50 years of cis

CIS FOOTPRINTS N. 03 AUGUST 2013

Behind the scenes Teaching in the 80s CIS gives back to the community

CHALLENGING AND INSPIRING STUDENTS SINCE 1962

Editor in Chief: Suzanne O Reilly Hellerupvej 26 2900 Hellerup, Denmark

Art Director: Virginia de Colombani E: http://www.cis-edu.dk/

P: +45 39 46 33 00

“It is already Tomorrow Time, which never stops on its journey, will pass before your eyes and in only a few moments you will be a member of the community looking back on the years you spent at Copenhagen International School. When you do, the photos, facts and memories in this book will be your stepping stones to a happy reminiscence.�

TABLE OF CONTENTS CIS FOOTNOTES AUGUST 2013 SPECIAL EDITION

page 10 page 11 page 14 page 16

60’s

70’s

90’s

2000’s

Alumni from the 60s Behind the scenes CIS harbours a refugee Mother and daughter

page 22 page 25 page 32 page 33

Teaching at CIS in the 80s Alumni from the 80s Charity Club Alumnus from outer space

80’s

page 36 page 38 page 40 page 43

Celebrating 50 years CIS Board Alumni from 2000’s Future Campus

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THE 60’s

“The new leader of CIS was Charles Gellar, who remained in that position for many years, thus giving the young international school the stability and incisive leadership that it needed.”

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1962

CIS is started by Mrs. Frank B. Gallagher: - high school correspondence courses from the University of Nebraska - located at Bagsvœrd Kostskole og Gymnasium - 1 classroom, 1 teacher, 12 students

1964

1963

Copenhagen International High School is launched.

School moves to the Ungdomshus (a youth center) on Nørrevoldgade 23

The European Council of International Schools (ECIS) was founded. CIS was one of its first members.

1965

The first year as a formal, classroom instruction, college-preparatory institution. Move to John F. Kennedy School in Høje Gladsaxe. First principal: Godfrey D. Sullivan

A FEW WORDS FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

As one of the truly old guard of our school, I thought you might enjoy a bit of its now semi-ancient History: My first memories of CIS are from the summer of 1965. My first husband, GodfreyD. Sullivan, had been hired as the Director of what was to be a new educational institution, the Copenhagen International School. The summer was filled with meetings, discussions, hours of work on curriculum, decisions about teachers, and many other tasks. The primary mover in this complex effort was the American Embassy.

They had for some time been operating a small correspondence school, and they were eager to transform it into a school that could eventually be recognized by the Danish authorities. So, the first few weeks of the school continued to take place in two rooms in the basement of the American Embassy.

Soon after the beginning of the school year, the operations of the new school were moved to Søborg Gymnasium, a Danish secondary school in Gladsaxe. Its Rektor, Ulf Østergaard, had been the Director of the United Nations International School (UNIS) in New York; there he’d become acquainted with Godfrey, who was Deputy Director and head of the history department. When Rektor Østergaard was asked for advice about finding someone to be the founding director of CIS, he suggested Godfrey. These two men who had worked together in international education in New York now combined their efforts

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Gellar

Head of CIJS and wife of Godfrey Sullivan

on behalf of the new international school in Denmark. The new school, CIS, had less than thirty pupils at the beginning of its first year. The school settled into temporary quarters next to Søborg Gymnasium and was allowed to use the gymnasium’s facilities for such specialized work as science labs and sports. CIS grew rapidly and developed gradually into an institution which gained the respect of international organizations such as the European Council of International Schools and also of Danish educational authorities.

Godfrey, having got the new school off to an impressive start, left in 1968, having been offered a doctoral fellowship at an American University. The new leader of CIS was Charles Gellar, who remained in that position for many years, thus giving the young international school the stability and incisive leadership that it needed. Ulf Østergaard remained on the CIS Board for many years, and his commitment was a valuable factor in the school’s success. CIS was one of the ten founding schools of the International Baccalaureate, now offered in thousands of schools around the world.

Sullivan

Inez Venning Sullivan

THE 60’s 1966

Move to Søborg Gymnasium. The first formal graduation is held with 3 graduates: Marilyn Dietz (USA), Marianne Quist (Denmark) and Karen Sorensen (USA).

1968

1967

Name change from Copenhagen International High School to Copenhagen International School to avoid confusion with the Danish ‘højskole’ which denotes an institution of higher education.

Charles Gellar Head of school from 1968 to 1978

As I think back over some forty-four years in education, seventeen of them as Head or as Chief Administrator of CIS and CIJS, many thoughts do come to mind. When I arrived in Hoje Gladsaxe in 1968, CIS was only a senior school with some fiftyeight pupils. Godfrey Sullivan and Inez (Venning) Sullivan started up the school as an institution with the generous help of Rektor Ulf Ostergaard, the Head of Soborg Gymnasium. At that time, the school resided in one classroom in SG, with one secretary, Ruth Ekeroth, two desks, a rotary blue-ink copy machine, and one mechanical typewriter, circa 1960.

My first experience heading a school, let alone an international one, I was enthusiastic about what international education might become, and I worked hard to convince the Board and parents to support the IB initiative just begun in Geneva. The legendary Alex Peterson visited CIS on at least three occasions. I remember Alex having given the oral exams in English A and worrying about his assigning a 5 to one of our pupils when she should have perhaps deserved a 6. He felt he had overcompensated for the fact that she was a gorgeous Swedish blond! Few thought a school as small as CIS could make a success of it, but we did. Later, the school moved into its own prefabricated building nearby. Again the Board went along with my plan. It took a long time before the building was completed. Actually, I decided that the only way to get the workers to finish was to move in while it was still being worked on. Every teacher and pupil literally picked up a chair or table and marched into the unfinished building and began.

In 1973, I saw the need to start a primary school, and found a solution by finding the Stenosgade School in Copenhagen that was closing. In the beginning, the entire school board expressed

CIS students take IB examinations on an experimental basis. New principal: Charles A. Gellar

1969

A four-room barracks is added to Søborg Gymnasium to house CIS.

no interest in such a scheme, but with my perseverance all eventually agreed to let me have a go at it. I planned for over fifty children to start, but only thirty actually were in the first group, and Inez Sullivan was invited to become the first Head. Later, with the support of the church on Stenosgade and the business acumen of Jesuit Father Sanders, we acquired the adjacent property on Gammel Kongevej. To complete the story, a fully equipped, magnificent gym hall and sports facility was built on the site, at no cost to the school! Don’t ask me to explain how that happened… it’s a long story. There were many other successes, but I remember two that weren’t. One was to make the school motto: “Do we have to?” which was the ever-tiresome response of CIS students to having to do more work. The second was to convince the CIS basketball team to call themselves the ‘Cissies’.

“the school resided in one classroom in SG, with one secretary, two desks, a rotary blue-ink copy machine, and one mechanical typewriter” For the past twenty-seven years I have been deeply involved in international education here in Brussels, having been Director (and owner) of the Brussels English Primary School (BEPS), and Founder and presently Director of the World International School in Waterloo.

I am certainly well beyond my sell-by date. Obviously, I played a major role in the early history of CIS/CIJS, but there were many that contributed much. Firstly, my wife Karin served as German teacher and later as librarian. She often said I spent almost 100% of my waking life thinking about CIS and 50% of my sleeping life!

Then there were Ruth Ekeroth and Kirsten Lund, the hardest working secretaries one could possibly have, and, of course, the many teachers over the years who by their commitment and enthusiasm created a school of high morale and with a can-do attitude--qualities that have lasted to the present day.

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ALUMNI FROM THE 60’s

Peter Høst-Madsen, ‘69 - ’70

Johan Therman, ‘64

Dr Nick Palmer, ‘67

I was in the class with Susse Georg, Gary Schill, Ulla Svensen and Peter “Sparrow” Weiss. I notice that Peter and Ulla are on the “History” picture along with a boy near the front row called Arnkvarn. Looking through the 1969 year book, I see a picture of myself eating. The Ellsworths, Bixlers... the names and memories start to flood back. My teachers were among others Mr. Gellar, the Kesons and Mrs. Metz.

I went to University in England as did Ulla Svensen and we often met up. I also once met Susse Georg in the 70’s where she lived “paa Østerbro”. We both lived there in 1969. Since then I am afraid I have lost complete contact with everybody. I am particularly interested in contacting Susse Georg again (I know she will be full of gossip). We both grew up together in Washington D.C. where our mothers were best friends. The Georgs moved back to Denmark and it was through them that we learned about CIS, when we came to live there for some years.

At University I met my wife and I have lived since then in Manchester in the north of England. I became a school teacher, but I am now retired. As you grow older, you look back instead of forward...

What are your recollections of CIS in the early days?

Problems with understanding Shakespeare and quite a few problems with the American principal (Mrs. Frank Gallagher) of the school (CIS) as I was dating her daughter!

You have kept in touch with friends since your time at CIS, how did you manage to keep the communication going?

I studied at Lund University (close to Copenhagen) for a year and after that 3 years at Uppsala University (Far enough from all the fun in Copenhagen = Bachelor in Economics), and I made it a must to visit my friends in Copenhagen at least once a year.

What professional path did you embark upon?

Having received degrees in Agriculture, a Bachelors in Economics and a degree in Real Estate I then started my own companies and they have to do with Export to Russia, Farming consultations, and my own Real Estate Agency.

Any words of inspiration?

Work hard when it is time for business, play hard when it is time to enjoy life and always be open to new ideas!

In many ways the strangest period of my time in CIS was when we were located in a youth club in Norrebro, around 1965. In those days the district was fairly rough, and an incongruous setting for an international school. In the early days we were simply sitting together while we collectively did essays for the tutors at the University of Nebraska. There was a certain amount of collusion which some of the teachers shut an eye to (one particularly upright student told me he deliberately fell behind the rest of us so as not to get involved in that), but in general the atmosphere was cozy and constructive.

There wasn’t a lot of extra-curricular activity in those days, but one of the families ran the ‘Teen Club’ for evening parties (the school was just 9th-12th grade then), which were basically about pop music, cuddles and quite a lot of beer.

Once we moved to shared premises with Gladsaxe School, it all became more conventional.

My mother, Irene Palmer, taught German, which I didn’t think a good idea, since she knew when I hadn’t done my homework, and enjoyed an off-beat friendship with several of the students..

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THE 60’s

BEHIND THE SCENES

Kirsten Lund

Ruth Ekeroth

My name is Kirsten Lund. I was employed by CIS as a part-time secretary in 1969. My dear friend, Ruth Ekeroth, who passed away ten years ago, was the first secretary at the school. The school was then situated in Søborg Gymnasium, in Høje Gladsaxe, 10kilometres from Copenhagen City. We shared classrooms with the Danish part of the school. The administration of CIS had one classroom at its disposal; it was divided up into principal’s office, secretaries’ office, and teachers’ room. It was pretty crowded! The school’s first electric typewriter was bought for me, but we could not afford a desk, so my desk was a windowsill! It was pretty primitive, but it worked.

We stayed there for some years, but when we needed more room, we moved to some pre-fabricated buildings placed on the grounds near the gymnasium containing offices, library, teachers´ room and students´ room. The students still had to go to the gymnasium for their lessons. The Junior School was started in 1975 in a former Catholic school on Stenosgade. The building had been empty for some time, so it was pretty dirty. It had to be cleaned before CIJS could be started. Everybody helped, the new principal, the secretaries, our husbands, the newly arriving CIJS-teachers, we were all there on the weekends to clean and paint the new school. What a job! But we were enthusiastic and had a lot of fun, too! Somehow I was only forty-nine years old.

Kirsten Lund

Secretary at CIS from 1969 to 1992

“The school’s first electric typewriter was bought for me, but we could not afford a desk, so my desk was a windowsill!”

I was offered a full-time job at the senior school where I worked until 1992. The school then moved to Hellerup. I did not want to move for the third time, so I decided to retire after twenty-three years at CIS. CIS has been a great part of my life. I still have close connections to the former CIJS principal, Inez Venning, the former principal of CIS, Charles Gellar, and his family who now live in Brussels, and to the former administrator, Jack Davis and his wife in the USA. Time runs so fast that one cannot believe it! I still get down to Berlin to see my friend Peter. We have now known each other for thirty-five years! My eldest son, Henrik and his wife live in Nuuk; they have very good jobs in Grønlands Naturinstitut, so I have to travel to Greenland to visit them there! It is difficult to get around in Greenland, but I managed.

At eighty-four, I am still alive and well and living in Herlev.

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12

THE 70’s

“By 1973, CIS was ready to expand downward and add a primary school. According to Danish regulations, it was necessary for the primary school to be separate from the secondary school, so it became the Copenhagen International Junior School with its own board and organization.”

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1972

1970

The first IB Diploma is earned by a CIS student: Paval Pisa (Czechoslovakia)

A building extension of the four-room barracks in Søborg Gymnasium is made.

1973

Accreditation is granted by the European Council of International Schools – the second school in Europe to receive this honor.

1974

The Copenhagen International Junior School is started by Charles A. Gellar: - located at Stenosgade in rented accomodation - first principal: Inez Sullivan - 16 students on the first day, 38 students half a year later

THE FIRST IB DIPLOMA EARNED BY A CIS STUDENT Paval Pisa Graduate of 72’

Paval Pisa graduated from the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program in 1972 after studying for four years at CIS. Back then, Copenhagen International School’s campus was in Gladsaxe, west of Copenhagen. At first, when our school was founded, it was a high school made up of one floor, which consisted of approximately 60 determined students. Paval remembers the “big field” being the only place to hang out with his peers.

Pavel made recognition of the differences in teaching technology.

During his school years “there were no computers,” instead they had “text books”. As well as some black and green boards that came along with chalks.

Pavel believes that as technology develops, it is important for teachers to teach how to use it properly as an advantage to our learning. He stated that “the amount of information is so much greater, that you could not handle it with the old technology”. This is why moving away from old technology is so beneficial.

He also informs us about the importance of the skills you learn in school and how they help you later in life. Things like debates, where you have to state a point and then back it up with information to persuade others has been a very useful skill in his career: CIS is a “great school. It has really helped me a lot,” he claimed.

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After Pavel’s graduation, he went to Prague to study medicine.

Later he moved to Stockholm, where he stayed for 20 years being a part of Karolingska Institut. He remembers writing his first PHD on a typewriter.

When he turned 50, he decided that he wanted to accomplish some more with his life. With that in mind, he moved to Switzerland to work at Roche, the biggest pharmaceutical in the world for cancer. Pavel believes it to be “the best and largest company for drugs against cancer”. He is now a professor for ecology and develops new molecules to treat cancer.

During the late 70s, Paval came to visit the new CIS campus in Vesterport. He found it had developed amazingly. CIS is a place that brings back a lot of old memories for these students that once graduated from here.

“Paval remembers the big field being the only place to hang out with his peers“

THE 70’s 1975

The Junior School is recognized for a subsidy from the Danish state as a Danish ‘friskole’

1978

1977 1976

A 13th grade is started as the final year of the IB program. The 9th grade is transferred to CIJS Middle School because of over-crowding at Søborg Gymnasium.

CIS moves to Gammel Kongevej next to the Junior School.

4 additional classrooms are opened at CIJS. The Friends of the Copenhagen International Schools Foundation is created.

Purpose: to allocate funds and advise the fundraising committee. Inauguration of the new facilities of Copenhagen International Senior School by Princess Benedikte.

1979

The Schools’ new auditorium is completed and inaugurated.

CIS HARBOURS A REFUGEE, MARTIN MAGABE Wiebke Keson German, ESL teacher, 1979

Now that 20 years passed, the statute of limitations must render the school immune to prosecution for harbouring an illegal alien.

It all started when the Father Superior of the Catholic Church - who provided the facilities for CIS and was a member of our school board – asked whether a young fellow who needed an education could attend a few classes. That was no problem – the school always had a few extra chairs in the classrooms, so Martin, a tall, polite, 18 year-old Kenyan joined the school. On a temporary basis, you understand – until his residency permit was granted by the Danish authorities.

He proved to be a keen student who loved history, but was very shy and found it difficult to mix with the other students.

Since he didn’t have a place to stay, we fixed him up with a little room on the fourth floor, and the Catholic fathers let him eat his meals with them. Months passed without any letter from the Danish Fremmedpoliti (Alien Police) and Martin began to fear that his case worker wouldn’t have good news for him. One day he happened to meet the caseworker on Vesterbrogade. Martin went up to him and told him that he felt very awkward without his papers in order. The caseworker told him that if he insisted on getting an answer, he would be told to go back to Kenya, so the caseworker’s unofficial advice was to avoid any contact with the office. These were the old days when a refugee was

“Since he didn’t have a place to stay, we fixed him up with a little room on the fourth floor“ a relatively rare thing and apparently caseworkers had a fair amount of leeway. Martin was upset by being placed in this kind of bureaucratic limbo, but he stayed at the school until he graduated two years later, and went off to university to study.

That was the last I heard from Martin, until about ten years later I was riding a tram one evening in Munich Germany, when outside I spotted him waiting for a tram in the opposite direction.

I banged on the window, he spotted me, and my tram zoomed off.

But Martin was a Kenyan who could run like the wind. He loped alongside my tram until the next stop where we threw our arms around each other and had a long chat about what had happened in the past years.

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MOTHER AND DAUGHTER INEZ SULLIVAN By 1973, CIS was ready to expand downward and add a primary school.

According to Danish regulations, it was necessary for the primary school to be separate from the secondary school, so it became the Copenhagen International Junior School with its own board and organization. I was invited to be the head of CIJS (I had become widowed in the meantime), and I gladly returned to Copenhagen with my young daughter, Maeve. CIJS settled into rented premises on the corner of Stenosgade and Gammel Kongevej in central Copenhagen, in a purpose-built school building belonging to the Catholic Church, which had maintained a school there for many years.

The junior school grew even more rapidly than CIS had in its early years. Eventually a Preschool was added, and at another juncture the ninth grade was moved from CIS to CIJS. By the time I left in 1989, CIJS had 350pupils and was accredited by the European Council of International Schools and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Now well established, it was known and respected among international schools and international organizations.

MAEVE SULLIVAN I have a job at a database company, and my mother is always marveling at it. “I could never do all that,” she says. “Keeping up with all those different kinds of technology, learning new systems and new business terminology all the time. I don’t know how you do it!” And I just laugh.

Keeping down my little desk job is nothing - nothing - in comparison with what my mother did.

By 1973, my mother had already lived in Copenhagen where my father had served as the founding principal of Copenhagen International School. They had turned their lives upside-down to move to a completely different country and help start up a completely new school, and then they had returned to the States in 1968 to allow my father to pursue a doctorate. Both of these moves required bravery, of course, on both their parts, but they shared a pioneer spirit. Then, in 1973, my father died unexpectedly. My mother was newly widowed and was suddenly raising a three-year-old daughter by herself. She needed to be brave for me and for herself, and she was.

Then the call came from Charles Gellar: would she come back to Copenhagen? A brand new school was in the works - Copenhagen International Junior School - and it needed a founding principal. Think about this. This still-grieving young woman would need to arrange for a move overseas, find a new home in Copenhagen, acclimate her small daughter to new surroundings, and serve as the principal of an elementary and middle school that didn’t yet exist. Many might balk.

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She didn’t hesitate. “That call changed my life,” she told Charles just recently, when we were all gathered for the fiftieth CIS anniversary event in April. She packed up her belongings and her child, moved to Copenhagen, and plunged in headfirst.

She had never been a principal before. Now she interviewed, hired, and evaluated teachers. She met with parents and resolved conflicts.

She facilitated a multitude of meetings. She attended every school event. She wagged her finger at children sent to her office for bad behavior. Once I left my Danish kindergarten and started at CIJS, I was astonished to see that she never stopped, that her energy never flagged, whatever the time of day one might see her in action.

I remember her at her desk, typing, focused, hurrying to complete a document before clicking off to her next meeting. But always a hug for me when I stopped in during break time, and questions about my day, and encouragement. Always the message “Well, you can do it!” - whatever it was. And when we got home, still in principal mode, she would sort through her mail and make any necessary phone calls before, finally, the sensible shoes and hose came off, and: “Time to coll-al-apse!” she would say, collapsing theatrically onto the sofa as she did so. After the “coll-al-apse” came a happy sigh - a sound that meant, that was a good day, I am happy with it, and I accomplished something. This pause was short-lived, since she had to scramble dinner together or even go back out into the world for some schoolrelated event. But she seized downtime without regretting its brevity, appreciating every available minute.

“I will never know how she did it. But I’m glad she did. I had a childhood rich in excitement, rooted in support and love, and guided by a brave pioneer sensibility”

THE 70’s

TEACHER BY DAY, DRUMMER BY NIGHT

Volkher Hofmann Teacher from 1977-1982

WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO CIS? I was not “brought” to CIS, I was thrown into it, from one language into another.One day, in 1976 or so, my dad came home and announced that we would be leaving Germany that summer. Mind you, unlike other families more or less accustomed to regular moves, we hadn’t been. This was my dad’s first post abroad. I am quite positive he was worried about the repercussions as a result of his announcement, and he probably didn’t sleep well a few nights before it, but he certainly seemed unprepared for the enthusiastic and totally jubilant response he got from me. If I had known that Danish people love to wave Danish flags about whenever more or less appropriate, I would have been standing there with a ton of those in my hand, waving them back and forth incessantly. I had been, up until that point, part of a new “lost generation” (born 1962) of sorts, a kid in a German school system that was engulfed by educational experiments, budgetary constraints and the like. In my case, that meant an 8th grade with more than 40 pupils in the class, a faceless concrete building filled to the brim with more or less able and willing individuals, and a perfect chance for people like me to hide out in the last row, quietly, a ghost rarely reflected by the white paint on the walls. I felt out of place, lost, and inadequate.

WHAT IS YOUR BEST MEMORY OF YOUR TIME AT CIS AND COPENHAGEN? In relation to what I said above, the answer is as simple as can be.

When I arrived there, my life changed so fundamentally that it was

and is very difficult to put into words. Not surprisingly, it can all be summed up in one simple sentence though: I made a ton of great friends and I had some excellent teachers. It never ceased to amaze me how patient the CIJS/CIS community could be with students who sometimes didn’t really know much English when they arrived and how easily new people were seamlessly integrated. I formed lasting bonds with many of the people I met and friends I made and it doesn’t surprise me at all that whenever I meet up with old friends and acquaintances from my time at CIJS/CIS, it seems as if only a mere weekend has passed (and not 30 years, as in my case).

In my career, I have had the chance to compare my life at CIJS/CIS to that of other student groups I have since encountered and taught, sometimes for as long as 7 years at a time, and what we had back then was comparatively unique. The camaraderie that we had and held on to was unparalleled and still resonates today whenever we meet up.

There is one more extremely important memory I would like to add here. When I attended CIJS/CIS, the buildings weren’t the fanciest in the neighborhood, BUT, the opportunities offered to us within were quite a different affair. My memory is faint in this regard, but at some point, the music department was either understaffed or there were simply too many vacancies. Mr. Keson then simply hired some fascinating outside people who taught afternoon classes to those interested. That happens to have been a decisive moment and turning point in my life with repercussions until this very day. I was drawn rapidly into the Danish music scene, both by Eugene (a guitarist quite well-known on the scene and at one point or another member of the legendary band “Bifrost”) and, of course, my mentor of sorts for many, many years, Ed Thigpen, the perfect gentleman and legendary jazz drummer who played with so many jazz legends that I’m not even going to start listing them here. Meeting Ed Thigpen was a major event in my life and up until his death a few years ago we stayed in touch and had many a conversation.

DID YOU CONTINUE ON THE PATH YOU CHOSE WHILE AT CIS? To be quite honest, I didn’t choose a path at CIS. Right up until my IB exams, I didn’t really know what to do with myself. Yes, I had decided to study law, but that was only because it was a convenient and simple way of re-entering the German system. I ended up at the University of Saarbrücken (Saarland, Germany) and after a while, I decided to switch majors and went into education and teaching. For nearly two decades now, I have been an English and Social Studies teacher at a high school (“Gymnasium”) in Rhineland-Palatinate, the neighboring state, and my experience at CIJS and CIS was a major factor in choosing this career path.

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FAREWELL CIS

“not just a place of learning, but a place of self-discovery and refuge, a place where each and every member of our community feels respected and valued and cared for” Bheka Pierce At CIS from the beginning to 19 June 2013 I loved that old building on Gammelkongevej. No two rooms were the same; one hardly knew one was in a school. We were cramped, having to climb over each other in the narrow corridors. But that was half the fun. No one could hide in corners, because there were none. There were never more than four or five kids from any one country, so no one could hide in his or her cultural disguises. There were no cliques.

We all had to rely upon our basic humanity.

I can still remember one day Britta and me coming up the stairs outside the library. There, trying to hide in a corner was a Swazi boy who might have been in third grade. He looked lost, scared, and miserable. Britta went over, knelt down, stroked a tear from his cheek, and said in her best siSwati, “Sawabona, unfauna wami. Unjani?” Hello, my boy, how are you? If you’ve ever been in a dark stadium when someone suddenly switches on the lights, you will have some idea of what that

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little boy’s face did as he heard his language and saw Britta’s soft, reassuring smile. Mr. V. is rightly the legend of our school. In his tenth grade history classes, he used to give his One Hundred Specifics Tests. If you failed one of those, you were supposed to honorably fall on your sword, such that there is probably no student from that era who cannot still name Napoleon’s horse.

After the move, lots of things—happily--remained the same. In my class, we continued to float with Huck and Jim down the Mississippi.

I made that journey thirty years in a row, though it was never the same journey. Like the Mississippi River itself, with its shifting shores and sandbars, my understanding of both the English language and my fellow humans shifted so that Huck’s story was new each year. In a similar fashion, Hamlet continued to dither until he finally got it right, sort of. I continued to give myself the part of Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie and play it with such enthusiasm that a student wrote to me from university she’d been to a performance and the actress could not get close to my: “Why, I remember one afternoon on Blue Mountain when I had seventeen gentleman callers.”

I wish I now had time to thank all of you here today for being part of “okay, I am going to say” my school. Perhaps I can mention a few of the old guard or soon to be old guard. Amicable Amy is yet wowing her charges with the marital rites of assorted Patagonians. Ina and Ute and Karen have the Danish and German departments well in hand, as does Jöelle the French department, even as she reminds people in TOK that of course Rene Descartes was French. Mr. C. and his troupe of ever astonishing artists quietly beautify our corridors, and no one has ever had to ask Bob to speak up. Thank you all so very much. Go well and stay well, each and everyone of you.

THE 70’s

MOVING ON

“I love the diversity, the multiple perspectives and open-mindedness, along with the feeling of a whole world inside one school” Paulette Johnson EAL teacher from 1975-2013

Retiring now, after nearly 4 decades at CIS, I am ready to take the next step in my life adventures. I consider myself a CIS Lifer, someone with a lifelong commitment to international education, and I look forward to a few more years working in different ways in smaller international schools. I never dreamed when I left the US in the mid-70s that Denmark would become home and international education my lifework. Now, I can’t imagine teaching in any school but an international school. I love the diversity, the multiple perspectives and open-mindedness, along with the feeling of a whole world inside one school.

I send many warm thanks to the hundreds of students who have taught me so much and enriched my life along the way. I have enjoyed the collegiality of many wonderful teachers and I value my friendships with will colleagues and other PYP professionals. I am grateful to former administrators—especially Inez Venning, Susan Stengel and Chris Bowman--who gave me opportunities to extend my professional life and learning outside of CIS and Denmark. Inez V. encouraged me to be on accreditation teams. Chris B. made it possible for me to train as an ESL in the Mainstream tutor. However, the high point came when Susan S. led the way as one of the visionaries behind the International Schools Curriculum Project. She made it possible for me to be on

the language committee, which together with other subject areas, produced the first international curriculum framework for primary schools. ISCP later became the IB-Primary Years Programme and is now a leading international curriculum. The most rewarding years of my professional life were spent as a PYP workshop leader and school visitor while teaching at CIS. This gave me the opportunity, over the course of 12 years, to work with administrators and teachers throughout most of Europe, Scandinavia and the Baltic countries, extending east to Kiev, Istanbul and Moscow, west to the US and south to Cairo and Nairobi. During the entire time at CIS, I have constantly pursued professional learning and development through participation in more PD courses and workshops than I count.

It is unusual for international school teachers to stay at the same school for almost 4 decades. I believe that rich professional learning engagements both as presenter and participant have been keys to sustaining my personal commitment to CIS over so many years.

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20

THE 80’s

“CIS offered a warm, safe, nurturing environment for students. In part, CIS’s small size fostered this intimate environment. Students were individuals, not bodies in a seat.”

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1981

1980

1983

CIS receives buys its first computer

CIS is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

The Schools’ new auditorium is completed and inaugurated.

1982

CIS is put on the list of recognized schools in Denmark. This makes it possible for CIS students to get transportation fees reimbursed and to get Danish state grants.

1984

20th anniversary of CIS and 10th anniversary of CIJS are celebrated.

TEACHING AT CIS IN THE 1980s Scott H. Bennett Teacher at CIS from 1986 to 1991

From 1986 to 1991, I taught middle school social studies in Copenhagen, after stints in American / International schools in El Salvador and Italy. CIS was by far the most diverse and international of these schools. Students from more than 50 nationalities created a vibrant, cosmopolitan, and cooperative atmosphere. It was common to teach classes with 18 to 20 students from a dozen nations or national backgrounds and half a dozen religions. Indeed, CIS and the wider CIS community demonstrated the primacy of our common humanity.

CIS offered a warm, safe, nurturing environment for students. In part, CIS’s small size fostered this intimate environment. Students were individuals, not bodies in a seat. Before Copenhagen, I had tried to apply classroom policies consistently and without favoritism—and with few exceptions. At CIS, I learned that exceptions did not have to mean inconsistency and favoritism.

I learned that making exceptions to serve the best interests of individual students did not undermine the rules but rather humanized policies.

The CIS students were amazing. In addition to superior individual performance, students demonstrated great enthusiasm and

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creativity on group projects: Conversations With History, Walls-As-Newspapers (Graffiti), Nations (politics/society/ culture), Copenhagen Immigrants, and other projects. Thanks to arrangements made by a CIS parent, I published an account of the immigration project in a Danish magazine: “Internationalizing the ‘Business’ of Learning: The Ethnic Kiosk, Shop, and Grill as a Classroom.” With research culled from the students’ projects, this article was a nice example of student-teacher collaboration.

In particular, the 9th grade course on Asian Civilizations broadened my horizons. Enriching the course were the large number of Danish-Indian, Danish-Pakistani, and Danish-Hong Kong Chinese students, along with other students from other Asian nations and nationalities. The Indian-Danish students spiritedly debated the respective merits of New Delhi and Bombay (Mumbai), as the Pakistani-Danish students looked on with bemusement. With fondness, I remember class-related trips to Asian restaurants and to a yoga studio. As part of CIS’ summer reading program, one year I assigned Shogun a 1,000 page novel

by James Clavell; in August, when school resumed, we discussed the book in class. I’ll never forget one Japanese student, new to

THE 80’s 1987

1986 The Schools’ gymnasium is finished.

A new playground area is finished.

A pre-kindergarten group (for 4-yearolds) is opened. CIJS joins the Danmarks Realskoleforening

1989

1988

CIS celebrates its 25th anniversary and CIJS its 15th anniversary with Princess Benedikte. The Friends of the Copenhagen International Schools Foundation is officially dissolved but the Friends continue as a fundraising committee. An after-school program is instituted.

CIS and just beginning to learn English, who read the entire novel with the assistance of a English-Japanese dictionary! In the lingo of my daughter’s generation, that commitment and desire to excel is “awesome”—and it typified CIS students.

I recall the annual class trips. Destinations included Venice, Prague, and Dubrovnik (then part of Yugoslavia and soon to become associated with ethnic-cleansing and civil war). In addition, there were trips to Paris with the French class, and a trip to the former Soviet Union that I organized. For most of the class trips, Lorraine Wykes was my co-chaperone—and we had lots of fun. One year, after arriving in Venice, we checked the students into their rooms before having coffee with the owner in the hotel’s ground-level “bar.” We could hear the excited students on their balconies above. Suddenly a balcony collapsed, crashing down on the restaurant roof. Fortunately, the students were able to exit the balcony before the fall.

Never was I more proud of my students than during a trip to the Danish Resistance Museum. In class, we had been studying Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, and World War II, and the museum visit was the capstone experience for this unit. At the museum, the students broke into groups and went through the exhibits, which document Danish resistance to the German occupation during World War II. After their tours, the students begin to gather at our meeting place. A couple of students told me about a German, also visiting the museum, who warned them that the exhibits were propaganda. At that moment the German walked by, and I asked the students to call him over. It turned out that he spoke little English. However, with an Austrian student interpreting, we waged an impromptu debate on the holocaust right there in the museum. The German denied the holocaust occurred; and the students, to my delight, challenged his denial with evidence and questions that dismantled his claims. That 10 or 15 minute debate was a highlight in my teaching career. (Of course, this German tourist, a holocaust-denier, did not reflect mainstream German thought, any more than neo-Nazis who I met in Europe represented the people of their nations.)

CIS and CIJS set up a joint fund-raising committee to supplement the work of the Friends of the Copenhagen International Schools.

My time at CIS coincided with the end of the Cold War. In the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev introduced glasnost and perestroika. In 1989, people’s power movements in Eastern Europe overthrew repressive regimes in Poland, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania. For months, I awoke to news reports of revolution, liberation, transformation, and hope. During the Thanksgiving 1989 weekend, just two weeks after the Berlin Wall “fell,” I visited this symbol of Cold War conflict—now a site of excitement and festiveness. Two years later, the Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union; and the Cold War moved from current politics to contemporary history.

“At CIS I learned that making exceptions to serve the best interests of individual students did not undermine the rules but rather humanized policies.”

Danish taxes were a perennial topic of conversation. Unlike most of my friends, I didn’t complain about high taxes. I defended taxes, even though I paid 70% of my modest salary in income taxes and VAT. Indeed, I often quoted Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., a U.S. Supreme Court justice, who declared that taxes are the price that we pay for civilization. To me, Denmark’s highly developed “welfare state” undergirds a humane and civilized society that effectively advances the common good—a real bargain for our taxes.

To remain fit in middle age, I no longer eat Danish pastries; however, I do drive a Volvo; I still consider Scandinavia the most human place on earth to live; and I continuously recall my five wonderful years at CIS. Since 2001, I have taught history at Georgian Court University, a small Catholic university in New Jersey, USA. My research focuses on peace history, nonviolence, pacifism, and conscientious objectors.

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TO THE COPENHAGEN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

24

THE 80’s

ALUMNI FROM THE 80s

Angus McFadyen, 82’

Geraldine Fructuoso, 84’

Mandana Zarrehparvar, 82’

What brought you to CIS? My dad was a doctor at World Health Organization at the time and was relocated to Denmark where I entered CIS. What are your best memories?

I guess, model UN in The Hague was always exciting, and going to the movies (this was the late 70s, movies were still great then).

What are you doing now?

I pursued a career path in acting, and played a role as Robert the Bruce in Braveheart. I am now doing two films back to back, both with religious themes.

One character in the civil war movie “Copperhead” embodies the worst facets of what extremist religious thought can do to a man. The other film “Silver Birches” shows us a man whose humility in the face of suffering allows him to weather the loss of a loved one. Both men are purists, yet they are flip sides of the same coin. The best part is getting paid for what I love to do, and being flown to places I’d never have thought of going. The challenging part can be the waiting around and perhaps being rejected for a part you found interesting or so badly wanted. The auditioning process is not for the faint hearted.

Present position: Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer and Human Resources Coordinator.

After leaving CIS, I lived and worked in Brussels, Jerusalem, Rome and Lugano continuing the international tradition. I now work for the European Society of Medical Oncology in Switzerland.

My son, Samuel, continues the international education tradition having gone to the American Overseas School of Rome, then the Ecole Internationale de Geneva until he graduated IB in 2012 and will begin the University of Geneva in the Fall.

I love the fact that my son was able to experience what I did because any child attending an international school brings with him, well basically brings within him, the spirit of international schools as they aim to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people through intercultural understanding and respect.

The experience simply enriches anyone that attends such a school.

CIS changed me in so many ways and it was only when I started working in different countries that I realized how easy it was for me to assimilate and feel at home with each move.

What brought you to CIS? As appose to many who come to CIS due to parents work – my reason for coming to CIS was a revolution in my home country Iran – or rather the instability and insecurity that was raging since we came to Denmark in the beginning of January 1979. My mother is a Dane so coming to Denmark was the obvious thing to do, while we waited for things to settle so that we could go back to Iran. I had attended an international IB school in Teheran and since I did not speak Danish CIS was the right school for me.

What are your best memories?

I think my best memories are from MUN. The energy, the hustle and the bustle and all the discussions and debates we had!

The trips to The Hague, the competitive edge – we were well prepared and took on anybody who tried to challenge us.

What are you doing now?

I have my dream job. I work for the Danish Institute for Human Rights where I am chief advisor on equal treatment. I work with the UN, the Council of Europe and the EU Commission to promote and protect human rights of all irrespective of race and ethnic origin.

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26

THE 90’s

“In May 1994 the school held a ceremony marking the official take-over by CIS of the Hellerup School and was honored by the presence of Her Royal Highness Princess Benedikte”

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1990

The Senior School is included in the 1990/91 gymnasium law. This law allows the Minister of Education to make special dispensations for CIS.

1995

Charity Club initiated by Geoff Hern

1993

1996

The merger of CIS and CIJS. Move to Hellerupvej, Hellerup.

Inauguration of the new school

by Princess Benedikte

Introduction of the IB Middle Years Program

A WORD FROM “Our international staff had wide experience in teaching in different countries within the framework of a variety of educational systems”

Kenneth Wrye Director from 1996 to 1998

The mission of the Copenhagen International School is to provide a high quality international education for international community of Copenhagen. Since 1963 this mission was carried out by two separate schools: the Copenhagen Junior School and the Copenhagen International School (senior school).

These two schools merged together into one faculty, under one management in 1993. The process of unification has presented the necessary changes of working together for a common purpose, essentially the purposes surrounding the fundamental mission for the school. The challenges and goals of CIS are many and varied, but we are a unique and exciting school and we are meeting these challenges and goals with enthusiasm!

We are a truly diverse international community. The school serves students from over fifty countries. Our international staff had wide experience in teaching in a number of different countries

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within the framework of a variety of educational systems. At the Copenhagen International School our international education program is designed to prepare the students to successfully continue their education in their home country or in the same other part of the world.

The new realities that the school has faced since 1993 are again being met with the same dedication of purpose. The school’s renewal efforts over the past several years have focused on several areas that will significantly add to the continuing high quality program of CIS such as building an international curriculum integrated between the grades, a stronger athletic program, a more coordinated governance structure, a larger after-school activities program and a broader school identity. In addition, it is the school’s goal to maintain a high calibre of school staff and to further develop board policies in order to build a solid foundation for the future.

It is a privilege to be a part of a school community that has been willing to take the necessary steps to meet changing realities for the purpose of continuing the well-respected program of the Copenhagen International School. It’s not a matter of merely tolerating change and differences but of truly understanding and honoring the fact that, though we may each see our challenges from different perspectives, we are working together for the common good of the school.

THE 90’s 1997

1998 Inauguration of the new primary building by Princess Benedikte.

The first of 3 phases starts in order to change from a 13 year to a 12 year academic program

The Nordic Network started at the Oslo International School. Any school located in the Nordic region that is prepared to use English as the common language is eligible for membership.

1999

The Nordic Network conference was held at the International School of Stockholm. Copenhagen International School was decided to be one of the five major schools making up the Board of the Nordic Network.

THE DIRECTORS Chris Bowman Director from 1998 to 2000

I recall, some years ago, hearing it said for the first time that in the future people would be less likely to hold one job or work with one company for the entire working life, and that it would be more common to experience a range of working experiences and workplaces. It was also said that in this future time there would be a huge range of jobs and professions that had not yet even been conceived of.

I have heard both statements many times since, and I think it may just be that that “future time” is now with us. The technological world, in particular, has spawned a whole new range of industries and professions and looks likely to continue to do so. Our dictionaries of commonly used words today continue to swell with concepts and names for things which our own parents and grandparents have never heard of as young people.

At CIS we believe that it is important that our students are exposed to and have access to new and developing technologies, that they see the use of appropriate technologies modelled in the daily life of the school, and that they gain the opportunities and develop the confidence to adopt and adapt the use of technology in their future lives and work.

It is partly this burgeoning array of technologies and opportunities which, on the one hand contributes to making these such exciting times, and on the other, provides we educators with a real challenge to ensure that we provide our young people with the best and most appropriate curriculum and resources possible to give them a head start in this rapidly changing world - and a real bonus is that as adults we keep learning along with them.

“At CIS we believe that it is important that our students gain the opportunities and develop the confidence to adopt and adapt the use of technology in their future lives and work”

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COMBINING TWO INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS The merger of CIS and CIJS, 1993

by John Lind Jans, business manager

The new school, combining the two former internationals schools (CIS and CIJS), had elected to use the name Copenhagen International School, now covering grades K-13. The new premises were taken over in July 1993 and a lot of work took place during the summer, moving furniture and equipment from the former premises at Stenosgade and Gammel Kongevej, ensuring that classrooms would be ready to receive students.

This included the installation of five porta cabins which would be used for the kindergarten and lower primary school classes.

Novo-Nordisk kindly donated a complete chemistry laboratory.

Siemens donated a new switchboard and telephone system and Hempel Paints donated the paint needed for the renovations.

The McKinsey Group donated their time to complete a study on the possible future development of the school. This was a valuable working tool, and it was interesting to compare the findings in later years. Much of the thanks for this study must be given to Mr Thomas Wylonis, Managing Director for McKinsey at the time, and a member of the school board.

Much of the work in generating these donations was done through the “ Friends of CIS,” a group of prominent members of the Danish society who used their connections to persuade companies to contribute towards improving the facilities of the newly acquired premises in Hellerup. Our thanks go to Mr Hans Werdelin, Mr Steen Rasborg, Mr Nils Foss, Mrs Marianne Boel, Mr Jørgen Basse, Mr Mads Øvlisen, Mr Thomas Wylonis, Mr Søren Engel, Mr Jan Frøshaug, Mr Preben Schack, Mr Peter Zobel and Mr Niels Ersbøll. The value of such help can never be underestimated.

Our deepest appreciation also goes to the many parents who put in numerous hours helping to renovate the school during the start of the school year. Even during the autumn break in the middle of October 1993, parents came in to help paint the school, and computerize the library collection In May 1994 the school held a ceremony marking the official take-over by CIS of the Hellerup School and was honored by the presence of Her Royal Highness Princess Benedikte, as well as a large number of VIPs which made the occasion that much more festive. Needless to say, a lot of kind words were expressed by the guests, who for the first time saw with their own eyes how a derelict school building had been turned into a well-functioning international school.

BOARD: Spencer Sorenson (chair), Tanya Bodde, Michelle Bo Bramsen, Aeldred Doyle, Margaret Keeton, Peter Jann Nielsen, Katsuya Nishino, Niels Pultz, Holger Wessel and Thomas Wylonis.

DIRECTOR: Leif Berntsen HEAD OF PRIMARY/MIDDLE SCHOOL: Susan Stengel (former head of CIJS) HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL: James Keson (former head of CIS) ADMINISTRATION OFFICER: Ron Spinner to Oct. 1993, thereafter John Lind Jans NUMBER OF STUDENTS (AVERAGE): PS: 162, MS: 148, SS: 98 – Total 408

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THE 90’s

TWO SCHOOLS, ONE GOAL Thomas Wylonis Board member since 1990

facilities. The small size of the school, 350 students or an average of 27 students per grade, led to either too small classes with poor economics or too large classes with reduced personal attention to students. Often the schools ran a deficit rather than establish large classes. The result was a weak financial base – e.g. most of the schools’ facilities were rented from a supportive church, money was borrowed from the bank to fund working capital and operating deficits, and the self-owned facilities were mortgaged. And the separate legal status of CIJS and CIS contributed to a complicated and slow decision process on actions that affected both schools – e.g. a decision to move the school required CIS, which favored a center-city location, to agree with CIJS, which favored a suburban location.

Consequently, CIJS initiated a collaborative effort with CIS to formulate a development strategy: a 10-year aspiration, a 5-year conceptual plan and a one-year detailed action plan and budget. The boards and staffs were assisted by McKinsey & Co., who volunteered to work (pro-bono) with the schools to help develop a plan. Six action clusters, agreed and implemented by the schools, proved to be the key to the development of CIS during the 1990s and even into the

By the end of the 1980s, CIJS and CIS had developed into excellent international schools co-located in the city-center and serving the needs of primarily expatriates living in the near vicinity of the schools.

(The schools’ reputations were certainly good enough in the summer of 1989 to encourage my wife, Jane Thodberg, now deceased, and me to enroll our youngest child at CIJS.) However, the small size, city location and dual administrative structures of CIJS and CIS were inhibiting further development. Therefore, the boards and administrative leaders of CIJS and CIS initiated a comprehensive development program to fulfill their long-term aspiration for the schools – “to be recognized as the outstanding, international school serving the needs of internationally-oriented students in the greater Copenhagen region”.

By the fall of 1989, the two schools were a recognized success primarily among those who had direct contact with the schools. About 350 students in thirteen grades attended the schools. CIJS/CIS had been the fourth school to adopt the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, and was a recognized contributor to the international network of IB schools. Academic outcomes were good – e.g. IB exam scores were high. Parents were involved in the schools’ activities through the schools’ staff, boards and active PTAs leading to a CIJS/ CIS ‘community’ that was closely connected. And costs were low enough to compete with other private schools on price alone.

Even if enrollment could be increased, expansion of the facilities was restricted by its location and ownership. Extra-curricular activities were limited by the economics of the schools’ and their limited

first decade of the new millennium. 1) The two schools became one school. CIJS and CIS merged legal and administrate structures and established processes and structures during the 1990s that created senior, middle, primary and pre-school IB programs to maintain the school’s academic leadership. 2) The schools bought, adapted and moved into the former Hellerup School leading to a 15% jump in enrollment and the possibility of further expansion. This was accomplished ‘on a shoe string’ through the cooperation of a large part of the CIS ‘community, and the PTA and teachers coordinated an effort to clean, paint and move the entire school with only limited professional help. 3) Increased contact with the international HR departments of large, international organizations was initiated by the administrative staff and a recruiting officer was eventually appointed. Growth continued during the 1990s to 480 students by 1999. 4) ‘Porto cabin’ classrooms were rented temporarily while a new primary school building was constructed in anticipation of enlarged enrollment. 5) Conflicts between CIJS and CIS teacher contracts and Danish regulations were eliminated to stop threats to the continuation of Danish government subsidies and harmony in the school. 6) And plans for further development were put on the 5-year agenda: construction of a new gymnasium, conversion of the old gym into a performing arts theater and expansion of extracurricular activities. As a result, CIJS/CIS became recognized as ‘the outstanding, international school serving the needs of internationallyoriented students in the greater Copenhagen region’, setting the stage for further development in the 2000s!

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CHARITY CLUB Charity Club Initiated by Geoff Hern in 1995

The CIS Charity Club is one of the school’s oldest and cherished clubs. It was founded in the autumn of 1989 by a small group of volunteers led by Maths teacher Geoff Hern who felt that there was a lack of any charity work done in the school. They were, in no particular order, Carola and Paulo Corvo, Rebecca Morera, Brent Lyday, Johanna Allanach, Natty Cayzer and David Bjorck.

The idea was to raise money and from the start the goal was to finance small projects where it was easier to establish personal contact and to get good feedback. Thus we deliberately avoided the large international organisations. A good example of this approach was to fund the building of a laboratory for a small school in Swaziland which was run by the parents of Britta Pierce (The IB counsellor at the time). After we had done this for several years her mother came to CIS on a visit to Denmark and made a small presentation on the work that the school did and showing us pictures of the Copenhagen block which our donations had financed. Just the sort of feedback the club was aiming for. Throughout the 1990’s the membership grew and from these small beginnings the club has grown to become one of the largest at CIS. Since 2004, students have been creatively successful in earning funds to be sent to our microcredit, nutrition, and community development project in Ghana, Talented Women’s Club. They have done this via many initiatives like bake sales, face painting, selling goods and Ghanaian products.

“This work generates a sense of responsibility and compassion for the less privileged and focuses on discussions on the value and challenges of international development work.”

Over the years, although it was far from the thoughts of the original members, it was realised that we were fulfilling the conditions of the community service requirement of the IB Diploma so today the Charity Club is an integral part of the CAS program. In addition students from the 9th and 10th grade have now joined and thus earn points towards the IBMYP community service requirement. A great testament to those 1989 volunteers.

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THE 90’s

ALUMNUS FROM OUTER SPACE

“when Dr. Andreas Mogensen was announced to be the frst ever Danish astronaut, CIS gained an alumnus of what many consider the highest caliber” Andy Mogensen, Class of 95’ Article by John Lind Jans As a result of the Development Office’s excellent outreach efforts to CIS Alumni, and by promising to document the event, I secured passage to be among the CIS crew going to Köln, Germany on 11 May to visit a very special CIS alumnus. Maintaining contact with our school’s alumni is important to CIS’ spirit and mission; and it is exciting to get reports informing that alumni are happy, prosperous, or have reached a noteworthy goal or position. But when Dr. Andreas Mogensen was announced on 20 May 2009 by the European Space Agency to be the frst ever Danish astronaut, CIS gained an alumnus of what many (myself included) consider the highest caliber. Dr. Andreas Mogensen graduated from CIS in 1995 after completing the IB Diploma Program. His was the first graduating class at our Hellerupvej campus.

The destination of the field trip was the The European Astronaut Center (EAC) located on the outskirts of Köln Germany. The EAC in Köln is one of the primary training centers of the European Space Agency (ESA). The ESA is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the exploration of space. Its mission

(according to the ESA website) is “to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world”. The EAC space program consists of 18 member nations. The primary operations of the ESA at this time center around developing, maintaining and conducting experiments at the International Space Stationwhich is in low orbit around the earth. ESA integrates its training for missions and use of the International Space Station with the US space program (NASA), the Russian Federal Space Agency (RKA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) as well as the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

I was happily surprised to learn about the level of cooperation and transparency between the participating national entities of the International Space Station. They share facilities, resources, technology, information and even friendship in space. Virtually alloperational efforts are coordinated between the agencies - even meals are shared between the international crew deployed at the Space Station. This is no small matter - especially considering the intensely political “space race” NASA and the Soviet Space Program engaged in less than only a half a century ago. Over dinner, Dr. Mogensen remarked to me that some people have discussed giving the Nobel peace prize to the International Space Station as it is a somewhat unprecedented success of peaceful international cooperation, but there would be no specific person or group of people to give that award to.

The European Astronaut Center in Germany is one of many places Dr. Mogensen spends his time as he trains for his mission to space. To be prepared for deployment in space trainees undergo intensive training with specialized equipment and competencies developed in many countries, working with a vast mix of international people. Even learning to speak and read Russian is a requirement of being a modern day astronaut.

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34

THE 2000’s

“CIS Celebrates 50 years of international education in Denmark.

More than 500 alumni return to the anniversary weekend held 19/20 April”

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2000

Introduction of the IB Primary Years Program.

2005

2001

Inauguration of the new sports hall by Princess Benedikte.

Team Peru founded

by Ben Ward

2006

A new reception area, business office and admissions office at the main entrance is created.

ESL and Resource are introduced in the Senior School

CELEBRATING OUR 50 YEARS “This year was a memorable time for the school as it celebrated its 50th anniversary.

The reunion and gala weekend in April gave many people an opportunity to reconnect with friends, teachers and students from the past, as well as to reestablish connections with the school and community in the present.�

Walter Plotkin, Director

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THE 2000’s 2008

2007

Burmese refugee assistance program founded

A new security system is installed Wireless internet is installed. Opening of a new playground for the Primary School. A resource centre is established attending to children with additional learning needs.

2012

2011

Due to the growth in enrollment grades 9-12 moved to City Campus, Østerbro

Mærsk donates 200 million to help finance a new purpose built school in Nordhavn 2015

2013

CIS Celebrates 50 years of international education in Denmark. More than 500 alumni return to the anniversary weekend held 19/20 April.

Princess Benedikte also visited the school to mark this great milestone.

PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION For the past 50 years, the CIS PTA has worked to create a caring community that includes parents, teachers and administration working together to make a wonderful experience for our children. In addition to this collaboration, the PTA also strives to create a vibrant social community for our parents and students.

We celebrate our cultural differences and try to create an environment where people feel welcomed and accepted. T h e Welcome Wine and Cheese Evening, Holiday Fair, Cultures Day and the Spring Fair have become traditions families can count on year after year.

Our Newcomer’s Committee, started in 2004 by Kathy Reinke was an extension of this goal of inclusion. The Newcomer’s Committee was created to more formally welcome and familiarize new families with both Copenhagen and the CIS community.

“Parents new to CIS seemed to be overwhelmed and frustrated and alone. The aim of the Newcomer’s Committee was to help newcomers make connections with others who were also new and going through the same transitional issues, as well as connect them with those who had already had the experiences and could offer their knowledge.” Our contact with new families

begins at registration and continues with information booklets about Copenhagen, What to know before you arrive, Supermarket Translations and Cooking Conversions. Our most popular aid is the relatively new Facebook page for Newcomers.

Last, but not least, the PTA has worked tirelessly over the past 50 years to raise funds for the school. In the last 10 years alone, the PTA has raised over 2 million Kroner. This money and that raised in the 40 years prior has gone into improving the school building, grounds, tools for teaching and many other things to make the educational process more enriching.

The PTA strives to be welcoming to all. Even on those cold and dark winter days in Copenhagen, we want to be sure that CIS is a warm place to be. We hope to continue this mission for the next 50 years. Our thanks and appreciation goes to all of the parents and students who have volunteered over the years.

“The CIS Newcomers was one of my all-time best experiences! I am so pleased it is still going on and growing!” Kathy Reinke

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THE CIS BOARD The Copenhagen International School Board (the Board), is comprised of elected and appointed members. The Board focuses its efforts on: ensuring the fiscal health of the school; the oversight and development of the office of the Director; and the stewardship of the school's mission.

The Board and most Board committees meet on a monthly basis.

Committee membership includes elected and appointed Board members along with selected Administrators and non-Board members approved by the Board.

FINANCE COMMITTEE Provides advice and guidance on all financial matters to the Board. Assists the Board by reviewing and identifying issues related to the school's operating and capital budgets and annual external audit processes.

GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE Evaluates and implements plans to ensure the most effective board leadership for the school in accordance with the school's mission, ongoing needs and development goals. Manages Board succession planning. Provides Board orientation, annual governance training and facilitates annual Board evaluation.

Oversees policy development, review, amendment, adoption and annulment.

NEW SCHOOL COMMITTEE Works together with the Copenhagen International School Property Foundation to coordinate the plans for a new school building.

After 2 years at the helm as an inspiring Board Chair, Jeneva Patterson has resumed her role as Board member, while Katie Robson, having dedicated a decade of loyal service to the Board, returns to the UK. Her wisdom and historic knowledge will be missed by all. Last but not least, Aldo Petersen, whose many contributions include tireless efforts for the New School project, stepped aside.

“Fresh blood” for the coming year is provided in the form of Brian Sidle, Maria Robinson and Heiko Henkel, all CIS parents.

The new group will continue to work in support of the CIS vision and mission, its direction and governance, its reputation as a leading IB school, and last but not least the new school building, in close collaboration with the ECIS Board that was formed specifically to tackle this task. You will be kept informed of this exciting project as it takes shape.

Brit van Ooijen (Chair) and Andy Reynolds (Vice Chair) Other members: Heiko Henkel, Lars Krogsgård, Jeneva Patterson, Maria Robinson, John Schoonmaker, Brian Sidle, Isabella Smith, Marie-Cécile della Torre and Kees-Jan de Vries

Chair

Spencer Sorenson

Thomas Wylonis

Thomas Wylonis

Thomas Wylonis

John Schilling

Viv Taylor-­‐Gee

Viv Taylor-­‐Gee

Viv Taylor-­‐Gee

Viv Taylor-­‐Gee

Viv Taylor-­‐Gee

Member

Tanya Bodde Michelle Bo Bramsen Aelrod Doyle Margaret Keeton Terry Moore Peter Jann Nielsen Peter Jann Nielsen Katsuya Nishino Niels Pultz Hoger Wessel Thomas Wylonis

Harri Bucht Michelle Bo Bramsen Claus Grube Margaret Keeton Fergus MacIntosh Terry Moore Terry Moore Svein Rennemo Verena Simpson Mauno von Lüders Holger Wessel

Harri Bucht Michelle Bo Bramsen Sharon Compton Claus Grube Donald Looney Mauno von Luders Mauno von Luders Terry Moore Richard Pearson John Schilling Suzanen Tillmann

Jeff Beeby Harri Bucht Sharon Compton Claus Grube Mauno von Luders Richard Pearson Richard Pearson Flemming Schjaerff John Schilling Viv Taylor Gee Brent Thomas

Jeff Beeby Harri Bucht Sharon Compton BriJ-­‐Marie Forslund Richard Pearson Kjeld Juel Petersen Flemming Schjaeff Flemming Schjaeff Viv Taylor-­‐Gee Brent Thomas Thomas Wylonis

Jeff Beeby Harri Bucht MarHn EJlinger Barbara Fite BriJ-­‐Marie Forslund Kjeld Juel Petersen Nazeem Mohamed Richard Pearson Flemming Schjaeff Andrew Siegel

Andrew Alejandree Ian Duffy MarHn EJlinger Barbara Fite BriJ-­‐Marie Forslund Sandy King Johan von Knorring Kjeld Juel Petersen Eric Reurts Andrew Siegel

Andrew Alejandre Steve Dover Peter FawceJ Barbara Fite BriJ-­‐Marie Forslund Kirsten Geelan Søren Hansen Eric Reurts Jim Ziomek

Claudia Basalla Ulla Braumann Jane Cracknell Steve Dover Barbara Fite BriJ-­‐Marie Forslund Kirsten Geelan Jim Ziomek Simon Zwolle

Lorena Benito Ulla Braumann Deborah van EJen Steve Dover Barbara Fite Kirsten Geelan Eric Hult Jim Ziomek Simon Zwolle

year

2003/04

2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

2007/08

2008/09

2009/10

20010/11

2011/12

2012/13

Chair

Patrick Dahlen

Patrick Dahlen

Robert Needham

John Loeber

Johannah Townsend

Johannah Townsend

Johannah Townsend

Johannah Townsend

Jeneva PaJerson

Jeneva PaJerson

Niels de Coninck-­‐ Smith Nils Troen Frank Light Barbara Fite KaHe Robson Johan Landehag Silke Spahn-­‐Horn KC Coggins Kirsten Andersen

Niels de Coninck-­‐ Smith Nils Troen Frank Light KaHe Robson Kirsten Andersen John Loeber Robert Needham Sven Gad

KaHe Robson Kirsten Andersen John Loeber Niels de Coninck-­‐ Smith Nils Troen Mia Dyvig Nancy Boyd Doug PickeJ Sven Gad

KaHe Robson Bo Thörn Marianne Prahl Niels de Coninck-­‐ Smith Nils Troen Mia Dyvig Nancy Boyd Kirsten Andersen Doug PickeJ Inge Durrant

Peter Macfarlane Vera Foster Joan Claire GoJraux KaHe Robson Marianne Prahl John Loeber Ajay Lakhanpal Barbara Mozdzierz Anja Jeffrey

Aliki Pappas Weakland Aldo Petersen Kristján Sverrisson Simon Daman Willems Joan Claire GoJraux Jens Alder Vera Foster KaHe Robson Barbara Mozdzierz Piero MaroJa Anja Jeffrey

Kristjan Sverrisson Aldo Petersen Dan Brown Jens Alder J.C. WhitsiJ Suky Cazier Isabella Smith KaHe Robson Piero MaroJa

Aldo Petersen Dan Brown John Jacobsen J.C. WhitsiJ Suky Cazier Isabella Smith Jeneva PaJerson KaHe Robson Piero MaroJa

Aldo Petersen Dan Brown Rick Frame John Jacobsen Isabella Smith KaHe Robson Hanan Cohen Piero MaroJa Lauren Thomsen Brit van Ooijen Shawn Waddoups

Aldo Petersen Dan Brown John Jacobsen Piero MaroJa Lauren Thomsen Brit van Ooijen Shawn Waddoups

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THE 2000’s

CIS GIVES BACK TO THE COMMUNITY BURMESE REFUGEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

TEAM PERU

ABOUT US: BRAP a charitable organization founded in 2008 by students at Copenhagen International School, based out of Copenhagen, Denmark. Our aim is to help Burmese refugees who have migrated to the northwest regions of Thailand in order to escape the occurring political upheaval. Many were forced to flee.

Our mission includes travelling to Thailand and help mentally, physically, and financially. The project drivers are students between the age of 16 and 18, supported by their families, the school itself, supervisors from CIS, as well as sponsors and donors.

ABOUT US: Team Peru is an extra-curricular programme at CIS that works in partnership with UK-based Kiya Survivors a charity that supports over 100 special needs children in different areas of Peru. These children have suffered from abuse and neglect and Kiya offers them the education, love and support they need and deserve.

MISSION STATEMENT: We use the mission and philosophy of Copenhagen International School as a starting point for developing our own values. This includes the development of each student’s potential in order to educate world citizens who will shape a better and more peaceful world. Our project is based on mutual respect, tolerance, integrity, and compassion.

It is our mission to give support and help refugees who are left on their own. We aid them in their daily struggle of survival, secure their food supply, try to improve their living conditions through the building of infrastructure and various facilities, and provide environmental support through sustainable models.

In addition to these educational and humanitarian aspects, it is our perspective to inspire global youth to start similar projects and charitable work around the globe. We also focus on our project’s value for the Danish society. We believe that our project can serve as a role model, and our contribution has direct impacts on Scandinavia’s image and appearance abroad. The promotion of Danish methods through all of our activities is our intention!

MISSION STATEMENT: Team Peru, founded in 2005 by Ben Ward, supports 2 centres in Peru, The Rainbow Centre in Urubamba and Mama Cocha’s Children’s Home in Los Organos. Mama Cocha’s Children’s Home was built in 2008 with Team Peru’s funding and support, and it now provides a permanent home for nine children. Team Peru encourages everyone at CIS to become involved, from PYP to DP students, and organizes biannual trips to Peru to allow students to experience the impact of their support. The main focus of Team Peru at the moment is the 100 Club, currently we are pushing hard to get 100 members, follow the link to be a part of this movement, an initiative to provide long-term sustainable support for Mama Cocha’s Children’s Home.

THE 100 CLUB: The average running cost of Mama Cocha per month is 10.000 DKK, which includes all maintenance costs, wages for local Peruvian staff, food for the children and other associated expenses. Tha aim of The 100 Club is to fill 100 slots of 100 DKK per month for a minimum period of two years. This way, the near future of the children living at the center will be secured. If you decide to join The 100 Club by donating monthly, Kiya Survivors will send you quarterly updates on how the children are doing.

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ALUMNI FROM THE 2000’s

Magda Ceska, 2000

Marie Neustrup, 2005

Where am I now? Still in Brussels, where I moved after graduating from CIS. I’m working in the field of market intelligence, a job I landed following some (unrelated) experience as a communications/marketing officer for a non-profit and a (more related) market analyst position in the pulp and paper industry.

Current industry? Bathrooms. Yes, toilet paper to toilets. The world is indeed my oyster! All jokes aside, I adore what I do (which, ironically, boils down to number crunching). I have no kids yet; however, I have acquired a husband along the way. Best moments at CIS included Mr. Pierce’s class, of course. In the twelve years since I’ve left CIS, I have gotten rid of most schoolrelated materials with the exception of the handouts from his class.

Other things that stand out in my mind include Mr. Ebersole’s wonderful jokes (“The answer is a tree and a turd”, and “Why was the mushroom invited to the party? Because he’s a fungi.” I recall the mischievous proms; hanging out in the student lounge; skipping German in the spring to get a free ice cream (sorry Ms.Reichert!), and the general camaraderie. From a slightly more grown up perspective, I’ve come to realize what a luxury experience attending CIS was. Beyond the international exposure and learning to accept everyone as she or he is, I am particularly grateful for the thoroughness of the education provided, which went well beyond what the IB required and more than developed the ability to think critically and understand the broader picture, even if it hasn’t been completely able to cure my affinity for run on sentences!

Back in high school, I had this idea that once I left CIS and started the real life, I was gonna find the answers to all the big questions like: “What do I want to do with my life?”, “Where am I gonna be ten years from now?”, and the biggest question of all, “Who am I - and how am I gonna make a difference in this world?”. To be honest, I still don’t have the answers, but I’m still gonna share some of my thoughts with you.

Perhaps one of the reasons I still don’t know what I want to do with my life is the fact that I’m still studying. I currently live in Frederiksberg and study at Copenhagen Business School. This is my final year and all I have left is my master’s thesis. Quite scary!

I find myself having the same kind of thoughts and questions I had back when I left CIS. But I have learned one important thing; everything always seems to work out. Since 2005, I have accomplished a lot that I would never have thought possible back then. I’ve lived six months in Scotland, travelled around Europe, HongKong, Australia, and Chile. I have lived in seven different apartments and I have lived with three of my best friends at different times. I’ve been on a Danish TV-show where I won a small amount of money and done an internship at my all-time favourite magazine as a kid: Vi Unge.

Currently, I write for CBS’ online newspaper and I I’m so grateful for everything I have been through and all the experiences I have gained since 2005. I have to admit that I don’t spend a lot of time thinking back on the CIS days. But when I do, I think back and smile, because I had the time of my life at CIS. Even though I have no clue where I’ll be in 2015, one thing I know for sure is that I’ll always be in touch with my good friends from the class of 2005. Even though I don’t see all of them as often as I wish I could, we have a blast every time.

40

THE 2000’s

Aleksi Pertola, 2005

Frederik Petersen, 2012

I often find myself nostalgic about an easier time, when there was little more to worry about than what homework was due the next day or who would be hosting the weekend’s festivities. In real life, grades don’t come without a focused effort; friends won’t stay friends halfway across the world without tending; money no longer grows in the wallets of our parents. No such worries plagued my days within the comfortable confines of the paradise beaches of Copenhagen International School.

Irony, however, is not a dead scene. Seven years may have taken me to Finland, to carry out my duties in the defence forces, then to England for that coveted Bachelor’s degree from the University of Southampton and next to Morocco on an unforgettable hitchhiking adventure, yet Denmark never left me. Denmark’s allure coerced me into taking my M.Sc. at the Technical University of Denmark. And I was not alone. What began as a mass exodus and countless bittersweet farewells as friends and colleagues streamed abroad for whatever opportunities lay ahead-opportunities opened by the priceless tuition delivered to us by CIS, I now understand with some reluctance - has since transformed into a deluge of returnees from the class of 2005. We may not have brought academic pride to our former institution, but I’ll be damned if ever there was a class year as intimate as ours. The friendships forged throughout those years have only grown stronger since and I feel privileged to have been a part of that most important of periods that my time at CIS was.

Life is tougher than we knew back then, but I take comfort and pride having been so privileged as to have been prepared for it by inspiring teachers. Students reading this will surely not agree with me yet, but believe in my words: you will not look back on your time at CIS without cracking a smile.

It’s now been a year since I threw my hat into sky, celebrating my time at CIS and the beginning of something new. At the time not knowing exactly what I planned to do after the summer, I began searching for what my life should be like after IB. I had managed a few acceptances into some lovely schools, and plenty of declines, but nothing quite felt right. In the end, after having discussed my options thoroughly with my family, I decided to take a gap year in order to come to terms with where I wanted my life to go. Now, I can safely say, that it was a great decision for me personally, and that if taken advantage of, a gap year can be a perfect solution to getting life sorted out.

My gap year began with three months working at a factory, assembling car filters. It was dusty, painful, and incredibly exhausting. I entered the factory in the dark, wearing black pants, black shoes, and shirt. I left in the dark, wearing all white clothing.

Nevertheless I certainly gained a much greater appreciation for what I have, and an endless motivation to work hard, so that, I will never have to work at a factory again.

After Christmas, I enrolled in mathematics and physics at DTU, in which I was the youngest student by two years and in which the boy to girl ratio was 42:2. This not being enough to spend half a year on, I also managed to find a job at a nursery where I spent the day taking care of small adorable kids.

I am now continuing onwards to Northeastern University in Boston where my brother currently studies, and here I will be attempting to double major in electrical and computer engineering. Before that I will be completing a Tough Mudder run in Scotland, august 23. Finally I am excited to be part of the Alumni Association and cannot wait until it really kicks off. Please everyone have a great summer, and if you decide to take a gap year, plan ahead!!!

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1963 NORRE VOLDGADE 23 CIS is launched, school moves to Ungdomshus (youth center)

1966 SOBORG GYMNASIUM 1969, 4 room barrack is added to Søborg Gymnasium to house CIS

1977 GAMMEL KONGEVEJ CIS moves to Gammel Kongevej next to the Junior School

1993 HELLERUPVEJ Merge of CIS and CIJS 2011 OSTERBRO Grades 9-12 move to City Campus

42

THE 2000’s

FUTURE CAMPUS ECIS Board (Board responsible for the building project) These are indeed exciting times for CIS. As our 50th anniversary allows us to look back at all that we have achieved in the past, we now stand at a crossroads with an exciting new school project underway.

As we grow in size and ambition we have come to realize that the premises we now enjoy on Hellerupvej can no longer provide the framework for all that we wish to accomplish with our school.

To truly be able to offer a world class education in a world class setting we must take a leap.

This next step in the development of our school comes at a time when we are well established, very well respected in the international school community and ready to grow in several directions. Not only will the move and building project allow us to include more students, we will also be able to offer more classes and courses in the middle school and senior school as well as improved in- and outdoor facilities for the primary school. In addition, we will be able to focus on creating stronger ties with the community around us - expats and Danes alike - making it possible for Danes to meet expats and vice versa allowing a wider exchange of experiences and cultures. Another focus area which complements this exchange and meeting of cultures and nationalities is stronger sports facilities, restaurant and theatre production.

The strong growth in applicants has confirmed the need for a school that can accommodate a larger number of students making it possible for Danish and international companies to offer excellent international education for their employees and families regardless of their countries of origin. CIS is pleased to be able to assist the business community with this important piece in the plans to attract new and fresh minds to the country.

The plan is for the new school to be located in the Nordhavn

“The new campus will allow us to tailor the physical framework to the didactic, pedagogical, social and physical needs of the three schools” section of Copenhagen; by the sea and a new metro station and in walking distance of Nordhavn station with excellent access for bicycles. Nordhavn is the new up and coming area of Copenhagen, the vision of a modern green CO2 neutral city with lots of new apartments, the new UN city, businesses and more.

As one of the initial participants in the development of the area, we will be playing a key role in defining the neighborhood and putting a face to the vision of an open and international community. As part of this endeavor the sports facilities, performing arts centre and the cafe will be located at street level and open to the public outside of school hours. However, being an initial player also means that there will be building going on around us for a while after we move into the buildings and that all the outdoor facilities may not be ready right away.

The school which will have 1200 places is scheduled to be ready in 2016. The new campus will allow us to tailor the physical framework to the didactic, pedagogical, social and physical needs of the three schools; the primary, middle and senior school.

ARCHITECTS: C.F. Møller SIZE: 22400 m2, with room for 1000-1200 students ADDRESS: Nordhavn, Denmark OPENING DATE: 2016

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“We are somehow like a patchwork quilt. We are scraps and pieces collected from all over the world. Each of us with our own stories and experiences. But somehow we managed to remain an entity. We take pride in standing out, being different and being noticed… yet, we manage to fit in. And I think maintaining one’s individuality and taking pride in it while still being able to be a member of a larger group is the most unique thing about our school.”

Amalia Christina Vadmand, 2013 Valedictorian

This book is dedicated to the Leaders, Staff and CIS Community for their part in making CIS the school it is today

Editor in Chief: Suzanne O Reilly

Art Director: Virginia de Colombani

Hellerupvej 26 2900 Hellerup, Denmark

E: http://www.cis-edu.dk/

Printed by: Hellerup Lyskopi P: +45 39 46 33 00

Harbirk’s Bustrafik ApS / Laurentsvej 18-20 / DK-2880 Bagsvaerd / Copenhagen, Denmark / Tel: +45 44443266 / www.harbirk.dk

Harbirk’s Bustrafik ApS is a family owned bus company with more than 45 years of experience inpassenger transport service. We provide all types of, service with modern Mercedes-Benz buses, VIP -buses and minivans, limousines and coaches.We service both companies, public and private institutions and individuals and are characterized by our high quality and customer service. Please contact us or visit our website where you can read more about our company, values, services etc. info@harbirk.dk

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Copenhagen International School