Biology. Biology because it helped me understand and respect the world we live in. Mrs Hoogervorst always taught it so clearly and patiently. And Spanish hundred percent because of Mrs Yamul. I loved her passion for everything and all her emotions! But one teacher I also have to thank for believing in me is Mr John. He made an insecure teenage Jessie run through the school play audience with a giant paper mache drumstick screaming at the top of her lungs. I will never forget doing that. It felt amazing!

I asked Mr. John if he remembers this moment and a big smile appeared on his face! This is what he said when I asked him what he remembers from your time at ISH:

I distinctly remember Jessie coming to my drama class many years ago - quite shy and not too enthusiastic to speak English. She was never the first to volunteer to share ideas or present her sketches... until the day that all students were asked to deliver a short monologue, on the stage in the large gym. I believe it was from The Outsiders. To most, this was a daunting prospect - remembering lines, stage positions and projecting the persona of a character that happened to be a teenage rebel. Up stepped Jessie - and she completely blew everyone away. Suddenly, her Grade 7 timid self just disappeared and out popped this character who exuded confidence and artistic charm.

I was amazed! And for me, she never looked back - she was always involved in the school plays, performing wonderful characters (yes, even as a time travelling thief who happened to steal a giant dinosaur bone from a bunch of disco dancing cavemen!) and just generally being a great ISH student. She seized her opportunities then and it's clear she continues to do so.

What advice would you give to students at ISH that are passionate about sustainability?

You are right in believing in a better future. Don't try to fight people over it, try to engage people in it. Change is difficult for many people. If you are one of the brave that is willing to change the system, be proud of yourself and go for it no matter what people say. But in doing so, always listen to what others say, because what they say is often a gateway to getting them to change. Create a true story, find a community, and make positive action the easy choice.

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions and telling your story Jessie. Yours is truly an inspiring one! We hope to see you at school very soon and I wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors.

To read more about our alumni community, please check out previously featured ISH alumni, in our 'Where are they now?' series ... 

Sean Hofland (PhD)

Lena Grobusch (working on climate change and environment);

Defne Gencler (Entrepreneur, Comedian, TikTok sensation);

Marieke Bigg (Writer);

Abbie Wiggins (Author).

Are you an alumni who would like to be featured? Do you know an alumni with a story we should get in contact with? Email: community.ish@atscholen.nl 

For this, students and teachers will be raising money for WWF. As the school is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, we have decided that the proceeds will go to the 40 most endangered species as identified by WWF. 

We are looking forward to the 30th! Let's do this

Have you lost your student letter with the QR code? Click here to download a new one.

This February marked our first International Mother Language Day. 21st February - every year - is set aside by the United Nations to observe Mother Language Day - so we thought it was time that we joined in!

According to the United Nations: “An essential factor in harmonious communication among peoples and an enabler of multilateral diplomacy, multilingualism is of particular importance to the United Nations.”

Luckily for us, the theme this year was 'multilingual education' - with nearly 50 languages represented at ISH, this is a theme that is close to all of our hearts!

In the secondary, we decided to base our activities around a 'treasure hunt'. Thanks to our amazing parent community, we were able to represent over 20 languages. Students had to hunt all over the school building to find out greetings and key words in all of these different languages. It was terrific to see all of these languages come alive for our students.

One of the highlights for all of us was the involvement of all the PYP students, who were chaperoned by Grade 10 students as they hunted for clues.

Our very own AV Club made a lovely impression video of the day:

Our primary students were treated to a full day of activities. The first 'My Languages Day', as it is called in the primary, was a great success and very much enjoyed by both students and staff!: 

The PYP students thoroughly enjoyed the My Languages Day. The day began with students choosing to listen to stories in a variety of languages. It was such a pleasure to have so many parents and guardians offering up their precious time to join our PYP family. The parents read books in their home languages and it was wonderful to see our students captivated as they listened. 

The afternoon was used to celebrate our international community. Parents,  grandparents, family members and friends joined us for the last 2 hours of the school day. They set up stands where students could learn about the various cultures and languages. It was wonderful to see the pride as students saw their culture, language represented and many joined parents in sharing information with their peers. There were posters,  music, food, dancing, maps, crafts, games and so much more. Watching the various stall organisers engaging with each other and learning from each other was very special. 

It will go down as a day in which, by the action of our extended Hilversum community, wonderful learning opportunities were created. Ones which we hope will be embedded in the memory of our students and volunteers for years to come. 

With the help of some dedicated students with a knack for cooking, they were able to bake hundreds and hundreds of pancakes and in the end manage to raise 2.224,00 euros! A very impressive amount indeed.

A big thank you to all that donated, ate until they were nauseous or helped baking all those hundreds of delicious pancakes! Well done. 

Every year, roughly 200 schools are invited to the conference, which hosts an estimated 3000 delegates, chairs, and directors. Organised by the The Hague International School, it is held at World Forum. As it is 4 days long, it is known for its intensity, and that the rules of procedure are particularly strict, and realistic compared to the United Nations. Therefore, its authenticity and recognition is truly a defining feature. This year, the theme of the conference was ‘The Future of Borders’, and in the opening and closing ceremony we were encouraged to consider the issues facing our world of immigration, but also the treatment of immigrants. Approximately 100 nationalities are represented at the conference, this also being a highlight and characteristic of the THIMUN experience. Our 15 delegates were all impressed with the size and recognition of this organization, one delegate said:

“I loved the diversity, everyone around me came from somewhere else in the world”  -  Juul (DP1)

We, the MUN club, are all extremely proud of how and who represented our school, and Latvia, our designated country, this conference, and would like to stress how impressed we are with all for speaking at such an esteemed event, for so many people. The magnitude of this conference also meant one was lucky to speak more than once, which makes it all the more special that some of our delegates spoke multiple times! One delegate commented:

“In bigger conferences like these you will rarely get a chance to speak, this means that a delegate should choose their words carefully so they are able to reach the objective of the delegation to the highest extent”  -  Sebastiaan (DP1)

This quote truly highlights the common experience for many of us throughout THIMUN, as it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, which taught us many things about how to speech to a room of 200 people, extensive UN procedure, and focused on the solemness of international politics around borders. Indeed, there were no gossip boxes, or punishments, to aid delegates in their quest to remain parliamentary, and truly explore the ordeal of being a national delegate in the United Nations.

That is not to say that the conference was boring. As committees were so impressively large, it was easy to make friends with other delegates from other schools, connections to last a lifetime. These friendships are always a vital element of MUNs, and the intensity and length of THIMUN absolutely fostered such relationships.

“I have made a lot of new friends who I will keep in touch with, maybe even see them again some day”  -  Sebastiaan (DP1)

Written by: Jana (DP1)

“The big conversation today is about climate change [...] We need every aspect of your energy to remind us that you are the generation for progress” - Lisa Jordan

While this conference is a new one for every school, it was also one of many firsts for our school’s MUN club. It was our first conference without our beloved DP2s, some of whom hold our school’s records in delegate with most ‘Best Delegate’ awards and most conferences attended. This conference thus was a reminder of the end of an era - but also the dawning of a new one. Of the 19 attending students, at least 6 were first-time delegates. Among the attending students were also two first-time chairs, Ridhi for the Environmental Committee and myself, Jana, for the Economic and Social Committee. These milestones indicate that our school is continuing to develop and expand our MUN club, proving the future of MUN at our school is steadfast.

“MUNISA was a wonderful conference for beginner delegates, and for me, it was a memorable experience as a first-time chair. The environment was friendly and communicative, and the topics and procedures were ideal for someone interested and willing to learn. I developed myself as an MUN participant, and certainly came out with new skills and knowledge that I know will be an asset to me in future conferences!” - Ridhi (DP1)

Since the last MUN conference (MUNISH 2022, read the article here), there have been a couple of other significant events regarding our school and MUNs. Firstly, the new, 2022-23 MUN Club presidency has been announced. Enya and Rishi will remain presidents of the club, while beginning to hand the reigns to Tara and Adithya, who are now our vice presidents of recruiting and training. I, Jana, will have the position of vice president of communication. On behalf of all the vice presidents, I would like to thank both Enya and Rishi for all their efforts in the previous year(s) to engage so many students of our school with the MUN experience, teaching us how to make the most of conferences, and truly ensuring we always felt comfortable and prepared.

The second announcement is that we as a school will be hosting an MUN conference! Held on June 8 and 9 2023, ISHMUN will undoubtedly be a fantastic experience for all involved. Even for those not particularly interested in enjoying the process as a delegate or chair, there are many roles and opportunities for those with more affiliation for organising or planning. If you are looking to be involved, please feel free to email the official ISH MUN Club email; ishmundebate@gmail.com.

First things first: where are you from and where did you grow up?

I was born in Madrid, Spain. My parents were Finnish, so I am not Spanish by blood, just by birth. I lived in Madrid for 6 years and afterwards we moved to Barcelona. There I lived for 12 years, so I have spent a big part of my life in Spain.

Where did you go after that?

We moved back to Finland. I lived there for 1 year, but I did not enjoy living there at all. It was so dark and cold! I had graduated with the English educational system and those results were published much later than the Finnish results and I lost a year because of that as I could not go to university straight away. Instead, I signed up for different courses, I took French lessons for example.

During that year, I decided I did not want to stay in Finland. I had applied to go to the London School of Economics, and got in, but it was too expensive. So, I signed up for a secretarial school instead. This was one year, where you could spend 3 months in Sweden, 3 in the UK and 3 in Switzerland. And I thought that was a brilliant way to get out of Finland and explore a bit what I wanted. I realised very quickly though that secretarial work was not actually something for me. During that time, I became interested in studying psychology instead.

What inspired you to study psychology? Where did that interest come from?

I would say that interest came from travelling around and talking to different people about what they were doing. And so I decided, after having worked as a secretary for a little while, to apply to the Åbo Akademi University and I was accepted.

Did you enjoy your psychology-degree?

Very much so, from day one! The department of psychology was really small, so we would get a lot of attention, have loads of discussions and also got visited often by lecturers from abroad that opened our mind to what was happening all over.

My Master’s Degree was focused on the influence of alcohol on mood, whether it reinforces or lets inhibitions go as we drink. On top of that I was studying the influence of violent cartoons on children. It was all very interesting!

Did you have a clear path of what you wanted to do when you finished your studies?

Psychology is very broad, and so it is very difficult to decide what you are going to focus on straight after your studies. I started working with people who worked with intellectually handicapped people by coaching them how to work with groups in homes. I did that for a year or so. After that I moved back to Finland with my husband, where I gave birth to my twins shortly after (this was in 1990).

Where did you meet your husband?

At university. We have been together a long time, 31 years in total! He was an exchange student from the US, and I was the President of the International Student Association at university. Our poster was the only one in English, so off he went to see if there was anyone else that was able to speak English in the country. He joined our team and that’s how we met.

How did you end up in the Netherlands of all places?

After having worked in Sweden for a couple of years, we noticed that we were both working a lot and did not have much time to spend with our twins. This was not what we wanted for the family. My husband then got the choice of taking a job in Germany or the Netherlands and we chose the latter. After a year here, we bought the house that we still live in today.

I spent about 10 years at home with the girls. People often ask me how come you did not start working sooner? For a long while it was because we both thought we would be moving again in a couple of years. But it was a lovely time and I definitely do not regret the time that I got to spend with my daughters!

Your daughters studied at ISH as well, right? Or was it you who came here first?

My daughters were in Grade 10 by the time I joined. I think they enjoyed having me around: there was a shoulder to cry on when needed and someone to encourage them or be happy with went it went ok. I first started working in Administration as a substitute. After half a year a job opened up and I became the Student Services Manager, which I did for 14 years.

What did you like most about your job as Student Services Manager?

Definitely the contact with students and teachers. It is a post that is alive. What I mean by that is that a lot happens around you. Some days can be quiet, but mostly there is a lot happening. I enjoyed that part the most!

You became the schools’ Well-being Coach 1.5 years ago, how did that come about?

Through Student Services, I could notice a lot of what was happening with the students as they came in and left in all sorts of states. I started taking more and more time to talk with them and slowly disappeared more often from the Student Services post. I think it slowly became more evident that speaking to students and being available to them whenever they need cannot just be done as a side job.

It sounds like you naturally rolled into your new job as Well-Being Coach..

Yes, you can say that. I was also more often having talks with parents and guardians. I would call them to say that their child is sick and at times I would express my doubt whether they were actually sick and question whether there was perhaps something else going on. It was a good way to build up relationships with the parents, in a very natural kind of way. But of course, that also started to take up more time and so it became another reason why I rolled into my new job.

What do you do as Well-being Coach? What are your responsibilities?

The main one is being available for students that want to pop in and want to have a chat. Some students know me already from my time as Student Services Manager and now the challenge is to get students that do not know me so well to come and talk to me when they feel the need.

Are you seeing that that is happening more and more?

I do. I feel there is a larger degree of acceptance amongst the students and I notice that they know where to find me.

How is your role different than the other Counsellor that works with the students?

I am ‘first aid’: I do not give any kind of promises that I am going to treat someone. But I am a container for what you have to tell me; I am here to listen to whatever you have to say. I am here to guide you on how to get more help and sometimes I can give concrete hints on what might help, or we can do some exercises together. But I am not someone you see once a week, whereas our Counsellor is.

I also give mindfulness lessons in the Primary (Kindergarten, Grades 1 – 3). In Grade 5, I work with the students to prepare them for their Exhibition.

Let’s move away from work a bit. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I have a dog, called Taika (which means ‘magic’ in Finnish). We used to complete together in something called flyball, which took up every other Sunday. She competed every week for a long time, but she cannot do that anymore. We now still practice something called Hoopers on Saturdays, which is agility training but then without the jumps.

I love yoga and I enjoy to cook! I also really enjoy going to the movies, mostly the art house type as well as (Scandinavian) thrillers! And finally, I very much enjoy reading!

What is the last book that you read?

Marriage Portrait, by Maggie O’Farrell

And what was the last movie that you have seen?

Where the Crawdads Sing, a beautiful movie!

If we would come to dinner at your place, what would you serve us?

I would first ask you if there is anything that you do not eat or if you have any preferences. I love cooking, so I will try to adapt it to the wishes of my guest(s). I would have a bit of a hard time if they were vegan though..

What was your favourite subject in school?

I would say English, because I love books. Books have always been my refuge. We had very long summers in Finland and the first thing we would do was to go to the library, get two big bags full of books and I would spend my holiday going through them.

What do you enjoy doing during your holidays now?

I like a mix of nature and city life, if possible. I like going to museums and exhibitions, so the cultural side of visiting a city. But I also love going to beautiful nature parks, going for walks and seeing the seaside or the mountains. If you’d ask me to choose between the sea or the mountains, I would not be able to give you an answer. I just really like nature!

Speaking of beautiful nature: one of your daughters lives in Alaska, right? Have you been there yet?

Not yet, but we are going this summer (2023). I am looking forward to that very much!

Both your daughters graduated from the ISH in 2008, what are they up to now?

Jessica lives in Alaska, where she works for the rights of indigenous communities. She is an artist, and she combines her creative skills and her background as community organiser to encourage the use of art in advocacy work. For example, when there is an election, she makes the posters and encourages people to sign-up and vote and make their voice heard.

An example of Jessica’s work:

Sara lives in the UK, where she works as Principal Research Officer at an organisation that researches and deals with wetlands. Here she is contributing to the conservation of wetlands in the UK and also globally (e.g. Madagascar and Cambodia).

Very impressive! Did they get their drive to do good in the world from you and your husband?

I think it started when they joined my husband to scouting. They used to go there a lot.

They also both have a strong sense of what is right and wrong, and I think that part comes from me. But it is difficult to say where it comes from exactly. It is not something my husband and I have consciously been imprinting on them while raising them, but they are definitely topics that have come up at the dinner table.

If you could take a gap year, where would you go?

On the one hand, I would like to go somewhere where I do not know anybody. For example, New Zealand. We went there on our honeymoon, and I really liked it.

On the other hand, I would love to spend time with people but then it becomes a bit more complicated because I have people all over! I would say somewhere in the US because I do have friends there that I have not seen for a very long time. There are many reasons not to visit the US, but let’s not start talking about that shall we…

I have heard a rumour that you are quite the multilingual speaker. How many languages do you speak?

I grew up speaking Spanish, Swedish and English. Those are my three home languages. Catalan was spoken in some households in Spain when I grew up there, so I did learn to understand that language as well. Besides that, I took French lessons in the past and can still understand what they are saying whenever I am around French speaking people. After having lived in the Netherlands for 25 years it would be a little weird if I would not be able to speak any Dutch as well.

Those are my strongest languages. I can also understand Finnish, but it is a difficult language and if you do not practice it, you lose it easily. I can also speak a little bit of Italian, my best friend was from Italy and we used to practice speaking Italian and Spanish together. Finally, I understand Brazilian Portuguese as my sister-in-law is from Brazil.

Wow. Consider me impressed!

What is something that people are obsessed with, but you just do not get the point of?

Social media. I can understand part of the attraction, I also like to use it to keep in contact with people, or to play games with someone. But I believe social media can be very damaging to your well-being.

Why is that do you think?

This world that people are driven into, the constant comparing yourself with others online and people sharing only those moments of their lives that they want to share, I think it is a very unhealthy way of living.

I really do not see that social media makes you feel any better, quite the opposite actually. If you have an inclination for whatever reason to be self-critical and not liking yourself, then social media is not going to help you. People show off a very unrealistic life online, and the more ‘masks’ you wear, the less true you are to yourself.

Whereas social contact, having good friends, talking about your issues, feeling that you belong to a community, having a purpose and knowing that you are doing something for somebody else: that is what makes you feel better!

That was beautifully put. Finally: do you have any advice for the students at school?

Try to find the good sides of yourself and give yourself encouragement. Also, try to find something positive each day to make the dark times lighter when you need them to be lighter.

But also: talk about your issues. Talk, don’t text!

That is a catchy slogan right there!

Thank you very much for sharing you story, Sonja. More importantly: thank you for everything that you do at the school.

Want to get to know other staff members better? Here are some more articles in the 'Who is ....' series:

- Ms. Medjedovic

- Mr. Claxton

- Ms. Hetebrij

“Chairing at one of the most prestigious conferences in the Netherlands was an unforgettable experience. Even though I faced challenges, and made mistakes, I was able to overcome them, and this strengthened my confidence as a deputy chair.”  

The theme of MUNISH this year was “Multilateral Cooperation: The Path Towards Peace and Justice.” International cooperation is vital to achieve peace. This is theme is most significant as ever due to the situation in Ukraine, and many countries are still lacking peace and justice. Thus, youthful, and open-minded delegates gathering gives hope to our future generation that peace will be achieved across the globe. The Security Council and the Advisory Panel on the question of Venezuela dive into this theme deeply this year.

 

This conference was also the last one for the DP2 MUN members and on behalf of the MUN presidency we would like to wish them good luck in everything and anything they do in the future. They have contributed immensely to making what the ISH MUN club is today and their presence is noted. We also had many first-time delegates, and this is what they had to say about the new challenges and experiences they faced throughout MUNISH:

“My experience at MUNISH was extravagant, so large and so great I could not have imagined it. As a first-time delegate I was scared by the largeness of the committee I was in, but I was destined to be a great speaker in GA3 and made my case for Finland!”

“MUN is such a great experience. Getting to know new people and try new things was very rewarding for all”

 

We would finally like to thank our MUN Directors for taking such good care of us and their efforts of waking up early at times where they don’t need to. Their dedication and effort is truly a spectacle to marvel at and this experience would not be possible without their work and toil. We hope you too are inspired by this article to join such a fun yet educational experience where you can add to your skills and face new challenges and possible fears.

Written by: Cleo and Rishi

In this next edition of our 'Where are they now?' alumni series, we're excited to introduce you to alumnus, Sean Hofland (class of 2011). In the 11 years he left ISH, he has moved to Switzerland, received his Bachelor and Master’s degree and very recently defended his PhD titled ‘New Approaches to Modelling Individual Decision Under Uncertainty’ at the University of Zurich’s department of Banking and Finance. In this article we find out a little more about his life post-ISH and what he is up to these days.

Tell us a bit about yourself: where are you from, where did you go to get your degree after you left ISH?

I grew up in the small town of Vreeland. I graduated from the ISH in 2011 and decided to attempt to study in Zurich, Switzerland for multiple reasons. I was impressed by the country's nature, wanted to become a ski instructor and was intrigued to learn German. Moreover, I was not very keen on participating in Dutch student life, which, to me seemed to be primarily about getting drunk. I was attracted by the serious, peaceful Swiss way of life.

Switzerland sounds beautiful! What did you study there? Was it is in English?

The first time I thought about studying in Switzerland was when I overlooked the Vierwaldstättersee south of Luzern. I studied Economics, which was mainly in German in the Bacherlor's. Because I had learned English on-the-go at the ISH I was confident that I could learn German this way at university. It was not easy! Luckily, all first-year exams were multiple-choice based questions and not essay-based tests. Moreover, Mr. Odegard, who had taught my higher-level mathematics class at the ISH, had prepared me very well for the level of mathematics at the university!

The first three weeks in Switzerland were the toughest I have ever experienced, because I found myself in a place where I knew absolutely no one. I have a strong bond with my family, so it was not easy to not leave them. I told myself that if I could pull this through, I could face any situation that I would face in life, motivating me to go on. I failed quite some exams the first year, but managed to succeed at the retakes a year later. Eventually I understood how to study effectively and finished my Bachelor's in the planned three years.

Very well done on mastering an additional language so quickly! How is your German now that you have spent quite some time in Switzerland?

Someone once joked: "you speak three languages, but none of them perfectly". Many people I speak to here are impressed by my German. A lot of credit goes to my former ISH German teacher Mrs. Nelissen! Without her lessons, I would never have been able to survive the first year in Switzerland.

Did you become a Ski Instructor in the end?

Yes, during the first October break I did a ten day course to obtain my licence on an Austrian Glacier. Five hours after my last exam in the first semester I arrived in Lech am Arlberg, and started as a ski instructor the next day. In the end, I was a ski instructor for four seasons during university winter breaks.

Was a Masters and PhD always your plan?

When applying for money at the DUO, I instantly applied for a 5 year loan programme, because I already had the idea that I might be doing a Master's Degree after the Bachelor’s. At the end of the Bachelor's I was confident that this would be the best moment in my life to do a Master's, as I was adapted to university life. I was afraid that if I were to have a break from university, it would not be as easy to slip back into "study-mode" later.

At the end of my Master's, I reflected that I had studied many different fields within Economics, but that I had not acquired any particular skills that would make me stand out. In particular, I wanted to learn programming languages that would allow me to obtain insights from big amounts of data. I therefore asked Prof. Dr. Helga Fehr, who had guided my Master’s Thesis, whether I could do my PhD with her. She needed an assistant, which sealed the deal. Now, almost six years later, I have managed to finish the PhD. It was a long journey but very rewarding. Many skills that one learns at ISH are required for doing a successful PhD. Scientific thinking, which I learned from Mr (Dr!) Duddles, is important of course, but communication and writing skills are important, too.

Congratulations on recently finishing your PhD titled ‘New Approaches to Modelling Individual Decision Under Uncertainty’. It is great to hear how your ISH life helped to prepare you. Where to now for you? Will you stay in Switzerland?

I work at a small company which is part of the big financial industry of Zurich. I am responsible for collecting and analyzing big data sets and for improving recurring processes through digitization. My colleagues are great and I enjoy the challenges that await me every day, which is why I will stick around for a bit!

If you are not at your desk, would we find you in the mountains?

Definitely! I have always enjoyed the mountains in the winter, but recently I have also made sure to visit them in the summer. I even once stayed in a cowshed. We were unable to sleep because the cows were right below us and wore their enormous bells throughout the night! There are many mountains and valleys that are lesser known, which make them all the more interesting to explore. 

Does your family still live in Vreeland? If so, you must love coming home for visits. What do you miss about Dutch life?

My parents actually live in Aruba at the moment, as my mother found her dream job in the local hospital. She works in cytology, identifying whether or what type of cancer people have by looking at cell samples. My brothers and sister and grandparents still live in the Netherlands. I visit them occasionally. I miss the way Dutch people approach people they do not know.

I believe you attended ISH through the Internationaal Tweetalig (IT) stream, what drew you to the programme?

When visiting schools to decide where to go after primary school, two things about the ISH stood out for me: I got the sense that students and teachers had a friendship-like relationship. This turned out to be true for me. Another reason, which may well be related to the first, is that the school was not too big compared to others. I have always enjoyed smaller communities in which I know the people around me. Being able to learn English was really just a bonus that I did not give much consideration.

When you think back of your time at ISH, what comes to mind?

The great diversity of students and teachers. You might not realise it as a student at ISH, but it is very special to be in an environment that represents the diversity of the whole world. I am not sure I would have considered studying abroad had I not interacted with people from all sorts of places at the ISH!

If you could give your high school self any advice what would that be?

I am happy where I am today so I do not think I would advise my past self to do anything differently 

Thank you very much for your time and honest answers Sean, it is much appreciated! We hope to see you at the Anniversary Gala on 1 July 2023, where we will be celebrating the 40-year existence of ISH with alumni students and staff!

To read more on the esteemed company Sean is in, please check out previously featured ISH alumni, in our 'Where are they now?' series ... 

Where are they now? Lena Grobusch (working on climate change and environment);

Where are they now? Defne Gencler (Entrepreneur, Comedian, TikTok sensation);

Where are they now? Marieke Bigg (Writer);

Where are they now? Abbie Wiggins (Author).

Are you an alumni who would like to be featured? Do you know an alumni with a story we should get in contact with? Email: community.ish@atscholen.nl 

As I write this article the feeling of absolute victory has still not sunk in. The weekend feels like a hazy dream and a dream that the ISH MUN Club has been hoping to achieve for more than 5 years. For those who are unaware of the MUN club’s recent achievement, at this year’s LMUNA 2022, the International School Hilversum has been named the best school in the entire conference and this is not a mere feat. This is something that we as the MUN Presidents have been striving for and our preparation and the work done by all our MUN directors have helped in preparing our students to face the best of the best at the MUN Conferences.

For context, there were roughly 12 committees at this year’s LMUNA conference and we had won best delegate in 5 of those conferences. Before going into the conference, the MUN presidents would prepare the 24 delegates representing our school and show them what MUN was about and how they should work as the conference approaches. We, the MUN Presidents, made sure all our delegates were prepared, had their resolutions, their opening speeches and knew about the procedure. We hoped that we had not thrown them into the deep end and approached the conference with a very limited goal.

This year’s conference would consist of mostly first time delegates and so we hadn’t really hoped for a huge success as we know from personal experience that it takes time to settle in and it isn't easy to excel at MUN on your first conference. However throughout the weekend we were pleasantly surprised with how rigorous everyone had been with their preparation and the dedication they showed in researching every topic. Our students had also been one of the only few who had prepared resolutions which gives more evidence of the time and effort they had been putting into their preparation. After seeing how well the first time delegates spoke, I brimmed with pride as it showed me that the hard work was paying off. Every delegate spoke or presented their resolution and no matter the adversity they faced they would boldly push through it and debate their way out of any difficult situation. Every day after the conference ended, all our delegates would share their stories with me and I would simply smile at their experiences.

This conference was an emotional one for everyone behind the scenes who has been waiting for our hard work to pay off and though our first time best delegates may not have understood the magnitude of their achievement, the MUN Club does and we would like to thank every single delegate as I personally saw how well they had prepared for the conference. I am a biased source but in my opinion every single one of our delegates deserve a best delegate award and your effort has paid off in creating a new reputation for the ISH.

We would like to thank our MUN directors for their dedication not only during the conference but throughout the tenure of the MUN Club. They deserve this victory more than any one of us and our appreciation cannot be measured in words. Finally, everyone behind the scenes who has helped delegates debate to their full potential and even if we may miss someone, your hard work does not go unappreciated and even if they may have left this school, this club and this achievement is owed to the past MUN presidents and vice-presidents. They paved the way for our club and we merely stand on the shoulders of these giants. Let this conference set a precedent for the ISH and let us strive to better ourselves. Let us celebrate today but fight again tomorrow.

Honorable quotes from delegates:

“At first I found it difficult to feel engaged with the conversations partly due to anxiety, but later on when a fellow delegate yielded the floor to me and I gave a speech I felt more comfortable.

Overall MUN has been a great educational trip for me where I grew in terms of public speaking and much more. I look forward to future conferences.”

“MUN was such a fun experience, I am so glad I joined and got to meet lots of new people from our school and other schools. I learned how to speak about topics of global importance and had a great time. I will definitely be coming to MUN again! “

Best Delegates:

Ramxy 

Juul 

Rishi 

Ken 

Ridhi 

Martina 

Honorable Mention:

Siddharth as Deputy Chair of HSC

Written by:

Rishi 

(Co-President of MUN Club)

IS Hilversum MUN on Instagram!

Previous MUN articles:

A mini model united nations (MUN) experience for grade 10

Haarlem MUN - HMUN 2022

British School of Amsterdam MUN - BSAMUN 2022

The Hague Model United Nations Arnhem Conference - MUNISH2021

Arnhem Model United Nations Arnhem Conference - LMUNA

Haarlem Model of United Nations Club - HMUN

Last week our very own MUN leaders and MUN club members had created a workshop and a lesson for all Grade 10 students to introduce them to MUN and its intricacies. We were able to conduct a whole MUN debate on top of that which hopefully gave our new inspiring delegates a chance to really understand what MUN is all about. Our very own MUN presidents and long time club members had a chance to explain to our future generations of MUN on what the procedure looks like and one of the Grade 10 students who had participated in the mini-MUN had described the presidents and the leaders of the workshop as

“Charismatic and a great speaker”.

The workshop was approximately 90 minutes long where our members had to pack a lot of information into one presentation and give them an essence of what MUN is. Our members who hosted the presentations said that

“It was a great experience and I had seen myself in many of the new aspiring delegates”.

The Grade 10’s had to be shown how being part of the MUN club is no laughing matter and it must be taken seriously. Moreover they would be representing the school when attending the MUN conferences and would have to behave in a courteous and proper manner. The members had also explained to them on how a normal MUN conference looks like and how they must be prepared with a resolution and arguments. They were taught how MUN is essentially roleplay and they would have to fit their character of the country. They must roleplay how the country would react to international situations and consider diplomatic situations while at the same time looking out for their own interests and objectives. The new delegates were shown how MUN can be a handy and an essential part of your resumé and how MUN could play a huge role in your society with your decisions on voting and understanding of politics. MUN is a way to understand how the world works and the essential concept of compromise and this was essentially the essence of what the MUN presidents wanted to teach them.

After explaining the basic ground rules of MUN and the grassroots of what it means to be part of the MUN ISH Club, they were given an essence of what an MUN conference day would be like with an invigorating debate on issues such as how to curb the infections of HIV and the conflict between Bangladesh and Myanmar and the refugee crisis. Everyone was given an equal opportunity to enter the podium and speak their mind and they were shown how MUN can be daunting yet a great learning experience. One of our members hosting the presentations had voiced

“The debate was slow and nervous at the beginning but it soon picked up and the students had gotten a grip on how international diplomacy worked and started playing the roles of their countries”.

All the classes had passed a resolution and would show the Grade 10’s a hint of how conflict compromise is done. As a final note we as the MUN club had requested each and every Grade 10 to sign up for the upcoming conference (LMUNA) and when writing this article, we are enthralled with the responses we got and the follow up questions we got on registration. Unfortunately not all Grade 10 students who had registered could enter the conference but this is just a start and we would like to say don't give up hope. Keep signing up and keep pursuing MUN and you will definitely get a chance to represent our school as an MUN delegate. After all you are simply at the beginning of what we call a long process of diplomacy, compromise and conflict resolution.

Thank you to our MUN members who participated: Enya, Rishi Narendran, Siddharth, Cleo, Ken, Martina, Maria, Ridhi and Tara.

Written by:

Rishi Narendran

(Co-President of MUN Club)

IS Hilversum MUN on Instagram!

Previous MUN articles:

Haarlem MUN - HMUN 2022

British School of Amsterdam MUN - BSAMUN 2022

The Hague Model United Nations Arnhem Conference - MUNISH2021

Arnhem Model United Nations Arnhem Conference - LMUNA

Haarlem Model of United Nations Club - HMUN

Our World Language day! 

What is it about? Where did it come from? And what is happening? 

Our very own, very talented OWL Talk podcasters Fee, Sopia and Sebastiaan are back.

Join them for their first podcast of the school year where they interview Mr Claxton about his career passion project - our upcoming OWL day on Monday 26th September! A day of celebrating languages and celebrating cultures.

They talk about the day itself, the involvement of the whole school community, parents, teachers, students, PYP, MYP, DP, 3rd culture kids and Mr Claxton even turns the tables on the interviewers to ask them about their own cultures and languages.

It's super informative, super chill and we just love Mr Claxton's advice for #ISHOwlDay ... "come with an appetite, come with curiosity, come and share your culture, your language - let's start a conversation".

Head over here to for OWLTalk - The OWL Day edition. 

    

The Sustainability Festival has been an annual tradition at our school for the past four years. Its goal is to spread awareness on the causes and effects of climate change and evaluate systematic solutions to inspire students to take action now and in their future. This year's Sustainability Festival followed the theme Global Politics, thus, students looked at climate change on a greater scale than before. The focus was the understanding of the decisions that needed to be made on an international scale, far beyond individual action. To involve and incentivise as many students as possible, workshops were given to but also led by students at school. This way we create an environment where students learn from each other, where the future generation is in charge of the choices and changes we make. This year has by far been the most successful, with inspiring and educative workshop working in harmony with fun lunch time activities. To celebrate the day the WWF came by, there was live music to enjoy, strawberries from stall and to stay on theme, vegetarian burgers to once again show us the small changes we can make. All in all, the day was a great success, and an amazing chance to inspire and call on youth for action.

Written by Elles de Vreede (DP1)

Co-chair ISH Sustainability Committee

Grade 5 camp was a very memorable experience for all grade 5 students. We stayed at the StayOkay hostel in Egmont for 2 nights and 3 days. Everybody was so excited to see what adventures were in store. Most things were a surprise.

We came there and explored, before hopping on the hostel’s bikes and going to the beach. We were catching fish, and we eventually caught shrimp, species of fish and crabs. Everybody was also later allowed to swim in the North Sea. Everybody was fascinated to see the wonders of the ocean…However tired. Travelling back home and having dinner, fun drawing on T-shirt activities, a marshmallow roast and a stylish pajama fashion show was fun for all the students, as everybody went to bed.

The next day everybody was surprised with a parkour and swimming in Alkmaar. Everybody was guided through fun activities, some water ones as well. We played fun games, had a wild evening disco-party, an intense bingo game and some ice-cream after swimming, a train of fun events.

On Wednesday everybody went for a treasure hunt in the dunes…wet and tired from camp. It was such a lovely experience for everyone, an amazing memory. 

Written by: Niharika - grade 5.

In this next instalment of our 'Where are they now?' alumni series, we're excited to introduce you to alumna, Lena Grobusch - class of 2016. Currently working on climate change and environment, Lena shares her experience of studying in The Netherlands, exchange in Australia, field work in Africa (Kenya and Tanzania), a traineeship in Brussels and where she is currently writing her master thesis, Lund, Sweden. Intriguing right! She is also keen on the outdoors, hiking, running, swimming. She's passionate about youth involvement and active in the European Student Think Tank. And she shares with us some basics on what we can do contribute towards creating sustainable food practices. Read on ...

Lena, we are thrilled to talk to you and learn about your ISH life and beyond! Firstly, in a nutshell can you share your story with us ...

"I was born in Berlin, but grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. In 2010 my family moved to The Netherlands where I entered the ISH and finished my high school education. Afterwards, I studied my bachelors degree in The Netherlands, with an exchange to The University of Sydney in Australia and a 3-month field course in East Africa (Tanzania and Kenya). My masters degree is taking place in Vienna, Austria and Lund, Sweden. At the moment I am living in Lund, finishing the second year of my masters degree." 

"I stayed in NL for my bachelors degree, in which I focused on environmental sciences with a minor in international development studies. I had the opportunity to study and live in Sydney for half a year, and spent 3 months in Kenya and Tanzania for a critical development field course and internship at an NGO in Nairobi which works on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). After I graduated from my bachelor degree, I worked for a year: I moved to Brussels for a traineeship with the ENVI Committee of the European Parliament, which works on the topics of Environment, Health and Food Safety. This was an incredibly exciting opportunity to gain insights into environmental policymaking at the European level. I also worked on a circular economy consultancy project in Manila, the Philippines." 

Wo-ah! Amazing experiences. You've moved a lot for your studies. Australia's a long way from Europe. Did you enjoy your time there? What were some of the highlights or lowlights!? Would you recommend students consider an exchange as part of their degree?

"That’s true! I enjoyed my time in Australia a lot. I studied my bachelor’s degree in Utrecht, and the university has great exchange opportunities abroad. I was able to move to Sydney for half a year, which had been a dream of mine for a long time. Here, I followed different environment-related courses at the University of Sydney, such as environmental politics, conservation, and environmental impact assessment. It was eye-opening to learn about the prominent environmental issues in the region from local experts.

Outside of university, it was also a fascinating experience to live in Sydney. The weather was fantastic, and the city has so much to offer. Endless amounts of beautiful sand beaches, hiking routes, cafés, and cultural events such as concerts at the Sydney Opera House. In spring the Jacaranda trees bloom pink and purple, which is a sight for itself. Sydney is also great for all outdoor- and nature lovers because there are multiple nature reserves and national parks just outside of the city. I think the main lowlight was that the exchange only lasted half a year… haha. I would have loved to stay longer!

I would definitely recommend students to consider an exchange as part of their degree! Wherever you go, I am sure that it will be a valuable experience and that you will meet lots of other exchange students from across the globe."

It sure sounds like you truly lived that experience! Enjoying everything Sydney has on offer. Those Jacarandas though! 💜 💜 💜

Can you tell us a little about the process you undertook to obtain your internship in Brussels? Was this something offered through your course or that you sought out for yourself?

And it seems you're continuing to travel in your postgraduate career study life. Where in the world is your study taking you now?

"I am now studying a two-year Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree in Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management. The first year took place in Vienna, and I am currently living and studying in Lund, Sweden, where I am finishing the second year and writing my master thesis at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics at Lund University. In my free time, I am exploring Sweden and going hiking. Extracurricularly, I am active as the deputy-head of the Working Group on the Environment at the European Student Think Tank, a youth organization. My Working Group and I attended and spoke at the European Youth Event in Strasbourg and the 16th United Nations Climate Change Conference of Youth in Glasgow in October 2021, which preceded the COP26 conference. In Glasgow, we organized a workshop for youth delegates from around the world. We spoke and exchanged about the European Green Deal and also touched upon the topic of climate justice, which was an incredible experience. I am passionate about youth involvement and participation in environmental policy and climate action, and the event was very inspiring." 

Incredible! And gladly, we were recently priviledged to be able to benefit from your passion for youth involvement when you came back to ISH, (virtually), to speak with our DP geography class. For our students who are passionate about climate justice what advice would you give them?

"It was a pleasure! It was also great to hear that a lot of the students are involved in the climate change committee. To the students who are passionate about climate justice: keep doing what you are doing! Continue spreading the word about climate change and motivate others to get involved in climate justice initiatives. Tackling climate change has to be a team effort!"

We too are super proud of our Sustainability Committee who continue to raise awareness, build skills and create policy within our school under their motto of  'Making Your Education Greener'.  In fact, as we release this article the committee is about to undertake the 3rd ISH Annual Sustainability Day! 

Let's go back to your time at ISH. Were their any teachers who stood out for you?

"I would like to thank:

Mr. Knoppert for taking us to MUN conferences such as HMUN and MUNISH, which exposed me to the UN processes for the first time and helped me to discover my passion for environmental policy.

Mr. van Arkel for always fostering a sense of community in the PE classes and taking us to running events (running is my favorite sport), where he would challenge us to beat his 10km road race record (still working on it haha).

Mr. Jones for his enthusiasm."

And it seems these teachers remember you clearly and had these words to share with you ...

"My recollection of Lena is centered around responsibility. Ask Lena to do a task? It would get done, because she understood that you wouldn’t ask without a reason. Ask Lena to organize something? It would be smooth sailing, because she understood which moving pieces needed to fit together and how. In many cases, you wouldn’t need to ask Lena to do things, however: she would have already identified what she could do, out of an innate sense of responsibility. It doesn’t surprise me that Lena has gone down the path that she has, because it again strongly links to what I remember as being one of her defining characteristics: responsibility."- Mr. Knoppert  

"Lena was always a motivated student who had a gift for bringing out the best in herself and others without telling them what to do. She would lead by example and people would naturally follow her authentic and charismatic actions." 

For a student running cross country (and on the track long distance) is not the most obvious choice but it was the choice Lena made indeed. We would always make fun around the time of the city run and talk about her races in the winter season. 

My wish for her is to continue to walk her own path and to surround herself with people that recognize her for what she is: A person who cares for others, stands up for what is right and who is willing to put in a real effort to achieve her goals." - Mr. van Arkel 

 

"I remember Lena as this bright positive person, who chose to smile instead of frown and see the upside of a situation rather than it's potential flaws. She was great company and fun to talk to, yet clearly very intelligent and as sharp as a nail. It was lovely to connect with her recently after the COP26 conference and have her link up with our students online. I look forward to seeing her in person again this summer." - Mr. Jones  

You’ve packed so much into your study and career so far! Who are your role models? What inspires you?

"What drives me is the fact that anthropogenic climate change is an urgent crisis that is threatening life on earth. It is a crisis that isn’t taken nearly as seriously as it should be. The recently published 6th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is testimony to this.

What inspires me is the hope to make a small contribution to tackling the impacts of climate change and the social inequalities that it exacerbates even further, by pursuing a career in the field of climate change adaptation.

I am also inspired by all the exciting things that are happening in the climate and environment domain these days. It’s a privilege to have gotten to study, and I get a lot of joy out of applying and sharing this knowledge ‘in the real world’. The most exciting opportunity to do so until now has been to host a workshop at the United Nations Climate Change Conference of Youth in Glasgow, which preceded the ‘real’ COP26 conference. Together with an international team, we spoke about climate justice and about different avenues for youth to get involved in climate and environmental policy. I was inspired by the discussion that we had with international youth delegates, who are all determined to contribute their bit to tackling the climate crisis.

Wangari Maathai was a truly inspiring woman. She was the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, which she was awarded for funding the Green Belt Movement. Under this movement, more than 45 million trees have been planted in Kenya, which combats deforestation and contributes to land conservation which is critical for local livelihoods. Moreover, to date, a lot of the higher-level decision-making on climate and the environment is still predominantly done by men. This is problematic because climate change and gender (in)equality are closely intertwined. I am inspired by women who are pushing for more climate action and science-based climate policy at the highest policy levels, such as Patricia Espinosa, Christiana Figueres, and Annalena Baerbock. At the same time, I think that many young climate activists, from Luisa Neubauer from Fridays for Future to Anniek Moonen from the Dutch ‘Jonge Klimaatbeweging’, are doing a very important job by asking many of the urgent questions that politicians are not asking and pushing for more climate action."

We are beyond certain that you will make an incredible impact in your work in the field of climate change adaption and we look forward to following and being inspired by your career! 

Alongside your academic career what interests and hobbies would we find you pursuing?

"Whe""""I love the outdoors and really enjoy running, hiking, long walks, swimming in the ocean. I am currently exploring Sweden, there are many well-marked hiking trails. I really enjoy traveling, exploring new cultures, and meeting new people, which is also why I have always taken the possible opportunities to go abroad in and for my studies. I am active in the European Student Think Tank because I think that youth involvement in issues that disproportionately affect youth (such as climate change) is important; and am also interested in environmental justice issues. I am also increasingly interested in sustainable food systems and how they can help to fight climate change and improve biodiversity while combating issues such as malnutrition and food waste. One of the topics I am most passionate about is climate change adaptation and its nexus with sustainable development.

It is inspiring just how active and engaged you are in your study, passions, and life … a genuine question, how do you fit everything in?

"Thanks a lot! I would say that there is quite some overlap between my study and my passions, which certainly helps to fit everything in. The fact that I am able to study- and work on topics that I am passionate about gives me a lot of energy. I also find it motivating to spend time with like-minded people who are genuinely passionate about what they do as well."

One last question! You talk about your interest in sustainable food systems, at its most basic,  please share with us ... what can we do?

"We can reduce our meat consumption, reduce food waste as much as possible, try to eat seasonally (especially veggies and fruit), and shop regional produce rather than produce that has been imported from overseas. Moreover, budget allowing, one can buy organic food. We should also be conscious about the amount of plastic wrapping and other packaging around food. Additionally, we can make the trip to the supermarket by bike or foot to save emissions. Don’t forget your reusable shopping bag(s)!"

All things most of us can do more of! For sure. 

As we leave our chat here Lena we want to thank you for sharing your story with us! If this is what 6 years after is looks like for you we can hardly imagine what 10 years will look like. We are sure our chat with you will starts many conversations for others from climate conversation to creating your own experiences and just how diverse an academic career can be. Stay in touch! 

To read more on the esteemed company Lena is in, please check out previously featured ISH alumni, in our 'Where are they now?' series ... 

Where are they now? Defne Gencler (Entrepreneur, Comedian, TikTok sensation).

Where are they now? Marieke Bigg (Writer).

Where are they now? Abbie Wiggins (Author).

Are you an alumni who would like to be featured? Do you know an alumni with a story we should get in contact with? Email: community.ish@atscholen.nl

"It's a cultural cooking adventure that celebrates the diversity of food, by introducing us to new flavors and textures from many nations around the world. While at the same time, encouraging us to care for the environmental impacts of our eating habits." - IS 10C

Saturday 4^th June 2022 was a very special day for the schools Sustainability Committee - a cookbook produced for a competition (The Green Future Awards) the Committee had led in 2021, won an international book prize! 

We are very proud of last years IS10c - led by Alice Haywood - who created a cookbook called "Eat Sustainably Together". The book was published online and caught the eye of Mr Edouard Cointreau - President of the Gourmand Awards.He entered it in the Gourmand World Cookbook awards, and it won 1^st prize in the category Sustainable Lifestyle.

Congratulations to Alice and her team. - Ms. van Lemmen.

She loves Amsterdam for its welcoming and vibrant energy and we love our Ms. Medjedovic for her welcoming and vibrant energy! If you encounter Ms. Medjedovic in your day you'll know what we're talking about. Currently, Ms. Medjedovic is our head of science and she also mentors our delightful grade 6 class. Previously, she guided our MYP students in Service as Action as the coordinator of this program.

Vamos começar (let's begin) ...

Ms. Medjedovic, tell us, what brought you to The Netherlands?

"I came for love. I met my husband here while on my Eurotrip (11 countries in 40 days ;) and we were long-distance for a year. I actually met him on my last day here! Then we got married and I moved in."

❤️ Awww so your story of moving here is a love story! ❤️ 

Now we know the best personal decison you've ever made, what is the best professional decision you've ever made?

"Staying at ISH. I started here as a replacement for a Lab Technician who was on leave. I had a chance to work as a teacher in other schools, but I decided to stay here. I always loved the atmosphere, the students, the colleagues here."

Have you lived in any other countries?

"I have only lived in Brazil, in Sao Paulo, and now in the Netherlands for 6 years. I was in a brief exchange program for my PhD in Germany, but that only lasted 4 months."

What do you miss the most about Brazil?

"I miss my family and my friends so much. We used to spend all weekends together, enjoying the good weather with good food and good music. Oh, I also miss the food so much! The good thing is that I can always find Brazilian food here, or I can make it myself! My family and friends here really enjoy when I get inspired to cook Brazilian dishes."

If we came to dinner what would a classic Brazilian dish be?

"I usually either cook 'Picanha', a very tasty beef cut, with Farofa (I make it with fried almond flour and garlic, or bacon and carrots) and Vinagrete (onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, coriander, chopped really small in olive oil and vinegar). Or Fish Moqueca (a nice fish stew with palm oil and coconut milk)." 

And what Brazilian music would we be listening to?

"Oh wow, that's a difficult one. I'm into MPB*. I love especially Caetano Veloso and Chico Buarque. I guess I could say 'Qualquer Coisa', from Caetano, is in my top 10."

*MPB - Música popular brasileira or is a trend in post-bossa nova urban popular music in Brazil that revisits typical Brazilian styles such as samba

So you've been in The Netherlands for 6 years, what do you love about living here?

"I love living in the Netherlands, first of all, because it makes me feel safe. Also, it's fascinating that everyone comes from the most varied places. I find this cultural mix so enrichening. And the energy! From the first time I landed here, I've always thought that Amsterdam especially has this vibrant energy that is very welcoming." 

We can see how Amsterdam suits you! You're exactly that - welcoming, vibrant energy in our hallways and classrooms.

Where did you study and what did you study?

"I studied Biology in a city close to Sao Paulo called Sorocaba. This city is famous for having the best coxinha ever. Coxinha is a Brazilian snack made of fried dough and filled with chicken. It’s delicious!"

 What were you deing before ISH?

"Before coming to ISH I was working in Brazil in a couple of bilingual school in Sao Paulo. I used to teach everything! Like Sciences, of course, but also English Language, Social Studies and even Math for the middle school. I was also a private tutor and Business English teacher for adults."

Do you remember the exact moment you decided to become a teacher?

"Teaching kind of happened to me. Even though I have a teaching degree, I initially considered becoming a researcher. But when I was a post-grad student, I’d have to assist my professor and I really enjoyed. I started flirting with the idea and made a career change. It has been very rewarding!"

We often hear about teachers finding teaching rewarding! Can you tell us what you enjoy the most?

"I love the a-ha moments. When a student is looking at a cell under the microscope and finds it fascinating, a whole new world is discovered. I love being there, next to them, and watch them make those discoveries, and become more aware of how everything is connected."

LOL! Spoken like a true biology teacher, everything is connected ;)

What did you want to be when you were 10 years old?

"The usual, ballerina, astronaut, vet, doctor, teacher. I even considered becoming a police officer or firefighter!"

What are some of the most interesting things about you that we wouldn´t learn from your resume alone? 

"Even though I love Sciences, I am also very into arts. I danced ballet and flamenco for many years. Not to mention samba! I love dancing! I also took singing lessons. I wish I had a talent to pursue this as a career, but I guess that won’t be happening in this lifetime. I do still sing in the shower, and I love that (my neighbors might disagree).  Oh, I am also a tarot reader."

Maybe it's not too late! The 'ISH got talent' show is still on the school calendar. 

If you had to choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what song would you choose and why? 

"Hmmmm That’s a difficult one. I’d be torn between Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen) and Sweet Child O’ Mine (Guns N’ Roses)."

We're intrigued by diverse interests and talents. What a curious life you lead. Another BIG question for you - is there something that stands our that has changed your life?

"Yes, having a child. My daughter has really showed me what unconditional love and surrender are. She is the joy of my life. I love watching her grow into a caring independent strong person."

We have no doubt under your influence she is growing in to just that! Wondering ... what were you like in high school?

"I was very shy! I think I am still shy and introvert, but I am now better at interacting with people. But in high school it was terrifying to make presentations. I was a good student though."

And because our lovely students are always reading here we always ask ... what advice would you give your high school self?

"You are beautiful, you are loved, you are strong, you are enough. (This is what I say to my daughter.)"

Ms. Medjedovic! How absolutely wonderful it is to know you a little more. What curious life you live. Somehow, it feels like we've only touched the surface. We're happy you love The Netherlands and ISH life and living your BEST life! Thank you for sharing a little of yourself and your life with us and we do hope that your passion for dancing will one day bring the flamingo or the salsa to our stage. ;)

More in this series:

Who is ... Mr. Claxton?

Who is ... Ms. Hetebrij?

But what is the Goudenschaal?

It's not just that our canteen provides their service with a smile, nor is it that there's always a long line of students that lining up for their lunches! It's an annual accreditation from the Voedingscentrum (The Netherlands Nutrition Centre Foundation) awarded to schools who offer a healthy canteen!

To meet the accreditation standards we must show that we meet the following:

• At least one 'better choice' is offered in each product group in the canteen.
• At least 80% of the products offered in the canteen are a 'better choice' product.
• Fruit and vegetables are offered in the canteen.
• Drinking water is encouraged.

From the 8th of April to the 10^th of April, our very own ISH students wore their suits, skirts, and blouses to become delegates who would represent various countries and their foreign policies. Two of our students even had the honor of chairing their committees. Cleo Beal and Enya Yuniarta DP1 would go on to organize the debates of their committees which were the ICJ and the GA4. Cleo Beal voiced her opinions of chairing the ICJ...

“I really enjoyed being the deputy president of the ICJ. It allowed me to see how a court would work and allowed me to gain experience which could be useful for a possible career of mine, being a lawyer. I learnt many new skills of chairing a committee which I will most certainly take to future conferences!"

The conference was hosted in Haarlem in various locations. Some of our delegates even got to debate in the Haarlem City Hall. On the first day most of our students would go sit in their committees introduced themselves and broke the ice with the delegates in their committees. After that we were escorted by the amazing staff of the HMUN conference to the Janskerk where they would hold the opening ceremonies. We would be entertained by the Mayor of Haarlem, the Secretary General of the HMUN and an ex-Secretary General of NATO in the real UN. All the guest speakers had very entertaining speeches with interesting topics. The opening ceremony was held in a grandiose way and would be the perfect start to three rigorous days of debating.For many of our first-time delegates we had heard feedback that the first day was a great learning experience as it made them more accustomed to the MUN rules, regulations, and the procedure. Many of our first-time delegates and experienced delegates had signed up for a various range of workshops. Delegates had informed us that the workshops were very helpful, and it only facilitated in their communication skills.

It must not go unnoticed that for the first time we had a delegate (Riptiva Roy IS10) in the expert committee. The club has never seen an ISH delegate be part of this committee and Riptiva had a few words to say about her experiences in the Expert Committee ...

“I can say that participating in Expert Committee was certainly a challenge but a very interesting and eye-opening experience in which I got to develop and learn new skills, very different from how I have participated in the past MUNs.”

Our first MUN day came to a close and during the train ride back we shared our own personal anecdotes from each of our committees with many enjoyable stories emerging from Day 1. On Day 2 there would be no interruptions with a full day scheduled for just debating and diplomatic negotiation. Many of our delegates were prepared for all three topics that would be debated. There were a few guest speakers, and this is what Rishi Narendran (Vice President of the MUN club) had to say about the interesting topics and insightful comments that guest speakers had...

“In our G20 committee we had a woman who worked with Tata Steel to minimize the impacts of the greenhouse gasses and to build more sustainable energy factories. Personally, I found this topic very interesting as it had also corresponded with the issue, we were debating of countries not complying with the Paris Agreement. However, I wondered whether the dream that Tata Steel and the Netherlands had, was only a European dream and whether such measures could be implemented globally in developing countries especially.”

On the final day the General Assembly had a plenary while committees such as the security council, G20, Historical security council would have business as usual. This is what Enya Yuniarta (Vice President of the MUN club) had to say about her experiences in the GA  plenary...

“Truly was a new learning experience to be able to moderate the debate and GA plenary: ensuring one resolution was passed per topic, regulating delegates’ behaviour/ time management and overall maintaining the structured parliamentary procedure. This opportunity was a great challenge, though it was a pleasure being involved in the preparation of HMUN itself. Definitely looking forward to for more chairing positions again in the future.”

When Day 3 was closing its curtains, most chairs of the committees would read gossips that the delegates had on each other giving a wholesome end to the MUN experience. This was also where it was decided that Siddharth Tapkhirwala was the best delegate of his committee (ECOSOC) and this is what he had to say about his commendable achievement “I feel overjoyed, and all the preparation that the MUN club gave really paid off”. However, our ISH delegates kept surprising us with Ridhi Maganahalli and Tara Chanda winning joint best delegate in the Security Council which can be categorized as one of the more experienced committees making it a feat that should not go unnoticed. The debating had finally ended, and our students would have to go back to bland reality but not without a few comments on the experience.

Francois van Eden voiced...

“Thank you everyone for this great MUN. It was an entirely different experience to my first conference, but just as enjoyable if not even more so! (Also representing DPRK was extremely fun.)”

Siddharth Tapkhirwala stated...

“Thank you to everyone involved in the planning and thank you to everyone who attended for making this one of the most enjoyable MUN’s that I have attended. Congrats to Enya and Cleo once again and thank you to the MUN club leaders for all their hard work”.

Ridhi Maganahalli had made a few statements on her view of the conference...

“Thank you so much everyone, I had a great time with you all! Our MUN president and Vice Presidents have taught us all well, and of course Mr Skarvelis and Mr Maguire who made this lovely event possible!”

Finally, Ramxy Kataoka expressed ...

“I found MUN very educational as we had a fruitful debate while using formal speech. I entered the building being very nervous as this was my first MUN, but soon came to realize that MUN was a fun learning experience rather than a place to fear. Overall, I had a great time at HMUN.”

Our MUN delegates seemed to have had an amazing time at the conference and finally we would like to thank our MUN directors Mr Skarvelis and Mr Maguire for escorting us to the places we needed to be and for keeping us safe. We would also like to give a hearty sendoff to Asmita Nayak of DP2 our very own MUN president who will sadly be leaving our school and giving away her seat to a new president. She has been an integral part of the MUN club and an important factor in preparing our delegates for numerous conferences. She has paved a new way for us and has brought the MUN club and its members to the level it is today. We would like to thank you Asmita for all your hard work throughout your years as a President and a Member. We wish you the best of luck in everything you do! 

In this next instalment of our 'Where are they now?' alumni series, we're excited to introduce you to alumna, Defne Gencler (class of 2010). In the 12 years since she left ISH she sure has PACKED in a lot. Defne studied in NYC, has become a an acomplished comedian, a TikTok sensation and she is now back in Amsterdam sharing her love of words in her very own successful business as a Freelance Copywriter. We have have also recently had the priviledge of having Defne come in and share her inspiring energy with some of our students. 

Let's begin! Life beyond ISH, can you tell us a little about yours … 

"After graduating from ISH, I went to a liberal arts college in upstate New York. I majored in Philosophy but took a whole range of classes from Comparative Literature and Computer science to Jazz Vocal and Painting.  

After graduating with my Bachelor’s I spent another five years in NYC, working in digital media during the day and doing stand up comedy at night. I performed at some of New York's top comedy clubs, scored an acting agent, and even got to be in a commercial."  

We’re sure you must have excelled in your Jazz Vocal class, we just love your Lana Del Ray quarantine madness parody.

Wow though! Where do we even start chatting about your post ISH dynamic college life? How did you find yourself in stand-up comedy? 

"I found myself doing stand up after I had moved to New York City after graduating from college in upstate New York. I realized that my life after graduation consisted of going to work, going home, and watching TV… Which is great but I was craving more adventure, especially being in my 20’s and living in New York. I had always loved writing and acting, and my childhood of moving around gave me a sarcastic sense of humor. So I decided to combine all of that with stand up, especially since the comedy scene there is really rich. I loved learning all about the art of it and watching myself improve the more time I dedicated to it. And of course, you become part of the community and the scene, so it’s all very exciting and addictive in a sense. Of course, there was also the thrill of writing a new joke and having it work on stage. And the shame of having a terrible show. But I like when the stakes are high."

After 5 years in NYC what brought you back? 

"As incredible as NYC was, I returned to Amsterdam where I see myself living more long term. I have just set up my own business as a freelance writer. I still do stand up comedy, but I have also gotten into TikTok where I have a community of over 20K followers. I talk a lot about my cross cultural experiences and that seems to resonate with people."  

Many of our students can identify with cross cultural experiences and for sure they can identify with TikTok! What are your cultural influences and where can they find you on TikTok and do you have a favourite clip we could share?  

"My cultural influences are all across the board. There are too many to name and my memory is terrible but here are some I can think of. Musician: The Weeknd. Movie: Mean Girls. Director: Steven Lynch. Comedian: Carmen Lynch (Look her up. And, no, they’re not related). 

They can find me on TikTok at @omgitsdef. Here is a clip I’m not too embarrassed to share."

We are celebrating Turkish as our language of the month in school so we thought we'd share this one too.

You’ve studied and worked internationally and we wonder how this influences your cultural identity?

"My parents are Turkish, I was born in the Netherlands and I lived in the US for half my life. I feel like a combination of all three countries in one person."  

This then does bring up the important question of ... baklava, donut or drop?  

"Baklava for sure."

You recently came in to ISH to share your insights with some of our students who were looking to create a discussion group around feminism to empower the students of ISH. How important is it to you to be able to be a role model and mentor for issues that matter to you? 

"It was honestly such an honor to be called in. That was my first time being in a mentor role and I really enjoyed being able to talk to students and help them out. I would love to continue being a role model for others -- do you know where I can get a gig like that?!"

This sounds like an excellent idea! Let us talk to our people. To let you know these students Lore and Tiara, together with Nsama were super inspired by your converation with them, and they have infact set up a CAS project the ISH Magnolias. A group for all genders and ages who meet monthly at school to discuss feminist empowerment issues. 

Do you have a particular teacher from your time at ISH who inspired you? 

"My favourite teacher at ISH was Mr. John. Not only because he was a wonderful drama teacher and brought theatre to the school, but also because he helped me understand Shakespeare, especially MacBeth, on a deeper level."

We asked Mr. John to share with us how he remembers you as a student and his words give us a real sense of the fun and engaging energy you brought to ISH as a student. 

"Defne was a truly wonderful student here at the ISH. Intelligent and committed, she was always 'involved' in aspects of school life, be it performances, plays and service as action activities. I taught her Drama and English and was always impressed by her open-mindedness and quick thinking - the way in which she could impress you with a spontaneous turn of phrase or display of wit. One moment she could be working like crazy on an English commentary, the next she'd be ripping the microphone out of your hand at the winter performances and belting out Mariah Carey's 'All I want for Christmas'... Believe me. This happened.

Indeed, I am not surprised to see her develop and prosper in the way she has. An astute, academically focused young woman - with an ability to stand in front of a crowd and challenge them with a comedic social commentary. That's Defne."

Tell us a little about your new business and how are you finding life as an entrepreneur?  

"I started my new business, Defne Gencler, Freelance Copywriter Amsterdam in September of 2021. The services include copywriting and voiceover for various clients. I am absolutely loving life as an entrepreneur. It’s similar to stand up where the stakes are high… So the good moments feel more rewarding, and the low points of course hit harder. But I have a lot of energy to put into projects, and because I have a background in performing, I’ve become pretty good at putting myself out there. It took me a few months to get up and running but now I have steady clients and am finally seeing profits… I’m looking forward to seeing where it all goes." 

It seems you have a plan a, b and c and loads of creative energy. How do you combine your freelance writing with stand-up comedy and Tiktok sensation?

"At the moment, I’ve definitely put my comedy and TikToks in the backseat. Starting a business was pretty time-and energy-consuming. Maybe now that I’m up and running I’ll continue but at the moment I’m also prioritizing other parts of life. I didn’t prioritize my social and personal life much while I was doing stand-up in New York so right now I want to enjoy going out and being with my friends in Amsterdam."

How do you stay inspired?  

"That’s a good question. I don’t really think I have to work too hard to stay inspired. I honestly get bored if I haven’t done something creative so I guess I don’t have a choice!" 

And lastly, with so much happening, do you have any leisure time? And how do you enjoy spending this time?  

"I do have leisure time, yes. I like doing a lot of different things with it. I’ve been dedicating more time to my health this year, so I work out quite a bit now. I’m also a big fan of movies and reading so I try to do that whenever I can. I’m also kind of a social butterfly, so you’ll often find me hanging out with friends and looking for the next party. But don’t get me wrong, I can easily spend several days in a row at home, too. I got a lot of practice during corona."

Defne, an enormous thank you for taking the time to share  your beyond ISH life with us. What a priviledge it is for us be able to share your story with our students and community. It is such a pleasure to catch up on were our alumni are now. and we look forward to hopefully seeing you in school again soon!

Find Defne here:

To read more on the esteemed company Defne is in, please check out previously featured ISH alumni, in our 'Where are they now?' series ... 

Where are they now? Lena Grobusch - (Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree Candidate).

Where are they now? Marieke Bigg (Writer).

Where are they now? Abbie Wiggins (Author).

Are you an alumni who would like to be featured? Do you know an alumni with a story we should get in contact with? Email: fcleven@atscholen.nl 

It was a day of all seasons. Our Owls ran in the sun, the rain and some even had to brave running in the hail! Thankfully, the musicans who provided live music along the route helped us to ignore the conditions and just keep running and smiling. What a great way to spend a Sunday and congratulations to our students, teachers, staff and parents who ran this year's 2022 Hilversum City Run. 

The Hilversum City Run is the largest sporting event in the Gooi area. After two years on hold how wonderful it is to have our local runing event back. Our runners run through familiar streets and are cheered along the way by familiar faces. It was brilliant to have much ISH support along the way.

Unfortunately, our resident run coach/Iron woman Ms. Heterbrij wasn't able to be there, but she was super excited to follow the race results and wanted to make special mention to two of her most dedicated running club students. Caterina (grade 7) is the youngest member of the running team and Anna (grade 9) who has not missed a single training since September 2021 and Now that is commitment. Bravo. Caterina ran the 5k in 26:26 and Anna the 10k in 49:43. Inspirational running girls! 

We asked Anna and Catarina to write a little about their experience with run club for us ... 

Caterina:

"I joined Run Club because I was already running on my own, and I thought it would help me improve and meet new people. It did help me improve and I was quite tired after each training. I also thought they were fun because we did something different each training. Ms. Hetebrij helped us improve by challenging us, teaching us strategies, and having extra trainings for those who wanted when we were getting close to the Hilversum City Run time.

I was nervous for the Hilversum City Run since I hadn’t run a race in while. During the run it hailed, but I was with my friends, and we helped motivate each other. But other than that, I found the run fun, and it was interesting to see my results. I like running because I can set goals for myself, and I can challenge myself. It also helps give me a break to think if I’m stressed, and it helps me feel more relaxed afterwards."

Anna:

"When I tell people I run, everyone always asks, “How can you like running? I hate it”. Always. People aren’t very original. Anyway, I love running because it takes you away from your own problems and world and you can just run and breathe. Run and breathe. You can focus on the struggle to keep on putting that foot in front of the other rather than all other struggles that occupy your mind. It acts as meditation for me. If this is not enough, think of the satisfaction you have after your run. It’s amazing. It’s addicting. But running is not always good.

It’s not a secret that many girls my age face the problem of body insecurity. I do too. Running has allowed me to feel so much better about my body and my lifestyle, but its addicting. Whenever I feel insecure, I go for a run, and I feel better. But then the next day I have the same insecurity and go for another run. Even if I really don’t want to run, I run. It’s hard to break away from pattern.

Some people say running is like breathing. But no, for me running is breathing."

Ms. Heterbrij will continue training with the run club during term three. Did you know this can count for your SaA or CAS (activity) if you attended at least three times? And aside from that you get fit, feel better and maybe you'll meet some new people at the same time.

All the details can br found on the the ISH Community Service page.  

You can also emails Ms. Hetebrij for the details and with questions  e.hetebrij@atscholen.nl

We can't promise that you won't get addicted!

From 25th-26th March, selected International School Hilversum students as members of the MUN club actively participated in British School of Amsterdam’s 2-day event Model United Nations Conference (BSAMUN 2022). Delegates from 9:00 - 18:00 experienced challenging debates concerning formal disputes. This year MUN club members from ISH are representing the delegations of Afghanistan, Congo, Canada, Egypt and Kenya, participating in the Human Rights Council (HRC), ECOSOC, General Assembly 1 (GA1), Group of Twenty (G20) and the Security Council (SC). The Model United Nations conferences not only simulates the processes performed in official United Nations forums, but simultaneously to encourage global corporation and information exchange to investigate best solutions to most pressing global issues considering all nation’s outlooks.

The topics explored in each committee had strong focus and utilized the selected conference theme of “combatting world hunger and poverty in the imperfect world”, delegates also received a speech from the UK ambassador during the opening, and as BSAMUN is working in partnership with the charity organization “Heifer”, where Heifer’s representative came as guest speaker in the closing ceremony stated the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals (2030), sustainable farming communities, and the challenges arisen to the low income farmers from COVID-19 pandemic. This drives the value in resolving poverty related issues to reduces the social inequality around the globe. Therefore, the delegates tackled a range of topics from addressing more social associated issues, such as the hunger crisis in Afghanistan, establishing protocols of food security in conflict zones, legalizations of marijuana and drug related crimes in ECOSOC and GA1 to more economical and technological sectors, such as the regulation of cryptocurrencies in G20, discussing use of biological weaponry in Security council.

Despite how the majority of selected delegates considered BSAMUN to be their first MUN conference experience and had large pressure representing the stances of recognized member states, our delegates managed to submit resolutions, addressing points of information, generally maintain the respectful formal environment of the conference dynamics and able to consistently co-operate in amending opposing nation’s solutions, which ultimately improves ATL writing and thinking skills on how to structure the argument in most optimal format possible for the solution to be communicated across accurately.

Lastly, special thanks to Mr. Skarvelis who has supervised the students during the whole 2-day event. Next conference the school will be joining is HMUN 2022, hosted in the Stedelijk Gymnasium Haarlem, taking place from 8th-10th April. Looking forward to seeing our 20 selected members as delegates. Additionally, congratulations to Enya Yuniarta DP1 and Cleo Beal DP1 who’ve been selected Deputy Presidents/chairs in General Assembly 4 and ICJ council in Haarlem. Another honourable mention to Riptiva Roy IS10, who’ve been selected in the challenging forum of Expert Committee (ExCom). We hope to see more students participating and involved in real current world issues again soon!

Down below are some insight on a few delegate’s MUN in-conference experience:

“I think MUN is a very valuable experience where you gain a more insightful perspective on the true positions and power distribution of the different nations of the world in global politics. It can be very eye opening from both a privileged and disadvantaged point of view. BSAMUN provided very diverse and relevant topics to debate upon, and it was very interesting to see all the standpoints that were brought to the table” – Riptiva Roy IS10 (Security Council, Kenya)

“BSAMUN was a great experience for beginner delegates and experienced ones! It allowed you to gain more confidence in public speaking due to the small scale of the conference, and allowed you to debate on real life situations which need to be solved in the present!” – Cleo Beal DP1 (Human Rights Council, Afghanistan)

And a message from one of the presidency members:

“Glad everyone enjoyed participating in last week’s conference! Very proud of our delegates, especially as BSAMUN were for the majority their first-time conference experience. We hope to welcome more members to the MUN Club and see more students not only being involved in current world issues, but also strengthen their diplomacy and critical thinking skills which always proves beneficial for anyone’s future”

– Enya Yuniarta DP1, Vice President of MUN Club (Group of Twenty, Canada)

Enya Yuniarta

DP1

(Vice President of Communications)

IS Hilversum MUN on Instagram!

Previous MUN articles:

The Hague Model United Nations Arnhem Conference - MUNISH2021

Arnhem Model United Nations Arnhem Conference - LMUNA

Haarlem Model of United Nations Club - HMUN

"Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks."

Dr. Seuss

Our library staff love books SO much they decided to create a special day to celebrate them! The Annual ISH Book Day. A day where our book loving librarians Christine and Fabiana organised a bunch of activities and fun. They were assisted by some of our students, who, as voracious readers themselves were excited to join them in creating this special day. A day dedicated to sharing the JOY of reading and books.

As always, our commuity supported our endeavours by donating books, books and more books! These books were greatly appreciated by our students and staff alike, our pre-loved book stall was a huge success. Priced from 50 cents the books stall raised €136.70. This money will be donated to the Burmese Leaning Centre in Thailand, a foundation who we have a long standing connection with. 

Our students and staff were able to participate in many activities including making their own bookmarks, drawing manga book charactors, learning to write books, contributing to the 'shelfie' wall with their favourite book, competing in a kahoot book quiz and our sustainability committee engaged them in origami with old books!

As a special treat our students were treated to special readings from the Harry Potter series books by Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, aka Mr. Jones and Ms. Neethling.

“Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.” – Albus Dumbledore

Students and staff were encouraged to dress-up as a book character and they certainly went all out! All of  those who dressed-up were guaranteed to win a prize, but there was one special prize for the winner of the best costume. This prize went to Sienna van Arkel (IT7a), who dressed-up as ‘De Grijze Jager’. Congratulations Sienna. 👏 Her costume was creative and very well done, she had put a lot of effort into making it authentic. Thank you to all of you who dressed up.

Lastly, a HUGE thanks to our brilliant librarians and all of their student helpers Neha, Ellie, Lara, Sophia, Riptiva, Ela, Maëlle, Yasmine, Elles, Isla and Liza. We can't wait to see this annual day, this new ISH tradition continue to grow into its own story. 

After collecting surveys earlier in the school year from their fellow students, our Student Coucil have been busy making things happen! Here is an update of their current progress based on the requests and ideas they received from students.

Highlights:

• Menstrual products are now supplied in the girls and non-binary bathrooms.
• New vending machine products (managed by the school canteen).
• Medical training for students.
• Facilitation of the organisation and logistics of the ISH after school clubs.
• The creation of an official ISH student council YouTube channel. 
• A staff introduction documentary for students.
• A basic turortial to help make citations easy.
• A new school discord server.

Projects in progress ... 

• Student portal redesign
• Seating arrangements
• Teacher introduction board
• New videos will be uploaded to update you on our stages and release new projects, so stay tuned and please subscribe!

Owls, your student council would love to hear your suggestions and ideas so they can try to get them implemented for you. To get in contact you can talk or email your class student representative. Or, alternatively you could email your student council chair at riptivaroy@edu.ishilversum.nl

   Keep updated via the school council instagram account!

It's time to share another story from our ‘Where are they now?’ series. The series that's bringing our alumni back to ISH through their stories. The newest profile is alumna Abbie Wiggins, author of Anchor, poet, Instagram creator, charity worker and writer of words. Abbie is a graduate from our class of 2015, she's had her poetry shared by Jesse J and has a published book, it's on the shelf of the ISH library. We're in no doubt that your hearts will warm as you read her story and feel her wisdom, her love of creativity, hope, people and community and the enchanting way in which she entwines and shares these through her written words. 

Abbie, in a nutshell where are from, where have you been since graduating from IS Hilversum, any ISH memories and where are you now?

I'm from the UK, currently living in Bedford. After I graduated from the ISH, I moved back to the UK with my mum, dad and two sisters. This was a big and exciting adjustment for us after spending nearly 10 years in The Netherlands. I decided to take a gap year to work, travel and adjust to life in the UK. During this time, I worked in a Nursery looking after babies and young children and then spent 3 months in the US. I then went on to study English Literature at the University of Brighton, which I LOVED! I basically got to read books for 3 years, what a dream! After graduating from Uni, I moved to Bedford to do an intern year at a church and am now working for a charity called Kings Arms Project as a Finance and Operations assistant. I run an Instagram account called @wordsbyabbie where I've been posting my writing for about 3 years. Out of this, I have recently published a book called Anchor that is available on Amazon! This is so exciting for me, one of my biggest dreams come true! Shoutout to Mr. Ong, my ISH English Literature teacher! The thing I enjoyed most about ISH was the friendships I made that have lasted into my adult life. I loved both Geography and English Literature; Mrs. Van Lemmen and Mr. Ong were my favourite teachers! In my spare time, I love going for walks with friends by the river here in Bedford, reading, drinking coffee and writing! 

Abbie! We're sure much of this is relatable to our past and current students. Living in a new country, moving home and readjusting. How has living and studying in The Netherlands influenced who you are now?

Yes, I would say that it has. I feel very thankful to have grown up in such an amazing country and for the education I received at ISH. I know how much of a privilege that is and it gave me such a strong baseline to start my adult life from. Studying at ISH and experiencing living in another country has helped me in many ways but I think especially in terms of my critical thinking and problem-solving skills. I’m very thankful to have been able to experience living in the Netherlands. The Dutch culture and people are incredible. The friendships I built at school and in the community have shaped who I am today. I also really miss the cycling; we can't really do that in the same way in the UK!

Yes! The cycling - such a wonderful freedom. It's been hard in the past few years for students to consider a GAP year with the pandemic. Did you always plan to take a GAP year?

Actually, no! I thought I'd go straight from school to university and that was always my plan. I'd never thought about a gap year. I applied to do Children’s Nursing towards the end of DP1/beginning of DP2 and had interviews, but didn't get accepted anywhere. Obviously, at the time, that was hugely disappointing. My plan had not worked out in the way that I’d hoped, which was difficult for me as I find it hard when things don’t go to plan. My family and I were moving back to the UK in the summer after I graduated so I thought to myself, okay, what can I do now? How can I turn this around? I decided I'd give myself a year to adjust back to life in the UK, breathe and to experience life outside of education. So, I moved back to the UK with my family and I got a job. I worked in a nursery looking after babies. Then went to the US to visit some friends and spent about 2 1/2 months there. When I went to University to study English Literature (I know, a complete turn-around, but that’s another story!) I was refreshed because I had given myself a break and I had experienced life outside of school and I felt ready to study. So no, I had not planned a gap year, but I would actually really recommend it. I would say that if you’re not sure what you want to do, don't rush into University. I always say this to the young people in my life. If you are not sure, just don't go yet. Waiting a year is okay. Not going is okay. University is a big investment of both time and money. I loved university because I studied something I was passionate about. If you’re in a position where you don’t know what you want to do, get a job, or if you’re able to, travel. Give yourself space. Then, when you know what you want to do, you’ll be ready to fully go after it.

Unfortunately Mr. Ong is no longer at ISH but we were able to fill Ms. van Lemmen in on where you are now. Here are a few words from her ...

"I was so proud to hear that one of my ex-students had become a published author! I remember Abbie as being a quiet, kind girl. She cared about the topics we covered in Geography and was always interested. 

When she could, she would be reading a book. When I think of Abbie, it is always with a book in her hand. I am so glad that she was able to follow her passion."

~ Ms. van Lemmen.

It seems when we talk about Abbie Wiggins we also talk about and think books! How many books would you read in a year? Do you have a favourite genre?

Let's support Lore on her Antarctic Expedition!

In March 2022 one of students, Lore van Onsem will set sail on ‘The Ocean Victory’ for an Antarctic Expedition with ClimateForce2041 and we couldn’t be prouder! As one of the dynamic co-chairs of our sustainability committee, Lore van Onsem has been instrumental in raising awareness and influencing action in sustainability at IS Hilversum. She has overseen many initiatives and projects within the school; from the introduction of air filtering plants within the school, in class sustainability tutorials for students and teachers, mentoring younger students to leading our annual whole school sustainability day.

'My goal is to become a leading activist for sustainable change, mostly interested in the psychological and political aspects to the crisis. In my journey towards this I want to inspire others to become more effective climate activists and develop my knowledge on the subject." - Lore van Onsem.

The sustainability committee she co-chairs has over 50 student members. It provides many opportunities for our students to become active and contribute to sustainability and meaningful change through our school's Service as Action (SA) and Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) programs within our IB curriculum. It is no surprise that Lore plans to continue exploring a career path towards becoming a leading activist for sustainable change.  

For her grade 10 Personal Project Lore wrote a book titled 'If Nature Had a Voice'. This book caught the attention of Darcy Winslow, co-founder and founding president of the Academy for Systems Change. Darcy suggested Lore join her on ClimateForce2041 team on the 2022 expedition to Antarctica.  To support her passage on this once in a lifetime opportunity Lore sold copies of her personal project book and set up a go fund me page. She has also successfully found sponsorship for some of her expedition gear from Patagonia. Patagonia itself has been a world leader in creating a company that is committed to driving social and environmental change. 

"This, the fact that it is a once in a lifetime opportunity and my passion for the climate, resulted in me applying – and getting accepted – to go to Antarctica. Unfortunately, due to health problems, Darcy cannot join me on this journey, but I have decided to go regardless." Lore van Onsem. 

The 12-day Antarctic expedition is on board The Ocean Victory, a ship with the lowest passenger emissions in the cruising industry. Two of the expedition leaders are Robert Swan (OBE) who in 1986 completed the longest unassisted march in history after skiing 70 days, 900 miles across Antarctica. In 2018 his son Barney Swan was the first person to trek the South Pole entirely by renewable energy.

The expedition aims to '... train inspirational participants on up-to-date climate science, sustainability, and leadership skills.' Lore will participate in The Leadership-On-The- Edge (LOTE) program as the expedition aims to '... equips participants and leaders with the tools to create meaningful change in their communities, institutions, companies, and governments in order to benefit this beautiful planet that we all call home.' (The Explorer's Passage.)

  . 

'The expedition itself is based all around climate change; we will follow workshops from amazing people (like Robert Swan, who founded the expedition), connect with successful climate activists all around the world, experience the effects of climate change in the area it is most visible, and learn from this magnificent environment. Being one of the younger participants, I hope to represent the youth in this climate crisis' - Lore van Onsem. 

As a school community we are privileged to have such a committed leader amongst our cohort of students. Lore’s passion for climate matters and her dedication to raising sustainability awareness has influenced and created action towards long term change within our school environment. She is an inspiration and a mentor to students across the year levels and we have no doubt the experience of this expedition will see her grow in her knowledge, wisdom and enthusiasm towards her passion for climate activism. Investing in her in an investment in the future of our planet! We encourage you to sponsor her through her go fund me page. Lore will be sharing her expedition through her photos, and we look forward to sharing more of her story as prepares to undertake this colossal adventure.

** All Antarctic photos are credited to:

Some links:

An article and podcast featuring Lore.

Lore's GoFundMe.

Expedition schedule.

Let's start with French! What led you to become a French teacher?

Hah! Good question. I started learning French at school when I was 11 and I still remember the first time I went to France. It was a day trip to Calais with my dad. Hardly the most glamorous, but it was the first time I’d been abroad and it seemed incredibly foreign to me! French has been a constant in my life. Although, since then I’ve also learnt and taught German and Spanish.

Quadrilingual, impressive! Do you have a favorite French word or quote?

Hmm. ‘Reculer pour mieux sauter’

According to Stabroek News website …

‘Reculer pour mieux sauter’ – the French maxim means ‘to take a step back in order to jump better’ or, in other words, to retreat in order to achieve a stronger position – was supposed to be a favoured tactic of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Ooohhhh we love this one! 

Which countries have you lived in?

France for 1 year, Spain for 2 years, Singapore for 6 years. And now the Netherlands since last summer. (And England for a lot of years!)

Have you always been a teacher, what were your previous jobs before coming to ISH?

No, although just last weekend we had a big reunion with friends who asked what job I’d do if I wasn’t a teacher and the truth is there is no other job on the planet I would like to do more.

My path into teaching was a bit indirect. I studied French at university and as part of my course I spent a year as a language assistant in France. After university I went and taught English in Spain, not because I wanted to be a teacher, but because I couldn’t think of anything else to do! I fell in love with teaching after being there for a couple of years, and came back to England to train as a proper teacher!

That was back in 1994, since then I followed a pretty linear path towards school leadership. I worked in 5 inner city schools in London, starting as a newly qualified French and Spanish teacher and ending up as Principal of a new school in the docklands.

In 2015 everything changed when my wife was asked to open an office in Singapore …

Singapore was my first experience of international teaching and it has been life changing!

Let's talk life changing! How has living in Singapore influenced how you live? And all those trips to Vietnam, could we expect a pho if we turned up for dinner?

Living overseas always changes my outlook for the better. The 2 years I spent in Spain in my early 20s were really formative. In the same way living in Singapore has been really life-changing for so many reasons. In part it was my first exposure to international teaching and so my career path has been turned upside down which has been refreshing. In part it was my first time in Asia which is an incredible, beautiful, dynamic part of the world. As a family we got to travel to some amazing places, including Vietnam. I’ve got a pretty mean recipe for pho! In fact we’re having a Chinese New Year banquet this weekend with some other ex-Asia expats.

What do you miss the most about your home country?

Both my children are now grown up and are in the UK and so the obvious answer is that I miss them the most. It is so much easier to go and see them and family now we’re in the Netherlands though. From Singapore it was a 13 hour flight and for the last 2 years there has been a super strict lockdown. I missed so many important family events due to COVID so it’s good to be closer now.

What has surprised you the most when you moved to The Netherlands?

Where to begin? For such a small country it’s incredibly diverse and culturally rich. We live in Amsterdam which is a great place to be. I honestly thought all the canals and windmills were postcard images so it’s been a surprise to see them everywhere. Although, I’m getting used to them now!

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Two things, the beginning of the day and the end of the day. I feel a buzz of excitement at the start of each day. There is always going to be something new either in the classroom or in conversations with colleagues. I feel so energized by being in school. At the end of the day I ride home and my wife always starts with the same question 'how was your day' and it’s always the same answer 'brilliant'!

At IS Hilversum I am so impressed by the students. The two things that impress me the most are their willingness to step up and help others through service as action, and their academic curiosity.

What are some of the most interesting things about you that we wouldn´t learn from your resume alone? 

Erm. I really love cycling. I’m not sure how interesting that is.

Very interesting! So our lycra loving, MAD keen cyclist, when did this love affair begin?

I’ve always loved riding a bike, one of my earliest memories was heading into the nearest town to buy sweets. Bikes have always meant mobility and liberation for me.

The turning point was around 15 years ago when a work colleague suggested we try and ride up Mont Ventoux in France. That was when I bought my first road bike and I’ve never looked back.

Singapore has an amazing cycling culture – which is surprising given how small it is. It’s possible to ride from Singapore over to Malaysia and that then opens up a whole new world of tropical treats!

Have you undertaken any big cycling challenges?

Oh yes! Mont Ventoux was the first – there’s a challenge called ‘Club des Cinglés de Mont Ventoux’ – basically there are 3 ways to ride to the top (1600m each time) so the challenge is to do all 3 in a day. It’s quite hard.

In Taiwan there’s a road which goes from sea level up to over 3200m – it’s an epic climb up through the Taroko Gorge to the top of Wuling – that’s a great ride.

There were some great road races in Malaysia and Indonesia – I had a blast!

The best challenge for me though was a charity called ‘Ride for Rations’ – I rode from Melaka to Singapore on my Brompton (folding bike) which was fun. I did this for 3 years to raise money for a great cause.

Do you have a cycling dream trip?

I’d love to just head out and do a bike packing trip through Europe. A cycling buddy of mine is doing a bunch of trips over the coming months and I’m very jealous!

If you had to live somewhere for a gap year, where would it be and why?

I’d go back to Singapore in a heartbeat! I love the heat and the food and the culture.

Who inspires you?

This is going to sound strange – but I think Anthony Bourdain. I am binge watching his travel documentaries. Some of my friends are surprised as he had quite a cynical and pessimistic outlook which is the opposite of me – but his mantra was to respect and embrace the culture that you in – and that truly inspires me.

Sunset or sunrise?

Oh sunrise definitely. It’s always the start of a new day. I’ve seen some great sunsets in Asia but nothing can beat sunrise over a misty hilltop when you’re out on the bike!

What advice would you give your high school self?

Don’t resist the careers advisers when they tell you to go into teaching!

Woah! Now ... what to do with this inspiration? Pack our bags for an Asia adventure, get on a bike and go for a ride or pop over to yours for a pho and some more chat! How brilliant to get you know you a little better Mr Claxton and how lucky we are that you chose us as your next school to work at. 

More in this series:

Who is ... Ms Hetebrij?

We are thrilled to bring you the first profile in our new series of ‘Where are they now'? Our first alumna in this series is writer (soon to be author) Marieke Bigg. Marieke graduated in the class of 2010 after finishing her final three years of schooling at IS Hilversum. Her academic journey and career beyond ISH has been both remarkable and inspiring. We are sure you'll enjoy reading about how beautifully Marieke has created a life and career that has combined her talents, interests and importantly her passions.

Marieke, can you share with us a little about life after ISH?

After ISH I decided on a degree in the Liberal Arts and Sciences, based on the US system. I liked this idea because it allowed me to continue to explore a range of subjects and draw connections between them, much as in the IB system. I did half a year at New York University, and majored in comparative literature.  

How was living in NY? Did you study on campus?

I loved NYU. It’s an urban campus, so I stayed in one of the dorms near Washington Square. My favourite course was creative writing, which I’d wanted to study full-time but had opted for a more “sensible” academic route. Taking that course was one of the first nudges I got that made me believe I could pursue creative writing professionally. 

From NY you found yourself at Cambridge University, how did this happen and where did it lead?

I spent a year after this exploring and found myself repeatedly drawn to calls for research. I was inspired by one at the British Library, which called for research proposals on some archives of scientists they held there. I wrote one and they connected me to a professor at Cambridge University. I went on to do an MPhil and PhD there, in sociology, more specifically the sociology of reproductive technologies - of IVF and human embryo research. In doing this, I found myself increasingly trying to write my PhD as a story. I liked telling the story of the scientist at the heart of my research, and found myself wanting to write more freely, in ways that academic convention wouldn’t allow. This led me to turn my research into a popular book. I wrote a proposal and found an agent (at London United Agents). I am now writing a popular non fiction book on ‘how science failed the female body’, inspired by the feminist accounts of science in my PhD.  

Wow! What an interesting path your career has taken. It is truly inspiring to read how you’re weaving your talents, interests and passions together to create a conversation and contribution towards this important discussion. When will we be able to read your book? Do you have a quote for us?

The book will be out next year, and is being edited, so no final quotes yet, but I will keep you posted. The publisher is Hachette, and will be sold internationally. I also allowed myself time to write more fiction, and my debut novel is coming out at the beginning of next year. Updates will appear here.

This is exciting news! We are looking forward to hearing more about this and making sure there’s a copy for our library. When you say 'allowed myself time', what does this mean for you? Do you have a schedule? A writing time? How do you ensure you give your desire to write and to be creative its own priority? 

As suggested above, it took me a while to take my creative writing seriously. I was always enrolled for academic programmes, and always felt that this was a more legitimate career path. It was only when a few people encouraged me to pursue my own writing that I decided I would dedicate time to it, because I loved doing it. I gave myself permission to block out time, sometimes days, weeks or months. It wasn’t always easy, justifying this to myself when it meant I wasn’t doing paid work, or work within a recognised institution. It’s a leap of faith, and I know it’s unrealistic to encourage people to do so without just a bit of support. My advice is to find someone to read your work, someone whose opinion you value. Make them your fan. Once you have one reader hooked, you’ll know you have the tools to attract more. 

For our current students and writerly types reading this, do you have any advice to our budding scientists and creatives?

Allow yourself the time and space to be creative. The scribbles in notebooks, the half-baked, dead-ended ideas that you explore in your free time, are often the seedlings of something great. Give yourself the time and take yourself seriously. Or no one else will. 

What subjects did you enjoy at ISH? Are there any teachers who stand out in your memory of your time here?

My favourite subjects at ISH were English and Biology, I loved drawing connections between these. Mr John was always very encouraging of my English writing and Ms Hoogevorst was always very inspiring in the ways she put biology in the world, telling stories and bringing it to life. 

As a student you also stood out to these teachers and Ms. Hoogevorst is particularly excited about getting her hands on a copy of your upcoming book!

Marieke joined my Biology class in 2007 (called IS4b- it would now be our grade 10 class), and then went on to follow Biology HL in 2008 and graduated in 2010. I can remember that she impressed me right from first teaching her. Bright and insightful, sensitive to the others in the class and most often (by asking insightful questions) leading the thinking of others.  Her grades were astonishing as she would only score sixes and sevens (out of 7)! We still had lessons in the old 'V10' Biology class and her contributions were always very insightful. If I remember correctly, she and another student (Amanda) in that class really stood out academically. I also remember that I was so thrilled to have Bruce in my class after Marieke left school... Hope all is well with both of them, lovely human beings! ~ Ms. Hoogevorst

I remember Marieke as an incredibly astute and perceptive individual. Academically gifted and challenging as a result of her abilities (in a good way), she kept me on my toes! She also had a fantastic British sense of humour – dry and ironic. ~ Mr. John

You’ve studied and worked internationally and we wonder with your Dutch and English background do you consider yourself to be Dutch, English, American or simply International?

I live in London where my agent, publisher, and most of my network is. Dutch culture has shaped a lot of my mannerisms, my values and outlook. But I have a lot of the British sense of humour, and English is my first language. I think calling myself “international” makes sense because what that really denotes, is that I’m part of a small socio-economic elite that has had the privilege of attending expensive, top-tier educational institutions in various places. I’m part of that bubble, and I’m trying to use the privileges it has given me to address issues and tell stories that will benefit those outside of it too. 

This is heartily admirable. What does your life look like now? Are you still studying? How do you enjoy your hobbies and down time?

I’m no longer studying, just writing full time now. I like to read, of course, going to galleries, I love film and theatre. I love dinners with friends. I like walking in nature. I love talking and analysing and just spending time with humans. Pretty simple really, not sure if they qualify as hobbies, but it’s the best I’ve got!

Lastly, we always ask … is there any advice would you give your high school self?

As above. TRUST YOUR OWN INSTINCTS. 

Marieke! Thank you for being so generous with your time and thoughts. It has been an absolute priviledge to be able to share this snapshot of your story with our ISH community. We wish you all the best and look forward to following your creative career. To our readers, we hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as we did chatting with Marieke and are as inspired as we are to ' ... allow yourself time and space to be creative'.

If you'd like to stay updated on Marieke's publications and read some of her online essays please find some links below. We look forward to bringing you more of our alumni stories in this series of 'Where are they now ....".

Book/s:

Hachette (Hodder Studio) and Dead Ink Press.

A selection of online essays:

'Write About Periods, About Destruction and Creation so Closely Entwined'

To read more on the esteemed company Lena is in, please check out previously featured ISH alumni, in our 'Where are they now?' series ... 

Where are they now? Defne Gencler (Entrepreneur, Comedian, TikTok sensation).

Where are they now? Lena Grobusch - (Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree Candidate).

Where are they now? Abbie Wiggins (Author).

Are you an alumni who would like to be featured? Do you know an alumni with a story we should get in contact with? Email: fcleven@atscholen.nl 

From 5th-7th November, selected International School Hilversum students as members of the MUN club actively participated in International School of The Hague’s 31st Annual Session 3-day event Model United Nations Conference (MUNISH 2021), where delegates from 9:00 - 17:00 experienced challenging debates concerning formal disputes. MUNISH attracts over 1,200 students around globe across 30 different schools both from The Netherlands and international borders (e.g., specifically this year from Madrid and London), therefore creating truly the multicultural and diverse dynamics of these sessions, allowing input of knowledge from variety of perspectives, strengthening the ultimate core aim of these conferences; not only to simulate the processes performed in official United Nations forums, but simultaneously to encourage global corporation and information exchange to investigate best solutions to most pressing global issues considering all nation’s outlooks. Additionally, our delegates got to experience debating and conversing in the heart of considered city of “Peace & Justice”, located nearby several UN bodies, embassies, and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs); constructing the closest replication of the United Nations atmosphere.

The conference theme was “Shifting Power Dynamics in a Globalized World” revolved around further establishing UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically addressing the economic rise in the East Asia, rapid advancements in technology facilitating interconnecting communications between nations, while evaluating implications arisen from digitalized world such as unemployment rate or minimized human authorization could lead to unregulated artificial intelligence behavior, overall theme thrives for delegates to ensure optimum situation for future generations. Thereby in this conference, International School Hilversum represented the delegation of both The Netherlands and United States of America, taking position as either delegate or ambassador from Special Conference committees, CCPCJ (Crime Prevention/ Criminal Justice), General Assemblies (GA1, 3, 4), ECOSOC, Environmental, Human rights, Disarmament council to the more specialized committees of APQ, Group of Twenty (G20), NATO, Security and Historic Security council. Delegates debated from more current issues such as measures to limit Covid-19 implications on economy, international security privacy protocols of imaging satellites, and rise of cyberwarfare/instability related topics to maintaining law and order in former 2003 Yugoslavia.

Even though our delegates had large pressure representing major significant member states, delegates managed for their resolutions and clauses to still be approved by panel, confidently presenting opening speeches in GA sessions, SPC Plenary and APQ/SC Plenary, consistently co-operating in amending opposing nation’s solutions, addressing points of information and generally maintain the respectful and formal environment of MUN. Additionally, some committees had the privilege to receive a guest speaker, for example “Irakli Beridze” (Head of Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, UNICRI from UN) informed G20 delegates regarding current technological affairs to aid their progression in topic more accurately. Furthermore, students had option to partake in “New Delegates” or “Public Speaking” workshops primarily targeted for inexperienced delegates, to “Student Officer” workshops for the experienced. Nevertheless, most importantly hopefully students enjoyed these sessions and were able to obtain new skills both interpersonal and academic; down below are comments from delegates who participated:

"MUNISH had a great atmosphere. It was full of open-minded and enthusiastic people that want to solve world issues!" – Cleo Beal DP1 (Security Council, Delegate of USA)

“MUNISH has been a great experience allowing me to explore new perspectives, and actively participate in global politics issues, as well as develop my public speaking and critical thinking skills” – Riptiva Roy IS10D (Security Council, Delegate of USA)

“The Model United Nations has offered me invaluable experiences and skills that I can apply in day-to-day life, university applications, and life beyond the IB. It would be a misconception that MUN is solely focused on developing your skills, and although it’s a great opportunity to do so, it’s also a place of cohesion. Not only demonstrating how the UN functions or how nations interact with each other, but also building new, lifelong friendships” - Ijan Tapican DP2 (NATO, Delegate of The Netherlands)

“With participating in a Model United Nations (MUN), a delegate can research into contemporary issues that plague diplomats in the international scheme. In the perspective of a student, this feels immensely empowering as it feels as though you have been given a voice alike those in power. MUN also caters in developing skills regarding conveying this information to an audience in a restricted amount of time. Therefore, participants become well versed in communication techniques as well as delivering complex information researched in a vocal manner. Going to a MUN is alike rediscovering yourself and finding the extent to which you can understand contemporary dilemmas and create tangible solutions in a restricted amount of time.” – Naman Malhotra IS10C (APQ, Delegate of USA)

Lastly, special thanks to Mr. Maguire who has supervised the students during the whole 3-day event. Next conference the school will be joining is MUNISA, hosted in International School of Amsterdam, which was initially taking place from 10-12th December. Unfortunately, dates had to be postponed due to corona restrictions till further notice. Nevertheless, looking forward to seeing our members participating and getting involved in real current world issues again soon!

And last remarks from our president and vice president:

"Munish was an amazing conference with the highest quality delegates and great topics. It was a great experience and would hope that everyone can experience the feeling of going to the stand and confidently voicing their opinions" - Rishi Narendran DP1 (VP of Conference Prep & Recruitment)

“It is always so satisfying to hear students say they love the MUN experience and want to attend more conferences. For this reason, I am so glad that we can attend more conferences like MUNISH and have them be a success. I see so many students put extraordinary efforts and see them develop skills that no other club in our school provides. MUN helps students build diplomacy and allows students to take a keen interest in global issues. Furthermore, and most importantly, MUN allows students to build friendships with new and unexpected individuals. I really hope that we get to introduce this remarkable experience to more of the ISH students and welcome them to the MUN club this year!“ – Asmita Nayak DP2 (MUN President)

Enya Yuniarta

DP1

(Vice President of Communications)

IS Hilversum MUN on Instagram!

Previous MUN articles:

Arnhem Model United Nations Arnhem Conference - LMUNA

Haarlem Model of United Nations Club - HMUN

Warning: Global Warming

The first Model United Nations conference of the year that International School Hilversum participated in has officially ended, LmunA 2021 conference took place from 1st to 3rd October, which was hosted in Arnhem’s Lorentz Lyceum. 25 selected delegates had a long weekend, on most days starting from 8:30 - 17:00 full of challenging debates, discussing over a variation of topics in each committee and councils, and co-operating with other delegates from schools across The Netherlands. This year’s MUN Arnhem’s annual theme was “Quality of Life” where the topics revolve around “Improve co-operation, improve life, improve the future” – Lorentz Lyceum, mainly targeting the implications current Covid-19 pandemic has affected the globe, addressing the increased depression rate, overload in healthcare facilities, multiple economic consequences, and unfair distributions/allocations of corona vaccinations from MEDCs to LEDCs. Overall, delegates had to conjure solutions in their operative clauses the best approaches to rebuilding the economy, solving conflicts, enhancing international equality, which ultimately are all factors contributing to globe’s “Quality of Life” index.

Our delegates represented France, Pakistan, Norway and Spain in General Assembly 1, 2, 4, 6, Security Council, UNEP, UNICEF, UNESCO, HRC, ECOSOC, and UNODC. From the General Assemblies (GA1, 2, 4, and 6) investigating the Implementations of regulations of the usage and strength of nuclear arms possession, regulating access to arctic sea trading routes, addressing the ongoing Israel-Palestinian conflict, to exploring the more common controversial issue of human rights concerning restrictions to regulate the Covid-19 pandemic.

Even though there were many new delegates which LmunA was their first conference experience, majority grasped the discussion procedures quickly, for example applying the MUN points, motions, usage of 3rd person when speaking during the sessions consistently and appropriately ensuring the focused and formal United Nations conference dynamics were maintained. Furthermore, during the lobbying sessions on the first day, many resolutions written by ISH delegates were able to get co-submitted by sufficient number of delegations, even some getting approved by the approval panel to be discussed during the General Assembly plenary session and ECOSOC / CSW Plenary session during which took place on the 3rd day. Moreover, delegates were able to experience the opportunity of receiving speeches and workshops from guest speakers “Lennart Freud” from Human Rights Watch (HRW), Project director “Bert den Ouden” mentioning his ongoing hydrogen energy exchange initiative, “Rebin Maref” from VVD and “Kalyan Guntuboyina” addressing the importance on sustaining agriculture, informing delegates further on aspects concerning “Quality of Life”.

Lastly, would like to give applause to all delegates and ambassadors who have participated in LmunA for their active contribution, but especially big congratulations to the 3 delegates who has managed to receive “Best Delegate” awards:

- Rishi Narendran DP1 (UNODC)

- Ken Jackson DP1 (GA4)

- Riptiva Roy IS10D (Security Council).

Additionally, special thanks to Mr. Skarvelis who has supervised the students during the whole 3-day event. Next conference the school will be joining is MUNISH, taking place in International School The Hague from 5-7th November 2021. Looking forward to seeing our members participating and getting involved in real current world issues again soon.

Enya Yuniarta (DP1)

(Vice President of Communications)

Previous MUN articles:

Haarlem Model of United Nations Club - HMUN

Mother Tongue Day!

Last week our library hosted our annual 'Mother Tongue' day and as always it was a wonderful celebration of the home languages, cultures and nations of our students and teachers. Ms. Richards and Ms. Furstenburg facilitated a fun day and together with a host of teachers and students they presented 18 languages including the language of music! Many students also helped out as organisers, hosts and photographers. 

We asked Ms. Richards why she is so passionate about this special day that celebrates the home languages and cultures from our international school community … 

“I think it is important to celebrate all languages, not just the ones covered in school. Language is important to one's sense of identity. It is also an opportunity to share your language with others. I always enjoy hearing about the countries where these languages are spoken, as well as hearing the language itself.” 

We learnt so much from our presenters this year. From having fun with Slovakian tongue twisters to the sad history of the Welsh Not. We learnt that many languages are vulnerable to extinction. We learnt to count, say hello, goodbye and thank you in many languages. We learnt about the landscape, food and architecture of nations and more. There was something for everyone!

Even after 7 years Ms. Richards is still amazed by what she learns at our Mother Tongue day celebration … 

“I am always amazed at the fact that there is something new each year. We had music this year.We have not had that for a good few years. We had Chinese this year, from 2 different perspectives (a teacher and a student: Mandarin and Cantonese respectively.)” 

That’s right we had music, Mozart in fact!

It was wonderful and our audience was in awe of our student musician who moved them through the language of music. 

Our grade six students were lucky enough to attend two sessions and were gracious enough to share their reflections with us … 

“I thought that the celebration was very good and fun to listen to and my favourite one was the Chinese one, it was very good.” - Eoin  

“I really enjoyed learning about different languages. Also listening to the girl play the piano. I learned how to count in many different languages and to say goodbye. It was a nice experience.” - Abriella  

“I thought the mother tongue celebration was very interesting and I would love if there could be another one, it was very interesting listening to different people talking about their home language.” – Blanka  

“I loved Mother Tongue day especially the Welsh one. I also liked the one of India, they said some really cool information. They said that Indian was the first language of humans, which is true. That was so cool!” – Maya  

“I found the mother tongue celebration very interesting, because we learned a bit about different people's cultures. I enjoyed learning some words from each language. It gave me an idea about learning those languages.” – Diego  

“I loved the mother tongue celebration. We saw People from Tanzania (Kiswahili), China (Chinese), India (Tamil), Russia (Russian) and Wales (Welsh). Personally, I learned a lot from it, even in Tamil! I speak Tamil at home, and I thought I knew everything! I liked it a lot!” - Pratyush  

"I found the mother tongue day very interesting! I watched the Welsh, Ke Swahilli, Tamil, Chinese, Language of music and Russia. I learned that you speak Welsh in Wales and that there are two signs when entering a new city or town, one in Welsh and in English. I learned the Russian alphabet, that people in Tanzania live in tribes or that Tamil is one of the most ancient languages!" - Ahana  

"I really found quite fun and educational. Especially the language of music. I really enjoyed that one because I also play the piano. It was really nice learning about the different types of languages and cultures. The town in Wales was a nice one. You know, the small town with a very long name? All in all, I really enjoyed that experience. I would really like to do it again." - Oishi  

Mother Tongue Day is a celebration of our International Community, and we wish to thank Ms. Richards, Ms Furstenburg, our teachers and students who presented as well as all the students to contribute to the extra jobs to make this day happen. We are all wiser for having shared this day!

A p.s for you ... 

In case you’re wondering about the Welsh name of the small town in Wales it’s … 

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch 

And in case you're wondering how to say it. Here you are:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bbAAegC40U 

Cook! Snap! Enjoy!

An official ISH book launch - let’s celebrate!

Eat Sustainably Together is packed full with vegetarian and vegan recipes!

This delicious cookbook was produced by the students of grade 10c as part of the sustainability council’s Green Future Award program.

It's a cultural cooking adventure that celebrates the diversity of food, by introducing us to new flavors and textures from many nations around the world. While at the same time, encouraging us to care for the environmental impacts of our eating habits. 

To celebrate the publication of IS10c’s new cookbook we’re going to have some fun! It's time for another ISH community photo competition. 

#ISHOwlsInTheKitchen

For your chance to WIN, all you have to do is:

• Cook a recipe from the book
• Snap a shot and show us
• Tag us on our socials
• Or send your photo via a DM @ishilversum on Instagram or email it through to us at community.ISH@atscholen.nl

Enjoy! Together.

The Grade 5 Exhibition 

After a big ten weeks of hard, diligent and focussed work our grade 5 students proudly presented their exhibition. The primary years program (PYP) exhibition is a core component of the IB PYP program and is the culmination a huge amount of creativity, work and research. It involves inquiring, group collaboration, action and a presentation. Our students eagerly presented their projects to fellow students, parents, members of staff and the school leadership team.  

The exhibition demonstrated intensive research, thinking about, and applying their approaches to learning skills (ATLs), doing surveys, following lists of criteria, reflections, making art, cooperating and problem solving in their groups, making their final display boards and rehearsing their presentations. The projects were based around a central idea and this year, once again the projects were interesting and varied! 

Human action effects endangered mammals

Sport helps us stay physically and mentally balanced  

The chocolate industry effects the planet in different ways  

Technology has an influence on our daily lives  

Many species are being driven to extinction  

Viruses affect our world in various ways  

Japanese culture influences the world for different reasons  

Our students were nervous, but we're proud of how confidently they presented all they had learnt. Our visitors were superbly impressed, and they too learnt a lot!

Overall, the whole exhibition process gave the students multiple opportunities for learning and a valuable practice for moving on to the MYP program.  

Well done to Grade 5! 

Reflections from our students:  

About ATL:  

‘I have used organization skills when putting things on my board and when talking about my inquiries.’ -Blanka  

‘I used collaboration skills because I made decisions with my group.’ -Ed  

‘I used social skills in the exhibition by working out problems and talking and sharing ideas.’ -James  

About what they learned:  

‘I learnt that sport and exercise isn’t only for fun’ -James  

‘I think the exhibition was a huge win, we got a lot done and we also now know what each other’s strengths and weaknesses are.’ -Ed  

‘I learned a lot during our presentation. Including many fun facts. We focused a lot on the lines of inquiries. And for each line of inquiry we made about 10 sub questions that we later fit into pairs. We made it our goal to know everything about our subject too, so we could answer questions.’ - Oishi  

This was great: 

‘My knowledge, presenting, the survey and interview’ -Ahana  

‘Having a lot of fun and learning more about animals’ -Clara  

‘Making the art was fun because I love art’ -Oishi  

‘The green screen’ -Diego  

‘Getting to know my group’ -Maya  

‘Presenting and learning all the information’ -Orla  

‘Finishing the exhibition’ -James  

‘Making the diorama’ -Eoin  

‘Art and research’ -Nihal  

‘Working on art together’ -Abby  

‘Board art’ -Dana  

‘Setting the boards up’ -Ed  

‘Getting all the information’ -Pratyush  

‘The presentations’ -Oliver  

‘Presenting’ -Lucas 

A BIG thank you to Ms. Wingelaar and Ms. Smith for all their above and beyond effort! Also, to all our teachers who were so supportive in their guidance and commitment in their capacity of supervisors of the students' projects. 

In the Theory of knowledge (TOK) exhibition, you will see how TOK manifests in the world all around you! Every DP1 student has chosen three objects from real-world contexts and written about how “knowledge” is linked to them. What do they know about the object; how do they know it, and what are significant ideas linked to that type of knowledge?

 Scan the code or follow the links below to see the world as they do!

TOK Exhibition 1

TOK Exhibition 2

The first weekend of June 2021, students from our school took part in the Haarlem Model United Nations. Representing different countries with contrasting political views, our students enhanced the discussions by submitting and debating ‘amends and clauses’ as well as entertaining ‘points of information’. Some of our students attended this conference as first timers yet did not shy away from the intense discussion. Many even brought back the award for ‘Best Delegate’ from their respective committee.

Best delegates:

Best Delegation: 

HMUN is a prestigious conference held by a non-profit organisation by the students at Stedelijk Gymnasium Haarlem. Each year around 600 students globally take part in this conference; however due to the current Covid situation, this year only schools from the Netherlands were allowed to participate. However, this did not take away the learning opportunity of the ‘MUN experience’. Model United Nations is an education simulation of the UN, where students can learn about not just diplomacy but also public speaking and networking. Our students used this opportunity to its maximum potential, allowing it to refine their critical thinking and collaborative skills.

HMUN is known for its adversity and intensity, where topics parallel current political trends and policies. All students participating are divided into separate committees, each discussing an array of issues falling under larger topics specific to each committee. Our students were also divided into separate committees, however this time, the students were in pairs to avoid the conference from becoming intimidating.

When asked about the conference, the Vice President of our club said:

“This was one of the first post COVID MUN conferences in Haarlem and we had so much fun! It was small and intimate due to corona rules but I heard some exciting things and got to know many people! Everyone did so well, it was difficult but we did it!”

Her sense of excitement and pride is one all of us within the club share. Other students expressed similar feelings when asked about the conference, multiple stating they are excited to attend any upcoming conferences as well.

** This article was written by Khushi the ISH-MUN VP of communications. Thank you for sharing the HMUN experience with us Khushi and congratualations to all our MUN owls. We're proud of you. To learn more about the MUN club you can visit their club page here or follow them on Instagram. 

Our Sustainability Council

Owl-Talk. Student Led Groups. Episode: 2. 

We invite you to enjoy our latest podcast.

A lively, inspiring and heartfelt conversation with students, Elles and Lore, our sustainability committee chairs and Ms. van Lemmen our head of sustainability.

   For the podcast - pop in here.

Our Sustainability Committee Chairs ... 

After the success of ISH's first sustainability festival, two of our grade 8 students looked  at each other with wide-eyed excitement  when Ms. van Lemmen started talking about  an ISH sustainability committee. 

Those two inspired environmentalists were  Lore and Elles. They not only joined the  committee, but they also became the  sustainability committee chairs!  

Now in grade 10 these two energetic and  committed young women continue to chair  the committee. 

We think you'll agree when you join the chat  that we're lucky to have such caring  champions of sustainability at ISH.  

Currently, the ISH sustainability committee consists of 28 students. The committee facilitates Service as Action opportunities for these and many more students within our wider student community.

Our chairs are committed to creating space for everyone to be involved. This includes students, teachers and parents who want to contribute in some way, or simply to share their ideas towards sustainability at ISH. 

Some of the committe's projects include workshops, air filtering plants, plant watering and the 'bee' project.

We asked Elles and Lore what they enjoy most about leading this committee ... 

"There are so many different amazing projects that we get to be a part of as leaders from the council. It's the variety of our roles that make being chairs so exciting. We lead the council in school and help them bring their projects to life, we look for connections with communities and individuals outside of school and try to spread awareness across students in the school. Most of all, sustainability has become something we truly believe in and we want to take part in creating a greener future. Leading the council is our way to offer the school a greener education and most importantly develop as individuals as well, both in sustainable knowledge and in our leadership skills." 

The challenges … 

Of course, in any environment there are challenges. When discussing theirs, these dynamic young leaders express an impressive wisdom and a collaborative and adaptive leadership approach. 

"Facilitating this committee has come with its challenges, but this is also what makes leading it so fun. We are constantly adapting and learning, the sustainability council is new in the school, and it has taken some time to get accumulated. We have struggled to come up with the right projects to work on and how to approach making the school more sustainable. The best way to overcome these challenges seemed to be asking for help. Lore and I lead the council, but we don't make all the decisions alone. We give the members of the council as much freedom as possible because we have noticed that when we do so the most original ideas and projects come up. When it comes to a large issue such as climate change, we believe it's important to tackle it together. Not just because we have more of an impact together but also because the more people get involved, the more they start taking individual action as well."   

What some of our student members had to say …

We asked some of our younger students who have participated in the sustainability committee about their experiences. 

"My involvement in the sustainability committee has taught me how to spread awareness about sustainability and also how to be more sustainable."  

"Being in the sustainability committee has helped me to become more aware of what was going on in the world around me and what I can do to help."   

Some words from Ms. van Lemmen, our passionate and creative head of sustainability at ISH ... 

We asked Ms. van Lemmen was there a moment when she took a deep breath, and her warm heart warmed a little more ... 

"Yes - when I saw the entries for the Green Future Awards. I didn't think we would get so much interest, but we did! This was down to the amazing work of the committee members and chairs promoting the award around the school.  But, also in general I am extremely proud of all the students who are involved and their motivation. The students are all so driven and committed! They come up with creative projects and have kept this going throughout 2 lockdowns." 

'Saving Coral Reefs' was one of our entries from an MYP ocean ambassador for the Green Future awards! 

Perhaps you’re a student who’s thinking of getting involved in sustainability and joining the ISH sustainability committee ... 

 We asked our young leaders if they have any advice for you ... 

"We are always so happy when other students show interest in the sustainability council, and we welcome everybody who wants to take part. It's our main goal to spread awareness of climate change amongst all students and eventually even get everyone involved in the development of a greener school and future. If you are interested in the sustainability council, we encourage you to send us an email or talk to us at school. we are always open to your ideas or participation." 

One final message from Elles and Lore ...  

"If there is one message, we want to give the students at the ISH it's that doing your part to create a more sustainable future doesn't have to be difficult. Any small adaptation in your daily routine to live a more sustainable live is much appreciated. There are big systematic changes that you can take a part in but also small individual changes have an impact. Educate yourself, learn about climate change and think about what you would like to do to play your part in tackling this crisis. The most effective solution to climate change is one where everyone gets involved." 

** Bee project tip from the podcast - get your garden a lavender plant! 

It's official ...

The International School of Hilversum has won BEST new school! 

One of our remarkable students has also qualified a finalist for The National Olympiade in September 2021.

The Nederlandse Wiskunde Olympiade is an annual mathematics competition open to secondary students across The Netherlands. There are four rounds where students are given problems that test both creativity and mathematical understanding. 

Today, it was with great pleasure our principal Ms. Neethling and our head of upper school Mr. Jones, together with representatives from our math department, were able to present these awards with congratulatory corona-time elbow pumps to our students.

We are immensely proud our students and their wonderful achievement, as well as the teachers who supported them and the owls who spontaneously applauded them by clapping and cheering as they walked through the schoolyard to take a photo!

What an #OwlLife moment, so much to celebrate! 

From Little Things BIG Things Grow 🌱

The Millie Scarborough ‘Friends for Life’ Program

Owl-Talk. Student Led Groups. Episode: 1

We invite you to join our students Eva, Tayla, Carolina and Nova for a super interesting, lively and informative conversation with Mr. John.

    For the Podcast -  Listen here.

The program leaders ...

It has been a challenging school year to coordinate a large project, but four of our DP 1 students Eva, Tayla, Carolina and Nova have taken the challenges in their collective strides to energetically facilitate The Millie Scarborough ‘Friends for Life’ program. In doing so, they have once again ensured this welcoming, supportive program has been an integral part of our school fabric whilst honoring the memory and legacy of Millie Scarborough, a former student and one of the program's founders.

This year the program hosted 175 students, 90 of whom were able to complete it as one of their Service as Action requirements. We asked our inspiring program leaders what they enjoyed most about the program.

"I think we have all enjoyed the bond we have formed as a group as well as the experience and skills we have learned from starting the program. We have also enjoyed seeing the friendships develop with the buddies and how some of them have clicked so well with one and other. Even watching some of them outside their meetings and seeing the older buddies help the younger buddies when they see them struggling. It is very rewarding to be able to see the bond between all the buddies."

The challenges …

It is impossible not to be impressed with the creativity, adaptability and reflective nature of these students of ours when asked about their challenges and how they overcame them.

"One challenge that we did face was the launch of the program. Due to the number of students that had signed up it was very hard to do the gym launch with the many complications that came with it. After that first attempt, we sat down and tried to find the best way to launch and have each buddy meet each other. We then concluded to do it in our individual groups which in my opinion was far better than the gym as it was a lot less intimidating and felt more personal with the buddies as they had a smaller and less crowded place to get to know each other. Another challenge was pairing all the buddies as we went based of interests and language. So often we would have interests that did not match with anyone or too many younger buddies had similar interests and there was a limited number of older buddies with those interests. Overall, we did very well with the pairings and most buddies seem to have a good connection and even without the interest they both put in the questionnaire they have found something they both enjoy.  For me personally, (Tayla) a challenge that I faced was speaking in front of a large group of people during the group meetings. for the first few meetings I struggled and relied on a friend to help me out when swapping activities however, I slowly started to get more confident with my groups, which I feel was probably a struggle for a couple of us."

What some of the participants had to say …

"The highlight for me was being able to form a normal and comfortable relationship with my buddy. Only at the start we were a bit shy but the awkwardness broke very soon." 

"I particularly liked it when my buddy shared a photo of her new dog with me. It felt as if I was one of her best friends. A funny moment we had together was when I had to help her during lunch because people were cutting the queue for the canteen."  

"There was not just one part of this program that I found the best part, I've enjoyed all of it. Before we started this program, I was hesitant to join, I feared talking to new people and this program has helped me with learning that it's not always as scary as it seems. I think that the program did not only help the younger buddies but the older ones too." 

Did you make a friend in this program? 

"Yes! My buddy and I were a perfect pair. We have the same interests and hobbies and immediately felt at ease talking to one another, I suppose it was a lucky pairing, but I know that the leaders of the group tried their very best to pair similar people together."

"Due to Covid-19 my buddy and I have not been able to meet up and do things together like you normally would, but my favorite activity that we did is go on a walk and have snacks in the park in Blaricum. We spoke for just over an hour and had fun. My buddy lives in Naarden and I live in Hilversum so sometimes the distance makes it difficult, but we work it out. At the beginning of the year and during online schooling we had teams meetings together and would talk online."

"The program gives the school a larger sense of a community and home. It lets the most distant grades become friendly and known to each other, and I know that the younger students love saying hi to their buddies in the hallways."

Thinking of putting your hand up to facilitate the program next year ….

Perhaps you’re a student who’s thinking of running with the Mille Scarborough ‘Friends for Life’ program as your CAS your project next year? We asked the girls if they have any advice for you.

"Possibly have an application process for the older buddies as this year we had an overwhelming turnout this year. Also, for anyone who wants to sign up for a leader it is not as easy as it may seem, so be prepared for extra work. The biggest stress is starting the program and it certainly is not launched as easy as it may seem. We were also quite unlucky with the covid situation recently so that brought a lot of planning on what our next strategy would be. But also, just enjoy the program, it is certainly the most rewarding CAS and less demanding than others once you get past the first stages."

Owl-Talk the official ISH podcast channel where Mr. John chats candidly with our ISH community. We are excited to share these conversations with you, so you too can feel a part of the wonder of owl life here at ISH.

There are two ways of viewing the exhibition. You can decide to take the guided tour, during which you will automatically be taken to the next artwork after 5 seconds. Or, if you would like to have some more time, you can click on 'Enter Exhibition', select one of the artworks and from there navigate your way through the exhibition by clicking on 'Next' or 'Previous'. You can click on the information icon in the top right corner for more information on the students' works

Listen here as Amara introduces our grade 6 project and the World Education Foundation:

To our dear ISH community, 

 Our class IS6a is doing a project for our mentor class. This project has to do with saving animals that are endangered and other animals that are in need of shelter, food and more. Our class went to a website named the World Animal Foundation; on the website our class chose 1 to 3 animals to donate to. To do this our class made groups to convince people about the risks that each animal is taking. Our class needs your help to make sure that the animals are safe. 

One of our ideas were asking parents for help. Do any of you know how many whales and dolphins are killed each year? An estimated 300,000. And did you know that there are less than 4000 tigers left on the whole planet? This is because of habitat loss, illegal poaching and even hunting for fun. If you thought that that was low, there is less than 2000 Pandas on earth. This is for the same reason but for pandas they lose their habitats they also lose the bamboo that they eat. 

Each animal is suffering the second you read this. Each animal costs 40 Euros and our class needs your help to donate as much as you can. You can bring donations to grade 6 in B4 or to Ms Medjedovic.  

Best regards, 

Grade IS6a.

Save the Pangolins:

Help the Pandas:

Save the Fairy Penguins:

During February we were spoilt with a week of snow that covered The Netherlands. Our villages were transformed into postcard perfect fresh, bright, crunchy winter wonderland scenes. 

One of our Deputy Heads, Mr. John issued a challenge to students and staff to get out in the fun and to share their creations with us.  

We had loads of fun sharing your photos on our socials and seeing what our community was making and doing. 

From igloos and snowmen to snow angels and snow camping! 

Of course, we couldn’t decide a winner, so we decided to reward all our competition contributors. Our secondary school students were still home schooling, but Ms. Neethling and Mr. John were thrilled to be able to personally deliver prizes to our PYP entrants.  

Enjoy this album of our entries!

We may not be together at school, but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun together. Based on a survey of her peers, one of our students, Liza, came up with a load of FUN new things to try during these times. 

If you want to play along with us at home, please find your bingo sheet here!

Will it be YOU who wins the ISH Owl Bingo trophy?

Don't forget to send your photos through to the ISH Community Engagement office:

Email: community.ish@atscholen.nl

or 

DM us at our ISH official Instagram page: @ishilversum

The closing date for entries is Friday 26th February!

Purple Friday was celebrated in the Secondary School on Friday, 11 December, a day organised by the Rainbow Alliance during which the school turned purple almost completely. Students and staff dressed up as purple as they could and participated in a Kahoot quiz about LGBTQ+ matters.

Shape Robots by Grade 1

Grade 1 have been investigating both 2D and 3D shapes. As an art activity, they were asked to create a shape robot using any materials. The challenge was that they were not allowed to draw it! Here are their creations

 

Grade 5 Poetry Unit

Grade 5 completed their Unit about Poetry. The summative assessment task was to write a poem –‘your best ever’- and include some of the elements you have learned in this unit, for example about literary devices. There must be some figurative language in it. Then make an artwork to go with it and put it together to create one beautiful poster. Please have a look at some of the posters the students made.

 

Grade 8’s Double Exposure Challenge

After successfully embarking on a photography project, Grade 8 took the time to go one step further using Photoshop to explore digital manipulations. They worked in layers to produce a double exposure image, combining self-portraits with landscapes which spoke to them. The programme was new to many, but they took on the challenge fantastically producing a series of captivating images. Here are some beautiful examples:

DP1 Visualising the Stage for a Play

For Literature HL, Ms. Ramachandra got DP1 students to read the opening stage directions of the play "A Doll's House" and sketch out their visualisation of the stage. This activity engaged them more closely with the text and they become aware of the small, but significant, details of stagecraft.

DP1 History Padlet

DP1 History students did some source work and discussion on the Manchurian Crisis with Ms. Oudman. This was a formative knowledge check on what they learned from a reading. As well as honed exam skills on source analysis. To access their work click here.