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EARCOS Leadership Conference 2017 “Leading and Learning: A Journey of Hope and Joy”

If you were unable to attend the 49th annual EARCOS Leadership Conference in Bangkok this past October 26-28, you missed a most inspirational and historical event. The opening day of the conference coincided with the spectacle of the cremation of Thailand’s revered king, HIs Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who ruled the country for seven decades. Khun Usa, Thai Headmistress of the International School of Bangkok and President of the Thai Council of International Schools spoke briefly on His Majesty’s legacy and the importance of this celebration to the Thai people.

It was at once a sad but inspirational day as keynote speaker, Peter Dalglish, founder of Street Kids International brought many in the audience of over 1100 delegates to tears with stories of his work with some of the poorest children in the world. Peter’s intensely personal story set the tone for the entire three days and reinforced the theme of the conference, “Leading and Learning: A Journey of Hope and Love.”

As always, the plenary sessions at the ELC open each day with entertainment by groups from local member schools. On this occasion both performances were somber in nature befitting the historic event taking place in the city. On day l, a trio consisting of two saxophones and a piano from the International School of Bangkok played the The King’s Anthem. Day 2 opened with two inspirational songs sung by the NIST High School Acapella Group.

The Day 2 keynote address was a high-energy presentation by Dr. Simon Breakspear, the founder of Agile Schools and proponent of Agile Leadership, a dynamic approach to leading change that enables leaders to adapt quickly, continuously learn and iterate towards effective solutions.

The EARCOS Annual General Meeting was held on Day 2 of the conference and presided over by President Margaret Alvarez, head of ISS International School. Two new trustees were elected to fill vacancies on the Board, Kevin Baker head of Busan Foreign International School, and Laurie McLellan, director of Nanjing International School. Norma Hudson was elected secretary and Andy Davies as treasurer. Tarek Razek leaves the Board having served two terms. Many thanks to Tarek for his years of service.

The EARCOS Leadership Conference provides an outstanding opportunity for school heads, trustees, principals, business managers, admissions and marketing people, and athletic directors to learn, plan, share ideas, make connections, and socialize. There can be no more attractive or relaxing venue than the Shangri-La Hotel on the banks of the Chao Phraya river for such a gathering. Our sincere thanks to the management and staff of the hotel who were so gracious to all our delegates; General Manager Caroline Cheah, Khun Urasa and their staff. Thanks also to the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau for their financial support and to NIST iNternational School and the International School of Bangkok for logistical support.

Lastly, we want to thank the many school delegates and associate members whose participation combined to make this event a huge success. We will use the energy generated by this conference to drive the planning for ELC 2018, the 50th anniversary celebration. Mark your calendars for October 25-27, 2018 at the Shangri-La, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. See you there!

Bill Oldread EARCOS Assistant Director

Keynote speaker Peter Dalglish Keynote title: Heroes for Our Time

Thomas Farrell, Former Superintendent Kaohsiung American School on Leadership Stories.

Keynote speaker Simon Breakspear Keynote title: Agile Leadership

Chip Barder, United Nations International School of Hanoi on Leadership Stories.

Head Mistress Ajarn Usa of International School Bangkok speaks about the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and his successor His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun.

Dick Robbins, Brent International School on Leadership Stories.

Dr. Larry Hobdell, Regional Officer, Office of Overseas Schools, U.S. Dept. of State welcoming the delegates. Dr. Margaret Alvarez, EARCOS President, Head of School at ISS International School. 49 th EARCOS Leadership Conference 2017

Rami Madani workshop on International School Curriculum: Creation, Relevance and Sustainability.

Bruce Mills workshop on Effective Guard Force Management Techniques.

Jefferson Cann workshop on The Positive and Practical Application of New Understandings in Leadership.

Chris Jansen workshop on Building Relational Culture.

“Leading and Learning: A Journey of Hope and Joy” Over 100 delegates attended Kendall Zoller’s workshop entitled “The Flexible Presenter.“ Workshop on Surviving an Enrollment Decline: Lessons from the Trenches with Kevin Baker, Norma Hudson, and Tarek Razik.

Maria Guajardo workshop on Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership.

Rob Grantham, DJ MacPherson and Lisa Kipfer workshop on The Joy of Learning: Measuring the Intangibles. Lucinda Willis workshop on Leading Inclusive Schools: Data for Differentiation.

EARCOS Team at the Closing Reception.