41 minute read
WHITEBOARD Year 6 Graduation & Awards Ceremony
WHITEBOARD
Year 6 Graduation and End of Year Awards Ceremony
by Alan Cornish
The Year 6 Graduation and Awards Ceremony took place this year on Thursday, June 16, bringing parents, students, and teachers together for a day full of joy. It was a chance for the entire community to celebrate the achievements of our 28 graduating students, now ready and excited to be moving onto the opportunities and experiences that await them all in the Secondary School.
We were especially grateful for the opportunity to celebrate the success of our students without any restrictions or the need for social distancing this year, enabling the many families present to enjoy the evening, as each student in turn stepped forward to receive their graduation diploma from their class form tutors, Mr Morrison and Mr Wilson, taking the opportunity to say a few words about their time in the primary school, thanking their teachers and parents for their support, as well as their friends for the journey shared.
Mr Cornish summed up the evening best when he said it had been an absolute pleasure to share the journey with the graduating class, going on to say that it was without a doubt one of the best graduating classes we have had, not just in terms of academic ability, reflected in the extremely high class average achieved in their end of year assessment across English, Mathematics, and Science, but also in terms of behaviour and contributions made to the school community during the course of the school year.
Special awards given out on the evening
CIS Award Presented to Fia Cornish in recognition of her contributions made toward the promotion of global citizenship and the development of international awareness within the community, demonstrating commitment to sustained interaction with students of the other nationalities, languages or ethnic backgrounds in the spirit of international understanding and cooperation.
IBSB Core Values Award Presented to Matteo Bianchi whose overall behaviour and conduct best reflects the IBSB Core Values: Brave, Respectful, Innovative, Tolerant, Integrity, Sustainability, & Happy. COBIS Award Presented to Victor Sandu for outstanding academic achievement, as the highest academic achiever in Year 6.
House Captain Awards Dobrogea: Tudor Carstiou & Eva Nica Muntenia: Deva Stanca & Iulia Daianu Transilvania: Matteo Bianchi & Victor Sandu
Primary School Ambassador Awards Ioana Comusi, Fia Cornish, Cezar Marinescu Netoiu, Diego Martin Murillo, Karina Nitescu, Petru Pirtea, Lisa Savu, Malina Stoica
Congratulations to all graduates and award winners! We are looking forward to welcoming you to Year 7 next year!
Inaugural CAS Gala Evening
by Johanna Croci
On Wednesday, April 6th, the sixth form students from the International British School of Bucharest came together to collectively present their Community Action Service projects at the end of year CAS Gala. Community Action Service is an important component of the Sixth Form Programme, requiring all students to select a charity project to perform weekly community service throughout the school year. The charity partners this year included Light into Europe, Touched Romania, Speranta pentru Tine, Punctul Nordic Corbeanca, Animal Welfare, and the Paper Tree Project.
Thank you to Ms Johanna Croci, our CAS Coordinator, and the team of dedicated staff working on the various projects, along with event partners, Ramada Parc Hotel, Neil McGregor & Partners, and Purcari Wines for their support on night, ensuring the CAS Programme was a great success this year and finished on a high note.
Well done to all our students for the incredible amount of support offered to the various charities throughout the year, overcoming a number challenges faced due to COVID19. Together you have made a big difference to those lives of those less fortunate. You are in every way, ambassadors of the IBSB Spirit and Core Values.
CAS Supporting Animal Welfare
by Jayne Baker
I had the largest CAS team I have worked with so far as a CAS supervisor, but given the challenge of the size of the team, we had great fun and worked well together. The start of the academic year means interviews of prospective candidates and this year I had about 25 students to interview. I chose a team that had different qualities - creative students, quiet students that were new to the school, and students that would have the opportunity to let their true colours shine - it was a huge success.
After the upsetting discovery of a desperately ill kitten on the pavement outside of the college building in my first week back to school after the summer, I knew that we had to try to do something about this situation in our local community. We decided as a group that we would approach the local vet, who helped me with the kitten, about setting up a Catch, Neuter, and Release programme. This is still in its infancy, but managed to raise 1,800 ron toward this programme. The remaining 2000 ron raised was donated to the Bruno Shelter.
Our fund raising activities included The Winter Fair, a Bear Raffle, Virtual Vending in the College Building, and our annual Valentine’s Day Delivery.
In sum, I must say that I am very proud of my team and the hard work and dedication they have shown this year.
Here are some photos from our year, including the young kitten that started our new project and our visit to Bruno Shelter.
Sustainability Week CAS Activities
by Johanna Croci
During Sustainability Week, a Secondary School CAS group visited a number of classes in the Primary School, engaging them in activities based on sustainability, such as carbon footprint or designing a sustainability brochure. It was a fun way to show our students the importance of uniting people to take action on climate change and protecting the planet.
12 Days of Kindness Collection
by Iona Tanguay
I would like to share the letter of thanks from Touched Romania for the food donation we delivered to the Casa Agar. Our IBSB families were extremely generous this year, and many families donating food to the 12 Day’s of Kindness initiative. Below is a thank you letter form Casa Agar.
In attention to Students, Parents and Teachers of the British School
We thank you very much for the generous donation that you have given us for the mothers and children from Touched Romania programs. Your donation was received on International Solidarity Day, which showed us that you care about those in need and that together we can bring them hope and joy.
With your help we will help approximately 50 single-parent families in difficulty, victims of domestic violence, poverty and social exclusion, in Bucharest and its surroundings. These families are very poor and value any help received.
We hope that next year, with your help, we will continue to help these families to overcome their difficult situation and together we can bring them hope for a better future.
Once again, thank you so much for supporting the children and mothers of Touched Romania!
Marry Christmas!
Natalia Ungureanu Director Executiv
Speranta Pentru Tine CAS Overview
by Medeea Constantinescu, Year 12
This year got off to a rocky start when our traditional annual CAS Charity Halloween Party was cancelled due to COVID restrictions in place, meaning we had to seek out other opportunities to support our chosen charity, Speranta Pentru Tine, which helps kids suffering from terminal illnesses and offers shelter to seniors in need.
Being the determined team we are, we refused to let COVID impede us from attaining our targets for the year, and set about brainstorming solutions. What could we possibly do to make up for the Halloween Party? Less than 2 weeks passed before we put our first plan into action, offering weekly workshops in the Secondary School, including DIY tie-dye and jewellery making.
I took care of the tie dye (for which I spent 3 days finding special fabric dye!) alongside Kiki, and Iulia and Melissa were in charge of the jewellery workshops. Meanwhile, Calin was in charge of the heavy lifting for the buckets we would use to soak the t-shirts and Ioana and Vlad were taking care of attendance and the collection of money. The weekly Wednesday workshops were chaotic for us, having to set up and then clean up the mess after the club, but we knew it was worth it when we saw the money raised each week for those in need.
In addition to this, we also ran primary school Christmas workshops offering primary students the chance to decorate their own baubles for their Christmas Tree. We also offered milkshakes and DIY gingerbread houses, and a ‘Defuse the bomb’ game at the Winter Fair. More recently, with the lifting of COVID restrictions, we have been able to visit Casa Sperantei in person to help with cooking, cleaning, and refurbishing the nursing home.
To finish off the work for this academic year, we had the opportunity to present our progress at the CAS Gala and to also appreciate the work of our colleagues from the other CAS charity groups. We were able to announce that we raised a total of 5005 RON this academic year and were all extremely proud of what we achieved given the challenges faced along the way.
With COVID rates now down, we hope to be able to accomplish all our plans for the near future, which include: visiting Casa Sperantei again, helping with the construction of a new centre for Casa Sperantei ,and helping with more maintenance work in the nursing home. In addition to this, we are also hopeful that we will be able to hold our annual Halloween Party next year.
I would like to thank the rest of the SPT team, Melissa Aydogan, Calin Constantinescu, Kiki Iordachescu, Ioana Aizic, Iulia Badea and Vlad Iliescu, for all the great teamwork throughout the academic year, and say a big thank you to Ms Blessy Savu for being an extremely supportive supervisor!
The COBIS and Mangahigh Maths Challenge
by David Vincent and Mathew Kirk
The COBIS Mangahigh Maths Challenge is a free, online competition that engages students aged 5 to 16 in maths through a fun, games-based learning approach. During the competition, students from around the world use the Mangahigh platform to complete maths activities, scoring points for their school’s total on the competition leader board.
This year’s competition ran from the 24th to the 31st of January and IBSB placed and impressive 46th in the world!
Our students were excited by the nature of the platform, with its engaging hybrid educational-play format. Our year 7 and 8 students were particularly excited to hear about Mangahigh, many of whom had fond memories from their primary education. Students were set age-appropriate challenges, which earned them ‘stars’ for completing.
In class, it was clear to see the competitive nature as students vied to get the most stars for their challenges. In this way, the Mangahigh Challenge was certainly a big success, promoting the application of mathematics skills, as the stars and rewards system made it seem like a fun, challenging puzzle game – which is arguably exactly what mathematics is! it was also a welcome change from their usual homework activities. The school’s standout achievers this year were:
Liam Pinco (2C), Gabriel Pinco (3T), Irene Sandulescu (4S), Matei Tudor (4S), Karthik Vijaykumar (4S), Sofia Matei (250), Ariel Shalom (5H), Mihai Urjan (5H), Justin Derveni (6M), Lucian Popa (8L), Matei Ivanescu (8L), and Andrei Urjan (8L).
We welcome the return of the Mangahigh Maths Challenge next year, aiming to move a few more notches up the rankings list, despite being a relatively small school!
Even if this year’s event was a little different to previous years, it was still extremely entertaining, and we hope that next year our beloved parents, the yummy international buffet, live stage performances, and colourful costumes will all be back.
We can’t wait!
International Star Wars Day @IBSB
May 4th is a day that fans around the world celebrate International Star Wars Day. At IBSB, our students had the opportunity to come to school dressed in Star Wars themed costumes, and the Secondary School CAS Club took full advantage of this celebration to organise a bake sale and arrange variety of fun activities, including having Star Wars character pictures taken, entering a Chewbacca Sound Competition, and the popular Pool Noodle Lightsabers Practice to help raise money for charity.
World Peace Day
IBSB’s World Peace Day was a special day for many reasons. Firstly, it was a day planned and organised by the Pupil Voice and Charity Committee members of our Pupil Parliament, and secondly because it brought us together as a school community.
by Alan Cornish
The pupils organised and delivered workshops to the younger pupils, prepared the gallery with the “A Piece of Peace” artwork sent in by many pupils, and organised a bake sale with baked goods made and sold by the kids that was really delicious and showed their creativity and business acumen. It was also an impressive effort with so many cakes, biscuits, pancakes and a lot of hard work put in. They also had a lot of fun doing it and developed some important skills, like teamwork, meeting deadlines, advertising, marketing, the importance of charity and giving along the way, raising over 1500 Lei that was donated to Light into Europe’s Ukrainian refugee support programme, gratefully received by Rob Bousie and his guide dog Twinkle. Parents were also able to make donations directly to Light into Europe with a number of parents making generous individual donations of up to 1500 ron. To add this this, we also collected more than 100 bags with food supplies and emergency sanitation and personal hygiene items, that were loaded onto the Light into Europe truck to be driven north to the border and delivered directly to those in need.
Thank you to everyone who donated so generously, as each individual act of support and kindness added together makes a big difference to the lives of those living through extremely difficult times.
RED CROSS APPEAL RAISES MORE THAN 5000 RON
by Kendall Peet
As a member of the Black Seas School Group, IBSB has committed to the task of supporting refugees from the Ukraine in Romania through the Red Cross (Crucea Rosie Romana), in honour of our member school the British International School Ukraine. Together we have raised more than 50,000 RON, with the goal of 100,000 RON now looking very achievable.
ndividually we can only achieve a little, united we can achieve a lot!
IBSB Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations!
by Sandra Curtis, Year 9E
For 70 years, Queen Elizabeth has reigned over the UK, guiding It through some challenging times. Her official Platinum Jubilee was on the 6th February, 2022, however, the post COVID public celebrations actually took place in the UK over a four-day long weekend, from June 02-05, with the IBSB community deciding to join in with our very own festive celebrations to mark this important occasion.
The day selected was Friday, the 3rd of June, the time 1pm, with an invitation sent out to all parents and select guests, inviting one and all to join us for a British-styled street party, complete with pennant flags and banners and British-styled food and beverages. The parents also added to the buffet, contributing a variety of food to reflect the international flavours of our multicultural community, much to the delight of all present.
Light into Europe brought two of their future guide dogs, which the students enjoyed patting, if they asked politely: one of the dogs was called Twinkle, with soft, dark fur, luscious to the touch. There were also a variety of stands present, including a local book shop, donating a percentage of the sales to the school library fund, and a new football academy call Total Football Bucharest, set up by Ms Baker’s husband, promoting their summer school programmes.
There was even an ice cream stand present offering a delicious range of natural ice-creams, including exotic flavours such as basil and pistachio and salted caramel. It really was a fun afternoon, with a street carnival type atmosphere that ensured everyone had a great time.
Then, around 2pm, with everyone full with food and looking content, the summer show started. Everybody streamed into the PE hall and took a seat, ready to enjoy a programme brimming with speeches, skits, and a wide selection of songs presented by the primary and secondary students, guest visitors, and even the teachers.
Such a good time was had by all, that may just have to celebrate the Queen’s next Jubilee, when the time eventually comes...
SCHOOL EVENTS
IBSB Primary School Literacy Events and Successes 2022
Throughout the year, the IBSB Primary School students have the opportunity to participate in a number of literacy competitions and events. Here are details about two of these events: the Black Sea Schools Creative Writing Competition and the English sSpeaking Union (ESU) Junior Public Speaking Competition.
Black Sea Schools Creative Writing Competition
As a member of the Black Sea Schools Community, we were invited once again to spotlight our students’ creative talents by submitting entries into the BLACK SEA SCHOOL Creative Writing Competition 2022. The task of the competition was to write a short story or the opening to a novel connected to the theme ‘ ‘Hybrid ‘. Students were permitted to interpret this theme in any way they wished, as long as this theme was somehow reflected in their writing.
Prior to commencing the task, all the year groups from Year 4 to Year 6 had a focus on creative writing; this enabled our students to learn or refresh themselves on the key components of a good piece of creative writing, such as hooking the reader with a powerful ‘start’, using description to build up atmosphere, using dialogue to enhance a character, ‘show don’t tell’, and so forth. The students really impressed all their teachers, producing great results that showcased both their creativity and their literacy skills.
After internally moderating within the KS2 teaching team, we submitted three entries to the final competition and were delighted to discover, once the results were revealed in April 2022, that Sofia Peli (Year 5) had been awarded 2nd place in the KS2 category.
Sofia wrote this reflective response after she heard about her success:
What inspired me during the writing process of ‘Dead Man’s Wish’? by Sofia Peli Year 5
Before and during the writing of ‘Dead Man’s Wish’ I was very interested in the Horror genre both in books and movies, and so the first thing that came to mind when I heard the word ‘hybrid’ was an experiment between two animals, because I was browsing the internet the night before and came across a laboratory where they mixed animal DNA to create different animals. This page encouraged me to develop the ‘Liztolotl,’ which was my chosen animal. It was a complicated thought process which involved various animal combinations; for example, in the first draft there was the ‘Dolgon’ creature, which was
supposed to be a combination of a Dragon and a Dolphin. During school breaks, I took a lot of exceptional inspiration from playing these SCP-based games with Andrei and Vladimir, which were designed to be survival/horror games. I lacked ideas at the start of my story, but they came with time (it took about 2 days for my actual good, exciting ideas to come to my mind). My friend Alia and I also assisted each other by proofreading and providing feedback and ideas. Thank You! Well done to Sofia, we look forward to participating in the competition again next year.
Sofia’s story
Dead Man’s Wish
I’m sure he didn’t mean to let it out, it was his first week, he didn’t know what he was doing. I heard slight footsteps, it was coming towards me, but I still can’t figure out how they worked it out. Time was running out, as the roars of the Liztolotl approaching me. Suddenly, someone pulled me into the shadows, it was her - Professor Cambridge. She put her hand through the side of her hay-coloured, brown hair and whispered, “Quick, Dr Hillside, follow me!” She dragged me in the poison containment room where to my surprise Agents Wales and Milles were waiting. They looked stressed. Of course, I understood, my anxiety was apparent, so I looked into Professor Cambridge’s desperate eyes and said, “Listen, don’t give up hope. We’re going to get through this!” “But how? It’s too dangerous to eve-” Professor Cambridge stopped abruptly. The disturbing, monstrous screams of the Liztolotl took over the pleasant, quiet sound of the faint petter patter of raindrops. Suddenly, Agent Milles screamed, with a look conveying her concern. I turned to her, staring at the troubling scars on her cheeks and chin. My eyes started twitching rapidly, moving from left to right uncontrollably, getting faster faster, until I eventually passed out. I woke up to a blurry view of Professor Cambridge and agent Milles, steering down at me, but something seemed a little off. I asked quietly, in barely a whisper, “What happened?” I noticed they had something in common: there was blood on Professor Cambridge’s face and Agent Milles’s hands. I started shivering. A banging sound reverberated from the sealed door: a giant dragon-shaped figure was waiting outside- it was the Liztolotl. “No time to explain!” Agent Milles hurried. Quickly, they dragged me from the room, through the doctor’s door into the security room. I locked the door by admin, meaning only carded members could enter. Inside the room, I noticed an old newspaper next to the monitors. I started scanning the pages, discovering something dreadful. The newspaper clearly stated that combining animal DNA was highly illegal. I questioned myself; ‘Why would agent Wales combine the 2 DNAs that were the most dangerous ones?’ I snapped as agent Milles started crying. At this point, she said she could finally tell me what happened. “Are you sure, agent Milles?” Professor Cambridge replied. But she was clearly ready to let it all out. Without a second of hesitation, she burst.
“Agent Milles sacrificed himself to the Liztolotl!” she sobbed. I was struck by lightning. I let my hand flow gently onto agent Milles’s shoulder, and in a comforting manner said, “Well, he did that for the greater good, so let’s at least try to escape!” “Maybe you’re right, but I think the Liztolotl’s found us…”, Professor Cambridge whispered in a traumatized tone. “Yeah… let’s RUN!” agent Milles shouted. We all flew into the corridors, stressed like it was an exam, deciding in a panic to hide in the infectious pool area, even though it was a risk… there was writing on the wall, which I hadn’t seen. I started reading the inordinate hand writing; The Solution is hidden within - That sentence sent my mind into a spin, Hidden? Hidden where? I knew I couldn’t speak, it would risk all of us, so I hoped they’d remembered the signs from the last emergency safety conference. I signed ‘What do we do?’ They were confused at first, but then immediately realised what I’d signed. I tripped over the crumbled pebbles and I dropped my notes into the poisonous pool, which instantly dissolved. I was devastated, as I had no other proof of the breakthrough to hand to the head of department. I put my hands to my head and sighed, feeling stressed. Both Professor Cambridge and Agent Milles sympathised with me and started comforting me quietly. They reminded me about the creature. My imagination took over my brain. I had so many thoughts, opinions, and plans, but the problem was that we didn’t know the weak and strong points of the monstrous being. Up until now we’d merely seen a figure of the creature. Suddenly, Professor Cambridge took off her rose-golden framed glasses as her eyes sparkled with an idea, “The CS!” “Yes! How could I have forgotten!” I exclaimed. To get to the control switch (The CS), we had to flee smoothly in a manner that didn’t attract the Liztolotl in any way. There was a secret doctor’s door I remembered and announced to the others. We sneaked through the restricted entrance, which appeared to be a cosy, library-type place. I picked out a book. The carved, golden title read, ‘THE MYSTERIOUS WONDERS OF MIXED ANIMALS’. I remembered reading this book a few years earlier. I opened the book to page 73; the pages were a coffee-shaded colour, perusing the DNAs of several animals. I scanned the pages, eventually reaching page 108, then glanced around and noticed a book that didn’t seem like it belonged with the others; it had a leather cover with a title in black reading, ‘MY WILL’. I hesitated to open it, as I’d never seen it before, but when I did…I froze. It said the author of this journal was agent Soren Wales. I quickly perused through the pages, time was running out. He had left nearly everything to agent Milles, ‘But why?’, I asked myself. I snapped and remembered that I was looking for a special, peculiar-looking book, with eyes on the front cover and the title read, “DANGEROUS HALF-ANIMALS’. I found it, and froze. My thoughts and imagination took over, and I realised what I had to do, but Professor Cambridge rapidly caught on and tried to stop me. I unlocked the door, but to my surprise, the Liztolotl wasn’t there. I couldn’t figure out what was happening. I felt a cold, intoxicating drop on my shoulder. It burned……..
To be continued....
The IBSB Primary school were delighted to host the ESU Junior Public Speaking Competition on Saturday, April 9, 2022.
The theme of the competition was to write and perform a short speech based on a line from, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, by Dr. Seuss: “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go...”.
Students were permitted to interpret this theme in any way they wished, reflecting it in their speeches.
After being internally moderated and judged from a panel of Secondary school students and Mr Ennion, Secondary school English teacher, the 4 students selected to represent IBSB Primary were: Eva Nica, Deva Stanciu, Iulia Daianu, and Tudor Carstoiu from Year 6.
Their speech impressed the judges because they were able to persuade, inform, inspire and entertain. They had thoughtfully planned and delivered their speech with a clear purpose in mind.
On the day itself, 27 participants attended to deliver their speeches in front of an audience comprised of family, friends, and the judging panel made up of teaching staff from the schools represented.
All the participating students really impressed all the judges with their speeches and IBSB were lucky enough to end up having two students selected for special mention: Eva Nica came second and Tudor Carstoiu third.
Here are some comments from the participating students:
Iulia Daianu (Year 6)
The thought of doing it was nerve racking. But the second I spoke, I felt free, like I was floating on air. I kept on talking and talking; I couldn’t stop, I was so happy, excited, and nervous! My mind was racing with thoughts as the words flowed from my mouth. Then finally, the questions. I answered and took a deep breath, filled with a sense of relief. I was proud to be chosen to represent the school, and I’m proud that I got to participate and received a participation diploma.
Tudor Carstoiu (Year 6)
The Public Speaking competition went beautifully. I woke up at 7am, sat down and recited my whole speech many times. When I got there, I was nervous and surprised to see so many people. Even though I was told that there were 27 students coming, I really didn’t think there would be 27! When Mr Cornish (Head of Primary) started talking I found out that there would be 2 groups. Group one would be in the Lunch Hall, the second group in the P.E hall. When the names were read out, I heard I was in the lunch Hall with Iulia, a fellow classmate in my group. I enjoyed delivering my speech and got to witness all the other speeches and some of them were really good. When the judges finally came to a decision, Mr Cornish read out the names of the people who would be getting a participating certificate. I sat back relaxed and hoped I would make the Top 3. When I realised I wasn’t getting a participation certificate, I knew I would receive a trophy, a teddy bear, a calendar and a certificate, I was really excited. In the end, I came 3rd, accomplishing my dream of being in the top 3. Yay!!!!!
Eva Nica (Year 6)
The public speaking competition happens once a year, which meant I had just one opportunity to raise my voice. This was the day I’d prepared for the past 2 months, the ESU Public Speaking Competition. All I could think about was how much I’ve worked for this chance. Too many thoughts in my head, scary thoughts, nervous thoughts, and maybe excited thoughts; I almost forgot my speech! When I got there, my friends had already arrived and that made me happier. I saw all the audience, and was looking forward to my grand performance. After some time, my name was called out. I went in front of the room, and started speaking. I was confident and natural, or maybe just felt like it. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I saw people smiling and laughing, and I guess that made me step up.
Well done to all the participating students and we look forward to hosting the competition again next year.
The Summer Show returns to IBSB
by Alan Cornish
After a gap of three years, we were so happy to welcome families back into school to enjoy our final day together, in keeping with school tradition. Put simply, we missed you guys…and I’m sure you missed us too!
For some families, it was their first Summer Show, so how could they know the spectacle we had planned for them. Each class performed a song and dance routine, many on the theme of summer, with the Year 5’s stealing the show with their energetic and gleeful performance of School’s Out! I think they really meant it, as it really was the last day of school before the Summer Break.
It was also our last day ever for the Year 6 pupils, and so many of them returned to help organise the show-they have been great all year and we wish them well as they move on the secondary school next year.
Happy Summer holidays to you all - will look forward to seeing you on August 29 for the start of the new school year!
End of Year Award Recipients 2022
by Kendall Peet
At the end of each year, we hold two very special ceremonies to recognise the special achievements of a select group of students from across the school in regard to both academic progress and attainment and outstanding achievement and contributions made in the areas of extracurricular enrichment.
Before continuing on to the list of award recipients, I would like to take a moment to congratulate all our students on their progress achieved this year, as reflected by the GL end of year assessment scores. IBSB students have once again this year achieved a school average in English, Mathematics, and Science in the 110-120 range, placing us in the top echelon of schools around the world, well above the UK national average of 100 (100 indicates a likely grade outcome of C at both IGCSE and A Level). Possessing a school average above 110, however, gives us the confidence to continue to predict a far more positive outcome for our students, in the B-A* range of grades, as has been already been reflected in the actual grades achieved in external exams in recent years, enabling 95% of our graduates to receive offers from universities ranked in the top 5% of universities worldwide. This is a wonderful achievement that we can all be very proud of and celebrate as a whole school community.
I would also like to thank Medeea Constantinesccu and Patrick Tansley for MCing the ceremony in such a thoroughly entertaining manner, and Head Girl, Melissa Aydogan, for her warm opening address welcoming the student award recipients and their families, staff and guests, before offering an enlightening review of her time at IBSB, with a few words of advice added to future generations of IBSB students.
Finally, I would like to thank Shajjad Rizvi (MBE), President of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award for Romania and both President and Founding Member of the Little People Association, for joining us to help present the Duke of Edinburgh Awards to this year’s 17 recipients. The DofE Award programme is one that encourages self-development on multiple fronts, and as such I cannot emphasise enough that this is a programme that all IBSB students should consider joining as a part of our Senior School Club programme from year 10 onward.
There are unfortunately too many award winners for me to name each individually here (please refer to the table below). I will, however, make specific mention of a few, thanking our Head Girl Melissa Aydogan and Deputy Head Girl, Ana Cristescu, along with the entire Senior Prefect body, for their service and commitment to the school community. More than the specific roles you performed within the Executive Committee, you have each been wonderful ambassadors of the IBSB student body, setting a high standard as role models of both the IBSB Core Values and HPL lifelong learners for those students that follow, for which we thank you. Thank you also to our House Captains and Vice Captains for all you have done to support the students within your respective houses. You have all played a vital role in the pastoral care of the students at IBSB, helping to everyone to feel more included as valued members of our school community, for which I am eternally grateful.
Primary School Year 6
CIS Award Fia Cornish
COBIS Award Victor Sandu
IBSB Core Values Matteo Bianchi
Middle School Year 7-9
COBIS Award Anushka Laha
IBSB Award Anushka Laha
IBSB Core Values Daria Raducu
Excellence Creative Arts Andrei Peli
High School Years 10-11
CIS Award Andrei Stere
COBIS Award Maia Hagai
IBSB Award Nina Culea
Sporting Excellence Alina Barbu David Cernea
Sixth Form Years 12-13
CIS Award Medeea Constantinescu
IBSB Award Kathleen Hughes
Excellence Creative Arts Andrei Ghita
HPL Awards
EYFS Nursery – Natalia Lupsan EYFS Reception – Kiran Jayathas Y1 – Zameera Ansari Y2C – Orijah Chayek Y2O – Alexander Lakatos Y3 – Anisia Constantinescu Y4 – Lucas Cornish Y5 – Eva Popescu Y6M – Stefan Popa Y6W – Malina Stoica Y7- Adelina Oltean Y8 – Lucian Popa Y9 – Rucsandra Curtis Y10 – Rex Cooper Y11 – David Kiiovschi Y12 – Maria Sticlea Y13 – Daria Raducu
Academic Top Achiever Award Primary School Ambassadors Award (Year 6)
Ioana Comusi Fia Cornish Cezar Marinescu Netoiu Diego Martin Murillo Karina Nitescu Petru Pirtea Lisa Savu Malina Stoica
Primary School House Captain Award
Dobrogea: Tudor Carstiou & Eva Nica Muntenia: Deva Stanca & Iulia Daianu Transilvania: Matteo Bianchi & Victor Sandu
Duke of Edinburgh Awards Secondary School Prefect Awards (Y12/13)
Melissa Aydogan (Head Girl) Ana Cristescu (Deputy Head Girl) Maria Sticlea Ioana Aizic Filip Stanciu Ronny Ben Yehuda Calin Constantinescu Medeea Constantinescu Kathleen Hughes Merel Koek Ioana Museteanu Daria Raducu Nichita Rosca Patrick Tansley Elian Tetruashvili Alexia Verdes Andrei Vernon
Y7 Academic – Olivia Opran Y8 Academic – Priya Vijaykumar Y9 Academic – Anushka Laha Y10 Academic – Alexandra Sandu Y11 Academic – Maia Hagai Y12 Academic – Bella Chen
School Dux Award (Y13)
Ana Cristescu Bronze: Andreea Albu Alina Barbu Andrei Stere Maia Hagai David Kiiovschi Rianna Tănase Ethan Ben Yehuda Liya Wechsler Rex Cooper Silver: Daria Raducu Ana Cristescu Kathleen Hughes Ioana Mușeteanu Maria Sticlea Medeea Constantinesu Ioana Aizic Călin Constantinescu
ALina Barbu to represent Romania at U18 European Championships, Jerusalem
by Kendall Peet
Congratulations to Alina Barbu for winning the 400m and 400m hurdles at the Romanian National Athletic Championships in Craiova.
Alina, coached by Ana Gut, will now represent Romania in her specialty, the 400-metre hurdles, at the U18 European Championships, having meet the qualifying time twice, running 62.44.
The U18 European Championships will take place at the Givot Ram Stadium in Jerusalem, between July 4-7, 2022.
“Congratulations Alina for all the work done and the thousands of hours of training. Congratulations for all the will you had to always come back after each injury. Congratulations for qualifying and being selected to represent Romania at the U18 European Championships for the very first time, which is the reward for all your hard work. Congratulations, because above all else you have shown yourself what is possible, knowing and believing that from now on through your dedication and commitment and time invested in training that the results will continue to come.” Ana Gut
Alina was the deserving female recipient of the IBSB Sporting Excellence Award, presented at the End of Year Senior School Awards Ceremony at Biblioteca Centrala Universitara. Well done Alina! We wish you well at the European Championships in Jerusalem, which will no doubt be just the first of many occasions where you will be representing Romania at an international athletics level, hopefully culminating in you participating in a future Olympic Games!
IBSB Sailing Club
by Kendall Peet
At IBSB, we understand that it is important to balance the demands of an academically rigorous programme with a wide range of extra-curricular choices. The IBSB Sailing Club, which happens each Friday afternoon on Herastrau Lake in Term 3, is just one example of the many clubs on offer at IBSB, where academic success and student wellbeing go hand in hand. This is just one example of the many Extra-curricular Enrichment opportunities available to the students of IBSB, making an IBSB education the incredible experience it is!
SPORTS
U13 Boys Secure 3rd Place in Lumina Cup
by Luca and Dinu Pietruschevici Balan, Year 7
On Saturday the 28th of May, IBSB’s U13 boys football team arrived at the Lumina Football Cup tournament with high hopes of bringing home a trophy, which they achieved securing 3rd place in very competitive draw.
Our first match in the group round was against BSB, resulting in 5-0 win to IBSB. The next match against Lycée Français was a little tougher, but still resulted a 2-0 win for IBSB. Having already qualified for the next round, we next played the European School of Bucharest (SEB) to decide draw for the next round, starting confidently as we had not yet conceded a goal in the tournament. At half time we were 2-0 up, but then conceded a goal from a penalty. As the last few minutes approached, we worked hard to secure our advantage, with Deniz curling the ball beautifully into the top left of the goal from a corner kick. 3 games 3 wins! A perfect start to the tournament!
As group winners, we felt we were in a strong position to play the second placed team in group A: Aletheea. The first half finished goalless. Sadly, our strategy was not working and we were not able to pass with the same level of confidence from
the early games; anxiety was taking its toll on us. Soon a mistake came, and we conceded from a direct free kick. Everybody seemed to lose concentration as winds of fortune seemed to favour of Aletheea, with a slip-up in our back line in the second half enabling Aleethea to score again. The fate of the match was sealed, 2-0 Aletheea-IBSB. We were disappointed, knowing we could have played a much better second half. Team morale was lower than the Mariana trench. A third-place play-off was our only salvation.
After the second semi-final was played, we found out we would be playing against SEB - the very same team we had beaten 3-1 in the group stage. Confidence was building- we had a few ideas about what we were going to do and were ready to make the choices needed to win the 3rd Place cup. Kicking off the match, we were able to quickly secure possession to get a few good shots at their goa and soon after mounted a clinical counter attack, scoring a goal to make it 1-0 for us. Pass after pass, our game was running smoothly, placing SEB under constant pressure, eventually converting that pressure into a second goal: a mistake from their defenders allowed us to make it 2-0 to IBSB. A few minutes later, the halftime whistle blew. Our team’s hopes were extremely high, but our coach, Mr Ciprian, reminded us that the game was not over. We returned to pitch determined to find the back of SEB’s net a third time, eventually holding our 3-0 lead to secure 3rd Place in the 2022 Lumina Cup!
Thank you our coach Mr Ciprian for his constant support before and during the competition and huge well done to everyone in the team! A huge improvement on our result last year!
Achieving the Unimaginable
Saturday the 21st of May was the day of the U13 Lumina Football Cup, hosted by ISB. Our school called up 8 girls with no preparation or training, willing to show up on the day of the event to give it their all, and give it our all we did! In what way would our day possibly play out? To our surprise, and to a degree complete bewilderment, the day turned out to be the exact opposite of what we all expected.
Starting the day filled with a sense of nervous emotion and a touch of anxiety, we waited to find out who we would be playing in our very first match, hoping for the best. To our dismay, we were told we would be playing the hosts, who were apparently tournament favourites. A feeling of apprehension spread across the team, causing us to spring into action to come up with a strategy that could help us achieve our goal: tying or possibly even winning our first match as a team. Thankfully, we didn’t leave disappointed, as the match concluded in a 1-1 draw. Even better than this, was the fact that the game helped us to figure out the best way to work together as a team, each member of the team selecting a position to be able to play to our best advantage, giving us the confidence needed to prepare for our next match. Having a little time available, we decided to pay a quick visit to the IBSB U13 boys’ team to cheer them on. They were playing
BSB, and as we watched, it was clear they were by far the better team, finishing the game with a resounding 5-0 win. Go IBSB!!!! Now it was our turn to play the BSB U13 Girls Team, and we prepared with growing confidence, having drawn against AISB in our first game and seeing the IBSB U13 Boys thump BSB in a convincing fashion. We knew, however, that the BSB girls were a reasonably skilled team hoping for a first place result, so we got together to devise a simple strategy that we hoped would secure us victory.
With the referee blowing the whistle, we started the match still a little anxious, yet obviously more self-assured than our first game, and came out with an even more surprising result and big beaming smiles spread across our faces. Our second match ended with a win! We were now firmly in second place in the group, with a large number of points accrued, one step closer to the goal we could barely dream imaginable at the start of the day. Dared we to dream?
Our third and final match of the day was against AISB, being the match that would decide the outcome of the U13 Girls’ Cup. Still a little baffled at our already concluded achievements, we were now increasingly determined to achieve a positive outcome. Luckily, there was little pressure on us, as AISB was a vastly more experienced team and the clear favourites to win the match and the tournament. We were only a few points behind, however, so were determined to give it our all knowing that the game would decide which of the two teams stood on the top of the podium. The game started with both sides fighting hard for possession, with loud calls of support from the sidelines for both teams. The ball moved quickly up and down the pitch, as both teams took shot after shot at goal, seeking the early advantage. Thankfully, after a lot of running, shouting, and every member of our team doing their very best defending and in attack, IBSB claimed victory. Our confidence had grown game by game, transforming our nervousness into a feeling of overwhelming excitement.
Unbelievably, we had achieved the unimaginable, somehow managing to go through all our matches undefeated, maintaining a high level of energy and commitment throughout, and in the end successfully, and somewhat surprisingly, earned top spot on the podium! As the people cheered and the excitement spread amongst the team, the U13 IBSB girls’ team mounted on the podium together! Somehow, we had arrived that morning a newly formed team of 8 year 7 girls, keen to do our very best to represent our school, shot some shots, and were now standing on the top spot of the leaderboard! Nobody could’ve expected the day to end so well! As our team raised the winner trophy in well-deserved triumph, they left the ISB campus a stronger team, content in the knowledge they had ended the day successfully and looking forward to the participating in the Lumina Cup again next year!
Special thanks to Mr Georgescu for putting the winning team together and to all of the cheerful parents who were present, which definitely helped brighten the mood and raised our spirits.
