T H E A L U M N I M A G A Z I N E O F AT L A N TA I N T E R N AT I O N A L S C H O O L
Global Exchange
25th Anniversary Year Highlights The Importance of Early Language Acquisition Spotlight on Pauley Tedoff ‘02 ALSO Reunions Class Notes Congratulations, Class of 2011
SUMMER 2011
ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2010-2011 ALAN COLBERG, CHAIR DEB SUDBURY, VICE-CHAIR LARRY MOCK, TREASURER
Our Mission To meet the challenges and opportunities of our interdependent, fastchanging world as responsible citizens, young people require flexible intellectual competence, self-discipline, and a global outlook.To achieve these goals, they need rigorous academic preparation and a passion to become the best they can be.To thrive in and contribute to this world, they must have a solid sense of self and respect for others— as individuals, as members of a group, as citizens of their nations, and as members of the global community. Extraordinary individuals will be called upon to shape the 21st century.The mission of Atlanta International School (AIS) is to develop such individuals.
MEMBERS NANCY BAUER Charlie Bostwick Cecile Noziere MARLYS BROTHERS ‘92 NEIL JOHNSON Kevin O’Halloran VERNA CLEVELAND CRISSY KLAUS DAN REARDON WOODY HALL FADLO KHURI ANDREW WHITNEY JIM HARVEY DENNIS LOCKHART Beth Kytle ‘98 EMILY WILLINGHAM ADAIR CHRIS LOWE LAURA WINCHESTER Benny Varzi Wendy Hayler Trish Marcucci
Letter from The Editor
EX OFFICIO
It’s hard to believe that this school, which began life with 51 students in 1985, has grown in just 25 years to a school with nearly 1,000 current students plus a vibrant community of faculty, staff, parents and alums… in fact, now 20 graduating classes of 918 alums!
KEVIN J. GLASS, HEADMASTER
While the Global Exchange is meant to be enjoyed by all members of our community, it is my hope that this latest issue of the magazine will bring alumni in particular up to speed on some of the highlights of this special year on campus… especially those who weren’t able to return to AIS to participate in the anniversary celebrations. In turn, we hope to hear more about what our alums are doing post-AIS, and we encourage you to stay in touch with us (and each other!) via the Facebook alumni page and LinkedIn group. Updates can also be sent to the Development Office at alumni@aischool.org. Our current parents are most interested to see what happens when our amazing AIS graduates take on the world!
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION
As always, all friends of AIS are encouraged to share your thoughts on the magazine as well as suggestions on topics of interest for future issues. For more timely updates on AIS news, please don’t forget to visit the school’s website (www.aischool.org) or the school’s Facebook fan page.
ROY PLAUT, JR., CHAIRMAN EMERITUS OLGA GOMEZ PLAUT, TRUSTEE EMERITA MONIQUE SEEFRIED, PH.D., TRUSTEE EMERITA Gerry Hull, Trustee Emeritus
HEADMASTER KEVIN GLASS HEAD OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PATRICK HURWORTH DEPUTY HEAD OF SECONDARY SCHOOL/ HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL DARRYL BROWN HEAD OF UPPER PRIMARY SCHOOL ALAIN POIRAUD HEAD OF LOWER PRIMARY SCHOOL DUSTY FRETWELL HEAD OF CURRICULUM & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Rachel Hovington DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT STEWART LATHAN DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION, FINANCIAL AID & MARKETING REID MIZELL DIRECTOR OF FINANCE SCOTT MCDONALD
DEVELOPMENT OFFICE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT STEWART LATHAN ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Mary Denson SPECIAL EVENTS COORDINATOR KATHRYN BANKS
Courtney Fowler, Editor globalexchange@aischool.org
DEVELOPMENT Database Coordinator Kelli Naughton
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS On the cover: Cast of Fake It ‘Til You Make It, the first-ever AIS alumni theatre production, held November 27, 2010.
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS COURTNEY FOWLER
T H E M A G A Z I N E O F AT L A N TA I N T E R N AT I O N A L S C H O O L
Global Exchange SUMMER 2011 4 5
Message from the Headmaster Message from the Incoming Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Around AIS
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
6 8 14 15 16 18 19 20 21 21 22
25th Anniversary Celebration Wrap-Up The Basics of Early Language Learning See Beyond Campaign: ASD and Klaus Field Dedications AIS Students Lend a Hand to Historic Neighborhood Cemetery Photo Story: Design Technology Workshop News: Speakers visit AIS, Atlanta Magazine Award, German Language Diploma Accreditation Update on 2010-2011 AIS Annual Fund Faculty Close-Ups: Chris Thomas, Jeff Holcomb Farewell to Fay Mann Upcoming: Project Zero Comes to AIS AIS Sports Report
Alumni Spotlight 24 Q&A with Pauley Tedoff ‘02 Pauley Tedoff ‘02, Page 24
Staying Connected 26 Reunions 27 Alumni Class Notes
Final Word 28 Congratulations 29 Class of 2011 – Legacy Gift
EDITOR COURTNEY FOWLER
CONTRIBUTORS Emily Willingham Adair GREGG ALBRIGHT John Davenport JAY DENSLOW
Mary Denson SANDY FERKO Hannah Freedman, Grade 11 KEVIN GLASS Disja Koch-ter Kuile STEWART LATHAN Mary MCCarney MARK MCDANIEL Esther Rosenfeld
Deborah Sudbury Pauley Tedoff ‘02 Emma Zigan
DESIGN BY TWEET DESIGN COVER PHOTO BY Navid Yavari
All material, except where specified, copyright Atlanta International School, 2011. All rights reserved.
Message from the Headmaster: Looking Back, Looking Forward
W
hat interesting – and fitting – timing, to be celebrating this, the 25th “silver” anniversary of this school, while conducting the exhaustive, year-long process of putting together our next five-year strategic plan! It makes one feel a bit like the Roman god, Janus, who is always pictured looking in opposite directions. In our case, he is an especially good reference, since this god of beginnings and endings also represents that milestone transition of the growing up of young people! I have felt so privileged this year to meet so many of the people who were involved in the earliest days of this school and to hear from them, first-hand, about the challenges and triumphs of starting a school such as this. Founders’ Day events in early September drew many of the original board members, teachers and even students, and it was inspirational to have them not only all in one room but on this campus to see what they’ve done… The Founders Day birthday party celebration, bringing ALL of our students together for some birthday cake to sing in multiple languages was heart-warming to say the least. And the Back-to-School picnic – a longtime AIS tradition that had somehow managed to lapse –was resurrected to such great response and enjoyment that it will again be held this fall. AIS alumni from all over the world gathered this year in multiple locations to celebrate the anniversary–not least over 250 of them back on campus in November for the 25th Anniversary Alumni Production over the Thanksgiving weekend! What a joy to fill the year with all of these great events and an honor to have the participation of so many for whom this school is so treasured. I am truly grateful for their vision, commitment and determination to build a community and school as unique and wonderful as this one. But, while we were busy celebrating the past of this school, we were also hard at work discussing its future. After many months of discussion, reflection, focus group meetings and community input, I am pleased to report that our Board of Trustees has adopted the Atlanta International School Strategic Plan for 2011 – 2016. The plan objectives, project goals and continuous improvement goals will direct the school’s growth, development and improvement over the next five years as we seek to maximize the
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delivery of our mission and live our core values as an academic institution and wider community. The overarching themes of the plan will in turn be used to guide our action planning, as we transition from strategic thinking to actual implementation for each and every project goal. Literally hundreds of people—faculty, staff, parents, students, board members, alumni and friends of AIS – gave their time and energy to these critically important steps in the Strategic Planning Process. We are most grateful to all for their participation. My son, Liam, started his AIS career this year in the 4K program. It is amazing to me to see what lies ahead for him. But, now that I’ve been at AIS for two years, I can’t say that I’m at all surprised that a school like this produces graduates like ours. Not surprised at all. At the end of the day, these words from Atlanta International School’s founding headmaster, Alex Horsley, sums it up best: This school - from its humble origins in 1985 in a Quonset hut (behind Sardis Methodist Church) to its magnificent facility now - has not changed. It is still a haven for young people to grow and develop into adults who can genuinely make a difference. Here’s to the next 25 years at AIS! With warm regards and hoping to see you on campus soon,
KEVIN J. GLASS and founding AIS headmaster, Alex Horsley
Message from the Incoming Chairman of the Board of Trustees
T
he end of the School year is always bittersweet at AIS as good friends, great families and members of the faculty depart for new and exciting opportunities. This year is no exception. However, this year AIS is bidding farewell to a family which has left a uniquely deep and positive imprint on our community. Alan and Chi Colberg have been important members of this community since their arrival at AIS some 14 years ago. Between the two, they have served our school in almost every role imaginable. Precious few have had the collective impact which the Colbergs have had on AIS. Alan has served on the AIS Board for eleven years. He has led our organized five-year strategic planning efforts since their inception. He has served as our Board Chair for the past three years and prior to that, as the Vice-Chair of the Board for several years. Not only has he seen the school through two strategic planning cycles, but he led us through the hiring of our headmaster, the deepest economic crisis in our lifetimes and its effects on our community, the fundraising for, and construction of, the Adair Arts, Science and Design Center, and the stabilization of the school’s finances. His accomplishments cannot be overstated; he is a person who has gotten things done for the school. But as important as his staggering accomplishments is the manner in which he has led our Board and our community. Alan led quietly with a firm and steady hand. He brought additional rigor and process to the business of the school. He listened even in difficult circumstances. He built consensus. He was fair. He was collegial and truly embodies our community principles. And there is absolutely no doubt that he cares deeply about this school, its students and faculty and the special community which is AIS. We owe him a debt of gratitude. He has been a masterful leader of our community. For as long as Alan has served AIS, Chi has served our community as well. Chi served as a very influential President of our Parent Organization. During her tenure as PO President, she began the process of encouraging communication and cooperation amongst the culture clubs. She was insistent that all culture clubs be open and receptive to all members of our community regardless of language spoken or other affinities which defined the groups
Chi and Alan Colberg join Kevin and Stefani Glass and Deb Sudbury at a send-off event in June.
at the time. She is responsible for starting the AIS Arts Alliance, the Asian Culture Club and the Math Club. Like Alan, Chi is a person who has gotten things done for the school. But as important as her impressive accomplishments is the passion that Chi shows for her work at AIS. It is impossible to say “no” to Chi. And the reason I could never say “no” to Chi is because she leads by example. She would never ask me or anyone to give more time to AIS than she did. Chi is a person of tremendous perseverance and determination. If Chi saw a need at AIS, she tried to fill it. She turned her 50th birthday party in to a fundraising party for a much-needed grand piano for AIS. She is a person with a heart as big as her smile. Quietly, Chi has found a way to assist many families in need in our school. We are indebted to Chi for her passionate, tireless and selfless leadership of our community.
Deb Sudbury
Alan and Chi, AIS will miss you mightily. You have left a mark on our school and on us. AIS is immeasurably stronger thanks to you. We thank you for investing your precious time in this school and wish you nothing but the very best for your new life in New York City.
Global Exchange
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Around AIS
25 Years of Excellence in International Education… with an atlanta accent
By Courtney Fowler, Global Exchange Editor and Stewart Lathan, Director of Development The 2010-2011 school year was a very special one on the AIS campus, with a number of events and activities planned to mark the school’s silver anniversary and to bring together students, families, faculty, staff and alumni to celebrate the school’s story. The year kicked off with a Founder’s Day event for all students on September 3, featuring a birthday cake ceremonially cut by founding headmaster, Alex Horsley, and an Upper School assembly headlined by AIS founders, Roy and Olga Plaut. The dedication of the Adair Art, Science and Design Center followed in October, and a special alumni theater production took place during the first-ever Alumni Week in November. Preparations began in February 2010 for Fake It Til You Make It, although the idea has been in the making for nearly five years. Graduates and professional actors Brian McElhaney ‘04, Chris Lowell ‘03 and Alexandra Panzer ‘04 comprised the Alumni Show Planning Committee. Over 100 alumni actually performed in the show, with alumni traveling from long distances (including England!) to be a part 6 Summer 2011
(top photo) Alumni attend a cocktail party celebration after the firstever alumni production, Fake It Til You Make It. For most, it was their first opportunity to see the newly completed Adair Art, Science and Design Center. (bottom photo) AIS founders Olga and Roy Plaut are surrounded by current students at the AIS birthday party in September.
of the evening. The first act of the performance featured 12 pieces (with AIS inside jokes added), including excerpts from Guys and Dolls,Twelfth Night, The Laramie Project,The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Into The Woods. The second part of the performance featured the one-act play, Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead. A sell-out, the production was followed by a festive cocktail party, attended by nearly 500 people, in the new Adair ASD Center. Celebrations continued nationally and internationally in January and February, with alumni reunions in London, Boston and San Francisco.
(top left) The new AIS eagle mascot made his debut appearance at the Back to School Picnic. (top right) AIS Board Chair Alan Colberg, Kevin Glass, AIS founders Olga & Roy Plaut and founding headmaster Alex Horsley do the honors at the school’s official 25th birthday party. (bottom) Some of AIS’s earliest students came back to campus to help celebrate Founder’s Day events. From left: Nick Iorio, Callie Mizell, Veronica Plaut McDaniel, Tristan Anderson and Borna Safabakhsh.
“The founders of AIS had the vision all those years ago to build this school and community into a place that produces intellectually curious, caring global citizens who will make a difference,” said Kevin Glass, headmaster. “We celebrate the achievements of the past 25 years – but we also commit ourselves to educating our students for the future and the challenges of a world that doesn’t even exist yet.” A highlight of the silver anniversary year was the publication of Atlanta International School: A Legacy of Innovation. Spearheaded by AIS Board Trustee Emeritus, Gerry Hull, and founders Roy and Olga Plaut, the hardback book was written and edited by the parent/journalist team of Betsy Carpenter and Peter Winter. Copies of the book may still be obtained by contacting the Development Office. Global Exchange
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Disja Koch-Ter Kuile Disja.yolasite.com
8 Summer 2011
Planning is underway for Atlanta International School’s long-awaited Preschool, which will offer; 3-year-old (half-day and full-day options) and 4-year-old (full day) immersion classes in French, German, and Spanish, five days a week. Profile of AIS Preschool Equal numbers of English-speaking children and French-, German-, and Spanish-speaking children respectively in each class. Historical Perspective AIS founders wanted a preschool as foundation for an international education with balanced bilingualism as a reachable long-term goal. However, resources were too scarce in those start-up days and the dream was deferred. Now, after 25 years, the dream will become reality, and future AIS “lifers” will get the best possible entrance to global citizenship. Improving the state of language education at AIS was the goal of a task force established by the 2005 Strategic Plan. Analysis of current research and best educational practice informed its report, “Living Languages at AIS.”* The Preschool fulfills the implementation of the first of its recommendations.
the basics of EARLY LANGUAGE LEARNING By Emily Willingham Adair, AIS Parent and Board Member
“Language among young children is caught rather than taught.” 1 Prerequisite for All Learning: Motivation In both public and private education, we talk passionately about inspiring the “joy of learning” and creating “lifelong learners.” At the same time, we want our children to gain entrance to the college of their choice and the profession of their dreams. The problem is that children are keenly attuned to parental anxiety and pressure, and we can all too easily end up undermining the joy of learning by focusing on the far distant goal instead of on our children’s needs today. Parents need to be reminded that when a child is motivated to learn and enjoys the process, academic success inevitably follows. The trick is not to strive so much for future success that we unintentionally sap our children’s motivation— which is the very key to their success. Ripeness is all. Physician and psychologist Leonard Sax2 identifies an unexpected enemy: academic
acceleration at the beginning of schooling, which, he discovered, has a negative impact on motivation in young children, especially in boys. He notes that the first-grade curriculum of 30 years ago looks like the kindergarten (or even pre-K) curriculum today. So, he asks, are children’s brains today developing more quickly? That would be a rapid evolution indeed. Parents concerned that their child not be left behind, Sax cautions, should remember that our neurology is not accelerated simply because we live in a technologically fast-forwarded world. What we need to be asking, then, is whether a rushed curriculum actually undermines the active boy who isn’t ready to read in earnest until age 6 or 7. What is the cost for children when they are urged to read and write before oral language has come into full flower? And does pushing our children to get ahead put them behind in the long run? According to Sax’s research, to nurture motivation we need to understand the sequence and timing of Global Exchange
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learning, consistent with what psychologists know about children’s developmental readiness. Motivation springs from the convergence of need, desire, and will. A child interested and ready to do something will like and want to do it. The “doing” will come easily. Mastery and self-reliance will follow. First, of course, comes oral language. Although most preschool children are not ready for formal literacy, they are ripe for learning language. Indeed, they are better, faster, more confident at it than we adults are. Intrinsically wired and motivated for it, children master more words in the first several years of life than ever again. Very young children are voraciously eager to name the world, to understand how things are related, and, most important, to interact with their siblings and peers. Their perfect “baby ears” catch precisely pronounced vocabulary. Their spongelike brains absorb not only words but syntactic structures, inflection, cadence, and rhythm of speech. Their emotional tuning forks pick up on that ineffable body language. Former M.I.T and now Harvard professor Steven Pinker, a psychologist, cognitive scientist, and linguist, exalts this natural, effortless skill. “A preschooler’s tacit knowledge of grammar,” he says, “is more sophisticated than the thickest style manual or the most state-ofthe-art computer language system.”3 Motivation is its own reward, the greatest dopamine. Purposeful effort is critical to motivation. Nothing is more satisfying than a task we do well and do on our own, and that, in the end, gives us a sense of transcendent accomplishment—a feeling that what we’ve done has potential for greater good. Intrinsic reward = sense of autonomy + mastery + purpose4. Surprisingly, motivation is generated in much the same way in babies, children, and adults. Extrinsic rewards, such as praise, pressure, or (for adults) money, may seem to motivate us, but intrinsic rewards are what enable us to sustain the effort to accomplish difficult tasks. Because it springs from within, an intrinsic reward cannot be granted or forced. A compelling M.I.T. study demonstrated that although monetary rewards may drive adults to complete mechanical tasks, such rewards actually have a negative impact when they are given for even minimally challenging cognitive tasks.5 For young children, when motivation is cultivated through play, it is unstoppable. There’s nothing new in this. In a famous study done in Russia in the 1950s, one group of children was directed to stand absolutely still for as long as possible. Two minutes was the limit of their immobility. A second group was asked to pretend to be guards on watch, who had to stand very still in order to capture the enemy. Up to eleven minutes of statuelike behavior became possible for some children.6 Harnessing imagination through play makes the unimaginable possible.
Preschool Profile: A Balancing Act Ultimately by establishing a full immersion AIS Preschool, AIS commits itself to providing an excellent international education for every graduate. For its lifelong students, the “lifers,” it seeks to offer a path to balanced bilingualism. That linguistic journey involves customizing the experience according to each child’s linguistic profile and cultural context. The AIS Preschool and the changes it heralds in the first few years of the program optimize the model for every AIS student. Research supports the idea that to ensure the best possible results for every student, we need to recalibrate the emphasis at the beginning of the process in a community dominated by English. We are not changing the goals, the mission, or the objectives; rather we are ensuring that we achieve them more fully and effectively. We are recognizing that more students will reach a high level of bilingualism if we commence the program at age three and place a greater emphasis on the three target languages at the start. The paradox is that balance at the end is achieved by seeming imbalance at the beginning. Children whose mother tongue is French, German, and Spanish, and who are removed from their home countries (the “mother tongue context”) are likely to be more timid—or less 10 Summer 2011
“at home”—about using their home language in school unless it is favored through total immersion at the beginning. Our Preschool will be “like a home,” where the target languages of French, German, and Spanish are valued as the home norm. The target-speaking children are buoyed up in their linguistic self-esteem. They gain respect from their English-speaking American classmates because their language is given dominance in school. This emphasis offsets the dominance of English outside of school and sets these children up for optimal success in learning English, having become well-grounded first in their mother tongues. The loftier part of our AIS mission begins to be addressed implicitly through this approach; in other words, the AIS Preschool will nurture budding multicultural understanding. Likewise, the American children sense that this target language is essential in school, so they more quickly acquire it. In short, the target language will be given full-time and total emphasis in the AIS Preschool. For the American children, the academic outcomes in all areas over time, including English, are enhanced by their developing bilingual competence. Their progress in English is unshaken, given English dominance in the home and the world around them.7 This shift in emphasis also addresses the potential undermining of cultural and linguistic identity of the children speaking the target language in an English dominant context. In addition, it serves as a check on the notion held by the culture of the majority language group that “English only is sufficient.” At the same time, optimal acquisition of the target language and of English is ensured for both groups longterm. Imbalances are redressed early in the process through the intentional imbalance of language emphasis. Cultural respect is inculcated early—in both groups. All of the children “catch” language quickly because it is as effortless at this young age as it is ever going to be.
Easy, Efficient, and Effective Early Language Learning A simple acronym, SPEAK, signals the five key conditions for making early acquisition of language easy, efficient, and effective, and thus motivational. A three-year-old entering the new AIS Preschool will begin an educational journey toward global citizenship with the aspiration to reach balanced bilingualism at the Diploma level. Our current 50:50 dual-language program aims to offer three of the five conditions. The opening of the Preschool will aim to offer all five.
SPEAK S = Start Early The extension of our program to include three-year-olds offers earlier exposure to a second language for the English-speaking children and reinforcement of the mother tongue for the French-, German-, and Spanish-speaking children, thus serving the needs of the two linguistic groups in each class.
P = Peer Talking
Ideally, each class in a two-way dual-language program aims to have equal numbers of each linguistic group (at AIS: English speakers and French, German, or Spanish speakers) but no less than a one-third/two-thirds ratio. AIS Admissions has always set this goal to maximize the effectiveness of peer motivation. Economic and demographic shifts make it impossible, however, to control our applicant pool, so it is a challenge to guarantee the ideal class ratio.8 By offering immersion in target languages in the early years, AIS compensates through its model for demographic shifts over time.
E = Excellent Native Teachers AIS already fulfills this condition and will continue to do so.
A = Add Twice the Time Speaking Immersion doubles the number of hours for the first years, thus more than doubling the speed of progress and time spent in the target languages for all children who remain in the program from age 3 through fifth grade.
K = Keep Initial Education in the Target Language An immersion model at the beginning of schooling gives the three target languages of French, German, and Spanish importance and value, even though the predominant culture affirms English only. Having to use the target language every day makes it needed and purposeful. Necessity of use builds intrinsic motivation. This vital condition is missing from our current dual-language program, which begins with a 50:50 ratio of English to target languages. Global Exchange
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The AIS Preschool tilts the balance in favor of the target languages of French, German, and Spanish at the beginning of schooling at AIS.This emphasis helps the English-speaking children immersed in an English-dominant culture to embrace the target languages and the cultures they represent. It compensates for the home disadvantage of the English-speaking children to learn a second language without undermining their foundation in English, which is ensured by the strength of English in the culture at large. At the same time, this approach affirms the target-speaking children in their cultural identities and supports them in becoming well-grounded in their mother tongue before beginning formal study of English.
Target-language emphasis at the beginning of schooling makes it possible for all students to achieve linguistic and cultural balance by the end of the PYP in 5th grade.The pathway to balanced bilingualism at DP level is paved.
Onward to balanced bilingualism… When AIS opened its doors, it offered a split-day schedule, with English in the morning and the target language in the afternoon. On the following day the schedule was switched: target language in the morning and English in the afternoon. Some of the alumni reading this article will remember this approach. Ten years later, teachers recognized that too much time was being lost in both physical and mental transition, especially for the youngest children. The decision was taken to move to an every-other-day schedule: target language on one day and English on the next. Young children focus intently and benefit from minimal transitions. Their single-minded desire to achieve mastery and to become independent drives them forward. Moving back and forth every other day from one language to another cuts the speed of progress in half. It has the potential to frustrate some children and discourage others, and it delays the effective development of a collaborative spirit between language “user-modelers” and new “learners.” Tilting the balance in the early years to favor the target languages results ultimately in a more balanced dual-language program over the years of the Primary Years Programme (IB-PYP). The emphasis does not alter the inevitability that English will eventually dominate the academic experience of lifelong AIS students. But it intentionally slows it down at the outset. The 12 Summer 2011
French-, German-, and Spanish-speaking parents who place their children at AIS in the track of their native language want their children to take pride in their cultural identity and to excel in their native language. Target immersion at the beginning of the process makes the target programs stronger all the way to the Diploma Programme because the gap between proficiency levels of both groups of children narrows quickly and at the outset. The earlier and more rapidly that non-English-speaking children make progress in English, and the longer they stay at AIS, the more subject they will be to language loss in their mother tongue—in speaking, reading, and writing. For the sake of mother tongue preservation and excellence, it is advantageous at the beginning to slow down the exposure to English, not speed it up. Most important, cognitive research shows that non-English-speaking children in an English environment will learn English more readily and well if instruction at school concentrates first on their target language. Command of the mother tongue ultimately results in greater command of English. The English-speaking American children whose parents speak only English face a greater challenge learning the target language than do non-English-speaking children in learning English in the United States. They have a home disadvantage and can feel frustrated by how hard it is ever to catch up with their target-language-speaking peers. Target-language immersion as the home norm in class addresses upfront this home disadvantage for the English-speaking children. The earlier the American children begin the process of learning the target language, the better their chance of bilingual success. The greater the time spent in the target language at the beginning, during the preliterate period in school, the faster and easier it will be for the American children to acquire a second language. The more interaction the American children have with authentic speakers of that language, the greater their motivation for learning the target language will be and the faster they will absorb it.
. . . And to multicultural respect and understanding and ultimately global citizenship Language learning is a long-term process. A good start is critical. Each class is a social laboratory for language exchange, so its composition matters. From the young student’s point of view, ease and speed are important to set the wheels of motivation in motion and to give momentum to language learning. The earlier the target-language-speaking and English-speaking groups are integrated, the sooner they reach approximate parity in the target language and thus linguistic comfort with each other. This ease dispels the insecurities that spring from linguistic imbalances and ultimately will allow students to progress more rapidly in English also. Academic success for both groups will be strengthened over the long term (including in Language A classes in the Middle and Upper Schools). In addition, the early fostering of ease in target language use by both groups of students will extend and sustain bilingualism beyond the classroom throughout their lives at AIS.
The Preschool and AIS Mission at a Glance “Joy of learning and purposeful effort” lead the mission for the AIS Preschool. To ensure that children like to learn and get pleasure from making an effort, so that they are inspired to develop cultural respect and a global outlook as they mature, we start with motivation. We focus on what young children do best: play and learn language. We begin the Preschool with our end goal in mind, the AIS Mission at a Glance. Quest for Global Citizenship: an international and multilingual education within the framework of the International Baccalaureate through the development of our core values: joy of learning and purposeful effort as well as mutual respect and understanding in a diverse community.
*Alex Horsley and Emily Willingham, Living Languages at Atlanta International School: Improving the State of Language Education at AIS (Report of the Language Acquisition Task Force, January 2008), accessible at the On-line Curriculum Centre (OCC) of the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) website at this link: http://occ.ibo.org/ibis/ occ/guest/NewsMain.cfm?paramNewsID=655&subject=dpyyy&language=ENGLISH&NewsType=programme. 1 Colin Baker, A Parents’ and Teachers’ Guide to Bilingualism (Clevedon, England.: Multilingual Matters, 2007), p. 31. Baker, an esteemed dual-language expert, gave the closing address of the Global Language Convention in 2008, which AIS hosted. 2 See Leonard Sax, Boys Adrift:The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and UnderachievingYoung Men (New York: Basic Books, 2007). 3 Steven Pinker, The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language (New York: Harper, 1994), pp. 18-19. 4 “Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us” [11-minute video clip], (Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, RSAnimate, April 1, 2010). Available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc. 5 Ibid. The MIT study mentioned is cited in this clip. 6 Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman, Nurture Shock: New Thinking About Children (New York: Twelve, 2009), p. 166. 7 Long-term Canadian research demonstrates that English-speaking students in French immersion from kindergarten through fifth grade outperform their monolingual English peers in English at age 15 on PISA examinations, even though all of their early schooling is delivered through French. See Mary Allen, “Reading achievement of students in French immersion programmes,” Educational Quarterly Review, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 25–30. 8 Kathryn Lindholm-Leary, Dual Language Education (Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters, 2001), pp. 72–73. Global Exchange
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(left) Dixon Adair, AIS Trustee Emeritus Gerry Hull, the Honorable Anne Cox Chambers,
Dedications Mark Completion of See Beyond capital campaign
Lee Adair Armstrong, Cameron Adair and Kevin Glass celebrate the dedication of the Adair Art, Science and Design Center. (below) Chris and Crissy Klaus are joined by Kevin Glass and other AIS friends at the dedication of the AIS sports field that bears their name.
By Courtney Fowler, Global Exchange Editor Celebrations in the fall and spring of the 2010-2011 school year marked the successful completion of a $16M capital campaign, See Beyond, which included construction of the school’s new Adair Art, Science and Design Center and Klaus Field as well as other major infrastructure and IT improvements. The dedication in honor of the new Adair Art, Science and Design Center in memory of longtime Atlantans, Vee and Dixon “Dick” Adair, III, was made by the Honorable Anne Cox Chambers and AIS Trustee Emeritus Gerry Hull at a ceremony in October. “With their grace, charm, and generous spirit, the Adairs represented the very best of Atlanta wherever they traveled and lived around the world,” said Chambers and Hull. “Upon returning to Atlanta, they welcomed countless friends and leaders from other countries to our city, enriching us and creating life-long bonds. They were quiet builders of community, linking cultures through education, the arts, and valued friendship. We are their beneficiaries, and may all of us do good deeds in their memory.” “Those of you who knew my parents well will know that they would be very touched by the honor bestowed on them today,” said Dixon Adair, IV on behalf of the Adair family. “My parents were keen to see this school transform our city. They, like all of you here, could foresee how AIS would contribute to an evolving world.”
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The Adair Art, Science and Design Center opened at the start of this school year. Located at the corner of Peachtree and North Fulton avenues, this light-filled, environmentally friendly, LEED-designed classroom building will further facilitate the close interdisciplinary collaboration that is the hallmark of the IB curriculum. The building includes spacious art classroom lofts, state-of-the art life sciences and design technology labs, a greenhouse and exhibit space. Later in the year, players, students, parents and sports fans gathered between Atlanta International School soccer games on April 4 to observe the dedication of the school’s new athletics field in honor of Chris and Crissy Klaus and their family. The Klauses are longtime supporters and active members of the AIS community, and Mrs. Klaus is currently a member of the Board of Trustees. Klaus Field, a 100,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility, and its refurbished bleachers are home to a variety of AIS teams; it also plays host to the Tophat Soccer Club of Buckhead.
AIS Students Lend a Hand to Historic Neighborhood Cemetery By Hannah Freedman, Rising Grade 11 It is amazing that people even know about the cemetery at Frankie Allen Park. It’s a tiny little lot, on top of a small hill crowded with trees and poison ivy. Even if somebody were to stumble upon it, they might not know it was even a cemetery at first. There are few intact tombstones, and the letters have long since faded from most of those that remain.
there, the cemetery grounds were carpeted with a thick layer of moldering leaves and branches. A few beer bottles dotted the hill, along with little orange flags meant for marking the location of bodies where gravestones had been toppled or otherwise lost. This forgotten little cemetery on a hill was all that remained of a whole community.
There’s an interesting history behind Mt. Olive MethodistEpiscopal Cemetery. It used to be the cemetery of an AfricanAmerican community, originally called Macedonia Park and later Bagley Park, before the residents were forced out of their homes in the 1940’s by affluent neighbors and real estate developers. With the community gone, the cemetery was forgotten, and the land was labeled as empty space.
After hearing about the cemetery’s history, assigning ourselves different tasks, and pillaging the abounding supply of donuts, bagels, fruits, and cookies, the assembled group of AIS students dispersed. Some of us raked leaves, some gathered fallen tree limbs, while others picked up litter.
Years later, another real estate developer purchased the property and tried to convince the City of Atlanta to allow him to dig up the bodies and put them in another cemetery. A 2009 lawsuit, filed on behalf of a descendant of a family buried there and with the support of the Buckhead Heritage Society, prevented him from carrying out these plans. The end result was a Fulton County Superior Court decision to re-label the property as a public gravesite, which meant that nobody was allowed to dig up the bodies or build anything on top of them. Even with this victory, the cemetery was in disrepair and still faced hard days ahead. The story might have ended there, but a small group of people, including a living descendant of one of the people buried in the cemetery, set about raising awareness and interest. On a Saturday in May, a group of about 20 sophomores, along with teachers Alan Preis and Roya Curtis, arrived to help. When we got
We worked for hours, yet there were few complaints. There was plenty of water, and the trees surrounding the cemetery provided enough shade to keep all of us relatively cool on the sunny day. I can’t speak for everybody, but I guess hard work is just more gratifying when it is for a cause and with a large group of people. Many hands make light work, as they say. By the end of the day, we managed to get a surprising amount of work done. We had gathered raked-up leaves and litter in large paper mulching bags, and by the time we were done, an entire forest of these bags, full to their brims, was sitting by the side of the cemetery. The cemetery itself was much neater and more defined now. I wish we had taken “before and after” photos! It was very rewarding to see the progress we had made, and I could tell that the group that had given so much time and effort to protecting and tending to the cemetery were very grateful for our help. Editor’s Note: For more information on Mount Olive Cemetery and the history of Buckhead, please visit the website of the Buckhead Heritage Society (www.buckheadheritage.com), the organization that spearheaded the cemetery clean-up efforts. Global Exchange
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photo story: Design Technology Workshop
By Alan Preis, Instructional Technology Group Leader & Jay Denslow, Marketing & Communications
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With the recent addition of the Adair Art, Science and Design Center, AIS has devoted more time and attention to the Design Technology program. Taught by John Davenport, Design Technology has grown from humble beginnings in a mobile unit behind the school to its current home, including a specially designed workshop and machine shop. The subject of Design Technology is a component of the IB Middle Years Programme at AIS, taught in grades 6 – 10. The primary focus of MYP Technology is to give students an understanding of the design cycle by designing solutions to practical problems. Students complete authentic projects and document their progress as they follow the design cycle to arrive at a feasible solution. They create the solution and then evaluate it following thorough testing. Design Technology provides students with the knowledge to be able to design and create products in school workshops, but it also encourages an informed literacy about technology in general, covering core topics in design, materials, product development and innovation, energy, structures, mechanisms and sustainability. Rising grade 11 student, Asha Campbell (pictured far left), has enjoyed participating in the Design Technology program at AIS. Campbell says, “I admire the Design Tech program at AIS because it is unlike any other class. What sets this class apart is you get to apply your knowledge to creating a physical object which you can take home and use in your daily life. My favorite project was creating a display device, which was the challenge this year for the 10th grade. I created a jewelry display which I am very proud of. I have learned many new things during this project like: how to use the band saw, router and drill press. I liked how no two students had the same project. All of us created something unique.�
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Mr. Davenport (pictured left) conducts a tour of the new Design Technology workshop: 1
Belt Sander: Students sand down wood and other materials for finishing purposes. It consists of an electrical motor that turns a pair of drums on which a seamless loop of sandpaper is mounted.
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Band Saw: A blade consisting of a continuous band of metal with teeth along one edge particularly useful for cutting irregular or curved shapes.
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Cyclonic Dust Extraction System: Sanding wood produces a large amount of sawdust. Therefore, it was vital for the new workshop to have a dust collection system.
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Overhead Power Leads: Allows power to be accessed from overhead removing the safety hazard of electrical cords lying on the ground.
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Table Saw: A versatile woodworking tool consisting of a circular saw blade, mounted on an arbor that is driven by an electric motor. The blade protrudes through the surface of a table, which provides support for the material, usually wood, being cut.
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Oscillating Bobbing Sander: A sander mounted on a spindle that both rotates and oscillates
in and out or up and down along the axis of the spindle. Good for sanding curves and contours that would be difficult with hand or orbital sanding. 7
Table Mounted Router: a woodworking tool used to rout out (hollow out) an area in the face of a piece of wood. The table mounting allows the work to be passed over the router, rather than passing the router over the work. This has benefits when working with smaller objects and makes some router operations safer to execute.
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Drill Press: Also known as a pedestal drill, pillar drill or bench drill, this is a machine tool held in a rotating spindle and fed into the work piece, which is usually clamped in a vise supported on a table and used for producing holes in hard substances.
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Bench Grinder: A type of bench-top grinding machine used to drive abrasive wheels and roughly shape metal prior to welding or fitting. A wire brush wheel or buffing wheels can be interchanged with the grinding wheels in order to clean or polish work-pieces.
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international journalist Fareed Zakaria delivers lecture at AIS World-renowned CNN and TIME magazine journalist, Dr. Fareed Zakaria, spoke on campus in October as part of the 25th anniversary celebration. Consuls from France, Germany, Lichtenstein and Ireland attended the event, along with nearly 500 members of the AIS community. Zakaria is an Indian-American journalist and host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, a weekly program that takes a comprehensive look at current foreign affairs. Zakaria discussed his recent Time magazine essay “How to Restore the American Dream.”
Passport to Germany: land of fairy tales and other amazing stories On Saturday, April 9, Atlanta International School transported nearly 500 guests to the Black Forest in Germany for the 2011 Spring Benefit, Passport to Germany. Guests enjoyed the sights and sounds of Germany (including Kevin Glass in lederhosen!) as well as fabulous silent and live auctions, dinner and dancing. This year’s gala was chaired by Marcelle DeCuir, grade 3 French track parent; the honorary chair was longtime supporter and former parent of Atlanta International School, Mr. Hartmut Lademacher. The annual black-tie gala, organized by the Development Office and headed by parent volunteers, raises funds for financial aid scholarships, faculty development programs and continued preservation of the historic campus buildings. This year’s Benefit included, for the first time, a “Stand and Pledge” event, where guests were invited to pledge funds directly to support financial aid at AIS. AIS raised an incredible $53,000 in just five minutes. This year’s Spring Benefit raised over $220,000 for the school.
AIS named one of “Atlanta’s Best High Schools” by Atlanta Magazine For the first time ever, AIS was named as one of the “Top All-Around Schools” in Atlanta in Atlanta Magazine’s popular schools issue. The school appeared on the cover of the magazine, and photos of the school opened the introduction to the cover story. The Top All-Around Schools were those with high rankings in all of the magazine’s categories: course offerings, facilities, extracurricular activities and awards. The comprehensive guide to local primary and secondary schools is produced annually and includes both private and public schools.
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german deputy consul general presents German Language Diploma Accreditation to AIS On April 15, AIS received the official German Language Diploma (Deutsches Sprachdiplom) accreditation, issued by the German Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs. AIS is one of only four schools in Georgia receiving the accreditation and one of 800 schools world-wide to offer this prestigious language diploma. The ceremony was attended by Deputy Consul General Dr. Alfred Schlicht, and included head of the German Department at AIS, Jutta Schlicker-Martinez, German teacher Christiane Box and AIS students grade 9 through 12. During his presentation, Dr. Schlicht congratulated AIS and its students on their enthusiasm and hard work in learning foreign languages and their practical applications. “This accreditation is only presented to the very best schools,” Dr. Schlicht said in his remarks. “It is proof of the excellent knowledge of the students and the dedication of the faculty in teaching the German language and culture.” Students who pass the German Language Diploma exams (DSD I) will be able to use this diploma as proof of their language ability for German “Fachhochschulen” without further testing. The DSD II qualifies for “Universitäten” as proof of sufficient language ability.
parenting expert and author Dr. Michael Thompson visits AIS Noted author and expert Dr. Michael Thompson traveled to AIS in April to speak on the topic of his recent book, The Pressured Child: HelpingYour Child Find Success in School and Life. Dr. Thompson is also the co-author of the NewYork Times bestseller, Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys, and a number of other books on parenting issues. Dr. Thompson spoke to secondary school students, faculty and parents and also addressed a meeting for Atlanta Area Association of Independent Schools headmasters, held at AIS. (l to r) Mr. Stephen Kennedy, Headmaster, Trinity School; Kevin Glass; Fred Assaf, Head of School, Pace Academy; Dr. Thompson; the Reverend Dr. James Hamner, Headmaster, St. Martin’s Episcopal School; Marifred Cilella, Head of School, Howard School. Global Exchange
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FACULTY close-ups AIS is delighted to announce the appointment of Mr. Chris Thomas as the new Deputy Head of Primary School. He will start his new role in August 2011. Already an established and highly respected member of the AIS faculty, Mr. Thomas approaches his new position with real gusto. “I am very excited about next year,” he says. “I am looking forward to working closely with administrators, parents and teachers to meet the needs of all students.”
Chris Thomas Incoming Deputy Head of Primary School By Mary McCarney, Primary Faculty
With 13 years of professional experience, Mr. Thomas credits his successes in the educational field, both abroad and locally, to his self-confidence and his belief that all children can learn. His nurturing teaching style is a derivative of his dedication to creating a family-like atmosphere inside of his classroom, educating and assisting children with special needs. Mr. Thomas holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education. He is a native English speaker who is also proficient in Spanish. But it was back in his home city of Coral Gables, Florida, that Mr. Thomas was inspired to become an educator by his fourth grade teacher. “Mr. Boyer showed me that learning can be individual, competitive, and fun. He was super!” Chris recalls. After studying in Spain, Chris went on to teach in Sotogrande for three years. He moved to Atlanta to be closer to his family, and has been serving as a Learning Specialist and Primary Support Team Coordinator at AIS for the past seven years. “I just love the sense of community here at AIS,” he says. When away from his professional responsibilities, Mr. Thomas enjoys travelling, reading, and spending time with friends and family. He is also an avid runner and self-confessed ‘adrenaline junkie’ who enjoys various adventure sports, including skydiving and rafting. As he takes up his new position as Deputy Head of Primary School, Mr. Thomas hopes to continue to keep the students at the center of his daily practice and decision-making. “The success of the students remains the most gratifying, and most important, aspect of my career,” he says. It seems only fitting that Jeff Holcomb – AIS’s new head of Year 12 – hails from the “Motor City” of Detroit. After all, he is well-known these days on campus for his preferred mode of transportation: a sporty yellow motorcycle! Jeff, who joined the faculty just last year, started his teaching career in Rochester, New York public schools, after which he headed overseas to the International School Moshi (Tanzania) for four years. Jeff and his family returned to the U.S. in 2009, and he taught at Imagine Wesley International Academy, a charter school in Atlanta, for a year before joining AIS last fall. In the short time he has been here, Jeff has launched the IB DP Economics program as well as AIS’s new Investments Club.
Jeff Holcomb Incoming Head of Year 12 By Courtney Fowler, Global Exchange Editor
Jeff has had the unique experience of having taught five years of AP Economics and five years of IB Economics. “I (prefer) the IB because it incorporates international and development economics, commonly overlooked in other curricula, and focuses on evaluation and analysis of theory, so that students can use what they learn.” Jeff has also taught World History, AP US Government, MYP Humanities, Georgia History and English and was the MYP Coordinator during the authorization process at a previous school. A graduate of Houghton College with a double major in International Studies and History and a minor in Linguistics, Jeff has also earned a Master’s Degree in Teaching from the University of Rochester. He is an IB Assistant Examiner for Economics (both Internal Assesment & HL Paper 1). “I love AIS,” says Jeff. “The international community, hearing multiple languages… we have fantastic, motivated, friendly students from a variety of cultures.” Jeff also appreciates “a dedicated, talented and warm group of colleagues and administrators, and a Head of Upper School who makes my hair look full and luscious.” Jeff and his wife have three children: Anna, 8; Sarah, 7; and Ben, 4.
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farewell to FAY MANN By Esther Rosenfeld, Primary Faculty and Emma Zigan, Primary School Administration It is hard to remember a time without Fay Mann. One way or another, she has had quite an impact on our community. Upon her arrival, we were so happy to have someone to relieve us form caring for “booboos,” and such. Even more, we counted on her to make the final determination if a rash was serious, a bump- dangerous, or gunky eyes- contagious. But Fay has always been much more than the school nurse. In addition to taking wonderful care of the students, Fay also took good care of the teachers and parents as well. No matter the situation, Fay always handled it in her calm way with a lot of wisdom, care, and compassion. Even though she is tiny in stature, her broad shoulders provided support and reassurance. She has been a great care-giver, co-worker, and friend.
To Fay we say: Au revoir; adios; arrive derci; au wiedershen; cherio; goodbye; see you later, mate! If you really must leave please return, reappear, resurface, and come back to visit.
And if we’re honest, the teachers will also remember her for all the times she came into our rooms wearing those plastic gloves to sift through both teachers’ and students’ hair to look for lice! However, the treatment she gave was not to the students, but to their parents, who were usually mortified, horrified, terrified, or stupefied about the situation. Fay acted as counselor to parents, students and teachers about the many health issues that arose. Late slips… the office morning theme song was… “No need to sign in; just get a late slip from Ms. Fay”. Fay was the queen of the late slips and attendance, and she would ensure that we had the correct attendance in case of any emergency. She kept us all safe. Fay kept all the UN Day flags in her office under strict guard and had them all sorted meticulously in readiness for each year’s UN Day celebration.She would laminate signs of new countries that were added each year as well as bind the handles to prevent splinters. Because of Fay, we always had all the needed flags and signs for the parade of nations. Most important of all, Fay exemplified the PYP Profile with her empathy, caring, sense of responsibility, etc. What a great example she set for both students and adults alike. For all these years, Fay has been a beloved member of our AIS family, and we hope that she feels the same way. Editor’s note: During one of my first-ever visits to the Primary office, a teacher brought in a 4K student who was very concerned and had been asking questions about a classmate with tonsillitis. Miss Fay stopped what she was doing, climbed up on a ladder to get a flashlight out of the closet and then very patiently and gently explained the illness to the little boy (complete with a look down a nearby adult’s throat!). He left the office informed and reassured, and I left having just witnessed an inquiry-based education firsthand. Farewell to Miss Fay, who showed even the smallest of her “customers” the greatest of respect.
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AIS SPORTS report By Gregg Albright, Athletics Director and Courtney Fowler, Global Exchange Editor The 2010-2011 school year included a first-ever state championship, state tournament appearances and strong conference showings by a number of AIS Upper School and Middle School teams and individual athletes. It was also the first year of true competition in the Metro Atlanta Athletic Conference, which AIS joined in 2010. The new AIS Varsity Girls Ultimate team wrapped up its exciting debut year by winning the 2011 Ultimate Georgia High School Championship in May. In addition to bringing home two first-place trophies for the school, the team also finished in 5th place at the Paideia Cup Invitational Tournament, which featured eight of the top girls Ultimate programs from across the nation. The new team finished the season with seven wins and five losses, led by senior captains Alix Taylor and Lisa Levine. The girls team joins the AIS boys Ultimate team, which started competition at the varsity level during the 2010-2011 school year. Captains Peter Beach, Ryan Kristensen and a large senior class led the team to a record of 11 wins and 15 losses, finishing in the top 150 programs in the nation. In other highlights from the 2010-2011 school year:
Upper School In the fall, varsity volleyball seniors Alana Beserra, Sarah Branch, Gisele Ferandel, Parisa Frost, Rebecca Geiger, Samantha Grayman and Stazi Owen guided their team to another winning season. The varsity team has posted a 60-37 record in the last four years with two state appearances; Gisele Ferandel was voted to the All-Area Team for the 2010 season. Senior Alyona Forbes led the JV volleyball team as captain both on and off the court. The Boys Varsity Cross Country team qualified for the State Meet and finished 9th overall, and Lindsey Sanborn finished 7th overall for girls in the State Championship Meet. In the spring, the Boys Varsity Tennis team qualified for the State Tournament for the second year in a row, defeating Holy Innocents 3-2 to earn the Regions 3rd seed going into State. Both boys and girls Track and Field teams put forth strong performances in this spring’s region meet, with seven athletes ranked in the top 10 in the State in their respective events. New AIS records were set this school year by Will Silva (200m and 400m), Saxon Bartsch (1600 m and 3200 m), Mustafa Thomas (High Jump), Alice Morrison (Triple Jump) and Austin McKenney (Discus). Finally, the Varsity Boys Soccer team qualified for the State Tournament again this year as co-champions of Area 3 and were ranked 7th in the state going into the tournament, losing in a close game against Savannah Country Day School. Alex LaPalme and Charlie Geddes were named to the Northside Neighbor newspaper’s All-Area Boys Soccer First Team; Chris Ferandel, Mustafa Thomas and Riley Proctor were named to their Second Team. The JV Boys soccer team also had a strong season, posting a 7-2-1 record and a first-place finish in league. 22 Summer 2011
Middle School In the fall, the MS boys soccer team exploded out of the starting block in the regular season (with a final record of 8-3), entering the conference semifinals as the second seed before a tough loss to Galloway in the finals. The MS girls volleyball team had a similarly exciting start to their season, eventually making the playoffs, only to be ousted by the eventual conference champs, Atlanta Academy. AIS’s own Williams sisters, Sidney and Helen Audrey, helped the MS Girls Cross Country team finish third in the MAAC championship race. Many girls and boys took home individual ribbons in the finals of the various events. In the spring, the MS Girls Soccer team posted an outstanding 11-2-1 record, with the team taking home the 2nd place trophy in the MAAC (Metro Atlanta Athletic Conference). The MS girls tennis team also competed in the championship finals, finishing second in the MAAC with a 6-2 league record. Both the girls and the boys Track and Field Teams had strong seasons, setting many AIS records and taking home trophies for 3rd place (boys) and 4th place (girls) at the Conference Championship. Certainly all of our AIS athletes this year, both Upper School and Middle School, deserve recognition for embodying the spirit of the true scholar athlete. However, this year’s senior class of athletes must be especially recognized, as these young men and women have played a large part in launching the new era of AIS Athletics. Their tenacity, commitment and superb talents have graced fields, courts, courses and pools all over the state for the last several years. The AIS Athletics department would like to thank them for their hard work and dedication and wish them the very best of luck in their next endeavors.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT of the 2010-2011 annual fund By Mary Denson, Associate Director of Development This year’s Annual Fund raised over $100,000 more than the previous year. Parent participation was up over 10%, and the Spring Benefit topped $200,000. What an extraordinary year it has been! Contributions to the Annual Fund are the most important financial gifts made to Atlanta International School. The Annual Fund helps make up the difference between what tuition covers and the actual day-to-day cost of running the school.Your donations helped fund these day-to-day operations, including: faculty salaries and professional development; academic materials; technology; music, theater and art resources, materials and equipment; athletics equipment, teams, facilities and competition expenses. Each year members from all groups of the AIS community — board of trustees, faculty and staff, parents, alumni, alumni parents, grandparents and friends — support the school through Annual Fund contributions. Our community is our partner in creating a school that values diversity, mutual understanding and respect. This year over 77% of our parents participated either by directly giving to the Annual Fund or through their participation in the Spring Benefit. 65% of the parents made a direct gift to the Annual Fund, and this year, the top three grades (second, fourth and ninth) for parent participation won a pizza party. Our faculty and staff had an impressive record of supporting the school this year at 100%!
Many thanks to all who participated for making the 2010-2011 Annual Fund a success. You can get a head start and make your gift to the 2011-2012 AIS Annual Fund today by: • Making an online donation by visiting www.aischool.org and clicking on the blue “Donate Now” button • Mailing your payment to: AIS Development Office • 3890 N. Fulton Drive • Atlanta, GA 30305 Global Exchange
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT:
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with PAULEY TEDOFF ‘02 AIS graduate Pauley Tedoff is wrapping up a Master’s Degree in International Environmental Health through Cyprus University of Technology and Harvard University. Global Exchange caught up with her recently to find out more about her experiences in Cyprus.
Can you give a brief description of your master’s program, including course of study and length? I am currently on a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship earning a Master’s of Science degree in International Environmental Health at the Cyprus International Institute for the Environment and Public Health in Limassol, Cyprus. The program is jointly administered by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Cyprus University of Technology. The curriculum prepares students to take on environmental health issues around the world as they pertain to harmful environmental exposures, mainly those caused by anthropogenic activities. Courses are taken in areas such as water and air pollution, toxicology, physiology, environmental genetics, 24 Summer 2011
sustainable development, and climate change.My thesis is a risk assessment comparing the health risks associated with bottled water consumption with those associated with tap water consumption in Cyprus.
What led you to this program? In 2006, I completed my bachelor’s degree at Middlebury College, majoring in anthropology and international studies. Through a series of serendipitous events, I ended up working under Axel Leblois, who incidentally was a longstanding AIS trustee and father for three AIS alumni. At the time, Mr. Leblois was Executive Director of Atlanta’s International Training Center for Local Authorities and Actors (CIFAL) where I went on to serve as Project Manager of G3ict,
an initiative seeking to help signatory countries of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities implement guidelines concerning equal access to information and communication technologies. Following my time at CIFAL, I worked as a consultant for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Ecuador, continuing to focus on issues related to the inclusion of persons with disabilities, as well as assuring equal access to ICTs for marginalized populations. I had always had a particular interest in environmental sustainability and public health, and in the summer of 2009, I decided to make a career shift towards these areas. I spent several months leading a nutrition and hygiene project for indigenous communities living in Ecuador’s Andean highlands, followed by a consultancy with CARE International in the Ivory Coast working on HIV/AIDs prevention efforts. I will graduate in July 2011, at which point I hope to start an exciting new job that will combine my past experience in international development with my newly acquired knowledge in the field of environmental health.
What is it like to live in Cyprus what do you like best? After having moved around so frequently since 2006 in the context of my work, I have really enjoyed staying put for a year! Cyprus has been a wonderful place to live. Outside of my studies, I am in charge of a local sustainability initiative that seeks to spread awareness in Limassol on issues related to energy and water conservation, sustainable food purchasing practices, and waste management. In addition, I have joined a local chorus and traveled with the group to compete in an international choral competition in Prague last fall. In the remaining free time that I have, I enjoy taking advantage of Cyprus’ many landscapes - hiking and skiing in the Troodos Mountains, diving the famous Zenobia wreck off the coast of Larnaca, and cycling and running along the seafront. Cyprus is one of the few places in the world where it is possible to ski in the mountains in the morning and enjoy a swim in the sea an hour later! Recently, fellow AIS alumna and dear friend, Nayla Khoury, came to visit. We took advantage of the occasion to visit Nayla’s family in Lebanon – just a hop and skip away!
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When I arrived, the locals were shocked that I had any previous knowledge of the tiny island in the Mediterranean, let alone be informed on the conflict itself. I would never have imagined that I would one day be living the situation that was essentially the focus of AIS’ presence in The Hague (THIMUN) my year.” It is amazing to think that in 2001, I was part of the AIS Model United Nations Team assigned to represent Turkey and having to draft resolution proposals on the “Cyprus Issue.” When I arrived, the locals were shocked that I had any previous knowledge of the tiny island in the Mediterranean, let alone be informed on the conflict itself. I would never have imagined that I would one day be living the situation that was essentially the focus of AIS’ presence in The Hague that year. On the other hand, these kinds of serendipitous events seem to be commonplace in the AIS community!
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REUNION
Winter 2010/11 Reunion New York
(l to r) Nobi Azuma ‘96, alumni guest, Kevin Glass, Headmaster, & Hannah Rueckel ‘07
Winter 2010/11 Reunion Boston
(l to r front row) Sarah Mathieu ‘10, Phaeton Philbrook ‘10, Nicola Pardy ‘10, Hibben Silvo ‘04 (l to r back row) Sandy Ferko, Head of Counseling, Ethan Lyle ‘08, Manuel Grunenfelder ‘05, Kevin Glass, Headmaster, Caroline Geiger ‘08, Megan Lentz ‘01, Whitney Curtis, Alumni Coordinator
Winter 2010/11 Reunion London
not pictured: Allegra Porter ‘09
(l to r front row) Olivia Jones ‘08, son of Gemma Pockett Crabtree ‘95, Hortense Badarani ‘10 (l to r back row) Stewart Lathan, Director of Development, Ben Crabtree, Gemma Pockett Crabtree ‘95 (and daughter), Tim Wilson ‘08, Kevin Glass, Headmaster, Darryl Brown, Deputy Head of Secondary School
Summer 2011 Reunion Atlanta (l to r front row) AIS friend, Jane Narciso ‘98, May Milkins ‘06, Eva Imbsweiler ‘06, Erica Umpierrez ‘06 (l to r back row) Daniel Frysh ‘99, Harrison Wiener ‘06, Thomas Rudderow ‘06, Emmanuel “Mo” Naniuzeyi ‘06, Aria Curtis ‘06, Claire Duggan ‘06, Monqiue Hasham ‘09, Jackie Hewett ‘06, Charles Laurent ‘10, Eve Laurent ‘09
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Alumni Class Notes AT L A N TA I N T E R N AT I O N A L S C H O O L
CLASS OF 1997 Veronica Plaut McDaniel
to me. (Not to mention the thick country accent that I’m picking up quite easily!) I am still very involved at my church where I am in charge of the youth and children’s ministry. As stressful and busy as my job may get at times, I wouldn’t change a thing!”
and her husband, Mark, welcomed son Mateo Roy on March 21, 2011. Mateo joins big sister Lana Belle.
Vanessa Hayes Washburn and her husband, Zachary, welcomed son Liam Isaiah Washburn on April 27, 2011.
Davi Kruger is an attorney with
Carla Weeks’
Proctor and Gamble in Cincinnati, OH.
CLASS OF 1998 JP Duran
now lives in Rome, Italy.
is currently less than a year from joining the priesthood. Although previously working in Spain, he
CLASS OF 1999 Teo Stabler, son of
Travis Stabler and Marta Polo (‘98),
pictured with his grandmother, Layne.
CLASS OF 2000 Amir Levi has written and performed a piece, Te Busco, that has been accepted to the New York International Fringe Festival on August 12-28. Amir has also been appearing in 4 Clowns which will be a part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival as well as the Hollywood Fringe Festival and the San Francisco Fringe Festival.
CLASS OF 2001 Johanna Fleisch spent last year
backpacking around the world and moved to Wellington, New Zealand in Jan. 2011. David Dubbert was married to Lisa
Phuong on January 29, 2011.
CLASS OF 2003 Dorothea Carter is in her third
year living in Waycross, GA. “As much as I do miss Atlanta and the memories that I have ther,e Waycross has become my home
Washington D.C.based company, Piccadilly Weeks (http://www. etsy.com/people/ PiccadillyWeeks), makes one-of-a-kind handbags from recycled materials. The company was recently mentioned on a popular online shopping blog. Carla is also the display coordinator for the Georgetown location of Anthropologie, which recognized her recent Earth Day display nationally.
CLASS OF 2004 Hibben Silvo recently moved to
Boston to start a fundraising endeavor for her study abroad program, College Year in Athens (www.cyathens.org).
Stacey Lathem is living in Charleston, SC, where she just got a new job as an account manager for BlueKey Inc, a website design company in downtown Charleston. Actively involved in her community, Stacey is on the board of the Charleston chapter of the American Marketing Association, plays Ultimate (Frisbee) and takes improv classes at Theatre 99.
CLASS OF 2007 Hannah Reuckel recently graduated
with a Bachelor of Arts from NYU with a double major in Journalism and History. Hannah also interned with United Nations TV while in school. This fall, she will start graduate school in Vienna, where she will pursue a Masters in Advanced International Studies (International Relations) at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. The two-year degree program focuses on politics, international relations, history and law.
Matt Keeter will graduate from Harvey Mudd College and then head to Massa-
chusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for graduate school, where he has been offered an RA position at the Center for Bits and Atoms while pursuing his MS degree.
CLASS OF 2008 Gillian Furqueron received the
“Excellence in Music Business Award” for her achievements this academic year, both in the classroom and beyond, from UGA’s Terry College of Business.
Lauren Olens, an undergraduate stu-
dent at Washington University in St. Louis, did a semester abroad program in Santiago, Chile, where she volunteered at the only IB public school in Santiago.
CLASS OF 2009 Paige Brownlow pictured in front
of White House on the night of the US attack on Osama Bin Laden’s Pakistan bunker.
David Collura, a member of the number 10-ranked Emory University golf team, played in his second NCAA Division III Championships in May in Greensboro, NC. A sophomore, David earned the team’s best round of day with a one-over par 73, leaving him with a four-day score of 303 (75-75-80-73).
CLASS OF 2010 Joanna Palmer recently concluded a gap year, during which she studied and volunteered in Antigua, Guatemala. While there, she lived with a local family and volunteered at a nursery school. Dixon Adair, a rising sophomore at
Georgetown University, has been accepted to Princeton University’s “Princeton in Beijing” program for the summer. He had to submit essays in Chinese (handwritten to demonstrate character formation) as well as CD and MP3 recordings introducing himself in Chinese. During the program, he will be enrolled for eight weeks of intensive study and must pledge that he will not utter any English on pain of expulsion. Upon completion, he will earn two semesters of college credit, equivalent to a full year of Chinese study. Global Exchange
27
congratulations
CLASS of
2011!
The 73 members of the Class of 2011 had an extremely successful year, matriculating at 47 different universities in the U.S. and abroad and earning an impressive $8.1 million in merit scholarship money (not including HOPE Scholarship funds). Seventeen of our graduates were invited into Honors or Presidential Scholars programs at their schools. This year’s class also included the first AIS student to have been given and accepted an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Of the 73 graduates, 54% will attend college in the Southeast, including 17 students who will remain in Georgia to take advantage of the HOPE scholarship program. Of the remaining graduates, 29 enrolled in universities north and west, and 10 enrolled in or plan to enroll in schools in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and the Netherlands. In keeping with AIS commencement tradition, this year’s graduates are listed with their countries of affiliation:
28 Summer 2011
Arsalan Aliyar Akhavan, Canada, Iran, USA
Arianne Kaldewey, Barbados, Germany, USA
Julie Marie Anquez, France
Maeva Elisabeth Kazandjian, France
Manon Marie Audibert, France, USA
Marcus Alexander Kiessling, Germany,
Saxon Dieter Hugh Voss Bartsch, Australia
Switzerland
Peter Beaudoin Beach, USA
Nicholas Bruce Klempf, USA
Roberto Klinger Bernardo, Brazil
Ryan Allen Kristensen, Ireland, USA
Alana Raquel Beserra, USA
Ula Kulpa, Canada, Poland, USA
Sarah Elizabeth Branch, Germany, USA
Karin Julia Lancaster, Germany, USA
Cristille Marie Campana, France
Bradley Evan Leatherwood, USA
Akeil Kishaun Cange, USA
Matthieu W. Lefort - Le Corvec, France
Joey Lu Chan, China, USA
Lisa Suwanna Levine, USA
Benjamin Alint Cheriyan, India, USA
Maurice Kai Link, Germany
Martha Luz Correa-Jamison, Colombia, USA
Ivana Lucic, Croatia
Nicole Kathleen Dancz, USA
Giuliana Cynthia Mazzetta, Italy, USA
David Johannes Dorsch, Germany
Sarah Austin McKenney, Canada
Alexandra Tiffany Douvre, Canada,
Hannah Emily Alma Melville, UK
France, USA
Alia Nadine Moussly, Syria, USA
Neema Ebrahim-Zadeh, Iran, USA
Suh Hyun Oh, South Korea
Fernando A. Echeverry, Colombia,
Amy Sarah Catherine O’Halloran, Ireland, USA
Honduras, USA
Jonathan William Olens, USA
Gisele Ferandel, Guatemala, Mexico, USA
Anastasia Matthies Owen, Germany, USA
Fredrick Oliver De Lorme Flautt, USA
Lindsey Ryan Sanborn, Holland, USA
Alyona Caroline Forbes, Ukraine, USA
Caroline Marie Schmitt, UK, USA
James Forde, UK
Willem Alexander Schüttler, Germany, USA
Paolo Fornasini, Ecuador, Germany, USA
Ana Paula Shelley, Mexico
Elliott Thomas Fretwell, UK, USA
Guilherme Seabra Saltão da Silva, Portugal
Parisa Danielle Frost, Iran, USA
Alexandra Edison Taylor, USA
Anton Gebhard-Koenigstein, Germany
Nickita Rohan Tucker, UK, USA
Charles Owen Geddes, Australia, USA
Angie Stephanie Villavicencio, Ecuador,
Rebecca Lauren Geiger, Germany, USA
Italy, USA
Samantha O’Neil Grayman, Antigua, USA
Dariya Andrea Vzorov, Russia, USA
Shakeem R. Grohmann, Germany
Michael Andre Webb, Colombia, USA
Karma Yangchen Gurung, Nepal
Kirsten Wenz, Germany
David Hahn, Germany
Jasmine Leigh White, Canada
Nicholas Montero Holt, Uruguay, USA
Nicole Jane Wilke, USA
Karl Alexander Hsu, China, UK, USA
Jonathan Phillip Winston, USA
Emma Morrison Imber, USA
Cecilia Jane Winter, New Zealand, Spain, USA
Samuel Noah Jactel, France, USA
Andrew Taylor Wooster, USA
Christopher Robert Jones, UK
Global Exchange
29
COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES which accepted 2011 graduates *Schools at which 2011 graduates enrolled
Agnes Scott College American University Appalachian State University Auburn University Bard College Barnard College* Belmont University Beloit College Bennington College Berklee College of Music* Berry College* Birmingham-Southern College Boston College Boston University Brigham Young University* Brown University* Bucknell University Carleton College Carnegie Mellon University Case Western Reserve University Clark University Clemson University College of Charleston Colorado College Colorado State University Cornell University* Davidson College* DePaul University Dickinson College Drexel University Duke University* Earlham College Elmhurst College* Elon University* Emmanuel College Emory University* Eugene Lang College New School Florida International University Fordham University Furman University Gainesville State College* 30 Summer 2011
Georgetown University* Georgia College and State University Georgia Gwinnett College Georgia Institute of Technology* Georgia State University* Gettysburg College Goucher College Grinnell College* Guilford College Hampshire College Hendrix College Iowa State University Ithaca College Johns Hopkins University* Kalamazoo College Kennesaw State University Kenyon College Knox College Lafayette College Lehigh University Lewis & Clark College Louisiana State University Loyola University Chicago Loyola University New Orleans Lynn University Macalester College Mercer University Miami University, Oxford Middlebury College* Millsaps College New York University* Northeastern University Oglethorpe University Ohio Wesleyan University Oxford College of Emory University* Pace University, New York City Pennsylvania State University, Univ Park
Pratt Institute* Purdue University Quinnipiac University Reed College* Regis University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rice University Rollins College Salve Regina University Sarah Lawrence College Savannah College of Art and Design* School of the Art Institute of Chicago School of Visual Arts Sewanee: The University of the South Southern Methodist University St. John’s University - Manhattan* St. John’s University - Queens Stanford University* Syracuse University* The College of Wooster* The George Washington University* The University of Alabama The University of Tampa The University of Texas, Austin Trinity College Trinity University Tufts University Tulane University United States Military Academy* University of California at Berkeley* University of California at Davis University of California at Los Angeles University of California at Santa Barbara University of California at Santa Cruz
2011 LEGACY AWARD University of Chicago* University of Colorado at Boulder* University of Denver University of Georgia* University of Hawaii at Manoa* University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Maryland, College Park University of Miami* University of Michigan University of North Carolina at Asheville University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of Oklahoma University of Oregon University of Richmond* University of Rochester University of San Francisco University of South Carolina University of Southern California University of the Pacific University of Tulsa University of Virginia* University of Washington Valdosta State University Vanderbilt University Vassar College Wake Forest University Wartburg College Washington and Lee University* Washington College Washington University in St. Louis* Wells College Westminster College Wofford College* Worcester Polytechnic Institute
UNIVERSITIES OUTSIDE THE US Canada Concordia University Montreal HEC Montreal McGill University* University of British Columbia Université du Montreal Université du Québec Montreal* France Sciences Po Reims* Germany Jacobs University Bremen* Italy Universita Bocconi The Netherlands Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam* Spain European University Barcelona United Kingdom Oxford Brookes University University of East Anglia University of Edinburgh University of Exeter University of Kent at Canterbury University of Manchester University of Nottingham University of St. Andrews University of Sussex University of the West of England, Bristol
Cedric Parages, class of 2012, was awarded the Senior Legacy Award this year by the class of 2011. Parages will travel to Peru with a group from Projects Abroad, a leading volunteer abroad organization. He will be doing volunteer environmental work in the Amazon Rainforest, including planting trees in deforested areas and maintaining trails in the rainforest. Cedric enjoys being in nature and being around wildlife. His concern for deforestation, because it destroys the ecosystems of thousands of species needed to keep nature in check, was one of the primary reasons that this project appealed to him. Cedric states, “People simply do not realize the implications (of deforestation). It is not something they are too aware of, since it’s not happening to their own environment.” He also plans to do his biology extended essay experiments while in Peru. The Senior Legacy Award is awarded each year from money raised by the graduating class for the purpose of allowing an AIS student to further their studies through travel the summer before their senior year. Last year’s recipient, Parisa Frost, traveled to Brasov, Romania, to explore her interest in journalism by working as a magazine intern.
Global Exchange
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