Prologue

Gauguin captures the challenge of history in the title of his masterpiece, D’où venons-nous ? Que sommes-nous ? Où allons-nous ? As the painting suggests, where we come from, what we are, and where we are going are utterly bound up in each other: our history shapes not only our present, but also our future.

This history, then, is important, for it informs our understanding not just of our past, as San Francisco’s first, oldest, and largest bilingual and international school, but also of our future. Six decades ago, our founders set out to create a school that combined the academic rigor of French education with the rich diversity of this American setting, educating students to think critically and communicate across cultures. That vision, sixty years and several sites later, still shapes who we are now—a bilingual international school, almost 1,100 students strong, in the heart of this country’s most dynamic and innovative city.

Our past makes our future possible as we, in keeping with our school’s history and our city’s, think not just about the anniversary we celebrate this year, but the opportunities we will realize in the years to come.

Thinking Internationally

I can think of no one better to tell this story and imagine our future than Andrew Brown, veteran teacher, school leader, and advisor to a succession of French American + International heads of school. Andrew’s rendering of our history in Thinking Internationally complements A Look Back, the 50th year text by our former colleague Dan Harder, which can be found on our school website. This 60th anniversary history retells the story of our origins but shifts the focus to the last ten years, and, as we emerge from the pandemic and undertake our next cycle of strategic planning, poses generative questions about our future.

“What is history? An echo of the past in the future; a reflex from the future on the past,” said Victor Hugo. We know what we are, and we can imagine where we are going, because we know where we come from. Thanks to the generations of students, families, faculty and staff members, and trustees who have contributed to our school’s history, we are not only positioned to celebrate our past, but also poised to shape our shared future.

Warmly,

Melinda Bihn, Ed.D. Head of School